THE MOVABLE BUFFET - Caesars' Celine Dion gamble paid off
CELINE DION'S final night in Vegas a week ago Saturday was as over the top of any of her high notes, with its 45-minutes-late start (unheard of in Vegas), a maudlin and self-congratulatory introductory video, 11 standing ovations, 10 minutes of Dion's rambling to the audience about the various shades of meaning the night held for her ("It is amazing what believing and love can do. Most of us have left our families every night to give ourselves every night. I can assure you it was worth it.") and those 100,000 rose petals falling on the stage.
Dion's show grossed over $400 million in a run that stretched for nearly five years, and it was a regular sellout. "As a business model we could have kept this going for years," said a wistful John Meglen, president and co-chief executive of AEG Live/Concerts West, promoter for the show. But there is nothing that can be done when a star is ready to move on.
It is hard to remember now what a risk "A New Day" was when the partnership between Cirque du Soleil veteran Franco Dragone and the diva was announced. Caesars Palace agreed to build a $95-million, 4,000-seat venue for Dion's massive show, which would include a band, sets and more than 50 dancers. Harrah's chief executive Garry Loveman remembers thinking what a risk his competitor was taking bringing Dion to Vegas at such cost. "I was nervous," he admits now. Soon he'd have more reason for nerves -- by the time the show opened in 2003, Harrah's owned Caesars.
Never had so much been spent to lure an artist to Vegas. Recouping the investment would require selling a huge number of tickets each night at then-record Vegas prices (high-end tickets in this, Dion's final year, went for more than $200 each) -- then trusting that the crowds would stick around in the casino. Caesars got no direct revenue from the show. But Dion, a contemporary hit-maker with wide international appeal, was one of the rare talents to make a home in Vegas who was not decades past her prime, making the risk seem like a calculated one.
Though the show initially struggled, with reviews that were mixed at best, it quickly turned into a sensation. In fact, if anything, people who might not have paid to see her perform in their hometowns still wanted to see "A New Day" in Vegas. There was status connected to being able to find good seats to her show. "I am not a big fan of Celine Dion's, but I really wanted to see her show when I was here," was a common sentiment.
- Sprain sidelines Celine Dion May 18, 2004
- Starring at Celine's: Elton John Oct 22, 2003
- 'Mama Mia' coming to Vegas Feb 12, 2003
