Elton John

Presented by Caesars Structure. Entertainers: Elton John, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Bob Birch, John Mahon, Ray Cooper, Kim Bullard. Examined Sept. 28, 2011Never allow it to be stated that Elton John does not possess a spontaneity. His highly-anticipated go back to Caesars Structure Colosseum started together with his longtime band playing the outlet to "The Bitch Has Returned,Inch because the celebrity swanned onstage inside a bejeweled cape so sparkly and vibrant that even Liberace might have needed to think hard about putting on it. "The Billion Dollar Piano," instead of "The Red-colored Piano" -- the title of his previous five-year run at Caesars that led to 2008 -- travels lower much of the identical yellow brick road musically since it's predecessor, however it veers from the beaten path in ways that's certain to satisfy longtime fans. "Red-colored" contained wall-to-wall hits. "Million," so named because John's piano allegedly cost $a million and required nearly 4 years for Yamaha to fabricate, can also be hit-driven, but in the center of the 2-hour show, John delved deep into his estimable catalog, tugging out such chestnuts as 1971's "Indian Sunset" (possibly most widely known within the U.S. like a sample source for Tupac Shakur's posthumous 2004 hit "Ghetto Gospel"), "Honky Chateau's" "Hireling Shepherd and Mad Hatters" and "Best Dead" from "Captain Fantastic and also the Brown Grime Cowboy." John's entertaining, passionate performance started into overdrive within the last half-hour, beginning using the rollicking, piano-pounding "Hey Ahab," from his underrated 2010 album with musical hero Leon Russell, "The Union," before careening through "I am Still Standing," "Crocodile Rock" and "Saturday Night's Okay For Fighting." Aesthetically, the show, that will possess a three-year run, has become a significant facelift. The group of "The Red-colored Piano" featured neon signs along with a large screen for that small-movies that digital photographer-director David LaChapelle produced for pretty much each song. The looking for "The Billion Dollar Piano," created by Mark Fisher, illegal copies a Roman bridge with movable ornate golden half-archways on each side -- so elaborate they contain bas-reliefs of John's two cocker spaniels, Arthur and Marilyn. (The only real apparent opening evening production flaw? The lights around the arch stage left went rogue, frequently blinking by themselves). A few of the band people and four female backup performers -- who have been largely underutilized -- are situated on the riser, and above them is yet another riser for percussionist and longtime John cohort Ray Cooper, whose actions are extremely flamboyant he turns the easy act of striking a tambourine right into a major event. Behind everything would be a massive screen that forecasted condition-of-the art images for nearly every tune, may it be the colorful, Peter Max-like short films for "Philadelphia Freedom" or even the superbly-made animated timeline of John's existence that plays behind "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and finishes, sweetly, having a photo of John's newborn boy. Other moments tend to be more abstract, for example baroque hallways and chandeliers that seem to move closer, as though in three dimensional. Sometimes, the wild kaleidoscope of images edges on physical overload, resulting in a annoying, kitchen-sink effect. Close to the finish, when many of the features disappear throughout "Crocodile Rock" and also the screen is projecting only John and the band playing, along with the obligatory audience shots, the take-away is the fact that for those "The Billion Dollar Piano's" excesses, after five decades, John needs absolutely none of results his musical miracle. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com