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CONCERT IN TAMPA
On January 28, 2009 Celine Dion performed at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, USA with the "Taking Chances World Tour". On this show and before a crowd of 18,550 people, Celine wore the superstar mantle with ease, knowing the crowd was in her pocket before the house lights dimmed. The concert started with an introduction video. Then, video screens revealed Celine on the center of the open stage wearing a lavender beaded mini-dress. Starting with "I drove all night" she also changed clothes all night, strutted around to all corners of the stage and chatted up the audience, at one point even laying down on the stage to give devoted fans a hug. A fan who gave to Celine an original album of "La Voix Du Bon Dieu" (Celine´s debut album). Celine joked about how she looked at that age and she signed it for the fan. After the first song and few others, the dancers did a flamenco number. Then, Celine emerged on an elevator from a hole at center stage to sing "Eyes on me" in an outfit with a long white train, billowing behind her like a parachute. In a "fashion victim" segment, she sported a black and silver bell-bottomed Abba-style getup for "Shadow of love". She was bubbling with homey stage patter, chatting about the Super Bowl, having her 81-year-old mother on the tour and how great the audience was. "I´m a talker, I can´t help it", she said. Naturally, the finale included clips from "Titanic", with candelabra descending from the lighting rig, the tune of an Irish pennywhistle and the inevitable "My heart will go on". Only this concert raised $1,843,187.
CONCERT IN SAN JUAN
On January 31, 2009 Celine Dion performed at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico with the "Taking Chances Tour" in front of about 18,000 people. This was Celine´s first concert in Puerto Rico. Although Celine offered a simple visual spectacle, with virtually no scenery, the audience was not disappointed because she was in body and soul. Even it wasn´t used the central-stage specially designed for this tour. Celine performed "I drove all night", "The power of love", "Taking chances", "It´s all coming back to me now", "Because you loved me", "To love you more", "Eyes on me", "All by myself", "I´m alive", "Shadow of love", "Fade away", "I´m your angel" with one of the background vocals Barnev Valsaint, "Alone", "My love", "The prayer" with Andrea Bocelli, who appeared on a pre-recorded video, "Pour que tu m´aimes encore", "I got the feelin´" (as part of the soul medley), "It´s a man´s man´s man´s world", "Love can move mountains", "River deep, mountain high" and "My heart will go on". During the show Celine spoke few words in Spanish.
CONCERT IN ST. LOUIS
On February 4, 2009 Celine Dion performed at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, USA with the "Taking Chances Tour". After her opening, which included the disco-rock "I drove all night" and the ballad "The power of love", Celine wasted no time addressing her delay in coming to St. Louis. "We made it", said Celine, who had postponed the original date after she took ill. "I know you have been waiting since last November", she said, before cracking a joke about hoping fans were supplied with water and blankets while waiting. "I never want to let you all down, and I´m glad you came back". Her 90 minute-plus show, on a large stage in the center of the floor with ramps extending straight into the crowd, was everything expected from her fans in St. Louis. Celine had plenty of outrageous gestures and facial tics to accentuate songs such as "It´s all coming back to me now", "Because you loved me" and "To love you more". It was a strange, goofy, though never boring night, full of good intentions, costume changes, dance routines and drama (including a billowing white cape she wore for "Eyes on me"). "I´m your angel", performed with one of her backing singers was moving. So was "The prayer," with Andrea Bocelli via a prerecorded that worked surprisingly well. A bland midsection with "I´m alive", "Shadow of love" and "Fade away" felt like padding. After a curious soul medley highlighted by "It´s a man´s man´s man´s world", a delightfully cheesy "Love can move mountains" and winning "River deep, mountain high", it was time for dance. "My heart will go on", the last song of the show, featured an elevated Celine in a black gown surrounded by levitating candles. It was a great visual, and the song still resonates. Celine left as she arrived, walking single file through the arena floor with her band, dancers and singers, stopping to shake hands and take pictures with fans. This concert grossed $1,351,246.
CONCERT IN WINDSOR
On February 7, 2009 Celine Dion performed at The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor in Windsor, Canada with the "Taking Chances World Tour". Celine announced she would be playing at The Colosseum at 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. On this concert, it wasn´t used the central-stage specially designed for this tour. A brief video, before Celine stepped on stage, showed film of her in such places as Macau, Dubai, Sydney, Paris and Los Angeles. At the end of the film, the name of Windsor flashed on the screen to the cheers of the audience. During the show, Celine was interacting with the audience so much more than she does in with the normal stage setup. She said "I love you too" at least three times when people yelled to her. She was cracking jokes like crazy. When she talked about asking her mom to go on tour with her she said "I went over to my mom´s place, because you know we´re neighbors. I took my kayak. We went to feed the ducks and have a chat". Celine performed the regular Anglophone set list of the tour.
CONCERT IN QUEBEC
On February 9, 2009 Celine Dion performed at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada with the "Taking Chances World Tour" and in front of 15,000 spectators. Véronic DiCaire made the opening act. "There´s no way to finish this world tour without coming to Quebec", Celine said in French during the concert to her fans, who welcomed her with an ovation of several minutes. Several Quebec personalities attended the show as Régis Labeaume, Daniel Gélinas and Pascale Picard. Celine performed "I drove all night", "J´irai où tu iras" in duet with Marc Langis, "The power of love", "Destin", "Taking chances", "Et s´il n´en restait qu´une", "Eyes on me", "L´amour existe encore" (wich was performed in place of "Ziggy" during the performances in Montreal and in Quebec City), "Dans un autre monde", "All by myself", a remix of "I´m alive", "Alone", "My love", "S´il suffisait d´aimer", "The prayer" (with Andrea Bocelli on a pre-recorded video), "It´s a man´s man´s man´s world", "Love can move mountains", "River deep, mountain high", "My heart will go on" and "Pour que tu m´aimes encore". Celine also performed "Je sais pas". The next day, Celine performed at the Pepsi Coliseum again but she didn´t sang "Je sais pas" on this second show.
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