Celine Dion, Auckland NZ, 2018

Céline Dion

11th August 2018
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.

Five Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, over two hundred and fifty million albums sold worldwide and tonight the first of three shows at Auckland’s Spark Arena.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Céline Dion is back.

For many fans it had been twenty-two long years of waiting, Dion last in New Zealand in 1996 with her Falling Into You: Around The World Tour. So what was a few moments more to allow the support act of the night to be welcomed to the stage.

It is rare for any support act to receive a standing ovation, but this evening fellow French-Canadian singer and impressionist Véronic DiCaire received just that after an astounding thirty-minute set of pure fun. Specializing in impersonating other female singers, the wonderfully comedic DiCaire belted out classics from Annie Lennox, through to Joan Jett; crossing the decades she continued on delivering stunning renditions of Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Adele, all the while tickling the ribs of all in attendance with her often tongue-in-cheek humour. But don’t be fooled, DiCaire has got the chops to pull it off, as her knock it out of the park finale of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ proved without a shadow of a doubt, the audience leaping to their feet and applauding her enthusiastically.

There was almost a nervous tension in the air as the minutes ticked by on the clock, the floodgates of relief and overwhelming excitement opening as the arena was plunged into darkness, the familiar notes of ‘The Power of Love’ cavorting in the shadows of the outer edges. Appearing as a silhouette at the back of the stage, the audience could no longer contain themselves, thousands of fans jumping to their feet as Céline Dion strode towards them in a strikingly glittery gold pantsuit.

Surrounded by a sixteen-piece band that included both a brass and string section, along with a grand piano, the ballad took on a life of its own, Dion’s voice remarkably powerful in the live setting. Thanking the audience, her gorgeous accent making the edges of her mouth dance, Dion demonstrated just why she has held two concert residencies in Las Vegas, the show executed flawlessly, Dion herself a delight to behold. Animated, amusing and charming Dion did not hold back, informing the audience that there is one thing she likes to do better than sing and that’s talk. While a couple of the stories could have done with a little reigning in – the story of the letter received from Ryan Reynolds being one of them – the fans lapped it up, Dion managing to make an arena sized show feel like an intimate club setting.

Unsurprisingly there were costume changes galore, each one completely different and more vibrant than the next; from ball gown to beaded shift dress, Dion wore them like no other woman could as she worked the stage, glinting diamond and sapphire jewellery highlighting her wrist and hand. And then there was of course the set list itself; hit after hit rolling over the audience as Dion delivered a selection of classics from her thirty-year strong career. From ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ which saw Dion perform a beautiful duet with her lead back-up vocalist of the past nineteen years Barnev Valsaint through to ‘Falling Into You’ and a version of Eric Carmen’s ‘All By Myself’ that allowed Dion to truly display her prowess as she momentarily went acapella and brought the house down in its wake.

Throughout the night Dion referred to her band as her extended family and it was easy to see why, the chemistry between Dion and each and every member palpable. They complimented her immaculately, each song feeling full and lush. Instrumental interludes perfectly bridging the gaps as Dion would change costumes. A medley of get-up-on-your-feet-and-dance tracks lead by Valsaint towards the end of the show superb.

While her cover of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ didn’t quite hit the mark, there was no denying that her encore delivery of the iconic ‘My Heart Will Go On’ was an absolute showstopper, Dion looking exquisite in a flowing black evening dress whose train emulated the waves of the sea itself, her throat adorned with her own version of the Heart of the Ocean necklace. For her fans, saying goodbye at the end of the night seemed almost too hard to bear, the same could have also been said for Dion, genuine emotion welling up in her eyes as she bid everyone a final “Goodnight” and “I love you” before parting with an acapella version of the Elvis Presley hit ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’.

In a word; breathtaking.

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Véronic

Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent arena gig? Or have you seen Celine Dion perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Céline Dion Setlist

1. The Power Of Love [Jennifer Rush cover]
2. That’s The Way It Is
3. I’m Alive
4. Because You Loved Me
5. It’s All Coming Back To Me Now [Pandora’s Box cover]
6. Beauty And The Beast [Alan Menken cover]
7. Ashes
8. Think Twice
9. Falling Into You [Marie-Claire D’Ubaldo cover]
10. Pour que tu m’aimes Encore
11. You’re The Voice [John Farnham cover]
12. Recovering
13. All By Myself [Eric Carmen cover]
14. At Seventeen / A New Day Has Come / Unison
15. To Love You More
16. Uptown Funk / Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough / We Are Family / Groove Is In The Heart / Sex Machine [cover medley]
17. Kiss / Purple Rain [Prince cover]
18. Love Can Move Mountains / River Deep, Mountain High [Ike & Tina Turner cover]
19. My Heart Will Go On [Encore]
20. Can’t Help Falling In Love [Elvis Presley cover – Encore]

Véronic Setlist

1. Cheap Thrills – Sia
2. Sweet Dreams / Call Me / Love Is A Battlefield / I Love Rock N Roll /What A Feelin’ – medley
3. Whenever, Wherever – Shakira
4. Til The World Ends – Britney Spears
5. Believe – Cher
6. Simply The Best – Tina Turner
7. Firework – Katy Perry
8. I Dreamed A Dream – Susan Boyle
9. Someone Like You – Adele
10. Less Than Perfect – Pink
11. Hurt – Christina Aguilera
12. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston

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