Diana Ross doing nine-show stretch at Venetian

Diana Ross will do a nine-show stretch on the Strip April 1-18, but the shows will be at The Venetian, breaking the pop diva’s long association with Caesars Palace.

Tickets for “The Essential Diana Ross: Some Memories Never Fade” go on sale Friday for shows April 1, 3-4, 8, 10-11, 15 and 17-18 in the 1,800-seat theater which long hosted the “Phantom” musical and more recently the country couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

But the pop icon is still working for the same promoter, AEG Live, which operates the Colosseum. Ross, who turns 71 in March, played the Colosseum last September with her “In the Name of Love” tour, fueling speculation that she might take over some of the 2015 dates vacated by Celine Dion, who decided to devote her time to her husband’s cancer battle.

Instead, the move across the street to the smaller theater poses the question of whether The Venetian’s smaller seating capacity is a better fit, or whether the Colosseum was simply booked at the time Ross was ready to do the shows. (Elton John will play Colosseum dates spanning April 3 through 14.)

Ross called Caesars home for 24 of her 44 years of playing Las Vegas, starting her post-Supremes solo career there in 1972. Another odd Las Vegas footnote: She helped open the Thomas & Mack Center with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in December 1983, stepping in for an ailing Sammy Davis Jr.

Tickets start at $59.50 (before fees) and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at The Venetian and Palazzo box offices, online at Venetian.com/DianaRoss or by calling 702-414-9000 or 866-641-7469.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0188.