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, Adele, and Kelly Clarkson. 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 Dome (opened 1979). 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. In May 2000, the owners made the decision to fully close and prepare the demolitioning of the Omnimax Dome due to recurring issues (which included alleged leaking from the dome-style screen since it opened and aging of the whole auditorium) and to have more area space for the newly planned venue. 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. Both buildings were torn for preparation of construction for the new theater and hotel renovations in early 2001.
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 in diameter with the rotunda above the floor. The stage measures and has a proscenium arch with a height of and a width of (one of the world's largest stage openings). It was designed with 180,000 watts of amplification and 139 speakers. It also includes a by 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 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 DionA New Day...March 25, 2003 – December 15, 2007717 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)CelineMarch 15, 2011 – June 8, 2019427Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show (OWN Special)Elton JohnThe Red PianoFebruary 13, 2004 – March 22, 2009247Elton John: The Red Piano (NBC Special) (2005) The Red Piano (2009)The Million Dollar PianoSeptember 28, 2011 – May 17, 2018197Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano (Cinema/DVD and Blu-ray) (2014) Bette MidlerThe Showgirl Must Go OnFebruary 20, 2008 – January 31, 2010170Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On (HBO Special) (2010) The Showgirl Must Go On (DVD) (2011)CherCher at the ColosseumMay 6, 2008 – February 5, 2011192Rod StewartRod Stewart: The HitsAugust 24, 2011 – November 18, 2023140Shania TwainShania: Still the OneDecember 1, 2012 – December 13, 2014105Still the One: Live from Vegas (CD/DVD) (2015)Reba McEntire and Brooks & DunnTogether in VegasJune 19, 2015 – December 15, 202195Mariah Carey#1 to InfinityMay 6, 2015 – July 18, 201750The Butterfly ReturnsJuly 5, 2018 - February 29, 202025Usher Usher - The Vegas Residency July 16, 2021 – January 1, 202218AdeleWeekends with AdeleNovember 18, 2022 -– November 23, 2024100Garth BrooksGarth Brooks/Plus OneMay 18 – July 13, 202445 The Killers 20 Years of Hot Fuss August 14, 2024 – January 25, 2025 15 Kelly Clarkson Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions July 11, 2025 – August 15, 2026 22 Cyndi Lauper Cyndi Lauper: Live In Las Vegas April 24 – May 2, 2026 5
Shows Performer Show DateMariah CareyCharmbracelet World TourJuly 26, 2003Angels Advocate TourFebruary 27, 2010All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and FestivityDecember 14–22, 2017 November 22–30, 2019Gloria EstefanLive & UnwrappedOctober 10–19, 2003Romina ArenaRomina Arena Live!June 8–9, 2004Romina Arena Live at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas June 8–9, 2004 Video, Retrieved May 17, 2011Stevie NicksDreamsMay 10–14, 2005 March 20–24, 2007Gold Dust TourJuly 5, 2005Stevie Nicks in ConcertMay 14, 2011Faith HillAugust 10–14, 2004Carole KingThe Living Room TourAugust 21, 2004Luis MiguelMéxico En La Piel TourSeptember 14–16, 2007Cómplices TourSeptember 12–15, 2008 September 12–15, 2009Luis Miguel TourSeptember 15–18, 2010 September 15–18, 2011The Hits TourSeptember 13–15, 2012 September 13–15, 2013Deja Vu TourSeptember 12–15, 2014México Por Siempre TourSeptember 13–14, 2018 September 12–13, 15–16, 2019Luis Miguel Tour 2023–24September 12, 14–15, 2024Bob DylanNever Ending TourAugust 17, 2010Rod StewartNovember 6–21, 2010Diana RossMore Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits TourNovember 12–13, 2010In the Name of Love TourSeptember 19, 2014Leonard CohenLeonard Cohen TourDecember 10–11, 2010Jacky CheungThe Year of Jacky Cheung World TourFebruary 18–19, 2007 December 22, 20071/2 Century TourFebruary 6–8, 2011Juan GabrielLive in Concert September 15, 2008Janet JacksonNumber Ones: Up Close and PersonalApril 22–24, 2011 November 26, 2011 Ricky MartinMúsica + Alma + Sexo World TourApril 30, 2011Kylie MinogueAphrodite: Les Folies TourMay 22, 2011StingBack to Bass TourNovember 25, 2011Wakin ChauJanuary 28–29, 2012Il DivoIl Divo & Orchestra in ConcertJuly 13–14, 2012Aretha FranklinJuly 15, 2012Tony BennettSeptember 1, 2012Sandy LamFebruary 16–17, 2013Enrique IglesiasSex and Love TourSeptember 13–14, 2015 September 16–17, 2016Emmanuel & MijaresTwo’r Amigos 2September 15, 2016The WhoThe Who Hits 50!May 29, 2016Steely DanThe Dan Who Knew Too MuchJune 19, 2016Jennifer LopezDecember 31, 2014J. ColeWhat Dreams May Come TourOctober 25, 2013Siavash Ghomayshi, Michael & ArefChristmas in VegasDecember 25, 2015Mark KnopflerAn Evening with Mark Knopfler and His BandSeptember 16, 2015DariushDecember 25, 2014Show Lo'Dance Soul Return' World Live TourNovember 29, 2014Hall & OatesOctober 22, 2014 March 20, 22-23, 2019Googoosh, MartikFriendship, The world TourDecember 22, 2018Christina AguileraThe Liberation TourOctober 27, 2018MadonnaMadame X TourNovember 7, 9–10, 2019Backstreet BoysDNA World TourApril 8, 9, 15–16, 2022CreedDecember 30–31, 2024Jennifer LopezDecember 30, 2025–March 28, 2026
Accolades Billboard Backstage Pass Awards: "Top Small Venue" (2004) Billboard: "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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