2023 Impact 50: Josephine Vaccarello

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF LIVE
MSG Entertainment

Madison Square Garden Entertainment has been celebrating a hell of a year. The venue continued its residencies with Billy Joel and Harry Styles, who took over the arena for a historic 15 night run. And MSG is building the new Sphere in Las Vegas, which will launch in September with a run of U2 dates. In the center of it all is Josephine Vaccarello. She leads the live entertainment bookings business across MSG Entertainment’s properties including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre and The Chicago Theatre, along with Sphere Entertainment’s Sphere. From concerts, family shows, comedy, performing arts and special events, Vaccarello does it all.

“We continue to focus on booking multi-night runs and residencies to give fans even more opportunities to see their favorite artists at their favorite venues,” Vaccarello told Pollstar. “We pioneered the residency model outside of Las Vegas with Billy Joel at MSG, which is going strong at 89 monthly shows, and have had great success with subsequent residencies — including Jerry Seinfeld at The Beacon, Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Beacon Theatre and The Chicago Theatre, Phish/Trey Anastasio at several of our venues, and more. With Harry Styles’ residency this past summer, we’ve seen that the next generation of artists is embracing the opportunity to make a big impact by playing multiple nights at one venue, and we’re looking forward to what’s to come at Sphere from a residency and multi-night touring perspective.”

Already, U2 has announced their first run of dates at the Sphere, with more shows being added at a consistent pace. “U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere” kicks off on Sept. 29. Other performances that will be making their way through the venue have yet to be announced.

“I can’t wait for the opening of Sphere this September in Las Vegas,” Vaccarello says. “The venue is going to change the industry — it will be unlike any venue, anywhere in the world, and powered by cutting-edge technologies that enable immersive experiences at an unparalleled scale.