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THE TOUR
"Taking Chances Tour" was the eleventh worldwide concert tour by Celine Dion, in support of her 2007 studio album "Taking Chances". The tour marked the return of Celine after performing her groundbreaking show "A New Day..." in Las Vegas, USA for five years. The tour visited Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. It is estimated to have grossed US$236.6 million in 2008, so it became one the highest grossing tours in 2008. In 2009, it grossed an additional US$42.6 million, bringing its total gross to US$279.2 million. "Taking Chances Tour" is the second highest-grossing tour of all-time by a solo artist, and tenth highest-grossing tour over all.
...> About The Tour
The show, directed by Jamie King (famously known for his work with Madonna), combined Celine´s performances with color, fashion and dance. Celine performed some of her biggest hits, along with songs from her English album "Taking Chances". The two hour show was divided into four segments: soul, rock, Middle-Eastern and, fashion-victim. Celine was supported by eight dancers (4 male and 4 female). Rehearsals took place in December 2007 in Primm, Nevada and MGM Grand Garden Arena. The tour setup included about twenty LED screens, among them one that orbited above the stage, plus conveyor belts and elevators. Celine pre-recorded a selection of videos for her show. The introduction video showed her driving a car at high-speed, set to a remix of "I drove all night" as the beginning of her concert. There have been 2 versions of the introduction video: the first version showed footage of Celine´s career, and was seen in all South Africa, Asia, Australia, and some European dates before the second version, which was footage from cities Celine visited during the tour. As the tour went on, the intro video shaped up and more cities ended up being added. Another video showed the singer dressed in varying fashions over the years, with the "My heart will go on" remix in the background. Jamie King joined the tour on May 2, 2008 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Celine premiered new costumes when the European tour began. Celine and her band rehearsed about 60 tracks, both in English and French. Among those, about 27 songs were performed in each show, according to each visited market. "Pour que tu m´aimes encore" was performed throughout the whole tour. It is the best-selling French-language single of all time, and one of the only French songs in music history to achieve chart success in many non-Francophone countries. The singer also performed several cover songs, including: James Brown´s "I got the feelin'" and "It´s a man´s man´s man´s world", and Queen´s "We will rock you" and "The show must go on" (although the last two were dropped starting with the October 27, 2008 Winnipeg show). She also performed Kiki Dee´s "I´ve got the music in me" but the song was removed after concerts in South Korea.
...> About The Stage
During the tour in Africa, Asia and Australia, from February 14, 2008 to May 2, 2008, the show wasn´t on a central stage (except in Japan) for logistics reasons. After two and a half months, Celine rehearsed again to perfect the show for the "in the round" setup. Because of Celine´s bilingual career and the restrictions of certain arenas and stadiums on the tour, King had to direct and choreograph three separate shows. One show featured a set-list mostly of English language songs, and was performed in-the-round using the full system of mobile screens, elevators, and conveyor belts. A second show also featured the center stage arrangement, but included about ten French language songs for performances in Francophone countries. A third, less complex show was used where the center stage arrangement would not fit into the venue or where it would be impractical to transport the stage. An end stage setup was used in these cases, and featured a massive central video screen and a lighting system that engulfed the stage in brilliant blue and red from above on all three sides. Before the European leg, the central and end stage setups were redone, changing lights and cues, in order for the three separate shows to fit in these two stages. This was Celine´s second in the round concert and her very first world tour since her 1998-1999 "Let´s Talk About Love Tour".
...> Broadcasts And Recordings
On August 31, 2008, a special performance of "My love," aired on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. It became later the official video for the single "My love". The tour was chronicled in the documentary, "Celine: Through The Eyes Of The World", which gave the "unique opportunity to follow Celine everywhere, on stage, backstage, enjoying free time with her family; this movie will show it all". It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 11, 2010. "Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert" was released on May 11, 2010. It contains a DVD and a live CD of the English and French setlists (each released separately). The English set list was recorded in Boston (on August 12 and 13, 2008), while the French one in Montreal (on August 31 and September 1, 2008). There is also a deluxe edition including both DVDs and a 52 page booklet and fold-out souvenir postcards.
