Syoknye!: CELINE DION'S CONCERT AT KL!

Celine Dion performing like the ultimate entertainer that she is during her

concert at Stadium Merdeka on Sunday night.

The eager crowd that turned up for the Celine Dion concert

By MELODY L. GOH

With a kiss, a wink and stunning vocal prowess, Celine Dion stole the hearts of thousands of fans on Sunday night in Kuala Lumpur.

In her first concert in Malaysia, Canadian songbird Dion gave a rousing performance at the Stadium Merdeka, pleasing the crowd with every hit song. The concert was part of Dion’s Taking Chances World Tour; KL was the only South-East Asian venue on her list.

The show started at 8.50pm, shortly after the arrival of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah, accompanied by deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Perhaps a stickler for time, Dion, dressed in what looked more like fake leather sleeves (it’s actually a mini bolero), a glittery mini dress thigh-high black boots, performed one song after another without much pause in between. The singer took only a few short breaks, but even those times were filled with performances by her eight dancers and background singers. This is probably a reason why Dion is known as one of the hardest-working women in show business.

Dion, 40, left the polite banter to a minimum too – though she greeted the King and Queen, and thanked the audience for giving her another chance to perform after her initial postponement (the concert was originally scheduled on April 8). Of course, the singer also did the quintessential apa khabar and terima kasih (with good diction too!) bit during the show.

But what she didn’t say in words she made up for in her many exaggerated facial expressions, her criss-crossing arm movements, her playful winks and kisses and, of course, her great voice.

As Dion is known for performing with elaborate stage set-ups and special effects, visual effects in the form of video clips played a big role in her KL show. In a way, the videos set the mood for every part of the show (the concert had five parts) – Rock, Passion, Fashionista, Soul and a Queen Tribute.

Yes, Dion paid tribute to Queen and gave a heartfelt dedication to the band’s late lead singer, Freddie Mercury. She sang a short version of We Will Rock You, which the crowd – young and old – promptly joined in, as well as The Show Must Go On.

On stage with the singer at all times were no fewer than 10 musicians, including a violinist/acoustic guitarist extraordinaire, a pianist, a keyboardist, three other guitarist, a drummer and a female timpani-cymbal-chime-bongo player! Her only male background vocalist, Barnev Valsaint, played double duty during the duet I’m Your Angel, singing the part of R. Kelly beautifully. Valsaint also did a medley of upbeat songs during the Soul part of the concert, paving the way for Dion’s It’s a Man’s World.

Although one would expect a Celine Dion concert to be filled with many sing-along moments (after all, the most popular karaoke songs are by her), that didn’t quite happen on Sunday. Luckily enough, Dion only coaxed the crowd to sing with her on a few songs, and even that was kept short. But far from it being a diva trait, the reason for that was simple enough – nobody in the crowd could sing like Dion. Not even the talented Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, who was seated at the VVIP area with husband Datuk Khalid Mohd Jiwa.

On many occasions during the 100-minute concert, Dion proved why she is considered one of today’s top vocalists in the world. She hit all the high notes in songs like Power of Love, It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, To Love You More, and especially on Eric Carmen’s All By Myself, without sounding overdone or too screechy, a la Mariah Carey. The clarity and quality of her voice was so good you could hear the “Ooohs” and “Waahs” (this is Malaysia, after all) from the appreciative audience.

However, though all those high notes showed off Dion’s vocal capabilities, it was the slow and intimate moments that made Dion a true performer. She has a knack for engaging her fans through her songs, and making each one feel like she truly is singing just for them.

On tracks like the Linda Perry-penned My Love, Dion, who was on her knees throughout most of the song, sang in a soft tone, almost like making an emotional plea to the heavens. She did say that the song included her own prayer anyway. On Think Twice, the long-forgotten ballad with the sexy electric guitar riffs, Dion started off with her familiar breathy singing style and finished with a more assertive pitch. To end the song, Dion leaned her body on her guitarist and laid her head on his shoulders, much to the crowd’s delight.

The singer also performed a French tune, something she said is a must in each of her concert. Pour Que tu M’aimes Encore, or in English If That’s What it Takes (which was featured on Dion’s 1996 Falling Into You album), is described as a “signature” song for Dion, one that helped form her earlier Francophone music career.

Dion’s “last” song prior to her encore was another old tune, the Gospel-inspired Love Can Move Mountains. When the song ended, some of the crowd actually started walking out of the stadium! Perhaps these unknowing few weren’t that familiar with Dion’s music, but it really wouldn’t be a Celine Dion concert without a performance of quite possibly the biggest pop ballad of the last decade now, wouldn’t it?

The song in question is of course, My Heart Will Go On, a number that really doesn’t need much introduction. After doing Tina Turner’s River Deep Mountain High for her first encore number, Dion went backstage and let her dancers entertain for a bit. When one of her background vocalists started playing the familiar flute intro of My Heart Will Go On, Dion returned to centre stage with a flowy yellow strapless gown, ready to literally end the night on a grand note.

As the song trailed off into the night, Dion and her crew gracefully took a bow to a rousing applause and standing ovation. Blowing kisses in the air, Dion gave one final wink and walked off to be with her husband Rene Angelil, all done with her day’s work.