AP Photo/John Locher
A formally sunken boat sits on cracked earth hundreds of feet from what is now the shoreline on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, May 9, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev. Lake Mead is receding and Sin City is awash with mob lore after a second set of human remains emerged within a week from the depths of the drought-stricken Colorado River reservoir just a short drive from the Las Vegas Strip.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas is being flooded with lore about organized crime after a second set of human remains emerged within a week from the depths of a drought-stricken Colorado River reservoir just a 30-minute drive from the notoriously mob-founded Strip.
“There’s no telling what we’ll find in Lake Mead,” former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Monday. “It’s not a bad place to dump a body.”
Goodman, as a lawyer, represented mob figures including the ill-fated Anthony “Tony the Ant” Spilotro before serving three terms as a martini-toting mayor making public appearances with a showgirl on each arm.
He declined to name names about who might turn up in the vast reservoir formed by Hoover Dam between Nevada and Arizona.
“I’m relatively sure it was not Jimmy Hoffa,” he laughed. But he added that a lot of his former clients seemed interested in “climate control” — mob speak for keeping the lake level up and bodies down in their watery graves.
Instead, the world now has climate change, and the surface of Lake Mead has dropped more than 170 feet (52 meters) since 1983.
AP Photo/John Locher
Rusting debris that used to be underwater sits above the water level on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, May 9, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev.
AP Photo/John Locher
A dead fish that used to be underwater sits on cracked earth above the water level on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, May 9, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev.
The lake that slakes the thirst of 40 million people in cities, farms and tribes across seven Southwestern states is down to about 30% of capacity.
“If the lake goes down much farther, it’s very possible we’re going to have some very interesting things surface,” observed Michael Green, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas history professor whose father dealt blackjack for decades at casinos including the Stardust and the Showboat.
“I wouldn’t bet the mortgage that we’re going to solve who killed Bugsy Siegel,” Green said, referring to the infamous gangster who opened the Flamingo in 1946 on what would become the Strip. Siegel was shot dead in 1947 in Beverly Hills, California. His assassin has never been identified.
“But I would be willing to bet there are going to be a few more bodies,” Green said.
AP Photo/John Locher
Misha McBride looks at a formally sunken boat now on cracked earth hundreds of feet from what is now the shoreline on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, May 9, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev.
First, the dropping lake level exposed Las Vegas’ uppermost drinking water intake on April 25, forcing the regional water authority to switch to a deep-lake intake it completed in 2020 to continue to supply casinos, suburbs and 2.4 million residents and 40 million tourists per year.
The following weekend, boaters spotted the decomposed body of a man in a rusted barrel stuck in the mud of newly exposed shoreline.
The corpse has not been identified, but Las Vegas police say he had been shot, probably between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s, according to the shoes found with him. The death is being investigated as a homicide.
A few days later, a second barrel was found by a KLAS-TV news crew, not far from the first. It was empty.
On Saturday, two sisters from suburban Henderson who were paddle boarding on the lake near a former marina resort noticed bones on a newly surfaced sand bar more than 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) from the barrels.
Lindsey Melvin via AP
These photos of Saturday, May 7, 2022, provided by Lindsey Melvin of Henderson, Nev., shows human remains she and her sister discovered on a sandbar that recently surfaced as Lake Mead recedes. A closer look revealed a human jaw with teeth. The National Park Service confirmed in a statement that the bones are human.
Lindsey Melvin, who took photos of their find, said they thought at first it was the skeleton of a bighorn sheep native to the region. A closer look revealed a human jaw with teeth. They called park rangers, and the National Park Service confirmed in a statement that the bones were human.
There was no immediate evidence of foul play, Las Vegas police said Monday, and they are not investigating. A homicide probe would be opened if the Clark County coroner determines the death was suspicious, the department said in a statement.
More bodies will be discovered, predicted Geoff Schumacher, vice president of The Mob Museum, a renovated historic downtown Las Vegas post office and federal building that opened in 2012 as The National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement.
AP Photo/John Locher
A formally floating buoy lies on cracked earth hundreds of feet from what is now the shoreline on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, May 9, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev.
