Less than 15 years ago, big-name performers were avoiding the Las Vegas Strip.
They might have stopped for a date or two on a tour, as they would in any other city, but the idea of spending months or years headlining at a Las Vegas Strip hotel seemed like admitting your best days were behind you.
Headlining in Las Vegas was for schmaltzy performers like Wayne Newton, Barry Manilow, and Tom Jones. Back in the 2000s, the Strip's resident acts were big-name magicians, past-their-prime performers like Donny and Marie Osmond, and production shows like the long-running "Legends," in which people impersonate the big stars of yesterday and today.
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Now, of course, the Las Vegas Strip has become the place where big-name performers go to make money. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, two very active stars in the prime of their careers, gross more than $1 million a night in their MGM Resort International (MGM) -) residencies.
Adele at Caesars Entertainment's Coliseum and Katy Perry, who just wrapped up her residency at Resorts World International, didn't quite crack $1 million per show, coming in closer to $700,000, according to Casino.org data. But that number generates a lot more profit when you don't have to move a show around the country.
At the same time, Adele, Perry, Mars, and Gaga were not the superstars that turned the Strip from a place for nostalgia to the home of the biggest stars. That honor goes to Elton John and Celine Dion.
Image source: Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Elton John and Celine Dion paved the way
Both John and Dion began their residencies in 2011. Unlike many of today's big-name residencies, they played a lot of shows rather than maximizing ticket prices by limiting their number of dates.
Both shows were wildly successful, according to Casino.org's data.
"If this were a ranking of the all-time total generated from Vegas residencies, Celine Dion would lead the pack," the website reported. "She earned $385.1 million for 'A New Day,' which ran at Caesars Palace from 2003 to 2007, and another $296.2 million for 'Celine,' which ran there from 2011 to 2019, for a total gross of $681.3 million."
Dion has not performed at all since 2019 as she has been battling a rare illness, Stiff Person Syndrome. In fact, aside from two appearances earlier this year, the singer, who lives in Las Vegas, has largely avoided the spotlight.
That may change in 2024.
Celine Dion eyes 2024 comeback
Dion has called her illness a "one-in-a-million" disease. It's also very rare, and difficult for doctors to treat.
"Stiff person syndrome is a rare acquired neurological disorder that most often causes progressive muscle stiffness (rigidity) and repeated episodes of painful muscle spasms," according to RareDiseases.org. "Muscular rigidity often fluctuates (i.e., grows worse and then improves) and usually occurs along with the muscle spasms."
The singer has been battling SPS, according to statements her sister made to a French magazine in December. There is no known cure for the disorder.
"She’s working hard, but she doesn’t have control of her muscles. There are some who have lost hope because it is a disease that is not (very well) known," Claudette Dion shared.
The singer, however, believes she will return to the stage in Las Vegas in a new residency at Resorts World in the theater Perry just vacated. Dion actually attended the final performance of Perry's "Play" residency and was seen dancing in the audience.
"Officials from AEG Presents, which books the theater, remain optimistic Dion can return to the stage in 2024. Dion’s camp also is holding out hope, despite the long delay," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“It’s true that, in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don’t know,” Claudette Dion said.
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