WHO’S NEXT

Rockers to take over Elton’s £250k-a-night Vegas slot

VETERAN rockers The Who are close to signing a multimillion pound deal to follow Elton John’s mammoth run in Las Vegas. Band stalwarts Pete Townshend, 73, and Roger Daltrey, 72, are hoping for a string of gigs at The Colosseum Theatre in Caesars Palace which will last at least two years. A Vegas insider said: “Elton is leaving, so the promoters and resort wanted to bring in an act of equal stature.”

The deal could be worth anywhere between £ 12million and £ 35million, depending on how many performances and the frequency they agree to initially.

The band will earn about £ 250,000 a night. They previously enjoyed a short run which sold out earlier this year. Sir Elton will end his astonishing 13-year, 450-show run playing to more than 1.8 million fans in May next year.

Promoters AEG and Caesars chiefs hope to have Roger and Pete on stage by July, blasting out hits including Substitute, My Generation and Won’t Get Fooled Again.

The insider added: “Their shows this summer were a critical success and a sell-out, with Roger’s voice sounding better than ever. They enjoyed the gigs and unique opportunity of a residency and were open to repeating it for a longer run.

“The talks have been going well and there is a genuine hope that a deal will be done.

“The issues are simply the volume of shows and length of the run. If they chose a short run they may do about a year initially but it’s likely they’ll do a longer.

Roger, who has spent a lot of time in the US this year, is publishing his autobiography next year and he is certain the gigs will be a good fit with the launch.

In August, inspirational songwriter Pete told how much he enjoyed the intimate Sin City venue, even complimenting the number of female fans there.

But Vegas is where their bass player John Entwistle died in 2002, from a heart attack at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Guitarist Pete said of his old bandmate: “I still think of him. All the time.