See the other segments of Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas - A New Day, by clicking the links below.
Segment 1
Segment 2
Segment 3
Segment 4
Segment 5
Except from: The Strip Sense: An appreciation of Celine - Las Vegas Weekly - December 6, 2007 - by Steve Friess
The first time I saw Celine Dion live was an auspicious date, although I hardly understood why at the time. It was my 26th birthday, she was in the post-Titanic throes of her Let's Talk About Love tour, and my then-partner surprised me with tickets I'd later realize he charged to my credit card. But that's a whole other tacky matter.
The date was October 16, 1998. Any dyed-in-the-wool Vegas devotee worth his chips must recognize this as the day that Steve Wynn's Bellagio opened. Just a mile west of the Thomas & Mack where Celine crooned along with videotaped performances by Barbra Streisand and the Bee Gees, the crème of the Sin City crop was eating richly, drinking liberally and ushering in a milestone in the city's history with the debut performances of the Cirque du Soleil aquatic spectacle O.
It's sort of funny to think about now, because it just goes to show how completely unlikely it was then that Celine would go on a few years later to stake her own claim at revolutionizing Las Vegas. Or that it would be that Cirque production, helmed by Franco Dragone, that would famously convince her that she wanted to deviate radically from the normal pop-star-in-her-prime script and become a long-term Vegas headliner.
And now, after nearly five remarkable years, Queen Celine is voluntarily abdicating, flinging herself off her ginormous Colosseum throne with gusto and back into the whirlwind of international tours, record promotion and possibly additional parenthood. And I can hear the hipsters and aspiring hipsters among you who huff "Good riddance!" or "Who cares?" and pity you for having no appreciation for the fact that she ever graced us with her regime.
Now is the time for all good-hearted people who love this city and destination to lay down their arms and embrace our gentle, benevolent departing monarch. It's not about the music, so if your complaint with Dion is that she over-belts sugary wedding-dance ballads that appeal to folks who wouldn't know The Cure from Tupac, then you're as arrogant and elitist in your own way as you believe Celine's fans are toward you and yours.
This moment is significant. As major as the final days of the Rat Pack or Elvis.
Really.
And so, a grateful Vegas ought to bid her a fond farewell. I know I do. Seriously.
- “The most amazing show I have ever seen” -- Oprah Winfrey
- "Dion is the kind of powerhouse presence that makes your pulse quicken." -- Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn
- “I wanna share everything possible through music, through lyrics, through emotions” -- Celine
- "The show goes out of its way not to defy expectations but to exceed them." -- New York Times, Bruce Weber
- “The show was phenomenal” -- Canadian comic Alan Thicke
- "Dion's voice is a miracle." -- The San Francisco Chronicle, Cynthia Robins
- “I try to give each song a specific universe that can tease the imagination of the audience” -- Franco Dragone
- " The dancers… are electric. The LED screen provides crisp and dynamic scenery. Dion's voice sounds fantastic." -- Time Magazine, Josh Tyrangiel
- “Her show is bigger than life and what Las Vegas is all about” -- Siegfried, of Siegfried & Roy
- "A New Day…" blends surrealism, fantasy and pageantry with the athleticism of its dancers.” -- New York Daily News, Gary Dretzka
- “Celine is one of the greatest singers; now she is one of the great flying singers” -- Barry Manilow
- “It's a singular feast for the eyes.” -- Chicago Tribune, Chris Jones
- “You know it’s a good show because people actually stopped gambling to see it” -- Comic Kathy Griffin
- “It is a given that Celine Dion’s voice is one of the great gifts to the world” -- Las Vegas Sun, Brian Greenspun
- “One of the finest talents of the last decade, combined with a show” -- Dick Clark
