Celebrating Celine

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I was barely a teenager when I first met Celine Dion.

And by meeting her, I mean falling into a trance when I saw her elegant and mesmerizing gaze, complemented by a shy smile, gracing the cover of a home video release my father owned. One of the earliest of its kind that I would watch, it was a compilation of live performances and music videos that punctuated the first decade of the Canadian singer’s well-celebrated career.

I remember watching it more than once, along with the other live concert DVDs stacked in my parents’ room. From these moments began a sheer fascination about music, and how it has that certain power to touch lives and ignite something inside the hearts of its listeners.

I admit that I am not Celine’s biggest fan, but her coming to the country was something I never even realized I dreamt to see.

It wasn’t only a wish-come-true moment for me when the 20th of July came. It was the same for the thousands of fans who braved the rain and the traffic (and to those who came the day before) to see Celine stage a show of her long-awaited two-night Manila debut at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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“We finally made it! It’s my very first time in the Philippines and it feels amazing!,” the pop icon, clad in a sparkly gold blazer-and-pants ensemble, remarked after opening the night with “Power of Love” and “That’s The Way It Is.”

“I’m just so happy to be here with all of you. And I want to thank all of you for the patience throughout the years, and most of all, for being with us tonight. Maraming salamat! It is an amazing privilege for all of us here to perform for you...I want you to have the best night ever.”

As if not already ecstatic, hearing these words brought the fans’ thrill several notches higher. And at their idol’s cue, the musical revelry continued with the crowd watching the larger-than-life diva perform “Alive and “Because You Loved Me” live, and command them to sing the latter song’s last line with her.

Her timeless vocal prowess was made even more enchanting by the masterful orchestration of lights, LED video design, and sound coming from a 16-piece musical ensemble. The first part of her nearly two-hour concert was enough of a testament that she and her “extended family,” or tourmates, are masters in their field.

This expertise would never falter throughout the show, which they divided into segments; the beginning of each part marked by the quick costume changes made by the 50-year-old artist.

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The second act introduced the formidable singer in a ball gown -- a sophisticated look fitting for her next set of songs, which included the haunting “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” the tender “Beauty and The Beast” (a duet with her back-up singer Barnev Valsaint), and the “Deadpool 2” theme song, “Ashes.”

Celine kicked off the succeeding portion by transforming her gown into a cocktail dress, in time for a sultry sing-and-dance number of “Falling Into You.” Considered as the more intimate segment of the concert, her setlist for this one comprised Carole King’s “The Reason,” “Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore (So That You’ll Love Me Again)” -- which she described as the biggest song of her French career, and her hit take on Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself.”

It was in this same part when she shared her vulnerability with her Filipino fans, pouring her heart out in “Recovering.”

“In 2016, while grieving the loss of my husband Rene, I have received an unexpected gift from someone that I admire tremendously...Her name is Pink. Pink wrote a beautiful song for me, a song that expressed the power and the strength to overcome any hardship that you are going through...And this really helped me during my most difficult time,” she said of the emotive ballad.

Inching deeper into the night, Celine -- now donning an ebony one-shoulder dress -- sustained the graceful and delicate atmosphere with a medley of “At Seventeen,” “A New Day Has Come” and "Unison,” and a sweeping delivery of the crowd favorite, “To Love You More.”

With the help of her ace band and back-up singers, the award-winning artist elevated the mood with a tribute to Prince. She delivered an astounding nod to the late music star with a medley of “Kiss” and “Purple Rain,” following it up with the uptempo tracks, “Love Can Move Mountains” and “River Deep, Mountain High.”

After thanking the crowd for being an “amazing audience,” she bid goodbye, which prompted for the house lights to be dimmed down. The arena was filled only with the thunderous sound of spectators wishing for an encore. And much to their delight, Celine returned to the stage for a heart-rending performance of the enduring “Titanic” theme song, “My Heart Will Go On.”

Close to tears, the world-renowned act then capped off the evening with sweet-sounding words; a statement embodying her ever-fervent love for music and performing.

“Sometimes it’s very hard to travel when you’re a mother and you have children. It is hard for a lot of people to organize the trip... We have a lot of cities, of jet lag, and time differences...But I’m not here to tell you that it’s difficult and complain -- it’s exactly what I want. I do want to travel around the world and sing for as many people as possible.”

Giving back the “We love you” chants she received from the equally-overwhelmed audience, she sang one last time, emotionally and perfectly delivering the endearing “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

I was barely a teenager when I first met Celine Dion. Hers was, and is a voice as heavenly as her name; a story and a colorful career celebrated from the world over.

And when it finally came, the time that I would actually witness her once-in-a-lifetime talent unfold right before my very eyes — it wasn’t hard to fall into a trance all over again.

Celine Dion Live in Manila was presented by Ovation Productions. All photos in this article are courtesy of the concerts promotion and production company.

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