Kelly Clarkson Opens Up About Tour Expenses During Las Vegas Residency Show

At her Las Vegas show on July 18, Kelly Clarkson spoke candidly about the financial realities of touring. She drew stark contrasts between standard concert tours and the record-shattering success of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

"When you tour, like, you have to take everything in trucks. So, you have to pay for all that. You can't really pay for seven guitars on stage 'cause you make no money," the 43-year-old singer joked, as seen in a now-viral TikTok video.

She continued, "Unless you're Taylor Swift, then you can do whatever the f**k you want. For the rest of us minions, [it doesn't] work."

Inside Caesars Palace, she transformed the stage into an intimate studio setting. Her approach stands apart from typical arena spectacles, offering fans a stripped-down musical experience.

The Eras Tour, which concluded in December 2024, shattered financial records, grossing over $2 billion in ticket sales alone. Swift addressed industry comparisons in late 2023: "There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé," she told TIME Magazine during the December profile.

"Clearly, it's very lucrative to pit two women against each other, even when those two artists in question refuse to participate in that discussion," she added.

To create an authentic atmosphere, Clarkson brought personal touches from home to this Studio Sessions residency in Las Vegas. "All this stuff on the walls is from my house in Montana and my studio there," she said, as reported by AOL Entertainment. She mentioned her New York studio setup as well.

An unexpected moment lit up the show when her daughter joined in for "Heartbeat Song." After the performance, Kelly took to Instagram to gush about the special appearance, writing: "Last night, we had a very special guest, my daughter River Rose, joined us for 'Heartbeat Song.' It's her favorite song!"

Clarkson will continue her stint at Caesars Palace until summer's end. The venue gave her unusual creative freedom.

"This is a very different show that Caesars' is letting us do. They let us do what we wanted, and this was my dream. I like getting all dolled up and I like the gowns, but I wanted y'all to be able to experience this with us," she shared with the audience.

Want to see her perform her next show live? You can find all details on her upcoming performances and buy tickets from Kelly Clarkson's official website.