Celine Dion
I’m not a "Celineophile" (I have no idea what Celine Dion fans’ nickname is for themselves) but since I’ve never owned an album of hers or downloaded one of her songs, I can safely say while I don’t dislike her I haven’t run out and bought her albums or seen her...until now...well, until last night when I saw "Celine" at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
While I’ve always thought Celine Dion had an amazing voice, I have to admit that "My Heart Will Go On" has made me cringe since the first day I heard it on the radio to the last time I heard anyone else sing it. (As Bette Davis says in "All About Eve", "I detest cheap sentiment.") But all of that didn’t stop me from looking forward to the show.
As off-putting as it is to enter through a security checkpoint to get into the theatre, once inside it was amazing to see how close all 4,300 of us felt to the stage. The claim that there isn’t a bad seat in this house is believable once inside.
I’ve never seen a show where I didn’t want to disclose detailed information about the show in my review so that everyone could experience it without any second of it being spoiled by reading my review but that’s how I feel about this show.
Simply put, if you’re coming to Vegas and this show is running, run to see it. From the first moment of the show to the end, it is so well crafted that not one moment should be missed but rather savored for its deliciousness (but tell that to the audience who seem to leave in droves as one of the in-between entertainments happen to allow Ms. Dion to change her clothes. Seriously, it’s bizarre to see that many people running out, I guess to the bathroom and then trying to get back in before the next gown appears.)
While I never saw her "A New Day" at Caesars, which was conceived by the "Cirque Du Soleil" folk (this show is not), I’m certain this was the better show for me. There are no clowns or floating pianos, just Celine Dion with a 30-piece orchestra complete with backup singers and some of the most amazing technology creating pitch-perfect settings to frame her, enhance the show, and yet never overtake the talent that is Celine Dion. (How could it, with her talents?)
Celine Dion has an amazing ability to make you think she’s just talking and singing to you, friend to friend. Her rapport with her musicians makes you feel as though they are her family (true, she announces her musical director and others on the stage have been with her for more than 20 years, so they must be like family).
You may go to see Celine, but the musicians not only enhance the show but also remind you how much professional musicians should be lauded and applauded by us as a society. I’ll be honest; quite frankly, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional journey this iconic singer and her orchestra would take me on during the course of the evening.
Although she presents several of her more famous songs, this is by no means a ’greatest hits’ evening. She not only sings her music but also covers such classic artists as Steve Perry, Billy Joel, Janis Ian, and Tina Turner’s "River Deep, Mountain High." Perhaps my favorite moment in the show was when she did an Ella Fitzgerald classic with a five piece jazz combo comprised of orchestra members.
While many are lip-syncing in concert now or using auto-tune microphones, Celine Dion is simply delivering an unparalleled vocal performance. To compare her to any other artist would be a mistake. She is unique in her abilities and in the amount of material she has sung that is in our consciousness (even if I didn’t know it).
She’s what I imagine seeing classic headliners in Vegas used to be like, singing their own hits, placing their own spin on contemporary favorites, and leaving us at the end of the night thinking we could see the show again and again and enjoy it just as much, if not more, the next time. And yes, there will be a next time, it was that good. Damn you Celine, you just made another Celineophile!
Celine Dion plays an extended run at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas. For info or tickets call 1-877-4CELINE (423-5463) or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/The-Colosseum-At-Caesars-Palace-tickets-Las-Vegas/venue/360451
