LL COOL J brings hip-hop history to the Strip as Rock the Bells The Residency opens at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 15, 2027, with the show starting at 8:00 PM Pacific (doors at 7:00 PM). The residency — billed as “LL COOL J invites you to Rock the Bells” — plays May 15, 16, 19, 21 and 22, then returns July 9, 10, 11, 14, 16 and 17, 2027.
Rock the Bells takes its name from LL’s 1985 breakout single and the festival brand he built around classic hip-hop. A Las Vegas residency built on that catalog — four decades of hits in a theater designed for residencies — is one of the marquee music stories of the 2027 calendar.
Date, time and show details
What: LL COOL J — Rock the Bells The Residency (opening night)
When: Saturday, May 15, 2027, at 8:00 PM Pacific (doors open 7:00 PM)
Where: Dolby Live at Park MGM, 3770 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Further dates: May 16, 19, 21, 22 and July 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 2027
Tickets: On sale via the official Park MGM event page
The dates, start time and doors time are per the official Park MGM listing. This guide covers opening night; the same show runs on the further dates listed above.
About LL COOL J
LL COOL J (James Todd Smith) is a two-time Grammy Award winner and a 2021 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where he received the Musical Excellence Award. He was the first hip-hop artist to receive a Kennedy Center Honor. The catalog anchors the golden age of hip-hop: “Rock the Bells,” “I Need Love,” “Going Back to Cali,” “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “Doin’ It,” among many others. He founded Rock The Bells as a platform celebrating classic hip-hop, and this residency brings that brand to a Las Vegas stage for the first time.
The venue
Dolby Live, inside Park MGM at 3770 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, is a roughly 5,200-seat theater purpose-built for residencies, with a Dolby Atmos sound system and not a bad seat in the house. Park MGM sits on the west side of the Strip beside T-Mobile Arena and The Park dining district, and the resort is smoke-free. The theater’s Park MGM neighbors include Aria and Bellagio a short walk north.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale through the official Park MGM event page. Prices vary by seat and date and are not published as a single starting price on the official listing, so check that page for the current range before you buy. Opening night of a first-ever residency tends to sell first.
Getting to Dolby Live at Park MGM
Park MGM stands at 3770 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109. Park in the Park MGM self-park garage off Las Vegas Boulevard or the Park Avenue entry; valet is at the main entrance. The free ARIA Express tram connects Park MGM with Aria, Vdara, Bellagio and The Shops at Crystals. Rideshare pickup is at the resort’s designated area off the main entrance, and the Deuce bus stops on the Boulevard outside. If you are seeing a Golden Knights game or a concert at T-Mobile Arena the same weekend, Dolby Live is a five-minute walk across The Park.
More Las Vegas events
Planning a spring 2027 trip? Browse the latest concerts, residencies and sports on the Vegas Events Today homepage.
Make a night of it
Doors at 7:00 PM leave time for dinner at Eataly or Bavette’s inside Park MGM before the show. Afterward, The Park next door keeps the night going under the Bliss Dance sculpture — a fittingly classic-Vegas end to a golden-age hip-hop night.