Kelly Clarkson Surprises Street Performer On Las Vegas Strip

Author Mike O'Brian

September 25th, 2023 11:00 AM

Kelly Clarkson getting ready to perform

A lot of artists in town over the weekend, but it was Kelly Clarkson surprising appearance on the Las Vegas Strip that has everyone buzzing! Just walking down the strip when the Grammy Award winning artist encountered a “street” performer. Clarkson stopped to enjoy the song, then without knowing who she was, then performer asked her to join in!

That’s when Kelly Clarkson took the mic and took over entertaining only a few on lookers. Once everyone put two and two together, the shock factor entered in for everyone. You can only imagine the response from those that were lucky enough to be in the right place and the right time!

Kelly Clarkson is “live” on the Las Vegas Strip!

The Mike & Carla Morning Show shared some of the audio during a segment this morning and it’s very entertaining! Clarkson, who did a residency in Las Vegas at the Bakkt Theater inside Planet Hollywood, then gave the street performer a huge hug and was on her way.

It seemed to those that witness the performance that Clarkson was just walking down the strip minding her own business when she noticed the street performer. Dressed in casual clothes and really not looking for any attention, just decided to jam with the performer.

It was just one of those moments only a few people will be able to share with others. A surprised for everyone at that point in time during their Vegas vacation that will be their story for life. To see an artist of that level to just take the microphone and start singing. No processing, no big sound system…just a mic, a speaker and that’s it!

She sounded awesome of course and if you’d like to hear that moment, then check out the segment from this morning and enjoy…as if you were there right when it happened!

Mike O’Brian is the Program Director and Morning Show host on 96.3 KKLZ in Las Vegas, along with Carla Rea. He has been with the Beasley Media Group for almost 23 years. Mike was named one of the “Best Program Directors In America” by Radio Ink magazine. Over the years, “The Mike & Carla Morning Show” have been presented with a number of proclamations for their work in the community and numerous awards. Having lived in Las Vegas for over 35 years, he writes articles on living in Las Vegas, sports, and odd stories happening within the state of Nevada. Mike is the host of the morning show and program director of 96.3 KKLZ/Las Vegas. He has been doing mornings in Las Vegas for the past 38 years. Over the years, he has hosted a numerous amount of community events and has been the P.A. announcer for a number of sports teams in Las Vegas. He has written on living in Las Vegas, the sports teams here, as well as odd & little-known facts about Las Vegas & Nevada.

6 Artists Who Make It Worth Your While To Follow On Tour

There are a handful of popular artists who have sold out arenas and stadiums year after year. It’s a somewhat elite group. Even more elite are the ones who inspire fans to hit the road with them, and go to show after show. This phenomenon most likely started with the Grateful Dead in the ’70s, when fans would pack their bags and follow the group from concert to concert. The band would change their setlist night after night. This changed the definition of what a concert could be. Instead of playing the same songs in the same order, in city after city, they gave a different experience each night.

The benefits of changing the setlist

Of course, it’s much easier to rehearse a set and do it over and over. Many huge artists do that with each tour. AC/DC, for example, remains one of the most popular live acts in the world. But their setlist is generally locked in for an entire tour, and it barely changes from the beginning of the tour to the end. There are definitely benefits to that: fans know what they’re paying for.

On the other hand, artists who change their setlist every night may not get to all of the hits, and fans may not even know (or like) all of their songs. But it makes each concert a different experience, and there’s an excitement to that. The bands may also benefit from this: in the case of acts who sell live recordings of their shows (such as Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam, who we discuss below), this gives fans a reason to buy multiple recordings. It also helps them to stay in the news cycle. If a band plays a brand new song for the first time, or an old song that they haven’t played in years, it can draw attention that they wouldn’t otherwise receive by playing the same songs each night.

Other reasons to follow the artist on tour

A lot of these artists sell custom merch at every show. In other words, they might sell t-shirts and posters specific to the concert you’re attending alongside the more generic tour gear. You can only get that merch by attending the show… and by getting to the merch stand before the limited edition stuff sells out. Other than that: it’s fun to see the country while seeing your favorite artist multiple times.

To look deeper into this subject, we’ve identified six artists with whom it is common practice for fans to attend multiple shows. It’s a passion for the artist that drives this behavior, but it’s also the desire to take in each unique experience.

Here, we’ve listed some of the artists that make it worth fans’ efforts to follow around on tour.

Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is even the boss of this category. With hundreds of songs in his catalog, Springsteen is also known to add in requests each night. These are spur of the moment additions based off signs fans bring. In this 2013 performance, he takes a request from the audience to cover Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell.” He teaches the band the song in less than three minutes — in front of a sold-out stadium crowd — and then launches into the song for the first time.

Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Pearl Jam
These Seattle legends have followed the new setlist every night model since 1991. In 32 years of touring, Pearl Jam has never played the same setlist twice in a row. With 11 studio records and a compilation of B-Sides, there’s so many possibilities for what they might play, and you might not always get all of the radio hits, but it will always be unique. They too, have traditionally partnered with an artist to design a silkscreen poster that is custom to each show.

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Taylor Swift
Currently on The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift plays mostly the same set each night. Until she gets to spots 37 and 38 in the setlist. That is reserved for “surprise songs.” You never know what you are going to get. It could be Swift solo on a piano playing a stripped-down version of fan-favorite, or it can be a live debut. What you do know, is that it will be something that has not been played on the tour yet. Swift’s 2023 tour plan was set to play in a particular city, Friday through Sunday night. This layout made travel plans attractive, if you could afford it. With the right money and either connections or luck with Ticketmaster, you could see three different shows over a weekend.

John Medina/Getty Images
Eric Church
Eric Church has gone above and beyond to make sure he writes a different setlist each night. Church’s tours are always highly anticipated; this summer, not only is he changing the setlists, but he is spotlighting a collection of different peers as the opening act. In fact, 18 different names are slotted to support Church’s 2023 The Outsiders Revival Tour.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Dave Matthews Band
What Dave Matthews also mixes his songs up each night, the band is also known to break into epic jams. This can result in 10-minute extended versions of classic DMB songs. For over 25 years, Dave Matthews Band shows have paired perfectly with outdoor summer concerts. From tailgating to epic-length concerts, each night offers a guaranteed good time.

Rich Polk/Getty Images
Phish
The ultimate jam band audience, Phishheads are known to travel in packs. There are often pre-show meetups or camp outs built around Phish tours. Phish has always done a phenomenal job of designing their tours to hit areas that have a lot to offer. Phish also subscribes to the custom setlist each night model.

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