Crossover star returns to Vegas with a nod to Celine, Adele

Josh Groban dates to day one at the Colosseum, but not as a performer. Then a singer on the rise, he received VIP treatment for Celine Dion’s “A New Day …” premiere on March 25, 2003.

Through all the hype, Groban remembers Dion’s footwear, or lack thereof, in her Strip debut.

“You think of Celine’s shows as just so absolutely flawless,” he said in a recent phone chat, as he returns to Caesars Palace with his “Gems” production Friday, Saturday, Wednesday and Oct. 9-10. “But there was a moment where somebody didn’t send her out the right shoes, so she’s just sitting out there barefoot for a minute. Honestly, that was the best.

“I saw the show a few times after that, but nothing will top that moment when you could see the process was still happening.”

Groban calls Dion “a showwoman to her bones.” He is thrilled to see her performing again in Paris as she works through her health challenges.

Similar to anyone who has followed the history of residencies in Las Vegas, Groban gives Dion credit for the template every Colosseum headliner has followed since.

“She brought the residency back,” the “Believer” hitmaker said. “She basically helped build a room that emphasized big singing and great singing. It’s just so damn voice-friendly.”

The 45-year-old Groban is entering his second Strip series as one of the top-selling crossover artists ever, having sold 35 million albums internationally. His follow-ups to his 2003 breakout, “Closer,” the albums “Noël” and “Awake,” have gone platinum. “To Where You Are,” “You Raise Me Up” and “Believe” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts.

He is also a holiday favorite. He’s charted with Christmas classics “O Holy Night,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Groban is an L.A. native who developed under production icon David Foster. He is bringing his custom-Vegas show back to the Colosseum after his successful run in May 2025. He says every singer and orchestral musician on stage is a Las Vegas local. Groban also plans to invoke the Colosseum’s alumni in his setlist.

“I’m going to be doing something by Celine. I’m going to be doing something by Adele,” he said. “I want to lean into the history of the room and who’s been there.”

Previously, he closed with Adele’s “Skyfall,” the soaring walk-off, after “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Both songs stay in the show.

“But for ‘Skyfall,’” Groban said, “we’ve got something even bigger and better planned.”

His most recent album was all cinematic music. He plans to use the Colosseum’s 120-foot LED wall as a movie screen. He mentions turning the stage into the African savanna of “The Lion King,” the noir of “Casablanca” and the manor homes of “The Godfather.”

Groban says he wants to fill the room more completely than during his ’25 run.

“After I got to watch footage of what the show looked like, we realized we could utilize the size of the stage even better,” he said. “We’ve redesigned the way that the musicians are put on the stage. We’ve upgraded how orchestral and immersive the band and orchestra and choir are.”

Expect songs he’s never sung in that room, some new effects and, in his words, a show “even bigger and better than before.”

Groban is again hosting his arts education Find Your Light Foundation event on Oct. 19 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Last year’s benefit concert raised $1.5 million for arts education. Wynton Marsalis, Stephen Colbert, Louis Cato, Betsy Wolfe, Lorna Courtney and Joey Fatone are among the performers.

Fatone’s name stops us in an only-in-Vegas memory from several years back. The member of ’N Sync was on hand the night we met Groban, backstage at a Frankie Moreno show at The Strat (Groban cut a video for Moreno that night, which Moreno still uses in his show at Westgate).

Groban remembers Fatone from their late-’90s overlap, when the young crossover baritone shared bills with ’N Sync.

“Joey was always the one that would come over to me and say hi,” Groban said. “They were all nice. But he was the one who would always give me advice and show me love.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.