...> Songs Set List
Anglophone
1. "I drove all night" [ remix ] [ introduction video ]
2. "I drove all night"
3. "The power of love"
4. "Taking chances"
5. "It´s all coming back to me now"
6. "Because you loved me"
7. "To love you more"
8. "New Mego´s flamenco" [ dancers instrumental/video interlude ]
9. "Eyes on me"
10. "All by myself"
11. "My heart will go on" ] remix ] [ video interlude ]
12. "I´m alive" [ remix ]
13. "Shadow of love"
14. "Fade away" 1
15. "Can´t fight the feelin" 1
16. "I´m your angel" [ ft. Barnev Valsaint ]
17. "Alone"
18. "Pour que tu m´aimes encore"
19. "Think twice" 1
20. "My love"
21. "The prayer" [ ft. Andrea Bocelli via pre-recorded video ]
22. "We will rock you"
23. "The show must go on"
24. Soul medley: [ by band and background vocalists with Celine joining them at the end ]
----1. "Sex machine" [ performed by the band ]
----2. "Soul man" [ performed by the band ]
----3. "Lady marmalade" [ performed by the band ]
----4. "Respect" [ performed by the band ]
----5. "I got the feelin" [ performed by Celine ]
25. "It´s a man´s man´s man´s world"
26. "That´s just the woman in me" 1
27. "Love can move mountains"
28. "River deep, mountain high"
29. "My heart will go on"
1 performed at select concerts
Francophone
1. "I drove all night" [ remix ] [ introduction video ]
2. "I drove all night"
3. "J´irai où tu iras" [ ft. Marc Langis ]
4. "The power of love" 1
5. "Destin"
6. "Taking chances" 1
7. "Et s´il n´en restait qu´une (je serais celle-là)" 1
8. "New Mego´s flamenco" [ dancers instrumental/video interlude ]
9. "Eyes on me"
10. "Ziggy" 1
11. "L´amour existe encore" 1
12. "Dans un autre monde"
13. "All by myself"
14. "My heart will go on" [ remix ] [ video interlude ]
15. "I´m alive" [ remix ]
16. "Je sais pas"
17. "My love"
18. "S´il suffisait d´aimer"
19. "Alone" 1
20. "The prayer" [ ft. Andrea Bocelli via pre-recorded video ] 1
21. "We will rock you"
22. "The show must go on"
23. Soul medley: [ by band and background vocalists with Celine joining them at the end ]
----1. "Sex machine" [ performed by the band ]
----2. "Soul man" [ performed by the band ]
----3. "Lady marmalade" [ performed by the band ]
----4. "Respect" [ performed by the band ]
----5. "I got the feelin" [ performed by Celine ]
24. "It´s a man´s man´s man´s world"
25. "Love can move mountains"
26. "River deep, mountain high"
27. "My heart will go on"
28. "Pour que tu m´aimes encore"
1 performed at select concerts
...> Additional Notes
Anglophone
- "I drove all night" was added to the running order during the February 20th performance at ABSA Stadium.
- "I got the music in me" was performed during the South African leg of the tour, along with performances in Japan and South Korea.
- "Shadow of love" and "I´m your angel" were not performed during the September 6th performance at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.
- "Can´t fight the feelin'" was performed in place of "Fade away" at select concerts in South Africa, Australia and South Korea.
- "A world to believe in" was performed in place of "Think twice" during shows in Japan and in duet with Yuna Ito. A snippet of "Watashi wa totemo shiawase ne" was also performed.
- "Think Twice" was performed in South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, U.K., and Ireland.
- "A new day has come", the radio remix version, was performed only at the March 18th performance at the Olympic Gymnasium Arena in place of "Think twice".
- "My love" was added to the running order during the March 18th performance at the Olympic Gymnasium Arena in Seoul.
- "The prayer" was added to the running order during the June 2nd performance the the Amsterdam Arena. The song was not performed during the June 7th performance at the Globe Arena.
- "A song for you" was performed in place of "The prayer" at the June 7th show at the Globe Arena with the songwriter Robert Wells playing piano.
- "That´s just the woman in me" was removed from the running order at the beginning of the European Leg.
- The Queen medley was dropped from the running order starting with the October 27 Winnipeg show.
- "Destin" was performed at the November 7th show at the Scotiabank Place.
- During the February 26th 2009 performance at the Qwest Center Omaha, Celine sang the chant from "Sunchyme" before moving to "Pour que tu m´aimes encore".
Francophone
- "The power of love" was not performed at the July 9th performance at the Stade de Genève. It was also not performed during the August 16th performance at the Bell Centre.
- "Taking chances" was not included in the performances at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino.
- "Et s´il n´en restait qu´une (je serais celle-là)" was not included in the performances at The Main Square in Arras, Stade de Genève and the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino.
- "Ziggy" was performed during the European Leg in Francophone countries.
