The Colosseum at Caesars Palace

The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Exterior of venue in 2007
Map
Former namesCaesars Palace Showroom (planning/construction)
Address3570 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Paradise, Nevada 89109-8924
LocationCaesars Palace, Las Vegas Strip, Paradise
Coordinates36°07′04″N 115°10′30″W / 36.11778°N 115.17500°W / 36.11778; -115.17500
OwnerCaesars Entertainment
OperatorLive Nation Entertainment
Capacity4,100
Construction
Broke groundDecember 2001 (2001-12)
OpenedMarch 25, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-03-25)
RenovatedJuly–September 2019
Construction cost$108 million
ArchitectScéno Plus and GSB, Inc.
Structural engineerKordt Engineering Group
Services engineerGlobal Structural Detailing
General contractorPerini Corporation
Main contractorsMorris-Shea Bridge Company
Website
thecolosseum.com

The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is a theater located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is the main entertainment venue for Caesars Palace.

The venue opened in 2003 and has an estimated seating capacity of 4,100 spectators. Its design is inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome along with aspects of contemporary architecture.[1] The cost of the theater was $108 million, becoming the most expensive entertainment venue in Las Vegas at the time, beating the "O" Theater at the Bellagio Las Vegas.[2]

Deemed the Home of the Greatest Entertainers in the World, the Colosseum has hosted numerous concert residencies by Celine Dion, Madonna, Elton John, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Usher, Rod Stewart, Cher, Bette Midler, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, and Adele. Celine Dion has had the longest residency (1,141 shows as of June 8, 2019) at the venue grossing a total of $650 million since her arrival in 2003. She also performed her record-breaking 1000th show at the venue on October 8, 2016.

Background

Entrance to theatre from within Caesars Palace in 2008

In 2000, Caesars Palace made plans to renovate the defunct Circus Maximus Showroom (opened 1966). During this time, the owners were approached about a new business venture with Celine Dion. Once the venture was launched, the renovation was cancelled. A new entertainment venue was set to be built in place of the old showroom. The showroom closed in September 2000 with a performance by Steve and Eydie. The theatre was built specially to house Celine Dion's "A New Day...". The construction was initiated by Park Place Entertainment to coincide with other renovations to the hotel complex including additional retail space, meeting areas, restaurants, spas, and a 20-story all-suites hotel tower.[3] The original construction cost was estimated to be between $65 and $75 million. Additional technical aspects drove cost to over $100 million.

The theatre was designed by the world-renowned firm Scéno Plus and constructed by Perini Building Company, with the project beginning in December 2001 and completed on February 4, 2003 (six weeks before its estimated completion date), opening on March 25, 2003. Dion filmed a television special for CBS to showcase the first night of her residency (entitled "Celine in Las Vegas, Opening Night Live", hosted by Justin Timberlake), including behind the scenes look at the theatre and the show.[4]

Since its incarnation, the venue is operated by AEG Live and is currently owned by Caesars Entertainment. The success of Dion's show drew more entertainers to perform at the theatre. Elton John brought his Red Piano show to the theatre from 2004, until 2009. Additional entertainers include Kylie Minogue, Diana Ross, Romina Arena, Faith Hill, Ricky Martin and Luis Miguel. The venue has also hosted numerous comedy shows by Kathy Griffin, Jerry Seinfeld, Chelsea Handler, Dave Chappelle and Ellen DeGeneres. The premiere of the 11th season of Hell's Kitchen was filmed in front of a live audience at The Colosseum.

In 2018, Celine Dion filmed in the venue the music video for her song Ashes from the movie Deadpool 2 alongside Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds.

Technical aspects

The design for the theatre was based on the ancient Colosseum in Rome.[2] It is connected to the casino near the Forum Shops. The venue is 256 ft (78 m) in diameter with the rotunda 120 ft (37 m) above the floor. The stage measures 22,450 sq ft (2,086 m2) and has a proscenium arch with a height of 45 ft (14 m) and a width of 120 ft (37 m) (one of the world's largest stage openings).[5] It was designed with 180,000 watts of amplification and 139 speakers. It also includes a 120-foot-wide (37 m) by 40-foot-tall (12 m) LED screen manufactured by Mitsubishi Diamond Vision, adding $10 million to the construction budget. The video screen provides the illusion of 3D stage scenery.

