A Review of ELTON JOHN’s “The Million Dollar Piano” Las Vegas Colosseum Show!

“Brilliant showmanship…One epic masterpiece of musical entertainment.”

— Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun

After seeing the British singer-songwriter, Elton John perform at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, it is clear why he has been selling out venues for the past five decades. At 68 years old, he is undeniably one of the most talented musicians today and perhaps only getting better with age.

Appropriately titled “The Million Dollar Piano”, Elton sits at a beautiful grand piano for the duration of the show and plays many of his biggest chart toppers. Right away with the show opener “The Bitch Is Back;” it was clear that the audience was in for a night of true classic Elton John gems. He also played longer versions of many songs including “Benny And The Jets,” “Rocket Man” and “Crocodile Rock.” During these number, his band was really able to showcase their impressive skills as well.

The superstar’s band includes Davey Johnstone on guitar, Matt Bissonette on bass, John Mahon on percussion, Nigel Olsson on drums and Kim Bullard on keyboards, with a special appearance by percussionist Ray Cooper. 

Some of the highlights of the evening included a lovely tribute to his friend and fellow musician, John Lennon where he played “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny).” He also talked about playing at the “The Concert for New York City” at Madison Square Garden right after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He explained to the crowd how difficult it was to pick a song to perform. He finally chose “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” which he wrote about New York City. He then treated us to his heartfelt version of that number.

Towards the end of the night, just as “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” began, barricades were quickly brought onto the stage and placed around Elton and his piano. Then, almost immediately, the first 4 rows of the colosseum rushed the stage to form a semi-circle around Elton. They stayed there and sang along with him as he belted out the song.

For the encore, Elton and his incredibly talented band roused the crowd with a delightful version of Elton’s hit song from the Disney classic, Lion King, “Circle Of Life”.

With 25 platinum and 35 gold albums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits and more than 250 million records sold worldwide, it’s safe to say that Mr. Elton John is here to stay on the concert circuit for as long as he wishes.