“I think a lot of these individuals will likely have been drowning victims,” Schumacher said, referring to boaters and swimmers who’ve never been found. “But a barrel has a signature of a mob hit. Stuffing a body in a barrel. Sometimes they would dump it in the water.”
He and Green both cited the death of John “Handsome Johnny” Roselli, a mid-1950s Las Vegas mobster who disappeared in 1976 a few days before his body was found in a 55-gallon (208-liter) steel drum floating off the coast of Miami.
David Kohlmeier, a former police officer who now co-hosts a Las Vegas podcast and fledgling TV show called “The Problem Solver Show,” said Monday that after offering a $5,000 reward last week for qualified divers to find barrels in the lake, he heard from people in San Diego and Florida willing to try.
But National Park Service officials said that’s not allowed, and that there are hundreds of barrels in the depths — some dating to the construction of Hoover Dam in the 1930s.
Kohlmeier said he also heard from families of missing people and about cases like a man suspected of killing his mother and brother in 1987, a hotel employee who disappeared in 1992, and a father from Utah who vanished in the 1980s.
“You’ll probably find remains all throughout Lake Mead,” Kohlmeier said, including Native Americans who were the area’s earliest inhabitants.
AP Photo/John Locher
Misha McBride stands on cracked earth that was once underwater near Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Monday, May 9, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev.
Green said the discoveries have people talking not only about mob hits, but about bringing relief and closure to grieving families. Not to mention the ever-growing white mineral markings on steep lake walls showing where water used to be.
“People will talk about this for the right reasons and the wrong reasons,” the professor said. “They’re going to think we’re going to solve every mob murder. In fact, we may see some.
“But it’s also worth remembering that the mob did not like murders to take place in the Las Vegas area, because they did not like bad publicity going out under the Las Vegas dateline.”
The right reason, Green said, is the visible evidence that the West has a serious water problem. “The ‘bathtub ring’ around the lake is big and getting bigger,” he said.
Whatever story emerges about the body in the barrel, Goodman predicted it will add to the lore of a city that, with lake water, sprouted from a creosote bush-covered desert to become a marquee gambling mecca.
“When I was the mayor, every time I went to a ground breaking, I’d begin to shake for fear that somebody I may have run into over the years will be uncovered,” he said.
“We have a very interesting background,” Goodman added. “It certainly adds to the mystique of Las Vegas.”
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Pixabay
The hottest trend in town is supper clubs, an old school Vegas tradition that’s seen a resurgence in recent years. Examples include the Mayfair at the Bellagio, which serves $88 Waygu prime rib, slow roasted for seven hours to make it tender and juicy, along with a high-energy group of dancers and singers who move through the room.
Delilah, a supper club at the Wynn, serves uni and black truffle shooters and fish and chips made with potato-encrusted Dover sole. While you’re eating, there’s live music, DJs and jazz on Sunday nights, all in an over-the-top art deco setting. Recent surprise performances have included Drake, Dave Chappelle, John Fogerty, 50 Cent, Doja Cat, and Tiffany Haddish.
Ross Mollison, whose company, Spiegelworld, now runs three shows in Vegas featuring acrobats, ribald jokes, and the like, last year opened Superfrico, a restaurant at the Cosmopolitan featuring what he calls an “Italian American Psychedelic” menu. That means appetizers such as polenta with Fresno chile jam and calamari with tangerine honey and grilled scallions. Diners can then segue to the theater next door to see Opium, a space-themed, adults-only show that includes jugglers, a sword swallower, and acrobats in neon costumes. Its bar serves “spocktails” like a peach-infused French 75 that’s garnished with Pop Rocks.
“People, especially in Vegas, I think they want to keep moving,” Mollison says. “You’ve got this great energy in the restaurant, and they’re feeding into each other.”
Pixabay
The hottest trend in town is supper clubs, an old school Vegas tradition that’s seen a resurgence in recent years. Examples include the Mayfair at the Bellagio, which serves $88 Waygu prime rib, slow roasted for seven hours to make it tender and juicy, along with a high-energy group of dancers and singers who move through the room.
