May 2-3, 2008 - Manchester, United Kingdom (MEN Arena)

[mebe]

I love all the videos but I must say that i'm very very disappointed about Shadow Of Love. This song is one of my favorites on the album but live it just doesn't work the way they do it. Celine doesn't sing it the same way either. And they even shortened it! I hate when they shorten the songs!!! I hope they're going to do something about it.

[Nmj]

That critic does not know anything....middle aged couples, mother and daughters and gay men...are not the only people who love Celine

I'm Not Gay and I'm Only 17 years of age and I'm in love with her...ya I Hate the typical Rap loved by teenage men my age...but I Love Celine because of her voice it's great...so that group he named had absoluty no sagnifance.

-Nmj

[Hilda]

Hey guys - finally ive edited all my 'bits' together from SATURDAY on you tube for ya - bit blurry but ok in some places.

 

[fab]

http://www.zshare.net/download/116318193098d5b2/

I don't know if you've see my post before

Live In Manchester MP3

 

My Love

Show Must Go on

We Will Rock You

Alone

Edited May 6, 2008 at 11:44 PM by fab

[Hilda]

thanks yes! and i forgot to download them haha - which day was it?

[CelineFanInSoCal]

Thanks for sharing so much. After viewing the youtube.com vids, I am rather excited about the show now. Updated wardrobe [as I suspected... can't wait to see more] and some exciting things happening on-stage. Thanks again for all who shared.

[roubaix]

For those of you that sat on the floor, do you wish you sat higher up for a view of the full stage?

 

Just wondering how good the floor seats are........?

[Hilda]

yeh i wished i was about half way up the third tier at the end of one of the cat walks@!!! I thought that was the closest you could get to her! it was ridiculous - But the floor was perfectly fine - greta view - its just you dont get to see how the stage looks at any time - and coz i was so close - couldnt really see the screens coz they were sooo close haha.

[fab]

thanks yes! and i forgot to download them haha - which day was it?

 

3 May

[Céline's Blues]

Arena set for glam Céline

Sarah Walters

1/ 5/2008

 

IF there's a name in the pop encyclopaedia that splits music lovers without hesitation, it's Céline Dion.

 

On one hand, she's the biggest-selling female artist of all time and SonyBMG's star earner with album sales of around 200m; on the other, she faces a whole host of detractors who struggle to tell her plethora of chart-topping pop-rock tunes from a lump of steaming gorgonzola.

 

One thing these sworn enemy sides can't go to war over, though, is the girl's determination.

 

Born in the backwater of Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion was the youngest of 12 children in a modest but musically gifted family.

 

Her mother - now 80 and still part of Dion's entourage - spotted her daughter's potential early and wrote her a song, which 12-year-old Céline dutifully sang.

 

They mailed it to renowned music manager René Angélil, a man credited on her mother's favourite record, and were soon summoned to the big lights of Montreal to talk over a deal.

 

One chat led to a remortgage (René literally staked his house on Dion's success) and before Céline knew it, she was a big star in her home country with several commercially successful French language albums.

 

Switzerland

But, a chance opportunity to enter the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, on behalf of Switzerland, was the gig that changed the course of her fortunes.

 

Her song, Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don't Go Without Me) scraped a one-point win in the final vote from Yugoslavia over UK hopeful Scott Fitzgerald - despite two 'nul points' - and gave Céline an audience of hundreds of millions. And in all the excitement, it resulted in an after-show 'pash' with her manager, starting one of pop's most enduring (and, on the surface of it, unlikely) relationships.

 

Céline underwent something of an image turn around - her natural looks and tight curls tamed and styled.

 

For the first time, people started calling her a diva (talk of her being a badly behaved prima donna continues, although apparently without just cause).

 

Her fledgling career in northern Europe took off, eventually scoring her over 160 hits in 14 territories over the next two decades and recognition around the world.

 

René, now 66, is significantly older than Céline (she's a sprightly 40), but they've remained a firm couple with a miracle son, René-Charles - a strong-willed seven-year-old.

 

IVF

 

It's a family unit Céline is keen to add to, and she's already revealed that she plans to take another career break after her UK tour - which brings her to the M.E.N. Arena until Saturday - to try for another IVF baby.

 

And heck, it's not like she can't afford a couple of years off. She's just completed a five-year run in Las Vegas performing her massively success hit show, A New Day.

