Sir Elton John Takes Final Bow at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
On May 17, legendary superstar and icon Sir Elton John took the stage for his final performance of “The Million Dollar Piano,” his second blockbuster Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Photo credit: Denise Truscello / WireImage).
Elton and his band took their final curtain call to a standing ovation from an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd of 4,298 fans as confetti and balloons inscribed with “450” rained down in celebration of the two successful residencies Elton has had in the venue over the last 14 years.
The Las Vegas curtain closes as Elton prepares to launch his highly-anticipated, last ever worldwide tour, ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road,’ that kicks-off in the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2018.
Since February 2004, Elton and his band have performed 450 shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to over 1.8 million fans from across the world. The first five-year residency “The Red Piano” played 243 shows to approximately one million people through April 2009 followed by a triumphant return on Sept. 28, 2011, with an all new, second residency, “The Million Dollar Piano” which played 207 shows across seven years. Both productions achieved record ticket sales and worldwide acclaim by fans and critics.
Elton John’s band features Nigel Olsson (part of Elton’s original three-piece band) on drums, Davey Johnstone (who first recorded with Elton in 1971 and joined the band a year later) on guitar, John Mahon on percussion, Kim Bullard on keyboards, Matt Bissonette on bass, with a special appearance by percussionist Ray Cooper.
The monumental career of international singer/songwriter and performer Elton John spans five decades. He is one of the top-selling solo artists of all time, with 38 gold records and 31 platinum albums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits, and more than 250 million records sold worldwide. Elton holds the record for the biggest selling single of all time, “Candle in the Wind 1997,” which sold over 33 million copies. Since launching his first tour in 1970, he has over 4,000 performances in more than 80 countries to his credit.
Among the many awards and honors bestowed upon Sir Elton John are five Grammys, a Grammy Legend award, a Tony and an Oscar, a Best British Male Artist BRIT Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Kennedy Center Honor, Legend of Live Award, 12 Ivor Novello Awards and a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for “services to music and charitable services.”