- "L´amour existe encore" was performed in place of "Ziggy" during performances at the Bell Centre in Montreal and Quebec City.
- "Shadow of love" was performed during the August 15th performance at the Bell Centre.
- "Alone" was not included in the performances at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann, The Main Square in Arras and the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino.
- "Tout l´or des hommes" and "On ne change pas" were performed at the May 13th performance at Sportpaleis.
- "The prayer" was included in the performances at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann and the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino, along with the August 15th and 16th performances at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
- The Queen Medley was not performed in 2009.
...> Record Sellouts
Celine Dion set a record in the history of Canadian concerts, when she sold out all her Montreal shows in only a few minutes. After further shows being added, bringing the total to 11, Montreal´s audience (with 20,995 in attendance at each show) became the largest on the tour with 227,616 spectators for a single city. Celine performed in Bell Centre 31 times since 1996. Other Canadian concerts were sold out immediately, prompting second dates to be added in Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg, and a third show added in Toronto. In the United States, second dates were announced in New York, Uniondale, Boston, and Newark. According to data provided by Billboard, all the shows in the United States and Canada were sold out. In the United Kingdom, tickets for Manchester and London were sold out in few minutes. Two new dates were added on the same day. In Ireland 64,000 tickets for her Dublin concert, the largest single concert of the scheduled tour, were sold out in 3 hours. Celine also sold out stadium audiences in South Africa, China, Netherlands (50,000) and Denmark (42,000). A second concert date was added for Sydney, Australia after tickets were selling fast in this country. On August 22, 2008 although a free concert (not a part of the "Taking Chances Tour"), Celine sang in front of her biggest crowd at a live concert, when she performed on the Plains of Abraham to help celebrate Quebec City´s 400th Birthday. Tickets were distributed to 250,000 people. Celine announced she would be playing at the Colosseum of the Caesars Windsor on the February 7, 2008. Tickets sold out in a record 15 minutes with more than 125 people queuing the night before for tickets. The performance at the Kansas City´s Sprint Center became the highest-grossing concert in the arena´s history with a gross of $1,661,827. The record has since been broken By Elton John and Billy Joel. Celine´s concert at the American Airlines Arena, set an attendance record, selling 17,725 tickets. Britney Spears broke that record two months later, performing for 18,644 people. However, although singing for a smaller audience, Celine grossed $2,247,233, while Spears managed to gross $1,972,928 only. According to her official website, Celine became the top-selling performer for three venues: Montreal´s Bell Centre, Kansas City´s Sprint Center, and the New Orleans Arena. The latter concert grossed $1,829,331. The Montreal concerts grossed just over $30 million, making it one of the biggest concert events held at any arena in the world.
...> Promotion
...> On Backstage
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TOUR PROGRAMME
For this tour, was distributed a tour programme, in French and English. It was sold at all concerts Celine did with the "Taking Chances Tour" in 2008 and in 2009. There are 3 releses of this programme, one for the English speaking countries in Europe, one for the French speaking countries in Europe, and another for the American leg of the tour.
...> About The Programme
This very unique spiral-bound tour programme features a solid, steel-grey toned cover with a truly mesmerizing one-of-a-kind holographic image showcasing three stunning photos of Celine. Flip through dozens of eye-catching photos of Celine in a multitude of beautiful outfits and captivating scenes including behind-the-scenes pictures of the "Taking chances" music video. This book will take readers on a magnificent visual journey thanks to its spectacular selection of fascinating images. Readers will be captivated from cover to cover. The convenient carrying handle means readers can easily take it with them to share with other Celine fans. It is an indispensable collector´s item. It contains 84 pages and its dimensions are 32 x 26 centimeter. The first edition of this book was sold in the first 7 months of the tour. In France they put extra sheets on the programme, with French translation, and it also features pictures from rehearsals. There are also places listed Celine would do but later were pulled back or replaced by other cities. On the second edition of the programme, the pictures of the rehearsals are replaced by pictures of the tour itself. There is also an updated citylist and updated songlist. The third edition of the programme is the same as the others but with 12 pages of translations in front of it and it was sold in North America and the other countries she did starting from August 2008. This last edition has the French translations on each page, and there was some modifying, as she changed some countires and songs.
...> Programme Photos
The tour programme includes some photos from the photo session made for the album "Taking Chances", and used on the album booklet. But it also includes some unseen photos from that session, photos from the making of the music video for the song "Taking chances", and photos from rehearsals and concerts.
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