Celine Dion pays emotional tribute to late husband Rene Angélil to mark end of epic 16-year Las Vegas residency
Celine Dion's 16-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas came to an end with a heartfelt performance by the songstress on Saturday.
She also paid a tribute to her late husband René Angélil. The show was extremely moving as she performed a series of her chart-topping hits. Dion also performed "Flying on My Own", her new song from the upcoming album 'Courage', due for release in November.
She was also joined by her sons René-Charles, Nelson and Eddy on stage at the end of the concert when a collage of Angélil played out in the background. Angélil, who was also Celine's manager succumbed to cancer in 2016.
Dion has performed to over 4.5 million people at 1,141 gigs over two decades at The Colosseum. Her first residency 'A New Day…' began in March 2003 and concluded in December 2007 with 714 shows. According to Billboard, this is the most successful residency of all time, grossing over $385 million.
Her second residency 'Celine' kicked off in 2011 and is 424 shows down. Speaking about her experience at The Colosseum, Dion said, "I’m both proud and humbled by what we’ve accomplished at the Colosseum since we began sixteen years ago when René and I first shared this dream. This entire experience has been a huge part of my show business career…one that I will cherish forever. I have so many people to thank, but the most important ‘thank you’ goes to my fans, who gave us the opportunity to do what we love."
John Meglen, President & Co-CEO of Concerts West, a division of AEG Presents praised 'Celine' and said to Daily Mail, "The incredible vision that Celine and Rene had almost two decades ago has completely re-written the history and future of entertainment in Las Vegas."
Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace added, "For an improbable 16 years, Celine Dion has reigned as the Queen of Las Vegas entertainment from The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. On behalf of all of my colleagues at Caesars Entertainment... we want to thank her and her late-husband René Angélil, and our partners at AEG/Concerts West, for their faith that Caesars Palace was the right place for Celine Dion to draw her millions of fans from around the world to see her perform."