We all know that Las Vegas is where washed up old pop stars go to die, but one of the first big divas to do it in the ’00s was Celine Dion, who was still technically at her height. She was past the whole “My Heart Will Go On” craze, of course, but she was still killin’ it on the adult contemporary charts and didn’t really need to give up just yet. However, a Vegas residency at Caesars Palace would give her stability and a place to be with her husband and her son and build a life in a way that was less hectic than being on the road. People told her it was a bad idea, but basically now she’s laughing in everyone’s faces because she’s filthy fucking rich and people still love coming to watch her perform.
“A lot of people, especially in the industry, they thought that it was a very, very high risk,” Dion, 47, tells NBC News for an interview airing Tuesday evening. “Finishing my career here, it was the end of my career. I remember hearing that ‘the boat is going to sink again.’ ”
Now, as she plans to return to The Colosseum for the first time in a year, she says she’s happy she never listened to the haters.
“You take chances and you go for it, and you know what, I’m more than glad that we did it,” says Dion, who paved the way for other singers, including Britney Spears, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, to have their own residencies.
Don’t even try to play Celine. LOVE HER. I went to see her in 2008, when I was only 14, and losing my SHIT. Titanic was still killin’ it and the encore of her show was Celine coming out on a fake ship bow with the Heart of the Ocean necklace on and singing that song while everyone ripped their hair out with excitement. DIVA. She’s nuts and I love her 4-eva. About to hit up The Colour of My Love on iTunes right now, in fact.
‘TAKING CHANCES’: Some of the biggest stars are taking up residencies in Las Vegas and their fans are following them. Celine Dion started that trend in 2003 and since then many stars have followed. NBC’s Joe Fryer sat down with Celine to talk about her game-changing move. More tonight #NBCNightlyNews
Posted by NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt on Saturday, 18 July 2015