Delilah, a supper club at the Wynn, serves uni and black truffle shooters and fish and chips made with potato-encrusted Dover sole. While you’re eating, there’s live music, DJs and jazz on Sunday nights, all in an over-the-top art deco setting. Recent surprise performances have included Drake, Dave Chappelle, John Fogerty, 50 Cent, Doja Cat, and Tiffany Haddish.
Ross Mollison, whose company, Spiegelworld, now runs three shows in Vegas featuring acrobats, ribald jokes, and the like, last year opened Superfrico, a restaurant at the Cosmopolitan featuring what he calls an “Italian American Psychedelic” menu. That means appetizers such as polenta with Fresno chile jam and calamari with tangerine honey and grilled scallions. Diners can then segue to the theater next door to see Opium, a space-themed, adults-only show that includes jugglers, a sword swallower, and acrobats in neon costumes. Its bar serves “spocktails” like a peach-infused French 75 that’s garnished with Pop Rocks.
“People, especially in Vegas, I think they want to keep moving,” Mollison says. “You’ve got this great energy in the restaurant, and they’re feeding into each other.”
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Pixabay
Shows are reopening, but there are still caveats that require careful planning. Some productions operate at reduced hours, meaning dark nights early in the week or fewer nightly performances — mostly because of the lack of convention traffic.
While Adele postponed her residency at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum in January after reporting that half of her crew had COVID, plenty of other headliners are scheduled. Lady Gaga is playing at the Park MGM beginning in April, and Billie Eilish is at T-Mobile Arena on April 1.
Those shows currently require proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test, but not masks. Rules vary by event, however. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, playing together at the Dolby Live theater through May 29, are not requiring vaccinations or tests. Neither is Katy Perry, who’s at Resorts World starting in March.
Here are more options, depending on your comfort levels right now.
If you’re still COVID-wary: Vegas may be best known for its indoor pursuits, but it also makes a great home base for outdoor explorations. Nature lovers should take the scenic drive at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 25 miles west of the Strip, where they can choose from a number of hiking trails, viewing petroglyphs carved in the rock walls or seasonal waterfalls at Ice Box Canyon.
A quirkier experience is the Neon Museum, an outdoor space less than a mile north of downtown that’s a “neon boneyard” of signs from hotels and casinos throughout the city’s history. The $20 attraction opens at 2 p.m., but it’s best seen at night.
If you need a gentle reentry: Many of the pools at resorts, which are often closed in the winter, will begin reopening in mid-March. Some, including those at the Venetian and Park MGM, let you sit in lounges right in the water. Resorts World features five pools, from a kid-friendly family one to a VIP deck with a stunning view of the skyline to the south. Avoid any major DJ-led parties and you should be able to find some privacy.
Las Vegas also has no shortage of restaurants with outdoor tables that allow you take in the action of those walking and driving on the Strip. At the Venetian resort, Lavo is known for its one-pound beef, sausage, and veal meatball. Simon Painter, a producer with Cirque du Soleil, prefers to kick back and eat oysters at Mon Ami Gabi, the French bistro at the Paris Las Vegas, where he can enjoy the Bellagio fountains from across the street. “It’s just a lovely place to sit,” he says. “It’s the first place I ever went in Las Vegas.”
If you want to pretend the pandemic never happened: Sports is a big thing in Vegas nowadays. The city now has pro hockey and football teams, playing in the new T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium. A number of high-profile events this spring, such as the PAC-12 college basketball tournament in March and the NFL Draft in April, are sure to turn out crowds.
It’s all created a lot of energy, particularly at nearby properties such as Park MGM and Mandalay Bay, which host outdoor “tailgate” parties on the streets leading to the stadiums before big games with food trucks and beer gardens. The $1 billion Circa, a 777-room resort that opened downtown in 2020, features a rooftop pool deck with a 143-foot TV screen. Think of a giant pool party for sports fans.