 

Originally a three-year deal worth £70m, A New Day was expected to be so popular that legendary casino Caesar's Palace built a 4,000 seat theatre to house it.

 

The two year extension (according to business magazine Forbes) is believed to have netted her a personal fortune of £250m for the five-year run- a pretty delicious cherry on top of the an already absurdly lucrative career.

 

Her latest album, Taking Chances, is one of her slowest shifting to date, but since it's her 35th album, she might expect a more modest reception than in her high flying pop days.

 

Songs like Beauty And The Beast and Think Twice made her an international star back in the day. The theme from the film Titanic, My Heart Will Go On, transformed her into a force to be reckoned with.

 

And yet, that fact puts us right back in the ring. Because while there'll be a whole bunch of people who swayed their way through their wedding dance to the pan-pipes of her 1997 number one single, the mere sound of that tootling flute sends millions of us running for the hills.

 

Taste, then, remains a matter of choice, but there's no doubting that René's gamble paid off. And Céline Dion?

 

Well, how can 200 million people be wrong...?

 

Céline Dion plays M.E.N. Arena on Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3. £45 - £125. Click here to buy for Friday and here for Saturday.

 

Are you going to the show? Why not tell us what you thought by entering our Reviewer of the Month competition.

Edited May 7, 2008 at 12:49 PM by Céline's Blues

[Hilda]

thanks for that!

 

 

Oh and 'fab' - wicked that was my night!

[rodriggofunny]

No comments... wonderful.

[sparklingdog]

Hi everyone...

 

FYI : If anybody would like to buy the new fushia dress at the beginning of the show, go to the nearest Balmain store! Indeed this dress comes from the Balmain Spring / Summer 2008 catwalks....

 

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/871/imageserveraa3.jpg

[ce-line]

That critic does not know anything....middle aged couples, mother and daughters and gay men...are not the only people who love Celine

I'm Not Gay and I'm Only 17 years of age and I'm in love with her...ya I Hate the typical Rap loved by teenage men my age...but I Love Celine because of her voice it's great...so that group he named had absoluty no sagnifance.

-Nmj

 

No, it's totally unfair to generalize like that!

But actually I fit in, 'cause I'm going with my mum... Haha!

[Shesings2me]

I was there Friday night, and it was possibly one of the most magical nights of my life. There was something so special about it being in the round, and I'll never forget when the screens first lifted up and she was standing there...and the MHWGO finale was the most stunning performance of it I've ever seen, she was like a goddess and the lighting was so beautiful. Have major post gig depression now :S

 

I may have even enjoyed it more than Vegas if that's possible!

 

I'll never forget that night, Celine you are a creature from heaven..anyone who can dance on a moving stage with massive heels and a billowing cape, whilst singing note perfectly in their second language in front of 18,000 people deserves some sort of medal xxxxx

 

Very nicely, and refreshingly, and originally put there Zora. So glad you had such a magical night. I hope the post-gig depression subsides soon. I'm not looking forward to that part of things either, but I know it will be well worth it though!! Thank goodness I'm going to 3 dates in 3 different cities and that the dates are spaced out pretty well.

 

Thanks everyone again for all the reviews, pics, videos, thoughts, and sentiments. Sending love from a loyal forum friend, T.

[Koolan]

A nice review from TimesOnline

 

Few performers illustrate the gulf between music critics and record buyers quite as starkly as Céline Dion. Playing her first British dates in almost a decade over the weekend, the French-Canadian filled Manchester's largest indoor concert venue for two nights running. Despite routinely attracting media scorn for her sappy songs and mumsy dress sense, the 40-year-old singer has sold 200 million albums in just over two decades, culminating in a five-year Las Vegas residency.

 

She challenged a few preconceptions in Manchester, mine included. Opening with the rousing disco-rock crescendo of Roy Orbison's I Drove All Night, she burst on to an elaborate in-the-round stage loaded with trap doors, moving walkways and revolving video screens. Thronged by dancers and a small army of musicians, she struck a proud, statuesque, drag-queen pose. This kind of sense-blitzing excitement rarely lasts long, but Dion delivered two hours of mostly engaging, revved-up spectacle. This was partly due to her busy, bustling, hi-tech stage presentation, which allowed no room for irony or boredom to take hold. But her famously supple voice was a factor too, remaining strong and fluid as she rocketed through the octaves.

