The Big Question: Will Celine Ever Perform at Resorts World?

By Scott Roeben, on May 11 2022
3 min read 6 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Shows

The signs were there, but it seems Resorts World has all but given up on Celine Dion ever performing a residency there.

Dion has been removed from the resort’s Web site. She was previously listed as “TBA,” with dates “to be announced.”

Now, not so much.

Hopes were high when Celine announced her Resorts World residency. Now, reality is setting in. Las Vegas isn’t big on reality.

Celine Dion was supposed to begin her Resorts World residency on November 5, 2021.

Yes, we foretold her residency a year before it was announced. Please stop fawning, it’s embarrassing. (Fawn in person, where it’s entirely appropriate.)

Prior to the launch of the residency, though, Dion announced shows would be postponed due to medical issues. Specifically, muscle spasms.

The shows were presumably postponed to late 2022.

Red flags went up pretty quickly because while her Resorts World performances were postponed, her world tour was not.

Since then, though, she’s canceled a number of U.S. world tour dates (schedule for March 9 through April 22, 2022).

The European leg of her tour has been pushed back to 2023. From the schedule, it appears Dion is booked overseas through Oct. 2023.

Dion announced the postponement of her European dates in a video on Instagram, with all the requisite Celine pauses for dramatic effect.

Muscle spasms can be real jerks.

A message said, “I’m so sorry we have to change our tour plans for Europe one more time; first we had to move the shows because of the pandemic, now it’s my health issues causing us to postpone the shows. I am doing a little bit better, but I’m still experiencing some spasms. I need to be in top shape when I’m on stage. I honestly can’t wait, but I’m just not there yet. I’m doing my very best to get back to the level that I need to be so that I can give 100% at my shows because that’s what you deserve.”

It appears Resorts World has thrown in the towel on what was to be its biggest (and most lucrative) residency, at least on its Web site.

The delays have been heartbreaking for Celine fans, of course. We trust they’ve also been heartbreaking for Resorts World executives.

Celine Dion not only sells a lot of tickets, she delivers great casino resort customers who gamble and spend a lot on restaurants and other amenities.

The ongoing challenges raise larger questions about Celine Dion’s condition, and some even question whether she’ll perform live again.

When, and if, she does return to the stage, it’s unlikely we’ll see her at a Las Vegas resort anytime soon.

It’s unclear what conclusions one should draw from the rumor Dion is selling her home in a high-end neighborhood in Las Vegas.

We’ve heard she sold it to none other than Mark Wahlberg.

Dion’s people (AEG Presents) remain confident she’ll recover and have even said she’ll start her Vegas residency at Resorts World “later this year.” It’s possible this media outlet is in another language.

That would be awesome, as Celine Dion belongs to Las Vegas, as much as the rest of the world would like to say she’s theirs. She opened the door for all the successful residencies happening in Las Vegas, and set an impossibly high bar for others who follow in her footsteps.

Honestly, it feels like AEG Presents is being unduly optimistic. Las Vegas residencies don’t just magically materialize, as the whole Adele debacle illustrated. If we were an oddsmaker, we’d set the line for Celine doing her residency at Resorts World as a longshot. Or underdog. Dark horse? We don’t really get sports betting.

We trust Dion gets the best medical care available, and hopefully she’ll be back belting out those timeless hits and making Las Vegas cash registers ring again soon.

As the saying goes, “A healthy person has a thousand wishes, a sick person has one.”

We wish you were back, Celine! Again.