If sports don’t happen to be your thing, try Cirque du Soleil. The Canadian circus troupe is unveiling its first new Vegas show in three years at the New York-New York casino in May, Mad Apple. It will be a salute to Manhattan with dancers spinning on a taxicab and musicians performing the works of Billy Joel, George Gershwin, and Run-D.M.C.—though the show is also reported to take cues from the nightlife heyday of Studio 54.
Pixabay
Shows are reopening, but there are still caveats that require careful planning. Some productions operate at reduced hours, meaning dark nights early in the week or fewer nightly performances — mostly because of the lack of convention traffic.
While Adele postponed her residency at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum in January after reporting that half of her crew had COVID, plenty of other headliners are scheduled. Lady Gaga is playing at the Park MGM beginning in April, and Billie Eilish is at T-Mobile Arena on April 1.
Those shows currently require proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test, but not masks. Rules vary by event, however. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, playing together at the Dolby Live theater through May 29, are not requiring vaccinations or tests. Neither is Katy Perry, who’s at Resorts World starting in March.
Here are more options, depending on your comfort levels right now.
If you’re still COVID-wary: Vegas may be best known for its indoor pursuits, but it also makes a great home base for outdoor explorations. Nature lovers should take the scenic drive at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 25 miles west of the Strip, where they can choose from a number of hiking trails, viewing petroglyphs carved in the rock walls or seasonal waterfalls at Ice Box Canyon.
A quirkier experience is the Neon Museum, an outdoor space less than a mile north of downtown that’s a “neon boneyard” of signs from hotels and casinos throughout the city’s history. The $20 attraction opens at 2 p.m., but it’s best seen at night.
If you need a gentle reentry: Many of the pools at resorts, which are often closed in the winter, will begin reopening in mid-March. Some, including those at the Venetian and Park MGM, let you sit in lounges right in the water. Resorts World features five pools, from a kid-friendly family one to a VIP deck with a stunning view of the skyline to the south. Avoid any major DJ-led parties and you should be able to find some privacy.
Las Vegas also has no shortage of restaurants with outdoor tables that allow you take in the action of those walking and driving on the Strip. At the Venetian resort, Lavo is known for its one-pound beef, sausage, and veal meatball. Simon Painter, a producer with Cirque du Soleil, prefers to kick back and eat oysters at Mon Ami Gabi, the French bistro at the Paris Las Vegas, where he can enjoy the Bellagio fountains from across the street. “It’s just a lovely place to sit,” he says. “It’s the first place I ever went in Las Vegas.”
If you want to pretend the pandemic never happened: Sports is a big thing in Vegas nowadays. The city now has pro hockey and football teams, playing in the new T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium. A number of high-profile events this spring, such as the PAC-12 college basketball tournament in March and the NFL Draft in April, are sure to turn out crowds.
It’s all created a lot of energy, particularly at nearby properties such as Park MGM and Mandalay Bay, which host outdoor “tailgate” parties on the streets leading to the stadiums before big games with food trucks and beer gardens. The $1 billion Circa, a 777-room resort that opened downtown in 2020, features a rooftop pool deck with a 143-foot TV screen. Think of a giant pool party for sports fans.
If sports don’t happen to be your thing, try Cirque du Soleil. The Canadian circus troupe is unveiling its first new Vegas show in three years at the New York-New York casino in May, Mad Apple. It will be a salute to Manhattan with dancers spinning on a taxicab and musicians performing the works of Billy Joel, George Gershwin, and Run-D.M.C.—though the show is also reported to take cues from the nightlife heyday of Studio 54.
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Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS
Little has changed in terms of navigating the Strip, besides the masks being required on public transit, as in other U.S. cities. But one thing is good to note: If you’re driving, most of the casinos now charge for parking, with some making exceptions for guests and customer loyalty club members. Rare exceptions include the Venetian and Resorts World, where parking is still free.
Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS
Little has changed in terms of navigating the Strip, besides the masks being required on public transit, as in other U.S. cities. But one thing is good to note: If you’re driving, most of the casinos now charge for parking, with some making exceptions for guests and customer loyalty club members. Rare exceptions include the Venetian and Resorts World, where parking is still free.
