Famed tenor receives rousing ovations

Pavarotti smile broadly and spread his arms in a "thank you" gesture as a crowd of 12,500 greeted his appearance, christening a new events center at the Mandalay Bay resort.

Pavarotti appeared fit and happy as he launched into Puccini's "Addio, fiorita asil" from "Madame Butterfly," the first of a series of arias on the program.

The crowd paid $50 to $450 each for the evening's entertainment.

The crowd roared its approval with each number, prompting Pavarotti to exclaim "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Pavarotti has performed here twice previously, in 1984 and 1985.

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