Who’s next as Sir Elton exits Caesars?
A14 years on the Strip and more than 400 performances, Elton John is closing the lid on “The Million Dollar Piano.”
Sir Elton’s final 14 shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace will be April 28-May 19, it was announced Monday, with tickets on sale 10 a.m. Friday.
His departure ends a remarkably successful run on the Strip. In all, John will have performed 450 shows beginning with his original “Red Piano” production from 2004-2009 and ending with the Led-screen outfitted “Million Dollar Piano.”
In those two dazzling productions, John will have played to more than 1.8 million fans.
The question is now: Who will replace Sir Elton? As in The Who, in this instance.
There was buzz during the band’s six-show run in July and August that the group might return for another dozen shows at the Colosseum in 2018. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey hold the keys to making that happening, naturally, and so far have not committed to a return to Caesars Palace.
Early in the run, Daltrey struggled with a condition singers often refer to as “Vegas Voice” or “Vegas Throat” resulting from the dry, desert conditions .
But a return is plausible as the band’s two surviving co-founders are said to be weary of world tours. The Who’s own website hinted to a return to Las Vegas as its world tour closed two weeks ago at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata in Argentina. A blog written by veteran producer and musician Brian Kehew, who is traveling with the band, states:
“There are discussions that touring is over; that their shows need not mean months away from home, with something more like residencies in major cities where people come see you. Others have done it, we tried it in Vegas and it worked.
One could even picture a future with no tours, but a few special charity events, or honours performances. No one knows, but something seems much more likely than nothing.”
And the opening created by Sir Elton’s departure next year at the Colosseum, that’s something.
Eighteen in ‘18 for Cher
Also announced on a bustling Monday of Strip news: Cher will return 18 addition- al shows at Park Theater in 2018 — nine dates from Jan. 17-Feb. 3 and another nine in May.
Clique forming at the Palms
The new nightspot on the Palms casino floor will be familiar to anyone who’s visited The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The team behind the Clique speakeasy at the Cosmo reportedly has been tapped for the venue redo at the lounge space.
Veteran Vegas nightlife exec Andy Masi, late of the Light Group, co-founded Clique Hospitality in 2015 with partners Brian Massie and Shane Monaco.
Courting the Gaz
On Monday, in honor of National Boss’s Day (and man do I love me some Springsteen), “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace character Wanda Widdles has started a campaign to name a street after The Gazillionaire, the show’s emcee and producer.
Supporters can sign a petition supporting the effort online at Change.org. Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa said it is possible that a street could be named for Gaz, and he passed along a link to the county website listing the criteria to start the process. Best advice: Go with a street with few (or even no) businesses to avoid reimbursement fees for changing a business’s address.
It’s a long shot, sure, but as Pappa says, “What’s not to love about the idea? Who wouldn’t want to live on Gazillionaire Court? The name alone would do wonders for property values! The only thing better might be … Wanda Widdles Way.”
She’ll get her way, in due time.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram.
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