Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

248
CHAPTER 10 . LAS VEGAS AFTER DARK
Celine Dion Here’s the hottest ticket in town, and no wonder: It’s genuinely
unprecedented for a star of this magnitude to take up a 3-year residency in a
Vegas show—not to mention a Vegas show designed, theater and all, just for her,
and a show with a subsequent $150 million price tag, and ticket prices that seem
nearly that high. For those of you with (understandable) sticker shock, you can
take some comfort in the fact that the money is all on the stage here. Some of
that cost is represented by Our Star’s salary, certainly, but the rest is present in
one magnificent theater (battling it out with O’s home at the Bellagio for finest
in town), where, thanks to steep stadium seating, no seat is less than 150 feet
from the stage. (Though in some cases, that means straight up, so you decide if
that’s really a good thing.) And the rest is quite evident in stunning staging,
including a heralded enormous LED screen that allows for the most extraordinary
special effects in town. Along with the sweeping landscapes, storms, and
occasional video close-ups of the action brought to you on the screen, you can
add the usual Cirque du Soleil touches (the show’s director/producer is Franco
Dragone, who previously brought this town O and Mystère), which means
dancers (the finest of any show in Vegas) moving enigmatically, plus blooming
trees, flying pianos, giant chandeliers, and other artistic touches straight out of
Chagall or Magritte.
None of it even remotely relates to whichever song they occur during, but no
matter. The Diva herself silences early negative predictions by appearing on stage
at least 90% of the time, and generally working her tail off when she’s there. Her
pearly tones are right on the money. Are they live? Probably not always, but such
issues are no longer relevant in the context of modern pop concerts where so
many of today’s performers rely on tape. More to the point is that no matter how
visually stunning or remarkably staged, this is nonetheless a Celine Dion concert,
and nothing else. That’s great news if you are a fan, but not if you aren’t.
(It’s worth noting that in an effort to make this appeal to audience members
beyond her fan base, she’s included covers ranging from Sinatra to Stevie Wonder,
and that these songs are the least successfully performed.) This won’t convert
anyone, probably, despite her genuine best efforts—she’s got a heck of a
voice and she is a true entertainer, in the best sense of the tradition, if not the
most charismatic one. And perhaps also not the most thoughtful one; did she
notice that the Wonder song begins “Looking back on when I was a little nappy
headed boy?” In Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 877/CELINE-4. Tickets $88–$200
(excluding tax). Wed–Sun 8:30pm.
Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère Kids The in-house ads for Mystère (say miss-tair)
say “Words don’t do it justice,” and for once, that’s not just hype. The show is
so visual that trying to describe it is a losing proposition. And simply calling it
Tips Coolest House in Town?
The Ice House, a new $5 million, two-story, 12,800-square-foot restaurant,
bar, and gaming facility, is the latest sign of Downtown’s upswing. Scheduled
to open in summer 2003, the Art Deco–inspired building will evoke
images of South Beach rather than a Downtown dive, with an interior
accented by retrospective photos of old Vegas and ’60s-style furniture.
Both of the Ice House’s two lounges will sport frozen bar-tops made of
solid ice to keep drinks cold. Down a drink, grab a bite, and then play video
poker or watch one of the 13 42-inch HDTV plasma screen televisions.