In 2019, a Las Vegas residency is practically a rite of passage for a pop star. On Tuesday, Christina Aguilera announced she would be putting down roots in Sin City and adding to the trend popularized by everyone from Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys to Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga with her The Xperience residency, set to open at Zappos Theater on May 31 with a run of 16 dates through the end of the year.
Below is the dream set list we’re hoping Xtina performs when she and her famous pipes take the stage at Planet Hollywood this spring — fan favorites, deep cuts and plenty of Burlesque included.
Dirrty
Sin City is the place to get “Dirrty.” This banger may have heralded Christina’s sexual and artistic liberation way back in 2002, but it’s still a surefire hit guaranteed to get the party started inside Zappos Theater.
Accelerate
“Accelerate” announced the pop superstar’s return to music after more six years away from the studio. Dripping with boss lady vibes, the song is just the swaggy flex a Vegas stage needs.
Not Myself Tonight / Woohoo
Justice for Bionic! Christina’s 2010 experiment in futuristic electro-pop may have misfired at the time, but “Not Myself Tonight” invites audiences to let loose and be someone else for a night, while “Woohoo” would certainly turn the raunch factor up to 11. After all, what happens in Vegas…
Ain’t No Other Man
The funky throwback lead single from Back to Basics saw Xtina paying homage to the big band sound of yesteryear, when singers like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Etta James helped turn Vegas into a major entertainment destination. Plus, “Ain’t No Other Man” is the perfect anthem for every giddy bridal party heading to the city of sin for a bachelorette party.
Let There Be Love
Released off the underappreciated Lotus, “Let There Be Love” was Christina’s seventh No. 1 hit on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart, and the song’s message of inclusivity and acceptance would fit right into the “anything goes” ethos of Vegas nightlife.
Can’t Hold Us Down
This is for her girls all around the world! In today’s world rife with #MeToo moments and takedowns of toxic masculinity, “Can’t Hold Us Down” reminds fans that Xtina was standing up for female solidarity and calling out double standards decades before our current cultural moment.
Fall in Line
The latest single from 2018’s Liberation has yet to chart in the U.S., but the Demi Lovato-assisted girl power anthem is rife with duet potential for any number of special guests over the course of the residency’s 16 dates.
What a Girl Wants
This midtempo jam from Christina’s eponymous debut was her second No. 1 hit after “Genie in a Bottle” and remains a perennial crowd pleaser. The Xperience would simply be incomplete without it.
Twice/Hurt
Any pop star needs a minute to breathe between all the heavy beats and vocal gymnastics of a residency, and these ballads from Liberation and Back to Basics, respectively, are precisely the mash-up to slow things down.
Express/But I Am a Good Girl/Show Me How You Burlesque
Christina performed “Express” on her Liberation tour, but Vegas seems like the perfect place to dust off a few more numbers from the 2010 masterpiece that was Burlesque. “But I Am a Good Girl” is vintage burlesque in its truest form, and “Show Me How You Burlesque” is sure to bring the house down.
Come On Over (All I Want Is You)
Compared to some of her later hits, this early bop sounds relatively tame by modern standards (despite the controversy caused at the time with the line “I’m not just talkin’ about your sexuality”). “Come On Over” will forever be a crowd-pleasing favorite harking back to Christina’s glory days as a crown princess of teen pop.
Candyman
This retro single from Back to Basics has swing, sass and a plethora of cheeky lyrics. Just imagine Christina belting out her love for her “sweet-talking, sugar-coated Candyman” backed by a full brass band on a Vegas stage. It’s practically begging to hit the sweet spot in Sin City.
Fighter & Army of Me
“Fighter” remains Christina’s quintessential call to arms from 2002’s Stripped, and the fiery, fierce anthem would pair perfectly with “Army of Me,” an album cut from 2012’s Lotus that Christina has repeatedly referred to in interviews as “Fighter 2.0.”
Unless It’s With You
On her recently completed Liberation tour, Christina closed every encore with this gorgeous, hopeful ballad. Including it in The Xperience would allow Xtina to show off both her vulnerability and her famous voice.
Genie in a Bottle
Gotta rub her the right way, honey! There would be no Christina without “Genie in a Bottle,” and there’s no better way to finish off her Vegas set than by taking the audience all the way back to the beginning with her sultry first hit.
ENCORE
Beautiful
The song that sent Christina’s career to new heights, “Beautiful” is a no-brainer to kick off the encore and would provide a powerful moment for the pop superstar to connect with her fans and preach self-love and acceptance from the stage at Planet Hollywood.
Reflection
It’s been an awfully long time since the pop star performed the ballad from Disney’s Mulan that first launched her into the spotlight. After more than two decades in the pop stratosphere, it’s safe to say that Christina’s reflection finally does show who she is inside, and fans would go crazy to hear the song in Vegas.
Lady Marmalade
Where are all my soul sisters? As if we could leave Christina’s classic Moulin Rouge! banger off our fantasy set list! It’s the pitch-perfect encore finale to leave fans asking “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” as the show ends.
Tickets for The Xperience go on sale Feb. 2.