 

There was also an endearing quality to her beatific, unassuming demeanour that excused even her more toe-curling attempts at currying audience favour, including a comically bizarre aside about Manchester United's imminent Moscow fixture. Almost 20 years to the day since winning the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Switzerland, she still retains some of that lost-in-translation innocence. Modelling a succession of diva-ish outfits, each more glamorously impractical than the last, Dion was undeniably camp in Manchester, but never kitsch. There was no hint of snickering, guiltily pleasurable irony when she belted out hen-night karaoke classics such as Heart's Alone and Jennifer Rush's The Power of Love. Both gave big-haired 1980s power ballads a good name.

 

Even better was her magisterial reading of Eric Carmen's much covered heartbreak anthem, All By Myself, which Dion transformed into a towering Taj Mahal of self-pity. During My Love, another blustery weepie from her latest album, Taking Chances, she even choked back tears in a crowd-pleasing display worthy of Hillary Clinton - to whom, bizarrely, the singer is distantly related.

 

A handful of nondescript plodders tainted this show, including a graceless medley of Queen and James Brown covers. But, overall, there were more highlights than lulls. The inevitable encore of My Heart Will Go On, Dion's mega-smash theme to Titanic, was performed atop a lofty podium surrounded by flickering candles. Cheesy, but fabulous. You don't get this sort of gloriously overblown Hollywood finale from the Kaiser Chiefs.

 

However bland her relentlessly middle-of-the-road records may be, Dion has clearly learnt a few tricks about razzle-dazzle from Vegas. Unexpectedly, I find myself a Céline Dion fan. I hereby tender my resignation as a music critic.

[racey3229]

Stevo, i was looking through my pics i took from friday night,and found this one of u and celine,taken in the lobby of the lowry!!! hope u like,as i know your pic with celine didnt turn out too good!!

[KimboCosmo]

Hi everyone...

 

FYI : If anybody would like to buy the new fushia dress at the beginning of the show, go to the nearest Balmain store! Indeed this dress comes from the Balmain Spring / Summer 2008 catwalks....

 

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/871/imageserveraa3.jpg

Once again...Celine looks so much better in it than the model...

[Hilda]

yeh she does actually - ha - Great review!!! I never knew she was distantly related to hillary clinton!!!! how raaaandom>!!!?

[roubaix]

yeh i wished i was about half way up the third tier at the end of one of the cat walks@!!! I thought that was the closest you could get to her! it was ridiculous - But the floor was perfectly fine - greta view - its just you dont get to see how the stage looks at any time - and coz i was so close - couldnt really see the screens coz they were sooo close haha.

 

Thanks Hilda!

[Chula]

nice press review!

[craig]

I was there Friday night, and it was possibly one of the most magical nights of my life. There was something so special about it being in the round, and I'll never forget when the screens first lifted up and she was standing there...and the MHWGO finale was the most stunning performance of it I've ever seen, she was like a goddess and the lighting was so beautiful. Have major post gig depression now :S

 

I may have even enjoyed it more than Vegas if that's possible!

 

I'll never forget that night, Celine you are a creature from heaven..anyone who can dance on a moving stage with massive heels and a billowing cape, whilst singing note perfectly in their second language in front of 18,000 people deserves some sort of medal xxxxx

 

Hi this is my first post.

 

I was there on Friday and absolutely agree with all you say, the show from start to finish was fantastic. This was my first Celine gig and nearly one week on I've still got post gig depression. I think things like this should come with a health warning! Although coming on here and reading all the reviews/pics/videos is therapy of sorts so thanks everyone.

 

I was in the upper tier so not very close but the sound up there was amazing and the bigger screens were pin sharp, very impressive.

 

Like others I was slightly suprised by how old the audience appeared to be. I knew she would attract a wide age range but expected more people around my age (I'm a 10 months younger than Celine) as she was most popular in the UK in the mid-late 90s.

 

I'm really glad, from the reviews so far, that the British press are being more positive about Celine now. She has been unfairly derided in the past, maybe now they are beginning to 'get it' a little bit more.

[Hilda]

hahahha thats so it -post-gig deppression@! haha

[tonybower]

I have been away from my computer for a long time but I have just returned after a truly Celine-filled week!

I was at both Manchester shows and in London on Tuesday.

 

I could go on for pages about the whole experience but it has no doubt all been said before. And anybody who was there will surely feel the same way I do.

