Celine Dion
Taking Chances World Tour
Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur
13th April 2008, 8pm
Celine Dion’s first-ever concert in South East Asia was part of her first world tour in 9 years, and it was not one that came about easily. Fans in the region had waited for about 18 years for the coming of the world’s best-selling female artist since the beginning of her English recording career. The show was announced just slightly over a month before the concert was due to show, and by an unfortunate stroke of luck, she came down with a throat infection in Australia less than a week before the original concert date of 8th April 2008. This forced her to postpone a series of concerts in Australia and Asia, disappointing many fans who had flown in from all around the region to watch the French-Canadian songstress live in concert.
Certainly, Celine Dion knew she had a lot to do to live up to the expectations of fans who had waited so long to see her. “First of all, I would like to apologize to all of you for having to reschedule the show. I know it’s not always easy to reschedule because everyone has work and family. I was a little sick and I wanted to be here, have fun and be in top shape, and I want to thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you for giving me another chance to perform for you tonight!” Dion said to the cheers and applause of the 17,000 audience members in attendance at the concert. She gave a rousing performance with her stellar vocals and sheer stage presence. It lasted a total of 2 hours, comprising mostly her earlier hits as well as a few from her latest album, Taking Chances. Dion was backed by her band, most of whom had been with her for two decades, as well as 6 dancers from her 5 year stint at the A New Day show in Las Vegas.
The show was rehearsed to include four different segments, including a rock segment as well as a soul segment, made complete with 5 different costume changes to complement the different segments. However, the audience only got to see 2 of the costumes due to strict laws in Malaysia which prevented the 40 year old diva from wearing anything too revealing. It was a little awkward to see Dion leave the stage during the instrumental breaks designed for the costume changes and to come back onstage wearing exactly the same outfit she has worn earlier. However, this did little to dampen the spirits of the audience who lapped her performances up with enthusiasm. After all, the audience were there to hear the voice that made Celine Dion one of the world’s best loved performers.
The trouble with Celine Dion in relation to today’s music industry is that her music has been predominantly ballad-heavy, and that is not what sells. To counter that, she released her latest album Taking Chances, a collection of songs that had more attitude and edge. Dion displayed her versatility on different genres of music, most notably on her tribute to Queen, where she rocked it out on We Will Rock You and The Show Must Go On. She also channelled her inner rock chick on a cover of 80s rock group Heart’s Alone, surprising anyone who believed she could only sing slow-moving love ballads. However, it was obvious that the slower songs like It’s All Coming Back To Me Now and Because You Loved Me were the obvious fan favourites, judging from the way the audience applauded and sang along.
The soul section was also credible, with Celine Dion performing a cover of James Brown’s It’s A Man’s Man’s World. Her background vocalists, led by Barnev Valsaint, also help up well on their own, performing soul classics such as Aretha Franklin’s Respect and Patti LaBelle’s Lady Marmalade while Dion took a break offstage. However, the highlight of the night came when Celine Dion performed her 1996 hit All By Myself, which Simon Cowell has described as “one of the diva songs of all time”, where her voice soared to stratospheric heights, and when coupled with her melodramatic hand gestures, made it quite a sight to behold. Another highlight came on the song My Love, from her latest album, which deals with the things that she has to give up for fame. The songs seemed to sit right at home with Dion, with her starting the song acapella while down on her knees, building up to a climax after the bridge of the song.
It was apparent from the show that Celine Dion’s stage presence has improved much ever since her Las Vegas show, where she headlined over 700 shows over a period of 5 years. While she was described as being bland or boring in the past, Dion is no longer just a singer. She is now an entertainer. By performing songs over various genres and implementing dancers into her show, the show was not just a concert, but it was an experience. The audience seemed to love the theatrics that Celine Dion picked up from her Las Vegas show, most notably on the twirling of her microphone stand with a single hand on Tina Turner’s River Deep, Mountain High.
The show ended on a high note, with Celine Dion’s heartfelt performance of one of the most successful songs in the history of pop music, My Heart Will Go On, with Dion dressed in a beautiful yellow gown, her only costume change for the evening. My Heart Will Go On is, undeniably, Dion’s biggest worldwide hit, and after she sang it, the audience knew it was time to go home. You cannot possibly get a song bigger than that.
