Celine Dion ended her 16-year residency at Las Vegas this weekend, and the moment was as emotional as we expected.
The legendary singer closed out her longstanding residency show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Saturday (June 8), but not without leaving her audience with something to remember it by. Dion debuted a new song titled "Flying On My Own" (hear it below), from her upcoming English-language album Courage, before turning to the crowd with a moving speech to celebrate her final show.
“I’m supposed to know what to say,” the 51-year-old told a crowd of over 4,000 people. “I am very excited and I am a little bit emotional at the same time. This is our final show in this beautiful Colosseum in Las Vegas. There are lots of wonderful memories, you know, but it’s kind of strange at the same time, because when they started to put it together I was here and it was like, ‘I don’t know.'"
Dion continued: "Then I must have misunderstood something because I thought I was going to be here for three months or something like this, and here we are 16 years later. Maybe we have saved the best for last."
The iconic performer, who initiated the Vegas experience with her "A New Day...in Las Vegas Strip" residency in 2003, later paid a tribute to her late husband, René Angelil, whom she credits in her speech for inspiring the project: “I’m both proud and humbled by what we’ve accomplished at the Colosseum since we began 16 years ago when René and I first shared this dream. This entire experience has been a huge part of my show business career, one that I will cherish forever."
Dion will embark on her "Courage World Tour," kicking off in September, to support her latest full-length project, due in November. (Get the dates and details here.)
Photo: Getty Images