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Pixabay
The old motto “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” feels somewhat disingenuous when germs have all the potential to follow you back home. But as long as you’re here, anyway, there’s little concern over any of that. This is a town full of gamblers, after all.
Pixabay
The old motto “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” feels somewhat disingenuous when germs have all the potential to follow you back home. But as long as you’re here, anyway, there’s little concern over any of that. This is a town full of gamblers, after all.
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Tomasz Rossa/CDA Productions Inc. via Getty Images
Lady Gaga. Cher. Bruno Mars. Diana Ross. Usher. Bette Midler. Concert headliners have been bringing Vegas audiences to their feet since Liberace debuted at Hotel Last Frontier in 1944. With Liberace’s success, Vegas saw a formula they could bank on. Crowds were as hyped about live performances as they were gambling at casinos. Soon to follow on Liberace’s heels were acts including Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Belafonte.
As romances go, fans fell hard for Frank Sinatra. The crooner’s first gig in Las Vegas was in 1951 at the Desert Inn. Sinatra would amp up production value over the course of his 43-year Vegas tenure with everything from a 70-piece orchestra backing him up, to the sexy style of performances with The Rat Pack—Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. Sex appeal in Vegas would prove its staying power with acts like Elvis Presley and Tom Jones, who had audiences swooning in the 1960s.
In recent years, female icons—think Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey—have been front and center. Currently, Adele has ticket holders on the edge of their seats, as her formerly-postponed Caesar’s residency may be rescheduled for summer 2022.
With so many legends making their mark in the City That Never Sleeps, which ones have been the top earners? The five highest-grossing Las Vegas residencies to date were compiled by BestOdds using data from Billboard. Following are the current standings based on actual gross earnings for the total run of each residency, along with estimated inflation-adjusted earnings in 2022 dollars. And yes, the top five residencies are, to this day, legendary.
Tomasz Rossa/CDA Productions Inc. via Getty Images
Lady Gaga. Cher. Bruno Mars. Diana Ross. Usher. Bette Midler. Concert headliners have been bringing Vegas audiences to their feet since Liberace debuted at Hotel Last Frontier in 1944. With Liberace’s success, Vegas saw a formula they could bank on. Crowds were as hyped about live performances as they were gambling at casinos. Soon to follow on Liberace’s heels were acts including Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Belafonte.
As romances go, fans fell hard for Frank Sinatra. The crooner’s first gig in Las Vegas was in 1951 at the Desert Inn. Sinatra would amp up production value over the course of his 43-year Vegas tenure with everything from a 70-piece orchestra backing him up, to the sexy style of performances with The Rat Pack—Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. Sex appeal in Vegas would prove its staying power with acts like Elvis Presley and Tom Jones, who had audiences swooning in the 1960s.
In recent years, female icons—think Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey—have been front and center. Currently, Adele has ticket holders on the edge of their seats, as her formerly-postponed Caesar’s residency may be rescheduled for summer 2022.
With so many legends making their mark in the City That Never Sleeps, which ones have been the top earners? The five highest-grossing Las Vegas residencies to date were compiled by BestOdds using data from Billboard. Following are the current standings based on actual gross earnings for the total run of each residency, along with estimated inflation-adjusted earnings in 2022 dollars. And yes, the top five residencies are, to this day, legendary.
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Denise Truscello/WireImage // Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2011–2018
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $131.2 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $147.6 million
Las Vegas loves Elton John. After his first residency, “The Red Piano,” came to a close in 2009, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace welcomed him back to kick off “The Million Dollar Piano” residency, which ran from 2011 through 2018.
There was much to celebrate during “The Million Dollar Piano’s” run. On the personal front, John and his longtime love, David Furnish, experienced the birth of their second son, Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, on Jan. 11, 2013. Their eldest son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, was born on Dec. 25, 2010. The proud fathers would tie the knot, with both sons in attendance, on Dec. 21, 2014.
That same year, John’s platinum album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was remastered to celebrate its 40th anniversary. On March 23, 2015, “The Million Dollar Piano” celebrated its 100th performance. Speaking of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour in North America and Europe” is set to make its first stop on May 27, 2022, in Frankfurt.
