Las Vegas show Elton John: Piano? Check. Iconic talent? Check. The most ridiculously awesome collection of eyewear ever to grace the expansive reaches of the known universe? Check.
Legendary singer-songwriter, pianist and composer Elton John returns for a second stint as a major headliner with his new Las Vegas show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. “The Million Dollar Piano” takes center stage with Elton as the musician’s inseparable instrument, or as he puts it, “the other star of my show.” This marvel of engineering is far more than a simple acoustic accessory, and took Yamaha four years of painstaking effort to put together. Weighing in at 3200 pounds and featuring 68 LED video screens running down the sides, the piano is capable of displaying accompanying imagery and mimicking the scenes displayed on the immense screen behind the stage of the Las Vegas show.
The set was designed by Mark Fisher, famous for his work on Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is more than pleasing in its magnificence. The performance is backed up by his talented bandmates Davey Johnstone, Bob Birch, John Mahon, Nigel Olsson and Kim Bullard, as well as special guest percussionist Ray Cooper.
Though the visual splendor of the Las Vegas show provides the perfect atmosphere for Elton’s iconic style and flair, the focus remains where it should be, as hits like “The Bitch is Back,” “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind” are supplemented by a special session of numbers played without the band.
As Elton himself says, “the show will be a gargantuan feast of music and imagery.” Elton’s Las Vegas show covers all the bases, and delivers the complete experience his fans have sought out in eagerness for decades.