The stage itself includes ten motorized stage lifts which compose 75 percent of the stage. Unlike the Colosseum in Rome, the theatre was built in an intimate setting, with the furthest seating being 120 ft (37 m) from the stage. To reinforce its intimacy, the venue is equipped with 200 acoustical panels to control the amplified sound.[2]

Performance history

Headliners

Performer Show Length Number of shows Release(s)
Celine Dion A New Day...[6] March 25, 2003 – December 15, 2007 717
Celine[7] March 15, 2011 – June 8, 2019 427
  • Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show (OWN Special)
Elton John The Red Piano[8] February 13, 2004 – March 22, 2009 247
  • Elton John: The Red Piano (NBC Special) (2005)
  • The Red Piano (2009)
The Million Dollar Piano[9] September 28, 2011 – May 17, 2018 197
  • Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano (Cinema/DVD and Blu-ray) (2014)
Bette Midler The Showgirl Must Go On[10] February 20, 2008 – January 31, 2010 170
  • Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On (HBO Special) (2010)
  • The Showgirl Must Go On (DVD) (2011)
Cher Cher at the Colosseum[11] May 6, 2008 – February 5, 2011 192
Rod Stewart Rod Stewart: The Hits[12] August 24, 2011 – November 18, 2023 140
Shania Twain Shania: Still the One[13] December 1, 2012 – December 13, 2014 105
Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn Together in Vegas[15] June 19, 2015 – December 15, 2021 95
Mariah Carey #1 to Infinity[16] May 6, 2015 – July 18, 2017 50
The Butterfly Returns July 5, 2018 - February 29, 2020 25
Usher Usher - The Vegas Residency July 16, 2021 – January 1, 2022 18
Adele Weekends with Adele November 18, 2022 - November 23, 2024 100
Garth Brooks Garth Brooks/Plus ONE May 18, 2023 - December 16, 2023 27
The Killers 20 Years of Hot Fuss[17] August 14, 2024 - September 1, 2024 10

Shows

Performer Show Date
Mariah Carey Charmbracelet World Tour July 26, 2003[18]
Angels Advocate Tour February 27, 2010[19]
All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and Festivity
  • December 14–22, 2017
  • November 22–30, 2019
Gloria Estefan Live & Unwrapped October 10–19, 2003[20]
Romina Arena Romina Arena Live! June 8–9, 2004[21]
Stevie Nicks Dreams
  • May 10–14, 2005[22]
  • March 20–24, 2007[23]
Gold Dust Tour July 5, 2005
Stevie Nicks in Concert May 14, 2011[24]
Faith Hill August 10–14, 2004[25]
Carole King The Living Room Tour August 21, 2004[26]
Luis Miguel México En La Piel Tour September 14–16, 2007[27]
Cómplices Tour
  • September 12–15, 2008[28]
  • September 12–15, 2009[29]
Luis Miguel Tour
  • September 15–18, 2010[30]
  • September 15–18, 2011[31]
The Hits Tour
  • September 13–15, 2012[32]
  • September 13–15, 2013[33]
Deja Vu Tour September 12–15, 2014
México Por Siempre Tour
  • September 13–14, 2018
  • September 12–13, 15–16, 2019
Luis Miguel Tour 2023–24 September 12, 14–15, 2024
Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour August 17, 2010[34]
Rod Stewart November 6–21, 2010[35]
Diana Ross More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour November 12–13, 2010[36]
In the Name of Love Tour September 19, 2014
Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen Tour December 10–11, 2010[37]
Jacky Cheung The Year of Jacky Cheung World Tour
  • February 18–19, 2007
  • December 22, 2007
1/2 Century Tour February 6–8, 2011
Janet Jackson Number Ones: Up Close and Personal
  • April 22–24, 2011
  • November 26, 2011 [38]
Ricky Martin Música + Alma + Sexo World Tour April 30, 2011[39]
Kylie Minogue Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour May 22, 2011[40]
Sting Back to Bass Tour November 25, 2011
Wakin Chau January 28–29, 2012
Il Divo Il Divo & Orchestra in Concert July 13–14, 2012
Aretha Franklin July 15, 2012
Tony Bennett September 1, 2012
Sandy Lam February 16–17, 2013
Enrique Iglesias Sex and Love Tour
  • September 13–14, 2015
  • September 16–17, 2016
Emmanuel & Mijares Two’r Amigos 2 September 15, 2016
The Who The Who Hits 50! May 29, 2016
Steely Dan The Dan Who Knew Too Much June 19, 2016
Jennifer Lopez December 31, 2014
J. Cole What Dreams May Come Tour October 25, 2013
Siavash Ghomayshi, Michael & Aref Christmas in Vegas December 25, 2015
Mark Knopfler An Evening with Mark Knopfler and His Band September 16, 2015
Dariush December 25, 2014
Show Lo 'Dance Soul Return' World Live Tour November 29, 2014
Hall & Oates
  • October 22, 2014
  • March 20, 22-23, 2019
Christina Aguilera The Liberation Tour October 27, 2018
Madonna Madame X Tour November 7, 9–10, 2019
Backstreet Boys DNA World Tour April 8, 9, 15–16, 2022
Ariana Grande The Honeymoon Tour December 31, 2015
Juan Gabriel Live in Concert September 15, 2008

Accolades

  • Billboard Backstage Pass Awards: "Top Small Venue" (2004)
  • Billboard Magazine: "Venue of the Decade" (for venues 5,000 and under) (2009)
  • Billboard Touring Awards: "Top Small Venue" (2005–2007; 2009–2010)
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Best of Las Vegas" (2010)
  • Pollstar Concert Industry Awards: 100 Top Selling Theater Venues (2006)

Source:[41]

References

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