Celine Dion, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham - review with pictures
If I said I'd been to see Céline you'd know who I mean.
That's because this performer is in a class of her own, delivering power ballad after hit after hit in an emotional return to Birmingham after 10 years.
She didn't disappoint, taking the singing, dancing, teary and swaying audience at the Barclaycard Arena through some of her best known works last night (THURS).
From The Power Of Love to Think Twice, this was a show that delivered all the songs we forgot we knew word for word.
Céline was sincere, humble and grateful without a single dud note sung all night.
She spoke of the love of her late husband and manager Rene Angelil, who died in January 2016, as well as being the youngest of 14 children and of her collaborative works with the likes of Pink.
She shocked in a stunning black lace body suit, and delivered a poignant homage to her friend the late Michael Jackson, fittingly dressed in black and white.
Singing the 1997 showstopper My Heart Will Go On she showed how she not only had a hit, she made a 30 year career out of them.
A classy, reliable and solid performance from a singer who hasn't lost her voice, her power or edge, returning from her hit runs in Las Vegas for this special tour.
It all came back to the audience who sang alongside the Canadian superstar, in a packed out stadium of adoring fans. The energy was palpable and infectious even when Céline performed some of her lesser known tracks from her French repertoire.
As she clambered down the stage and into the fans to perform ‘at the heart of the energy’ as she called it, it was clear that the performer still lives for these moments as much as she always has.
Speaking to the spectators, Céline said: “Like every business, it’s hard to get your foot in the door. You have been there. You haven’t just given me a hit, you’ve given me a career. Thank you so much. Ten years later, I come back, and you’re still here.”
It wasn't too showy then, nor too reliant on props or special effects. It was about the voice, her voice, and all by herself, she didn't let us down.
Céline is to return to Birmingham on August 3.
For more information on The Céline Dion Live Tour 2017, which will now see the singer perform at London’s O2 on Friday, July 30, and Leeds First Direct Arena on Wednesday, August 2, visit http://www.celinedion.com/.
