After more than a thousand performances in front of more than four million fans, Celine Dion is finally cashing in her chips. The singer's performance Saturday night at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace will be the final one of her Las Vegas residency.
"Bittersweet" is how Dion describes her feelings about doing her final show in the city where she's been performing on and off for the last 16 years.
Her first residency show, "A New Day," launched March 25, 2003. Her current one, "Celine," premiered in 2011.
"Vegas has given me, in a way, stability to be home every night, raising my kids," the legendary singer told ABC News earlier this year. "I mean, I love touring, don't get me wrong, but it's very, very, very different."
It may be difficult to believe that when Dion, 51, announced her first residency, few believed it was a good move. Back then, Vegas was where careers went to die.
(MORE: 3 years after her husband's death, Celine Dion shares advice to overcome loss: 'You cannot stop living')The Vegas journey has truly been a family affair… the memories will last forever. Only 3 more shows to go ❤️ –Team Celine
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) June 5, 2019
📸: George Bodnar, Denise Truscello, Gérard Schachmèshttps://t.co/yfKq0kPVx8 pic.twitter.com/SjG53mVkiH
"People thought I was going to finish my career here, and that the Titanic was going to sink again," she said, laughing. But even she admits she was skeptical.
"When I started, they built that Colosseum specifically for that show," she told ABC News. "And me, I was like, 'Uh....suuuure.'"
But the gamble paid off: "A New Day" was a smashing success.
(MORE: Celine Dion talks parenting and letting her kids find their own way)Since then, the biggest stars in the world staged Vegas residencies: Elton John, Cher, Rod Stewart, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson and the Backstreet Boys, to name only a few.
The time has come! Tickets for the first leg of Céline’s #CourageWorldTour are on sale today! // C’est enfin le grand jour ! Les billets pour la première série de concerts du #CourageWorldTour de Céline sont mis en vente aujourd’hui ! - Team Céline
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) April 12, 2019
👉🏻 https://t.co/iGNdqpj2Vc pic.twitter.com/DuJ447EAML
Even after she sings her last note Saturday night, Dion isn't stopping. On Sept. 18, she kicks off her "Courage" World Tour, which will visit more than 50 cities across North America.
