September 27, 200816 yr Author Dion belts out hits with cool swagger Adam Graham / Detroit News Pop Music Writer Celine Dion is a bit of a goofball. That is part of her charm. And she charmed a sold-out crowd of more than 19,000 at the Palace of Auburn Hills Friday, during her first Detroit concert in a decade. Dion has the powerful voice of a diva and the cocky swagger of a prizefighter, and she put exclamation points on her performances Friday by excitedly pumping her fists by her side, playing a few licks of air guitar and belting "yeah!" just out of reach of her microphone. She's the type to tear through a schmaltzy ballad one moment and then roll her eyes and fan herself off with her hand the next, as if to make sure she never takes herself too seriously. When she's not performing for thousands of adoring fans, she seems like she might be a pretty cool chick to hang out with and watch the game at a sports bar. Advertisement Dion opened the show, which ran just under two hours and spanned two dozen songs, with her version of "I Drove All Night," which was used in a series of Chrysler ads when she was the company's spokesperson earlier this decade. (Her last Detroit appearance, in fact, was when she performed at the Charity Preview of the North American International Auto Show in 2003.) In the time since, Dion held a five-year residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and she brought a bit of her Vegas act with her to the Palace. As such, there was a feeling of over-rehearsed familiarity to Dion's performance, and the proceedings felt too clinical at times. Even when she brought the house down with "All by Myself," which peaked with Dion hitting the song's crescendo alone at the center of the stage -- all by herself, as it were -- the moment felt a bit canned, right down to the standing ovation she knew she'd receive from the crowd. And though she fancies herself a jack of all trades, maneuvering between adult contemporary ballads and flamenco-inspired Spanish guitar numbers, the segue into Queen's "We Will Rock You" felt oddly out of place. Dion's massive stage, positioned at the center of the arena, was a labyrinth of trap doors, hydraulic risers, panels that illuminated from below and moving conveyor belts. It was always morphing and transforming, and it's a wonder it didn't at any point swallow Dion, her seven-piece band, her three backup singers or any of her dancers whole. Dion went through several costume changes during the show, first appearing in a slinky lavender minidress and later in dress accented by a flowing white cape that almost looked like a parachute. She moved around the large stage with verve and gave all sides of the crowd equal play. The show closed, of course, with "My Heart Will Go On," Dion's mega love theme from "Titanic." As images from the box office hit were projected onto large video screens, Dion -- her stage illuminated with candles -- waltzed across the stage in an elegant black gown. She exited the stage through the crowd, again evoking the image of a prizefighter. And while the show wasn't quite a knockout blow for Dion, she definitely retained her belt as the champion of big, bold ballads and will live to fight another day. SOURCE First fanpics: PICS Edited September 27, 200816 yr by SuuS
September 27, 200816 yr hopefully someone will post some more vids and pics Edited September 27, 200816 yr by xnataliex
September 28, 200816 yr Author Celine Arriving at venue http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUmljAZkSNs To Love You More
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