 

- Celine was simply incredible. She was truly beautiful and her voice was outstanding. Any fears about her vocals are completely unfounded because she is as good as ever, if not better. I was actually blown away and I'm getting excited just writing about it!

 

- Highlights include My Love, All By Myself, Think Twice and Fade Away. All are incredibly powerful and live! My Love was my favourite and is so haunting and powerful. Celine love's this song.

 

- Celine's energy is back. I feared from looking at earlier photos that she her heart just wasn't in it anymore but she seemed very heppy on stage and any doubts she might have are completely concealed by her incredible vocal performances.

 

- The setlist was just perfect. I was so happy to hear My Love, Think Twice and Fade Away. I questioned I Drove All Night as an opener but in fact it is an excellent choice and the arrangment is just amazing. The video and the mix really gets the crowd going before she appears. Also, it is not all playback. She certainly sings the introduction live and she sounds great.

 

- Then only songs which are 100% playback are IACBTMN, TLYM and MHWGO. TPOL and IDAN are 80% playback.

 

- BYLM, PQTME and others are 100% live.

 

- she sounds amazing in The Show Must Go On and Man's Man's Man's Man's World.

 

- Even Love Can Move Mountains has it's place in the set list and I was really against the idea of it initially! I wouldn't have changed a thing. Even when she sings playback she is truly captivating and I would spend the money all over again!

 

- Celine is truly beautiful and radiant. Her voice and her dresses are amazing.

 

- The stage and the dancers are fantastic!

 

- FADE AWAY!!!! Sounds so astonishingly good! Great song and great performance!

 

I am glad I went three times. For the first show I was on the Lower Tier but closer than I had ever been before. I think I was dazed and in shock so could barely remember any of the finer details. I am so glad for all the photos because I really can't remember much about the costume changes and there were even some differences between the shows!

 

For the second show on the 3rd I was even closer (8th row, block which kind of made it difficult to concentrate but was just fantastic.

I can't put into words how dizzying it is to be so close to Celine. Some will scough, but I have worshipped her for 13 years ever since I was 11 so nothing could prepare me for seeing her so close to me. It still doesn't seem real. So strange to be confronted with the reality that she actually exists and is a real human being; not just a god-like creation who exists only in pictures and on screen. The same even applies for the band who I have also been watching on DVDs for the same length of time. Just incredible.

 

I didn't get to meet her unfortunatley but I don't think I'm ready for that. On Saturday though, I managed to get very close and see her as she was rushed off the stage to her dressing room. She was so friendly and generous to the fans who were close enough to wave to her or take pictures.

 

She is a wonderful person and an incredible artist. I can't wait for the Paris shows!

 

ps. I would like to add that she has nailed Taking Chances. It sounds great and I have rediscovered a passion for the song.

Edited May 8, 2008 at 10:07 AM by tonybower

[σνєяєχιѕтιиg ιи ℓιмвσ]

my heart will go on was not mimed. if it was, it wasnt with the vegas playback.

 

- vegas show

 

watch at 3.39 and notice how she sings 'wherever' in a soft tone.

 

now watch the same place of the song in your recordings. its different.

[fab]

yes it's the playback she used before the recording dvd and she have recording a new version for the dvd , so they used the playback version of before the dvd

 

Excuse my english i hope you'll understand

Edited May 8, 2008 at 10:56 AM by fab

[σνєяєχιѕтιиg ιи ℓιмвσ]

hmmmm. i just cant understand why she would only mime a couple of songs. to get the ending perfect?

[Thomas]

The playbacks are positioned to rest her voice. At the start, they ease her into the show and at the end she doesn't have to worry that she gave her all during Man's World and RDMH etc and that there's nothing left for the song everyone expects her to sing wonderfully and perfectly each night.

[sebyitaly]

The playbacks are positioned to rest her voice. At the start, they ease her into the show and at the end she doesn't have to worry that she gave her all during Man's World and RDMH etc and that there's nothing left for the song everyone expects her to sing wonderfully and perfectly each night.

 

exactly, same opinion!! Although I still have to get if EOM is live or lipped, as it sound really similar from the performances I've seen, but it's surely MUCH MUCH BETTER than the cd version, it's more arabic, the intro of "I Know" it's sooooo deep and a bit nasal to get deeper inside the note...LOVING IT!!!

[Hilda]

i know i looooved eyes on me live - the arrangement was gorgeous! - i think its lipped tho - i thought it was like when i watched it but now ive seen a few vids of it - it looks lipped