Taking Chances World Tour
Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur
13th April 2008, 8pm
Celine Dion’s first-ever concert in South East Asia was part of her first world tour in 9 years, and it was not one that came about easily. Fans in the region had waited for about 18 years for the coming of the world’s best-selling female artist since the beginning of her English recording career. The show was announced just slightly over a month before the concert was due to show, and by an unfortunate stroke of luck, she came down with a throat infection in Australia less than a week before the original concert date of 8th April 2008. This forced her to postpone a series of concerts in Australia and Asia, disappointing many fans who had flown in from all around the region to watch the French-Canadian songstress live in concert.
Certainly, Celine Dion knew she had a lot to do to live up to the expectations of fans who had waited so long to see her. “First of all, I would like to apologize to all of you for having to reschedule the show. I know it’s not always easy to reschedule because everyone has work and family. I was a little sick and I wanted to be here, have fun and be in top shape, and I want to thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you for giving me another chance to perform for you tonight!” Dion said to the cheers and applause of the 17,000 audience members in attendance at the concert. She gave a rousing performance with her stellar vocals and sheer stage presence. It lasted a total of 2 hours, comprising mostly her earlier hits as well as a few from her latest album, Taking Chances. Dion was backed by her band, most of whom had been with her for two decades, as well as 6 dancers from her 5 year stint at the A New Day show in Las Vegas.
The show was rehearsed to include four different segments, including a rock segment as well as a soul segment, made complete with 5 different costume changes to complement the different segments. However, the audience only got to see 2 of the costumes due to strict laws in Malaysia which prevented the 40 year old diva from wearing anything too revealing. It was a little awkward to see Dion leave the stage during the instrumental breaks designed for the costume changes and to come back onstage wearing exactly the same outfit she has worn earlier. However, this did little to dampen the spirits of the audience who lapped her performances up with enthusiasm. After all, the audience were there to hear the voice that made Celine Dion one of the world’s best loved performers.
The trouble with Celine Dion in relation to today’s music industry is that her music has been predominantly ballad-heavy, and that is not what sells. To counter that, she released her latest album Taking Chances, a collection of songs that had more attitude and edge. Dion displayed her versatility on different genres of music, most notably on her tribute to Queen, where she rocked it out on We Will Rock You and The Show Must Go On. She also channelled her inner rock chick on a cover of 80s rock group Heart’s Alone, surprising anyone who believed she could only sing slow-moving love ballads. However, it was obvious that the slower songs like It’s All Coming Back To Me Now and Because You Loved Me were the obvious fan favourites, judging from the way the audience applauded and sang along.
The soul section was also credible, with Celine Dion performing a cover of James Brown’s It’s A Man’s Man’s World. Her background vocalists, led by Barnev Valsaint, also help up well on their own, performing soul classics such as Aretha Franklin’s Respect and Patti LaBelle’s Lady Marmalade while Dion took a break offstage. However, the highlight of the night came when Celine Dion performed her 1996 hit All By Myself, which Simon Cowell has described as “one of the diva songs of all time”, where her voice soared to stratospheric heights, and when coupled with her melodramatic hand gestures, made it quite a sight to behold. Another highlight came on the song My Love, from her latest album, which deals with the things that she has to give up for fame. The songs seemed to sit right at home with Dion, with her starting the song acapella while down on her knees, building up to a climax after the bridge of the song.
It was apparent from the show that Celine Dion’s stage presence has improved much ever since her Las Vegas show, where she headlined over 700 shows over a period of 5 years. While she was described as being bland or boring in the past, Dion is no longer just a singer. She is now an entertainer. By performing songs over various genres and implementing dancers into her show, the show was not just a concert, but it was an experience. The audience seemed to love the theatrics that Celine Dion picked up from her Las Vegas show, most notably on the twirling of her microphone stand with a single hand on Tina Turner’s River Deep, Mountain High.
The show ended on a high note, with Celine Dion’s heartfelt performance of one of the most successful songs in the history of pop music, My Heart Will Go On, with Dion dressed in a beautiful yellow gown, her only costume change for the evening. My Heart Will Go On is, undeniably, Dion’s biggest worldwide hit, and after she sang it, the audience knew it was time to go home. You cannot possibly get a song bigger than that.
photos courtesy of Derrick Lim and videos will up be soon! =D
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