Citation :Celine Dion wishes Quebec City a happy 400th birthday at concert
9 hours ago
QUEBEC — Celine Dion rocked the cradle of French Quebec Friday night, shaking the Plains of Abraham with resounding music and illuminating the night sky with a brilliant light show.
Dion was visibly moved and happy to be back in the provincial capital among her Quebec "family" after a nine-year absence.
"Happy Birthday, Quebec! Are you ready?" Dion shouted before swinging into the first song of the evening to get the concert marking Quebec City's 400th birthday off to a rocking start.
From the outset, Dion noted that the French-speaking Quebecois nation was born "here, where we are, 400 years ago."
She said although the show was free, she wanted to make it unforgettable.
She kicked off the show 20 minutes late with one of her French-language hits, but didn't waste any time once she hit the stage, marching around and pumping the air with her fist as she sang.
Dion's concert featured a galaxy of Quebec stars including Garou, rocker Eric Lapointe, Claude Dubois and Dan Bigras. One of the hits of the night was an electrifying duet of "Lady Marmalade" with Nanette Workman.
Another pinacle was a duet at the end of the show with beloved Quebec songstress Ginette Reno. It was the first time Reno and Dion had sung together and Dion said it was a dream come true for her.
Dion also joined with members of her family to sing a medley of songs, telling the audience, "I want you to know what it was like to be in my family." She dedicated the songs to her late father.
Dion did a total of 30 songs - all in French - that ranged from solos to duets to trios with her guests and spanned rock, pop, blues, several "power" ballads and lots of traditional Quebec songs.
The free show is part of year-long birthday celebrations being held to mark the 400th anniversary of the provincial capital.
The crowd for the show was estimated at around 250,000 and nothing was left to chance for people to get a good look. Seven giant screens were placed around the site and six others were erected on Quebec City's south shore near Levis.
One Dion fan drove for 10 hours from Long Island, NY, to Quebec City to see the superstar.
"I think that she's got an incredible voice," said Lois Morales.
"She loves her family, that's very important to me, and she's a very good humanitarian. I just think that she's very balanced since she had her son. I think that in all aspects of her life she's been very grateful for the gift that she has and she shares with other people. I just think that's great."
Diana Farnham, of Weld, Me., got the trip to Quebec City to see Dion as a birthday gift from her husband.
"My birthday was in June so he booked this trip because he knew Celine was going to be here," she said. "She has such a beautiful voice. It's just so peaceful. It seems to be so natural."
The accolades were echoed by Al Penner of Smithville, Ont.
"She is the best female singer in the world," he said.
"When she opened up the Olympics in Atlanta, I believe it was in 1996, that's what the co-ordinator said - 'We have the best female singer in the world.' She is the best. No question."
Among those in the crowd were Premier Jean Charest and Opposition Leader Mario Dumont.
A number of fans had been awaiting since midnight to be the first in line to get the closest to the stage for the Friday show.
The gates allowing access to the site opened around mid-afternoon.
Officials had originally expected 200,000 fans for the show.
They said the crowd could be as large as the one on hand for a Paul McCartney concert several weeks ago, which was also held on the Plains of Abraham.
The concert is a break for Dion from her multi-night run in Montreal, where she is headlining in her worldwide "Taking Chances" tour.
source:
http://canadianpress.google.com/article ... o-sjWiw3Pw