British musician Elton John, who performed 241 concerts in Las Vegas between 2005 and 2009 as part of a first residency concert series entitled The Red Piano, is returning to the gambling capital to begin a new 3-year residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
As a new father, John may have decided to take Celine Dion’s advice to heart. As the new mother of twins, Dion recommends residency shows in Vegas as a way to spend more time with family instead of touring on the road. On Christmas Day last year, John and partner David Furnish became parents to their son, Zachary, born via a surrogate.
The new concert series is entitled The Million Dollar Piano, in honor of a piano that Yamaha has been working on for the last four years especially for the show.
The 2011 concert series will debut September 28 with 16 concerts planned through to October 23. The number of shows for 2012 and 2013 are still unknown at this time. During his first stay in Las Vegas, 75 concerts were planned over three years, however, the demand was so great that his stay was stretched over five years, with a total of 241 performances.
John will be accompanied by his band, which includes Davey Johnstone on guitar, Bob Birch on bass, John Mahon on percussion, Nigel Olsson on drums and Kim Bullard on keyboards with a special appearance by percussionist Ray Cooper.
Tickets for the first 16 concerts go on sale next Monday (April 25).