The great Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is currently celebrating its 60th year in operation. Sixty years! Back in 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson was U.S. President. Indira Gandhi took office as the first female Prime Minister of India. The original “Star Trek” premiered on NBC. Walt Disney passed away at the age of 65.
Some of Generation X’s most beloved figures were born in 1966. Everyone from John Cusack, Adam Sandler and Halle Berry to Janet Jackson, Rick Astley and Mike Tyson. The Vietnam War raged, and the old Rat Pack/Greatest Generation clique was about to culture clash with the likes of hippies, beatniks and the Black Panther party.
And, oh yeah, Andy Williams was about to perform live at the newly opened Caesars Palace’s Circus Maximus, Caesars’ main performance venue back then. Amy Graca, Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Caesars Entertainment, remarks, “Back in 1966 when Andy Williams first took the stage at Circus Maximus, I can only imagine what that night must have felt like. When you played Circus Maximus, you had made it. This was THE iconic venue at the time. Frank Sinatra played, Tony Bennett played, Judy Garland played.”
Residences That Have Given Artists a Performance Home
Circus Maximus has since been replaced by The Colosseum, which contains over 4,100 seats and became the perfect place to launch a performance model that has since been duplicated by the likes of Madison Square Garden, Vegas’ own The Sphere and other venues.
“By the late ‘90s,” Graca recalls, “Caesars was about to reveal to the world and other artists that the residency model could be done at the height of your career. Let the fans come to you! It was a gamble to tear down Circus Maximus to build something four times larger for a single artist. If they built it, would they come? Celine Dion proved it could be done. Just over 1,100 performances! This residency changed the perception for entertainment in Las Vegas and led the path for other artists.”
Other major recording stars and entertainers who have also enjoyed extended residences at Caesars include Elton John, Rod Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. Graca remarks, “It’s what you buy a ticket to, something you can feel and experience and remember. And when you leave, you realize that you’ve gotten the chance to be a part of something bigger, something iconic, something world-class, a vision — something Caesars Palace has been doing for 60 years.”
Caesars Place in History
Caesars Palace indeed was opened in 1966 by Jay Sarno and Stanley Mallin, with billionaire Kirk Kerkorian as the landlord. The goal was to create an opulent facility that gave guests from around the world a sense of life during the height of the Roman Empire. To this day, it contains many statues, columns and iconography typical of Hollywood’s classic Roman period productions, most notably a 20-foot statue of Augustus Caesar near the entrance.
In June 2005, Harrah’s Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment Inc. and became the owner of Caesars Palace. Harrah's changed its own name to Caesars Entertainment five years later, seeking to capitalize on the prestige of the Caesars brand.
In October 2017, as part of a corporate spin-off, ownership of Caesars Palace was transferred to Vici Properties. Vici promptly leased the property back to Caesars Entertainment at an initial annual rent of $165 million. On May 28 of this year, it was announced that Fertitta Entertainment Inc would be acquiring Caesars Entertainment Inc. in an all-cash deal valued at $17.6 billion.
Much history has been made over those years, and some of that history you can chalk up to “only in Vegas, baby!” For instance, on New Year’s Eve 1967, stunt performer Evel Knievel arrived at the hotel to watch a boxing match and convinced Sarno that he could jump the distance of 140 feet over the Caesars Palace fountains. ABC was brought in to film the stunt. Unfortunately, Knievel hit the top of the safety ramp after the jump and flew over his handlebars into the parking lot of neighboring Dunes. He fractured his pelvis, several bones, suffered a concussion and laid in a hospital unconscious for 29 days before recovering. Fun sidenote: On April 14, 1989, Knievel's son Robbie successfully completed the jump.
Another historic event took place on May 26, 2009, when U.S. President Obama performed in the Colosseum in a one-night-only show titled “A Good Fight” alongside Sheryl Crow, Bette Midler and Rita Rudner. It was a fundraiser for then-Nevada Sen. Harry Reid (D) and his re-election campaign.
And in 2024, the iconic association for ticketing professionals, INTIX, was in residence for a week for its annual conference. “We too got to play the Palace!” exclaims INTIX President and CEO Maureen Andersen.
Of course, the venue has hosted some of the biggest sporting events of the 20th century and beyond. Many boxing matches have been held in Caesars Outdoor Arena and at its since demolished Sports Pavilion since the late 1970s. Those include Larry Holmes versus Muhammad Ali in 1980, Marvin Hagler versus Roberto Duran in 1983, Hagler versus Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987 and two bouts between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe in the 1990s. World Wrestling Entertainment also held its Wrestlemania IX at Caesars Palace.
Graca remarks, “Caesars does everything on a grand scale to disrupt the normal and set the standard above all the rest. We have proven to do the unthinkable. Being able to showcase the world’s greatest fighters and daredevils, that was doing something that wasn’t done anywhere else!”
Lights! Camera! Caesars!
And, of course, there have been the many motion pictures and TV shows that have shot at Caesars Palace, carrying its brand and opulence far beyond the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign.
On the big screen, Caesars Palace has appeared or factored prominently in such films as “The Electric Horseman” (1979), “Rocky III” (1982), “Rain Man” (1988), “Fools Rush In” (1997), “Ocean’s 11” (2001), “Dreamgirls” (2006), “Iron Man” (2008), and “The Hangover” (2009) and “The Hangover Part III” (2013).
While this journalist’s personal favorite is “Rain Man,” Graca says, “My favorite has to be ‘The Hangover.’ It captured the larger-than-life personality of Caesars Palace in such a fun and memorable way. Caesars isn’t just the backdrop in that movie. It really feels like part of the story, and I love that people still associate those scenes with the property. I have been on the roof where they ‘find’ Doug. It’s such a good laugh when you think about that scene!”
On the small screen, it has appeared in series a diverse as “The Partridge Family,” “The Sopranos” and “Friends.” It was also featured prominently in the Season 12 premiere of “America's Next Top Model.”
More to Come
The plan, of course, is for Caesars Palace to continue serving as a major travel destination and live events mecca for 60 more years and beyond. The remainder of this year will see concerts by country stars Tim McGraw and Thomas Rhett. Then, 2027 will see nostalgic engagements from Motley Crue (a show that will be dubbed “Carnival of Sins in Sin City”) and Cyndi Lauper. Meanwhile, full renovations of the Julius Tower and the Palace Tower and their approximately 1,700 guest rooms combined should be completed by the end of next December.
Graca concludes. “Caesars Palace has remained iconic because it has continued to evolve while never losing the sense of spectacle and excitement that made it special in the first place. For me, the exciting part isn’t just celebrating where Caesars Palace has been, it’s thinking about the moments we’re still going to create!”
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