LA, Aug 30: Elton John has struck a two-year deal to play hundreds of concerts at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, taking over from Celine Dion on the nights the diva is off in the new Colosseum theater, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. The source declined to say how much the British singer would be paid but the Las Vegas Sun newspaper said he would receive $54 million for about 300 shows over two years, rivaling Dion's paycheck of $100 million for 600 shows over three years.
Concerts West, which operates the Colosseum, and Park Place Entertainment Corp., which owns it, declined to comment, and Elton John's representative could not be reached immediately.
The source told Reuters that an official announcement was scheduled for October.
Dion opened her gig in March in the brand new, $95 million Colosseum.
Bureau Report