Celine Dion thrills with classic favourites at her first concert in Singapore
At her first-ever concert in Singapore, pop phenomenon Celine Dion wowed a full-house crowd of 6,000 at Marina Bay Sands’ Grand Ballroom on Tuesday (3 July).
“We finally made it here!” Dion said after belting out her opening acts of The Power of Love and That’s The Way It Is.
“Don’t ask me why it took me so long, but I’m just very happy to finally be here with all of you,” she added, joking that she wanted to move to our sunny shores now that she realised it was so beautiful.
The power diva, keenly aware that it was the first time her audience was seeing her live, performed a repertoire largely comprising crowd-pleasing classics from her ballad queen era of the ’90s, including To Love You More, Because You Loved Me and It’s All Coming Back To Me Now.
At the age of 50 with three decades of showbiz experience under her belt, Dion rocked the house with her famous powerhouse vocals, showcasing her trademark melismas (running notes on one syllable) and impeccable pitching (the thunderous climax to All By Myself truly left this reporter stunned).
The consummate entertainer dazzled with more than just her voice (as if that wasn’t enough), at one point shedding an outer skirt to reveal a slinky dress for a sultry rumba dance with a male partner during Falling Into You.
Dion gave a nod to her fellow Canadian star, actor Ryan Reynolds, singing her latest single Ashes from the soundtrack of his movie Deadpool 2. She recommends the movie but “don’t bring the kids”, she quips in reference to its gory violence.
She also showed her vulnerable side and gave a hint at her grieving process two years after her husband Rene Angelil and brother Daniel both died of cancer within days of each other in 2016, with a heartfelt rendition of Recovering. The song was written for her by pop star Pink to help her through her loss. Dion finished the song with a wink skywards for Angelil.
The penultimate act to the concert ended with the high-octane River Deep, Mountain High where Dion strutted her stuff in a glittery disco dress and had the audience up and grooving on their feet.
Then, after a pregnant pause off-stage and shouts of anticipation from a restless audience who knew very well what song she had saved for the finale, Dion returned to the stage for her signature My Heart Will Go On in a pink Greek goddess-like outfit.
With that, expect hearts to continue yearning for her magic long after her all-too-short two-night stint in Singapore.
Follow Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Facebook.
Related stories:
Celine Dion’s concert tickets are among the priciest ever in Singapore
Watch Céline Dion and Deadpool groove in music video for her new song
Celine Dion talks performance, says ‘My Heart Will Go On’ almost never happened
