Still the One

Shania Twain kicks off a two-year residency at Caesars Palace

Pop-country superstar Shania Twain has kicked off her longawaited return to the concert stage with a two-year residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

The Canadian singer-songwriter performs the chart toppers that catapulted her to fame — “You’re Still the One,” “From This Moment On,” “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and many others — plus a few musical surprises.

“I’m beyond excited,” Twain said of “Shania: Still the One,” which opened Dec. 1. “This is a dream for any performing artist.”

Twain has sold 75 million records worldwide and earned five Grammys. She remains the top-selling female country artist of all time.

Caesars Palace president Gary Selesner hailed Twain as “one of the very few [artists] on earth” capable of filling The Colosseum night after night. The 4,300-seat venue also hosts Celine Dion, Elton John and Rod Stewart.

‘I’m beyond excited. This is a dream for any performing artist.’

Shania Twain

“Shania: Still the One” will have plenty of Las Vegasstyle bells and whistles: piped-in scents, big-screen video, a 13-piece band, costume changes and a bit of horsing around. An accomplished equestrienne, Twain will be joined on stage by two live horses.

The show “will have more of a theatrical flair than anything that Shania has done,” said show director Raj Kapoor, who also has worked with Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Usher, Michael Jackson and Eminem.

“We’ve been working on the show for most of the entire year. Shania has ... been involved in every moment of it,” Kapoor added.

Born into poverty in rural Ontario, Canada, Twain found escape in music. When she was 21, Twain’s life took a tragic turn when her parents, Sharon and Jerry, died in a car crash. The aspiring entertainer was thrust into the role of surrogate parent for three younger siblings.

Twain managed to juggle child-rearing and music, and in 1993 released her self-titled debut album.

Her second studio album, “The Woman in Me,” established Twain as a force on the country music scene.

The collection earned a Grammy for country album of the year and sold 18 million copies worldwide.

In 1997, Twain crossed over into pop stardom with “Come on Over,” which became the biggest-selling studio album of all time by a female artist.

In 2004, after touring in support of her album “Up!,” Twain walked away from the concert stage, citing exhaustion and the pressures of fame.

The next several years were tumultuous. Twain went through a painful public divorce, lost her singing voice due to a condition called dysphonia and was plagued by self doubt.

She appears to have put those troubles far behind her. Her powerful voice is back in top form and she has remarried. Moreover, Twain is looking forward to taking the stage at The Colosseum, which she called a “magical platform.”

“What more could I ask for?” she said. “It’s an exceptional gift.”

Tickets are on sale now for performances through Dec. 15, as well as March 19 through April 10, 2013. For more info, visit www.thecolosseum.com or www.shaniainvegas.com.

This page: Shania Twain at a press conference in Nashville in June 2011 announcing her Las Vegas show. Left is Gary Selesner, Caesars Palace regional president. Right is John Meglen, president and co-CEO of AEG Live/Concerts West.