Stepping into Voltaire, I felt like I was entering a glamorous reverie—velvet seats, golden lights, and that electric hum in the air when you know something magical is about to happen. Christina Aguilera’s 2024 residency at Voltaire wasn’t just a concert run—it was a carefully crafted showcase of her voice, her evolution, and her sheer ability to captivate. I went in with high expectations—and she exceeded them.
What Makes Voltaire Feel Different
The first thing that hits you when you settle in is how intimate this show is, at least for a Las Vegas residency. Voltaire isn’t a mammoth arena; it’s more refined, more theatrical. Aguilera and her creative team lean into that—there’s artistry here, not just spectacle. Between costume changes, dramatic lighting, dancers, live band, subtle staging theatrics, and those moments she leans right into vulnerability, she turns this space into her playground.
Her voice is still jaw-dropping. The control, the range, the twists she can put on older hits so they feel fresh again—she’s not resting on her legacy. Instead, she’s reinterpreting it, sharpening it, turning her past into something living, breathing, and current.
The Show: Highlights & Flow
She opens with an atmospheric intro, built from cinematic sounds and prelude snippets that tease the rest of the evening. Once “Not Myself Tonight” hits (in a more orchestral / truncated form at first), the crowd erupted. Aguilera uses that song as a promise: we’re going to dance, we’re going to push boundaries, and she’s going to dare us to meet her there.
After that, she rolls into “Your Body,” also shortened, which sets a sleek, modern tone. Between the first two songs, you already see the tension in her performance—raw confidence married with shimmering production.
The show transitions through several phases:
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Glamour & Flash with tracks like “Diamonds Are Forever” (a Shirley Bassey cover), “Glam,” and “Vanity.” This stretch leans into her diva energy, the showgirl aesthetic, the larger-than-life confidence that feels campy (in a good way) but never cheesy.
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Then she pivots into nostalgia and her roots: “Genie in a Bottle,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Dirrty.” These are fan-favorites, and she gives them new textures—sometimes stripped-down or reimagined. There’s a spotlight moment, almost cabaret in its intimacy, when she sings “Ain’t No Other Man” and the crowd leans in like it’s a confession.
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She mixes in interludes and covers to vary the pacing. The Mae West–style song “Guy What Takes His Time” is a playful, character-driven piece; the “Show Me How You Burlesque” interlude gives dancers and backup singers some stage time, which shifts energy so Aguilera can reset and return.
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Then there’s a powerful emotional arc: after the energetic, choreographed parts, she brings it down for tracks like “Fighter,” “Beautiful”—songs that let the voice take over everything else. In those moments the whole theater pulses with reverence.
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And of course, she closes with flair. The encore is “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” done in a remix style, theatrical, glitzy, commanding. A perfect capstone: a nod outward (pop culture, showgirls, glamour) and a reminder that she’s still earned her place as one of the voices people listen for.
Setlist
Here’s how the set generally shook out in Voltaire for the 2024 run:
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Intro (contains elements of “Woohoo” and “Not Myself Tonight”)
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Not Myself Tonight (orchestral, shortened)
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Your Body (shortened)
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Interlude (tape/video)
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Diamonds Are Forever (Shirley Bassey cover)
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Glam (with elements of “That Girl” and “Brand New Bitch”)
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Vanity (shortened)
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Interlude (video animation)
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Genie in a Bottle
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You Don’t Own Me (Lesley Gore cover)
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Dirrty (shortened)
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Interlude
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I Like a Guy What Takes His Time (Mae West cover)
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Ain’t No Other Man (shortened)
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Show Me How You Burlesque (performed by backup singers)
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Welcome to Burlesque (Cher cover)
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Lady Marmalade
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Candyman (interlude via backup singers)
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Fighter (first part orchestral/shortened)
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Beautiful
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Big Spender (Shirley Bassey cover, backup singers)
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Encore: Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (Remix)
What Worked So Well
Vocal dynamics. Aguilera knows how to shift from fierce belting to vulnerable whisper without losing credibility. When she sings “Fighter,” it’s almost a sermon. With “Beautiful,” it’s confession. That contrast keeps the show emotionally rich, not just flashy.
Visual storytelling. Costumes mattered—silver minidress, dramatic gowns, corsets, playful glamour interwoven with more demure moments. The staging, the lighting, the choreography, the video interludes—they weren’t just filler. They punctuated the emotional beats, they let Aguilera and the band breathe or rev up.
Audience interaction. Even though Voltaire is more intimate than a stadium, there’s still that sense of spectacle. But Aguilera seems to enjoy playing with that: engaging the front row, making eye contact, letting songs stretch so the audience can join in. Also, covering classics and unexpected covers (Shirley Bassey, Mae West, etc.) felt like gifts to the audience—moments of surprise you didn’t expect, but once they hit, you realize they perfect the arc of the show.
Set pacing. It’s never boring. She walks the line between bombastic showstoppers and quieter moments adeptly. The interludes aren’t just transitions—they serve to reset the energy so the next high doesn’t feel exhausting.
What Could’ve Been Even More
If I had to pick, there were a few nights where it felt like some covers stretched the emotional investment a little thin. Not the fault of Aguilera—she performs them skillfully—but some parts of the show maybe lean a bit heavy on spectacle versus raw vulnerability. But honestly, that’s a minor point in what was otherwise a very balanced show.
Also, because it’s a residency, there were nights when some songs felt almost overly polished, like the gloss came at the expense of grit. But she often remedied that with vocal runs, ad-libs, or moments where she drops into simpler arrangements.
Why This Residency Matters
Christina Aguilera is in her 40s now, with decades of hits and reinvention behind her. Many artists use a residency to rest on their laurels; hers feels like a reassertion. She’s revisiting her biggest hits—not for nostalgia’s sake, but to recontextualize them, to show how far she’s come, and to anchor them in her growth as a performer.
This show also affirms what people already love about her: the voice, the unapologetic attitude, the blend of elegance and raw emotion. But it adds something more: reflection. There are hints in costume, in how she presents herself, in the theatricality, in the covers she chooses, that Christina is as much celebrating her identity and boldness as she is entertaining.
Final Thoughts
Walking out of Voltaire after the show, I felt like I’d witnessed something rare—not just because Christina Aguilera’s voice still hits heights few can match, or because the visuals were sharp and the production tight. It’s that she made you feel both awe and connection in the same breath.
If you ever get the chance to see her in this residency, go. Go for the spectacle, go for the vocal fireworks, go for the moments where she drops the armor just enough that you see the person underneath. For me, Christina Aguilera’s Voltaire run in 2024 was more than a concert series—it felt like a declaration: of artistry, of resilience, of womanhood in all its polished, messy glory.