“Have you seen Elton’s new show?” has been the question I’ve heard more than any other, of late.  “I’ve heard the new show [The Million Dollar Piano] is even better than the last one [The Red Piano]; but I’m waiting to hear what you think,” (this from the maître d’ at one of the iconic restaurants catering to the guests of The Colosseum at Caesars Palace).  Well, here are my thoughts on the matter.

Simply put, the show IS better.  Now, this is a remarkably strong Rubicon to have crossed, as The Red Piano, produced by David LaChapelle, was a hallmark of Las Vegas production shows.  I probably saw it, roughly a dozen times – and enjoyed each more than the last, gleaning details that had previously escaped my attention.

But the vibrant sets and intricate film-shorts produced by LaChapelle, best known for his exaggerated, color-saturated, surrealist photography, while incredible to behold, drew attention away from the show’s star (which is saying something when that star shines as brightly as Elton’s).  As such (and I didn’t realize this until putting the former show into context with the latter), one of the greatest assets of The Red Piano, proved, in fact, to be its greatest liability. 

So wonderful and (in true LaChapellian form) intricate were each of the sometimes comic, always beautifully choreographed mega-videos, that – when combined with songs that have been so truly engrained into the landscape our cultural lexicon – at times, The Red Piano resulted in being a fabulous series of shorts that just so happened to feature live musical accompaniment by Elton John.

This isn’t to say that Elton (who plays his 3,000th concert on Saturday night) was ever anything less than stellar; but since we knew the songs so well, we naturally focused on the visuals (wondering “Is that Justin Timberlake as a young Elton, with Paul Reubens as his manager?” [“Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to be a Long, Long Time”] or “Did Amanda Lepore’s surgically-created vagina just explode into flames, after Richie Rich, dressed as a teddy bear, skated around a life-sized snow-globe holding a giant coke-spoon?” [“Someone Saved My Life Tonight”]), relegating the musical performance to the status of a soundtrack – when, of course, it should have been the reverse.

The Million Dollar Piano doesn’t “suffer” from what is arguably one of those wonderful/horrible dilemmas.  There is no mistaking that in this go-around, Elton John is the now-and-forever star he has always been.  This is the performer, after all, who, in 2008 ranked third on “The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists” listing (The Beatles and Madonna were first and second, respectively).  So what’s different?  You’ll have to come back, to read all about it!

Elton John – The Million Dollar Piano
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Through October 23rd
Click HERE for more info and tickets

Get into it!