Blake Shelton playfully blames his manager after missing his wife Gwen Stefanithe grand opening party of the Las Vegas residences. While Stefani reunited with No Doubt to kick off the group’s new residency at Sphere on Wednesday night, Shelton was busy launching his own residency performances across the city. And according to Blake Shelton, the scheduling conflict was less than ideal.
Blake Shelton calls out his manager on stage
During his concert at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Shelton joked with the crowd about not being able to attend Stefani’s highly anticipated opening performance. “My wife came to town. She’s here. I mean, she’s not there. She’s over there in the other room,” he told the audience.
The singer then jokingly turned his frustration towards his management team. “What kind of idiot gives us the same nights every night? I think my manager did that,” Shelton joked from the stage.
Although the couple’s shows were held within minutes of each other on the Las Vegas Strip, Shelton’s residency obligations prevented him from attending in person.
Gwen Stefani Undoubtedly Reuniting at Sphere
Meanwhile, Stefani has officially reunited with Tony Kanal, Adrian Young and Tom Dumont for No Doubt’s new 18-show residency. The band reportedly opened the concert with “Tragic Kingdom” from their iconic 1995 album of the same name, marking the first time in nearly two decades that they performed the song live in this format.
Fans were also treated to several major hits and rarely performed songs throughout the night. The residency is expected to continue until June 13.
Gwen Stefani Admits She Got ‘Emotional’ During No Doubt Opening Night
While Blake Shelton joked about missing the show, Gwen Stefani was busy providing an emotional and nostalgic evening for longtime No Doubt fans. During the nearly two-hour performance, Stefani and the band performed 21 songs, including several that hadn’t been performed live in decades.
A standout moment came when the band performed “The Climb” from 1995’s “Tragic Kingdom” for the first time in 29 years. At one point during the show, Stefani admitted that this moment was starting to hit her emotionally. “I’m getting a little emotional here,” she told the screaming crowd.
Fans at the residency also had the chance to experience the “No Doubt Experience,” an immersive pop-up installation at the Venetian featuring memorabilia and artifacts celebrating the band’s history. But that’s not all, as Gwen Stefani also made sure fans were part of the show itself, inviting several superfans on stage throughout the evening, including during one of No Doubt’s most iconic songs, “Just a Girl.”
Before launching into the track, Stefani reflected on writing the anthem decades ago and admitted that she never expected it to remain so culturally relevant. “I wrote this song out of pure innocence, at a time when I was just becoming aware of myself and my surroundings,” she told the crowd.
“But I always thought I’d be like…I’d outgrow it and it would be out of style,” she continued, before asking fans, “but tell me if you think it’s still relevant or stylish or? It’s up to you.”
Shelton previously joked about competing with Stefani
This isn’t the first time Shelton has joked about the couple’s Vegas confrontation. Earlier this year, the singer admitted he expected “trash talk” between the pair as they prepared for their respective residencies. “I’m excited about it because I know there’s probably going to be a little bit of trash talk,” he previously said.
Shelton also poked fun at the huge difference in size between the venues, comparing the Sphere’s roughly 20,000-seat capacity to the more intimate Colosseum. “Whether we both sell, there’s a big difference between selling Sphere and selling Caesars, so she’ll have that over my head,” he joked. “Yeah, it’s not very friendly when it’s absolutely awesome.”
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s relationship remained in the spotlight
Shelton and Stefani first met while coaching on “The Voice” in 2014 before confirming their relationship the following year. The couple got engaged in 2020 and married in 2021.
Stefani shares sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale. According to reports, Stefani’s children were also absent from the grand opening because it fell on a school night. Yet despite the scheduling chaos, Shelton made it clear that he was cheering for his wife, even if it had to happen on the other side of the Strip.