134 shows in 1 year, thats too many

Exclusive interview - Journal de Québec - February 7th - Pierre O. Nadeau - English translation

 

134 shows in one year, that's too many! - René Angélil

 

Céline will be back in Québec with her Taking Chances tour next week. February 9th and 10th she will offer shows in Québec city and three other shows in Montréal which will be different because they will include many French hits of hers. As this tour will be ending soon in Omaha in the States, it is time now to look back and reflect on it. In a long exclusive one on one with René Angélil he has told us about the ups and downs of the tour.

 

If it was to be done again, we wouldn't make the same mistakes for sure, beginning by a less faster pace for the tour : 134 shows in a year, it's too many says René Angélil assessing the ups and downs of the tour.

 

"The tour was overload. We should have done it like Madonna or other world greats as U2 or the Stones that alternate two months of touring with two months of break".

 

During this exclusive interview with the Journal in a recent stay in Miami the influential manager talks openly about this memorable tour that wasn't part of the couple plans after Vegas.

 

THE TRUE STORY

 

« I will tell you the true story about this tour : it was planned that when we left Vegas we would leave public life for a long while. But then, it was impossible for us to move in our Jupiter Island house in Florida because its construction wasn't over yet. Céline is designing the whole thing and as the project has taken expansion the entrepreneur told us that he couldn't deliver it and that it would take about three years to finish. Because it's a particular area"(understand here huge mansion facing water)"they allow construction to go on only four months per year, from December to April, in order not to disturb the neighbors..."

 

René Angélil adds : "For health reasons, Céline and I, we can not support the very cold weather, Céline for her voice and me because of my throat. So because of it, it was out of the question at the time to spend winter at our home in Montréal. I than proposed to Céline to do six more months in Caesar's Palace because they wanted us to stay, that's for sure. We could have stayed there for ten years. But Céline didn't want to return performing on this horrible steep stage that made her suffer so much..."

 

She said to me : "As things stand, let's go on tour than!" I couldn't believe it. I told her : "You have worked so much for five years wouldn't you prefer resting? She replied : "No, let's go and leave! Let's enjoy this momentum. Let's go tour the world. There will be so many things to make René-Charles discover. Plus, let's bring Maman".

 

WHERE THERE IS HOT WEATHER

 

In order not to encounter cold winter on tour, René Angélil has himself design a tour schedule, "making myself sure that there would be hot weather everywhere we would go except, of course, for Québec."

 

The manager had planned the end of the tour in Québec or Montréal one year exactly from the beginning of this tour February 14th 2008 in South Africa.

 

HEALTH PROBLEMS

 

But this tour will go on until February 26th because of postponed shows due to Céline's health problems (virus, sinus infection, vocal cords inflammation) when the tour arrived on more harsh weather in Western Canada.

 

We found it obvious and René doesn't hide it that he and Céline are anxious to end this tour to finally return to the intimacy of their Florida home that will be ready for Christmas.

 

Until then, Céline and René will give themselves some weeks of vacation and go back to their Montréal home where they will spend summertime.

 

"The touring has been difficult at times but it brought us pleasures and happiness meeting great people and staying in places we had never been like China and Africa."

 

Three days after the end of the tour, Céline will appear on March 1st on Star Académie before going away for at least “a year and a half” insist her husband and manager.

SOURCE

Edited February 8, 200916 yr by SuuS