Music legend Elton John returning to Caesars

He's back, and this time, he'll be playing, pounding, climbing and kicking at an instrument as lavish as his famously gilded glasses.

Elton John returns to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Sept. 28 for a 16-show run that will launch the larger-than-life hit maker's new three-year residency at the venue.

"Honestly, we've been working on it since the day after Elton left," says Caesars Palace President Gary Selesner of John's return. "He had a very successful run here. It was great for the property, and I know he had a lot of fun doing the show. We started talking a year, year-and-a-half ago about this, and slowly but surely the elements of the deal got put together."

Dubbed "The Million Dollar Piano," the show will be centered around John's pricey new set of keys that piano manufacturer Yamaha has been working on for four years, John stated in a news release.

"Apparently, it's just a spectacular piece of equipment," Selesner says.

Tickets for "The Million Dollar Piano" range from $55 to $250, plus fees, and go on sale at 10 a.m. April 25 at The Colosseum box office, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South, and Ticketmaster outlets.

John completed a blockbuster five-year residency at The Colosseum in April 2009, playing 241 shows of his "The Red Piano" series.

An eye-popping 95-minute production complete with large inflatable breasts and towering video screens, "The Red Piano" buoyed John's many concert staples such as "Rocket Man" and "Candle in the Wind" with a "glitzy, over-the-top veneer," according to Review-Journal entertainment writer Mike Weatherford in a 2005 review of the show.

Selesner says the new production will seek to maintain the more intimate atmosphere of John's initial Colosseum run.

"If we learned anything from the first run, it's the reaction of people to getting close to Elton," he says. "That past show, there were occasions where the audience was up there dancing and hanging out with Elton John, and I understand that we're going to have more of those moments in the new show."

John has remained among the world's biggest live draws, with concert industry trade publication Pollstar ranking him the ninth highest grossing act of the previous decade, with his solo shows grossing more than $286 million.

For his return to Vegas, Selesner says that fans can look forward to hearing all the expected hits in an unexpected context.

"It's important to do things completely different," he notes. "So many people saw 'The Red Piano' that it's critical that they know that it's a whole new experience that we're offering here."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@review journal.com or 702-383-0476.