Celine Dion Concert

Members Equity Stadium
Tuesday April 8
Review by Jay Hanna, STM Music Editor


April 09, 2008 12:56pm

IT is both and honour and a insult to be dubbed a diva.
On the one hand the term refers to highly distinguished female singers, of which Aretha Franklin is generally considered the ultimate diva. On the other hand it is label that is given to the music industry's biggest prima donnas of which Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and yes, Celine Dion are the most renowned.

So would Dion prove herself to be a diva in both senses of the word? Before entering the stadium it seemed the answer was already clear. Queues of patrons were greeted by a man with a mega-phone bellowing a warning that if we dared take a camera into the venue we might face eviction. Could these be Dion's diva demands? But apparently not, according to the local promoter. Those with cameras were forced to check them into the cloakroom. But considering almost every mobile phone is now a camera and video camera, it seemed a little futile.

And so we filtered into the stadium, to hear Anthony Callea "warming" the crowd. The pint-sized singer comes across as a friendly, humble and happy little chap, until he opens those lungs! His voice truly is a force to be reckoned with and you couldn't help but get a tingle when he hit those incredible notes during The Prayer. Dion later wished him every success. Kudos to that.

A video of Dion past and present set to her version of the Roy Orbison classic I Drove All Night heralded the start of the superstar's set with Dion eventually materialising to continue the song. Decked out in a black mini dress, the 40-year-old looked like a thoroughbred filly, all gangly long legs and with a mane of hair that was the envy of every woman.

But although she looked spectacular, there is something not quite right about the way Dion prances around the stage, shakes her tail and tries to be sexy. It doesn't seem to come naturally to her and this is probably where most of her criticism stems from. Dion is no vixen, no sexy little nymph like the Christina or Gwen. She is more straight-laced than that. It is that sense that Dion is trying to be something she is not that often sees her criticised for being a little fake. Perhaps she would fair better if she just stood and delivered and let her stellar voice do the talking. After all it is hard to seem sincere, if you are doing something that is out of character and this seems to be the case with Dion.

She seemed far more comfortable when she was twirling around the stage with reckless abandon during the soul section at the end of the concert, than when she was trying to look smouldering and seductive. Those "sexy" moments just seemed like bad takes from The Bold and The Beautiful and detract from what is truly remarkable about Dion - her voice. In fact big her ballad hit The Power of Love was sung with such precision that you could be forgiven for thinking she was miming.

Following her two opening numbers, Dion took some time to address the audience in her clipped French-Canadian tones. "What a beautiful night," she proclaimed, before thanking the audience for "all your understanding and patience". An illness at the start of Dion's Australian tour forced her to postpone the Perth show by four days. "It is not easy to do a show, but it is much harder to cancel or postpone one," she said before adding: "if you have to be sick, better be sick in Australia. It looks awesome!" While Dion's enthusiasm for Australia could well be the sort of speech she delivers in every country she visits, what really seemed to suggest she was genuine in her admiration was when she confessed she had brought not only her son, but her 81-year-old mother along for this tour. "I think my son thought he would come to Australia and jump as high as a kangaroo," she said. The personal speech did much to extinguish the idea that Dion is one of "those" divas.

The first section of the concert concluded with Taking Chances, during which heavy guitar distortion cut into Dion's vocal frequency, It's All Coming Back to Me Now and Because You Loved Me.

A vamped up flamenco routine by Dion's dancers ushered in the arrival of the star as a Spanish bull fighter decked out in white ruffled shirt, black braces, black gloves, red pants with a red cloak wrapped around her waist. In this attire Dion powered through Eyes on Me and All By Myself. Now warm, her vocals were becoming more and more impressive.

Another costume change and Dion was the rock chick in a grey, red and black sequined slip, black leather pants and black boots. I'm Alive proved to be a highlight as did the duet I'm Your Angel which was performed with her backing singer Barnev Valsaint.

One of Dion's most endearing traits was one that seemed to be purely involuntary. Occasionally when she hit those really high notes, her eyebrows would lift to the heavens creating a look of surprise on her face. It was almost as if this slip of a woman was bewildered by her big voice and baffled as to where it was coming from.

80s hit Alone by all girl band Heart followed and Dion was later on her knees to sing My Love. The song appears on Taking Chances and was written by hit maker Linda Perry. "It's like a kind of prayer to me," Dion said. She started the song a capella and this heart-stopping moment was proof Dion could drop the pouts and pretences and still captivate an audience.

A surprising inclusion was Queen's mega hit We Will Rock You. "Queen are truly one of the best bands in rock n roll history," Dion proclaimed before the song segued into The Show Must Go On. While her rendition of the classic lacked the sense of tragedy that propelled Freddie Mercury's version, those telling lyrics; "Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up may be flaking, but my smile, still stays on" seemed to resonate with Dion. You get the feeling that this singer, who was raised in poverty in Quebec, knows how to fake a smile for an audience.

While her backing singers, led by the marvellous Valsaint performed a medley of Tree Machine, Soul Man, Lady Marmalade, Respect and I Feel Good, Dion was busy wriggling into a spectacular crotch-skimming sequinned dress that was a real show stopper. This soul section of the concert was the most impressive and surprising part of the show. Dion proved her versatility as a performer and seemed totally at ease both vocally and physically. There was a carefree abandon to her performance that seemed lacking in other sections. It seemed Dion had found her groove.

James Brown's It's A Man's Man's Man's World and her own That's Just the Woman In Me were nice little bookends. Love Can Move Mountains was a joyous affair and encore River Deep, Mountain High had everyone on their feet as Dion frolicked with her dancers.

Perhaps she should have left it there, but no doubt there would have been a few disappointed punters if Dion didn't perform her Titanic hit My Heart Will Go On. Decked out in a flowing yellow gown, the singer looked elegant as, on cue, the wind lifted the chiffon around her ankles. It was too much for some though, who predicting the end was nigh, were already making a bee-line for the exit. Happy to avoid any more day time television pouts.


http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21...5005364,00.html


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