LAS VEGAS, Feb. 24, 2016 -- Tonight, Celine Dion made an emotional return to a sold-out crowd at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to resume her Las Vegas residency which has been on hiatus since her husband and former manager, René Angélil, passed away on Jan. 14, 2016. 

As a tribute to René Angélil, the performance opened with a touching video that chronicled personal and milestone moments in René's life from his early days of childhood, to managing a superstar recording artist, to being a loving husband and father.  The video was produced by Productions J., a prominent television production company based in Montreal, which has worked closely with René and Celine for years and has captured some of their most successful and intimate moments together. Celine also sang Barbra Streisand's "With One More Look at You," dedicating the song to the memory of her late husband.

"I understood that my career was in a way was his masterpiece, his song, his symphony," expressed Celine.   "The idea of leaving it unfinished would have hurt him terribly. I realized that if he ever left us I would have to continue without him, for him."

René Angélil was the visionary behind Celine's Las Vegas headlining residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace which began over a decade ago in March 2003.  To date, Celine has performed 966 shows in the venue and tonight announced 27 more shows in 2016 which will put her on schedule to reach the epic milestone of 1,000 performances by the end of the year.  

The 27 new shows scheduled Sept. 20 through Oct. 8 and Nov. 1 through Nov. 26 will go on sale to the public beginning Saturday, Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. P.T. and are as follows: 

Sept.: 20, 21, 23, 24, 27, 28, 30  
Oct.:  1, 4, 5, 7, 8   
Nov:   1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26

The current run of Celine at The Colosseum will continue through March 12 and return in May for shows through June 4.   These dates previously announced and on sale are: 

Feb.:  24, 26, 27  
Mar.:  1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12  
May:  17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 27, 28, 31  
June:  1, 3, 4

Tickets may be purchased in person at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office, by calling 866-320-9763, or online at thecolosseum.com or axs.com.  Orders are subject to additional service charges and fees.  Ticket prices are $250/$175/$140/$95/$55(prices include 9% Live Entertainment Tax as assessed by the state of Nevada).  For groups of 10 or more, call 866-574-3851.  All shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Celine at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is a glamorous show directed by legendary Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich and presented jointly by AEG Live and Caesars Entertainment. Celine's updated Las Vegas show includes her biggest hits mixed with timeless hits by iconic artists that celebrate all generations and genres of music ranging from Elvis to the Bee Gees, Queen and Prince.  The show features a full orchestra and band and is set to a visually stunning presentation designed exclusively for the 4,300-seat state-of-the-art venue.  For show information visit www.celineinvegas.com. 

One of the most immediately recognized, widely respected and successful performers in pop music history, Celine Dion has sold almost 250 million albums during her over 30-year career. She has earned five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 20 Juno Awards (Canada) and an astonishing 40 Felix Award (Quebec).  In 2004, Celine received the Diamond award at the World Music Awards recognizing her status as the best-selling female artist of all time. In 2007 she was honored with the Legend Award at World Music Awards in recognition of her global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry. 

In the summer of 2016, in-between performances of her hit Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Celine will head overseas for a limited run of international shows in Antwerp, Paris, Montreal and Quebec City.  For tickets and tour information visit www.celinedion.com.

Photo credits: Denise Truscello and BROLL