Reminiscing a time when I was star-strucked! And who wouldn't be? After all, it was Celine Dion!
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16 Feb 2008 - A week has passed. After the much awaited concert has come and gone, I am still very much shaken and mesmerised by what I had experienced.
We arrived for the concert at about 6pm at the Loftus Stadium in Pretoria. There were long queues at the gates. We patiently waited and by 7pm, we were led in and found our seats, which were in the middle of the field (Golden Circle area) about 30m-40m from the stage. The stadium was huge and one had to wonder if Celine could actually fill this place. Soon enough the place filled up. The opening act came on. It was Jody Williams, South Africa's latest Idol winner. I was impressed with her as she was still very young but could deliver her performances quite convincingly. A few more years and we might see her strutting her own stuff and having her own tour.
At exactly 9pm, the show started. The lights dimmed and the big screen started showing images of Celine, with "I Drove All Night" playing in the background. And then, there was Celine...on stage. The crowd went wild at first sight of her on stage. And then she started singing. Her voice - so powerful and charismatic - rendered the crowd silent. She actually filled the place, a whole humongous rugby field with open spaces and a packed crowd! She was simply brilliant and amazing. I could feel goosebumps all over as she hit the high notes. As a performer, she was as professional as one can get. As a person, she was very humble and down to earth. Her interactions with the crowd was wonderful.
Celine sang song after song, hit after hit....without tiring or relenting. Her voice sounded exactly as it had at the beginning of the show....and she sounded exactly as she did on her CDs. She was a marvel - a most liberating one at that.
She sang "Alone", "Love Can Move Mountains", "Think Twice", I'll Be Your Angel", "All By Myself", "To Love You More", "The Music is in Me", "My Heart Will Go On", "It's All Coming Back", "Because You Loved Me", "Pour Que Tu Maim Encore", "Taking Chances", "Eyes On Me", "River Deep Mountain High". There were some other songs that I did not recognise but just to hear her voice sing them was inspiring enough.
It was truly an unforgettable experience.
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