Denise Truscello/WireImage // Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2011–2018
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $131.2 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $147.6 million
Las Vegas loves Elton John. After his first residency, “The Red Piano,” came to a close in 2009, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace welcomed him back to kick off “The Million Dollar Piano” residency, which ran from 2011 through 2018.
There was much to celebrate during “The Million Dollar Piano’s” run. On the personal front, John and his longtime love, David Furnish, experienced the birth of their second son, Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, on Jan. 11, 2013. Their eldest son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, was born on Dec. 25, 2010. The proud fathers would tie the knot, with both sons in attendance, on Dec. 21, 2014.
That same year, John’s platinum album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was remastered to celebrate its 40th anniversary. On March 23, 2015, “The Million Dollar Piano” celebrated its 100th performance. Speaking of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour in North America and Europe” is set to make its first stop on May 27, 2022, in Frankfurt.
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Denise Truscello/BSLV/Getty Images for Brandcasting, Inc
- Years of residency: 2013–2017
- Location: The Axis at Planet Hollywood
- Actual earnings: $137.7 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $157.9 million
Britney Spears announced her “Piece of Me” Vegas residency in grand fashion—via helicopter on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Below, in the Nevada desert, over 1,000 Britney fans performed a card stunt letting viewers know the megastar would be hitting the stage at The Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Dec. 27, 2013.
“Piece of Me” was such a huge success, Spears’ original two-year residency was extended through December 2017. In December 2013, the album “Britney Jean” was released. Spears’ residency concluded on Dec. 31, 2017—she also appeared on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” The final performance of “Piece of Me” set a box office record for a single show in Vegas, bringing in $1.172 million.
Denise Truscello/BSLV/Getty Images for Brandcasting, Inc
- Years of residency: 2013–2017
- Location: The Axis at Planet Hollywood
- Actual earnings: $137.7 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $157.9 million
Britney Spears announced her “Piece of Me” Vegas residency in grand fashion—via helicopter on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Below, in the Nevada desert, over 1,000 Britney fans performed a card stunt letting viewers know the megastar would be hitting the stage at The Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Dec. 27, 2013.
“Piece of Me” was such a huge success, Spears’ original two-year residency was extended through December 2017. In December 2013, the album “Britney Jean” was released. Spears’ residency concluded on Dec. 31, 2017—she also appeared on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” The final performance of “Piece of Me” set a box office record for a single show in Vegas, bringing in $1.172 million.
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Chris Farina // Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2004–2009
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $166.4 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $217.6 million
On the album front, Elton John has sold over 300 million records worldwide, achieving one diamond, 32 platinum or multi-platinum, and 21 gold albums. His first Las Vegas residency, “The Red Piano,” ran from 2004 through 2009 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
During “The Red Piano” run, John experienced many milestone moments. In 2004, he received a Kennedy Center Honor. Then, in 2005, he and David Furnish made their union a formal one with a civil partnership ceremony. That same year, “Billy Elliot The Musical” (an adaptation of the 2000 film “Billy Elliot”), for which John wrote the music, premiered at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre. And, John ushered in his 60th birthday with a concert in New York’s Madison Square Garden. It was his record-breaking 60th sold-out show at the venue.
Chris Farina // Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2004–2009
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $166.4 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $217.6 million
On the album front, Elton John has sold over 300 million records worldwide, achieving one diamond, 32 platinum or multi-platinum, and 21 gold albums. His first Las Vegas residency, “The Red Piano,” ran from 2004 through 2009 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
During “The Red Piano” run, John experienced many milestone moments. In 2004, he received a Kennedy Center Honor. Then, in 2005, he and David Furnish made their union a formal one with a civil partnership ceremony. That same year, “Billy Elliot The Musical” (an adaptation of the 2000 film “Billy Elliot”), for which John wrote the music, premiered at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre. And, John ushered in his 60th birthday with a concert in New York’s Madison Square Garden. It was his record-breaking 60th sold-out show at the venue.
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Denise Truscello/WireImage // Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2011–2019
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $292.2 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $321.5 million
Celine Dion’s desire to focus on family drove the launch of her first Vegas residency, “A New Day.” The same holds true with her return to The Strip in 2011. With the birth of her twin sons, Nelson and Eddy, Dion moved back to Vegas to kick off a new residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace: “Celine.” Her return would break box office records. On Jan. 14, 2016, Dion’s husband and manager, music producer René Angélil, died after a battle with cancer. That May, Dion was presented the Lifetime Achievement Icon Award by her eldest son, René-Charles Angélil, at the Billboard Music Awards.
Another Billboard Music Awards moment would occur in May 2017, when Dion performed her Academy Award-winning song, “My Heart Will Go On” from the soundtrack of the film “The Titanic,” which was celebrating its 20th anniversary. The video of “Ashes,” Dion’s song from the soundtrack for the film “Deadpool 2,” was filmed in The Colosseum in May 2018.
Dion began the “Courage World” tour in September 2019, just prior to the November 2019 release of her album “Courage.” The tour and a Vegas residency at the new Resorts World Theatre were postponed due to health issues.
Denise Truscello/WireImage // Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2011–2019
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $292.2 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $321.5 million
Celine Dion’s desire to focus on family drove the launch of her first Vegas residency, “A New Day.” The same holds true with her return to The Strip in 2011. With the birth of her twin sons, Nelson and Eddy, Dion moved back to Vegas to kick off a new residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace: “Celine.” Her return would break box office records. On Jan. 14, 2016, Dion’s husband and manager, music producer René Angélil, died after a battle with cancer. That May, Dion was presented the Lifetime Achievement Icon Award by her eldest son, René-Charles Angélil, at the Billboard Music Awards.
Another Billboard Music Awards moment would occur in May 2017, when Dion performed her Academy Award-winning song, “My Heart Will Go On” from the soundtrack of the film “The Titanic,” which was celebrating its 20th anniversary. The video of “Ashes,” Dion’s song from the soundtrack for the film “Deadpool 2,” was filmed in The Colosseum in May 2018.
Dion began the “Courage World” tour in September 2019, just prior to the November 2019 release of her album “Courage.” The tour and a Vegas residency at the new Resorts World Theatre were postponed due to health issues.
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Tomasz Rossa/CDA Productions (Las Vegas) Inc 2003 via Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2003–2007
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $385.1 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $517.6 million
When Celine Dion first hit Vegas for her “A New Day” residency, she took the city by storm. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace was custom-built for the occasion for $95 million. Having given birth to her first child René-Charles Angélil in 2001, the residency would enable the Canadian songstress to make family her focus after decades of touring.
Created by Dion’s husband, her longtime manager and music producer René Angélil, “A New Day” took Vegas shows to a new level. On tap were special effects and choreography from Franco Dragone of Cirque du Soleil fame.
“A New Day” featured over 700 sold-out performances to over 3 million audience members by the time its curtains closed on Dec. 15, 2007. Dion would follow up with a yearlong world tour in 2008, which was captured in the film “Celine: Through the Eyes of the World.”
This story originally appeared on BestOdds and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Tomasz Rossa/CDA Productions (Las Vegas) Inc 2003 via Getty Images
- Years of residency: 2003–2007
- Location: The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Actual earnings: $385.1 million
- Estimated earnings adjusted for inflation: $517.6 million
When Celine Dion first hit Vegas for her “A New Day” residency, she took the city by storm. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace was custom-built for the occasion for $95 million. Having given birth to her first child René-Charles Angélil in 2001, the residency would enable the Canadian songstress to make family her focus after decades of touring.
Created by Dion’s husband, her longtime manager and music producer René Angélil, “A New Day” took Vegas shows to a new level. On tap were special effects and choreography from Franco Dragone of Cirque du Soleil fame.
“A New Day” featured over 700 sold-out performances to over 3 million audience members by the time its curtains closed on Dec. 15, 2007. Dion would follow up with a yearlong world tour in 2008, which was captured in the film “Celine: Through the Eyes of the World.”
This story originally appeared on BestOdds and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
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