Celine Dion in Vegas

Sunday, January 19, 2014 – As mentioned in this post, I had the privilege of attending my very first concert (many thanks to Herman!) this past weekend in Las Vegas and it featured one of the greatest legends in the music world, who also happens to be one of my favorite artists.  As my sister told me, “How exciting! You’ve been to a concert now, and not just any concert!” Indeed, it was quite the chilling experience seeing and hearing Celine Dion perform live in front of my eyes.

I don’t even know how or where to begin describing the show. “Flawless” would be a good word, I suppose. And so would be “artistic” and “passionate.” Even though Celine Dion holds a residency contract with Caesar’s Palace and performs an estimated 70 times a year, she still belts out each song with hair-raising passion and perfection, and the theatrical elements are ingeniously well-coordinated and beautifully creative. On a stage that holds a 130ft LED wall, nine 6x12ft LED panels, 12 projection surfaces, as well as two walls of water and a holographic screen, Celine, along with her her orchestra and band that consists of 31 jaw-droppingly talented musicians and back-up singers, brings down the house with her repertoire of timeless classics and fan favorites.

Thanks to TeamCeline, I was able to score great seats (certain seats are reserved for TeamCeline members and are thus unavailable for the general public to claim). Granted, I would have loved to be able to sit in the orchestra section, but that would entail shelving out $500+, which was out of the question… for now, at least. But the $140 tier isn’t bad at all, especially if the seats are like the ones I had in the third row of the first mezzanine that faced the stage directly. You don’t go to see Celine Dion to just listen to her voice. You go to watch her. With all work that is put into the lighting, the screens, the movements, and more, the show is a masterpiece that is worth every penny if you take every aspect of it in, and despite the claims that “there are no bad seats in the Colosseum,” I don’t think you can achieve that inimitable experience if you insist on paying for the cheapest ticket and sitting in the back of the second mezzanine. It’s a bit of a bummer that photography isn’t allowed during the show and the program booklet itself is a costly $30, but the great thing about a prominent long-running performance like this is that there are HQ photos and videos online. They certainly don’t do the live concert justice, but it’s an adequate substitution for the real thing if I want to relive the experience. Even after so many words here, I still simply cannot fully express how amazing the performance was, but without a doubt, I would go again and pay a minimum of the $140 price tier for tickets in a heartbeat. Celine Dion is truly an artist and performer – a definite rarity in today’s music industry (you may or may not know of my displeasure with today’s music world, but I’ll save those thoughts for another time as I don’t wish to spoil this post with my rants and arguments about that topic).

But of course, we can’t skip over the topic of her wardrobe of SIX outfit changes! And despite the fact that we were in Sin City, where less-is-more and boobs-and-legs are forever the trending styles, Celine kept it classy and gorgeous with each of her Oscar-red-carpet-worthy dresses. She started off the night with a dazzling Armani Privé gown that boasted a sexy yet modest v-opening neckline, then changed into a flowy mint green Elie Saab couture gown which was perfectly complemented her cover of Ella Fitzgerald’s “(If You Can’t Sing It) You’ll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini).” As her orchestra launched into a fantastic performance of the James Bond theme song, she stepped out in a sparkling black femme fatale-esque Balmain number that showed off her gams with a high leg slit. Channeling a dramatic yet pure look that fit her rendition of Jacques Brel’s “Ne me quitte pas” that speaks of lost love, she commanded the stage with a white one-shouldered Versace gown, which she later used for her “Beauty and The Beast” duet. Finishing off the show with her upbeat “River Deep, Mountain High,” Celine ended strongly with a short gold Balmain dress. But where was the crowd-pleaser “My Heart Will Go On?” Well, she saved that for her encore, which ended up to be my favorite number of the night. The stunning blue flowy Versace gown, which she used that to her advantage in her performance, paired with the dazzling waterfall that surrounded her at the peak of the song, was like pure magic.  Needless to say, after her beautiful performance, she received a well-earned standing ovation.

And now, today on this gloomy-looking Tuesday, I am still evidently suffering from a Celine Dion concert withdrawal. Please excuse me while I go play my Celine Dion Spotify playlist now…

Setlist
“Untitled Interlude I” – Video Introduction
“Open Arms”
“Where Does My Heart Beat Now”
“Because You Loved Me”
Medley: “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” / “The Power of Love”
“Untitled Interlude II” – Violin Solo
“(If You Can’t Sing It) You’ll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)”
“Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)”
“The Reason”
James Bond Theme: Orchestra + Video Interlude
Medley: “Goldfinger” / “Nobody Does It Better” / “Live and Let Die”
Interlude: “Spinning Wheel” – Performed by Barnev Valsaint
“How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” – Hologram Duet with Dion
“Overjoyed” – Hologram Duet with Stevie Wonder
“At Seventeen”
“Beauty and The Beast” – Duet with Barnev Valsaint
“Ne me quitte pas”
“All by Myself”
“Loved Me Back to Life”
“Untitled Interlude III” – Cello Medley Solo (contains elements of “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller”)
“Love Can Move Mountains”
“River Deep, Mountain High”

Encore
Instrumental Interlude – “Titanic Theme” 
“My Heart Will Go On”