August 27, 2008 - Toronto, Canada (Air Canada Centre)

August 28, 2008 at 04:19 PM

"...but there's just as much to admire – how effectively she employs her marvellous range (from the creepy lower register to those "Mariah who?" ascending scales), her stamina, how she didn't slip once in those heels."
Complete review from The Star. Half good, half bad... made by a non fan obviously, but pretty OK.

Should I go out and get a copy of The Star today?

August 28, 2008 at 04:24 PM

OMG!! My mum and sisters just brought me home three copies of Toronto Metro newspaper! Celine's on the front page! :spaz:

August 28, 2008 at 04:26 PM

OMG!! My mum and sisters just brought me home three copies of Toronto Metro newspaper! Celine's on the front page!

When I arrive in Toronto today, I may have to look for that!

August 28, 2008 at 04:50 PM

Really? I hear that the sound quality is supposedly really good in the ACC compared to places such as the Molsen Amphitheatre.

I've definitely heard worse, but it's really hard to provide great sound in a space that big. Also, exactly what you hear depends on where you're sitting.

when she played in Montréal centre bell and sound quality was really bad, maybe it was because I was very near to the stage I don't know, did anyone find out what hotel Celine is staying in yet??

August 28, 2008 at 06:12 PM

Really? I hear that the sound quality is supposedly really good in the ACC compared to places such as the Molsen Amphitheatre.

I've definitely heard worse, but it's really hard to provide great sound in a space that big. Also, exactly what you hear depends on where you're sitting.

when she played in Montréal centre bell and sound quality was really bad, maybe it was because I was very near to the stage I don't know

Well, again, it depends on where your seat was. I think if your front and centre, it would have been fine, but if your off to the side and stuff, I guess it's not the best, but still good otherwise. As long as it sounds better than my own speakers, then I think I'll be quite content.

Edited August 28, 2008 at 06:12 PM by celinerific

August 28, 2008 at 06:48 PM

Nice review. Thanks.

August 28, 2008 at 06:57 PM

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8054/torshowbizmj8.jpg

Is Celine Dion really taking chances anymore?

Well, the name of her current world tour would say that she is, but the 40-year-old mega-selling pop star is basically Vegas personified.

And after making people take the pilgrimage to Sin City from 2002 to 2007 to see the singer's A New Day hits package, Dion decided to basically take the show on the road and primarily to those same people. Such was the case last night for the first of two shows this week (another show is set for late September) at the Air Canada Centre as Dion, touring in support of her latest album, Taking Chances, took that perfected Vegas show to the masses. Not to say that it wasn't highlighted by moments in which Dion mined that rich, strong and spine-tingling voice she's renowned for. But sadly it was occasionally lost in gimmicks, portions of the stage constantly rising and lowering and some rather inane cover selections.

Opening with a video montage featuring various locations around the world that made the singer look like the winner of The Amazing Race as much as a global pop star, Dion kicked off the evening with the dance-heavy I Drove all Night while working the in-the-round stage. Thanking the fans who filled up most of the venue, Dion then went into The Power of Love, a perfect cover from her 1993 album The Colour of My Love. Although accented by a large ensemble located around the square stage (with a ramp on either side), Dion nailed certain portions while looking like she's still amazed by the power of those pipes. "Good evening Toronto! How's everybody doing tonight?" she asked before talking about how special this tour had been with her 81-year-old mother and husband (not yet pushing 81) alongside. It was then she launched into Taking Chances, a melodic yet sappy tune and the first of a handful of songs off the new album.

Fortunately, Dion has a bevy of hits that even her despisers know off by heart since they still saturate pop radio, such as It's all Coming Back to Me Now, the dreamy number that again had her breaking loose vocally as if that range was indeed coming back to her. Yet Dion, who also had eight dancers at times on the stage, opted to streamline the evening, rarely allowing for flourishes of her pipes during the ensuing Because You Loved Me and the rather ordinary To Love You More.

Ensuring the Vegas idea was still in play, Dion returned after a brief costume change for Eyes On Me, wearing a ridiculously long white train on her dress which guaranteed that all eyes would be on her. From there, she atoned for the costume schtick with the gentle, piano-driven All By Myself that again showcased some of that magic. Returning yet again following another change of wardrobe, Dion went for disco on the '70s-retro dance-flavoured I'm Alive. It proved to be the lone highlight of the next few numbers as Fade Away thankfully seemed to do just that. Following the combination of I'm Your Angel and a cover of Heart's Alone, Dion sat down to absorb the ovation from fans before starting My Love a cappella. It exemplified how she could carry the tune, and perhaps most of the night herself, but sadly it was not to be with so much of a supporting cast and Vegas-style production values.

These same Vegas gimmicks also ended up making the last third of the roughly 110-minute set almost comical at times. The Prayer featured Andrea Bocelli on a video screen and then with Dion singing beside him for some strange effect. And Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore, one of her biggest French hits, shone briefly before a hokey cover of Queen's We Will Rock You and The Show Must Go On appeared. Dion, coming off a week which saw her performing a mammoth concert in Quebec City as part of the province's 400th anniversary and receive an honorary doctorate in music from Laval University, started rounding things off with the ridiculous cover of It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World by James Brown that was good because it came off so badly. And paying tribute to Tina Turner for River Deep, Mountain High also had Dion twirling her small microphone like a baton. Of course, there was the obligatory titanic (and Titanic) song My Heart Will Go On, a number whose shelf life continues to drag on. And on. And on.

Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

- torontosun.com

August 28, 2008 at 07:08 PM

http://i35.tinypic.com/r76e52.jpg

You can see some fan pics at Flickr here: http://flickr.com/photos/concertaholics/

August 28, 2008 at 11:42 PM

Thanks Thomas

August 29, 2008 at 12:28 AM

Wow that review was kind of brutal. :mellow:

I don't think that person was a Celine fan.

August 29, 2008 at 12:38 AM

Thank you for the pictures there amazing.

August 29, 2008 at 01:30 AM

Here are my photos. They're not nearly as good as the ones Thomas found. I think I was sitting closer, but my camera clearly isn't as good. I took a whole bunch of photos, but these are the only ones that weren't totally blurry.

Before the show:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/dmsteinberg/SLdMK1YYNmI/AAAAAAAAAZg/wHHLO2ZAq-w/imgp4327.jpg

The Power of Love:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/dmsteinberg/SLdMLT_UdYI/AAAAAAAAAZo/Qvt8pY6Lwxs/imgp4336.jpg

To Love You More:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/dmsteinberg/SLdMMOZ1-OI/AAAAAAAAAZw/IcRr4Yge7S0/imgp4345.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/dmsteinberg/SLdMMQpC8gI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/2zDkmtNCYug/imgp4346.jpg

My Love:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/dmsteinberg/SLdMM5C-TzI/AAAAAAAAAaA/0sRF5AyshNM/imgp4355.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/dmsteinberg/SLdOa-8kW8I/AAAAAAAAAaI/sSLhjdTdckQ/imgp4358.jpg

Enjoy!

August 29, 2008 at 02:37 AM

Here are my photos. They're not nearly as good as the ones Thomas found. I think I was sitting closer, but my camera clearly isn't as good. I took a whole bunch of photos, but these are the only ones that weren't totally blurry.

And they seem to have disappeared. Okay, well let's simplify. Here's a link to the album.

August 29, 2008 at 02:56 AM

And here are my videos. None of them are the whole songs, and again, they're not great quality (as if my camera's not bad enough, YouTube really compresses the heck out of them).

Enjoy!

Oh yeah, these videos do show a couple instances of what I thought might be voice troubles. In Shadow of Love, it sounds like the first half of "I'm waiting here for my prince to come" barely comes out at all. It also seems like she has trouble getting the first "My" in My Love to speak.

I hope it was just the sound. And if not, I hope she's able to take advantage of September to recover. She definitely didn't cut herself any slack last night.

August 29, 2008 at 11:31 AM

The Sun always writes bad things about Céline. It's not new! It's a trashy newspaper anyway... not to be taken too seriously.

Thanks Thomas!

August 29, 2008 at 03:59 PM

Anything special?

August 29, 2008 at 08:33 PM

Anything special?

Well the show was awesome!!! I'm too lazy to write a review though.

Here are some pictures I took during the concert :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30098344@N08/...57607012124786/

:w00t:

Edited August 29, 2008 at 08:36 PM by Calypso

August 30, 2008 at 10:34 AM

Wow that review was kind of brutal. I don't think that person was a Celine fan.

I think it was kind of fair.

August 30, 2008 at 12:42 PM

Thanks for the reviews, pics and videos! Man, I miss Céline!

August 30, 2008 at 04:23 PM

Thank you Fabtisticfoo for the wonderful pictures and videos! I went to the Aug. 28 show and did not have my camera and I sat in the same in the same section as you except in row 11! There were no rows behind mine so I danced all night! I'm sure she pointed and winked at me on 2 separate occasions! I love how the lights allowed her to see her fans! What a fabulous show!!! Thanks again for the footage!

August 30, 2008 at 04:37 PM

Here are very good quality videos (not filmed by me, thanks a bunch to Epasek, elliotto2007 and canadianeye )

Opening Video (I Drove All Night Remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53BvrtXvdI

I Drove All Night, It's All Coming Back To Me Now, Because You Loved Me & I'm Alive :

Taking Chances :

The Power Of Love :

All By Myself :

Alone :

Shadow Of Love :

My Love :

Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore :

We Will Rock You :

Show Must Go On :

The Prayer :

It's A Man's World :

My Heart Will Go On :

Edited August 30, 2008 at 04:41 PM by Calypso

August 30, 2008 at 06:07 PM

Here's another really cool review made by a non-fan: Cyberpress. Basically, the guys says she touches perfection on stage, and he says she's much better, for example, than Bono or Shania Twain, who also performed on an in-the-round stage and were awful at mastering it. I don't have enough time right now to translate the whole thing, maybe someone else can. Edited August 30, 2008 at 06:07 PM by Teodora

August 31, 2008 at 02:56 AM

Thank you Fabtisticfoo for the wonderful pictures and videos! I went to the Aug. 28 show and did not have my camera and I sat in the same in the same section as you except in row 11! There were no rows behind mine so I danced all night! I'm sure she pointed and winked at me on 2 separate occasions! I love how the lights allowed her to see her fans! What a fabulous show!!! Thanks again for the footage!

You're welcome! I was in row 11, too! So my videos are from the perfect spot to complement your memories. :wink: