# The Colosseum at Caesars Palace

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. 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.
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

In 2000, Caesars Palace made plans to renovate the defunct Circus Maximus Showroom (opened 1966) and the special Omnimax (Now IMAX Dome). At 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. 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.
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. 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 m$^2$) 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). 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.

## Performance history
### Headliners

| Performer | Show | Length | Number of shows | Release(s) |
| Celine Dion | A New Day... | March 25, 2003 – December 15, 2007 | 717 | Celine in Las Vegas, Opening Night Live (CBS Special) (2003) A New Day... Live in Las Vegas (2004) Live in Las Vegas: A New Day... (2007) |
| Celine Dion | Celine | March 15, 2011 – June 8, 2019 | 427 | Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show (OWN Special) |
| Elton John | The Red Piano | February 13, 2004 – March 22, 2009 | 247 | Elton John: The Red Piano (NBC Special) (2005) The Red Piano (2009) |
| Elton John | The Million Dollar Piano | 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 | 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 | May 6, 2008 – February 5, 2011 | 192 | |
| Rod Stewart | Rod Stewart: The Hits | August 24, 2011 – November 18, 2023 | 140 | |
| Shania Twain | Shania: Still the One | December 1, 2012 – December 13, 2014 | 105 | Still the One: Live from Vegas (CD/DVD) (2015) |
| Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn | Together in Vegas | June 19, 2015 – December 15, 2021 | 95 | |
| Mariah Carey | #1 to Infinity | May 6, 2015 – July 18, 2017 | 50 | |
| Mariah Carey | 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 – December 16, 2023 | 27 | |
| The Killers | 20 Years of Hot Fuss | August 14, 2024 – January 25, 2025 | 13 | |
| Kelly Clarkson | Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions | July 4 – November 15, 2025 | 18 | |

### Shows

| Performer | Show | Date |
| Mariah Carey | Charmbracelet World Tour | July 26, 2003 |
| Mariah Carey | Angels Advocate Tour | February 27, 2010 |
| Mariah Carey | 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 |
| Romina Arena | Romina Arena Live! | June 8–9, 2004 |
| Stevie Nicks | Dreams | May 10–14, 2005 March 20–24, 2007 |
| Stevie Nicks | Gold Dust Tour | July 5, 2005 |
| Stevie Nicks | Stevie Nicks in Concert | May 14, 2011 |
| Faith Hill | | August 10–14, 2004 |
| Carole King | The Living Room Tour | August 21, 2004 |
| Luis Miguel | México En La Piel Tour | September 14–16, 2007 |
| Luis Miguel | Cómplices Tour | September 12–15, 2008 September 12–15, 2009 |
| Luis Miguel | Luis Miguel Tour | September 15–18, 2010 September 15–18, 2011 |
| Luis Miguel | The Hits Tour | September 13–15, 2012 September 13–15, 2013 |
| Luis Miguel | Deja Vu Tour | September 12–15, 2014 |
| Luis Miguel | México Por Siempre Tour | September 13–14, 2018 September 12–13, 15–16, 2019 |
| Luis Miguel | Luis Miguel Tour 2023–24 | September 12, 14–15, 2024 |
| Bob Dylan | Never Ending Tour | August 17, 2010 |
| Rod Stewart | | November 6–21, 2010 |
| Diana Ross | More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour | November 12–13, 2010 |
| Diana Ross | In the Name of Love Tour | September 19, 2014 |
| Leonard Cohen | Leonard Cohen Tour | December 10–11, 2010 |
| Jacky Cheung | The Year of Jacky Cheung World Tour | February 18–19, 2007 December 22, 2007 |
| Jacky Cheung | 1/2 Century Tour | February 6–8, 2011 |
| Janet Jackson | Number Ones: Up Close and Personal | April 22–24, 2011 November 26, 2011 |
| Ricky Martin | Música + Alma + Sexo World Tour | April 30, 2011 |
| Kylie Minogue | Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour | May 22, 2011 |
| 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)
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