So much for wanting to get my mom tickets to see Celine Dion perform live in Las Vegas.
Last night the 39-year-old French-Canadian singing sensation took her final bow on the Caesars Palace stage that she has called home for the last five years. Dion performed 717 shows in Caesars’ $95 million, 4,100-seat Colosseum, which was designed and created specifically for her five-year engagement. In return, the singer walked away with more than $160 million—-a record for a live entertainer.
But that’s peanuts compared to how much Dion’s show “A New Day…” has grossed since opening in Vegas in March 2003. According to show producers, the nightly musical extravaganza has raked in more than $400 million and has been seen by nearly 3 million fans. Dion revealed to news reporters that one fan had seen her Las Vegas show more than 100 times. Tickets for the final show were sold out months in advance—-some ended up on eBay and were listed at $2000.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes wrangled tickets for Friday’s sold-out show and met with Dion after her two-and-a-half hour performance. But, the audience for Saturday night’s performance was filled with many of Dion’s friends and family members, including the two guys who accompanied her onstage after her last number–her husband-manager Rene Angelil and the couple’s 7-year-old son Rene-Charles. Several news agencies ran video of Rene-Charles kissing his mom and repeatedly reaching down to grab rose petals that rained down on the family after Dion took her final bow.
You’d think that after five consecutive years of performing night after night Dion would choose to take a break from the biz, but you’d be wrong. Rather, last month the award-winning singer released “Taking Chances” her first English-language album in four years and now plans to promote it during a worldwide concert tour, which kicks off in Johannesburg, South Africa on Valentine’s Day.
As for Caesars’ multi-, multi-million dollar Colosseum it will be used by Bette Midler and her new live act “The Showgirl Must Go On,” which is set to open February 20th.