Celine Dion live at London's O2 Arena: "Almost a religious experience"

In what was her first UK date in nine years, Celine Dion made a triumphant comeback at The O2 as part of the venue's 10th birthday celebrations.

Performing to a sold out audience, the singer opened with her Jennifer Rush cover, The Power Of Love, setting the tone for the rest of the evening – camp and emotive power ballads with flawless live vocals.

Forgoing pyrotechnics and unnecessary technical distractions, Celine made her way through a 24-track set, proving why, after 30 years in the game, she is considered one of the great vocalists of modern times.

Breaking after the first few numbers, Celine did something often missing from modern pop shows; she took time from her set to talk to the audience. Part of this entailed showcasing her love for British talent, which involved a few shout outs to Adele (hey, Adele, Celine can do a wicked version of Hello FYI, so call her!) and she even fawned over Labrinth's hit Jealous, which cracked the Top 10 on the Official Singles Charts back in 2015. “There’s so much talent from the UK,” she said to the crowd. “I don’t know whether it’s the bangers and mash or the sticky toffee pudding, but it’s wonderful.” Seriously, Celine knows her stuff.

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Despite frequent pauses to chat, the set didn't drag, with Max Martin written That's The Way It Is getting the packed crowd to their feet. Even more recent tracks like I'm Alive and the Sia-penned Loved Me Back To Life slotted flawless next to classics like Think Twice (complete with giant disco ball) and the anthemic It's All Coming Back To Me Now, which was so joyously camp that it warranted the first outfit change of the night.

One thing is clear – all those years spent beavering away at her Las Vegas residency has made Celine Dion one heck of a showwoman. Well, you don’t do over 1000 shows in Vegas and not come out an expert. And, like any good arena show, you're unaware whether the chatter and vocal runs are specifically for you on that night or whether they’re part and parcel of the evening.

Queen Celine 🙌🙌🙌 @celinedion SLAYING in #London tonight. #theo2 #celinedion #O210

A post shared by Official Charts (@officialcharts) on Jun 20, 2017 at 2:35pm PDT

Of course, given what Celine Dion has been through in the last 18 months with the death of her husband René Angélil, there were also moments of reflection. Just before performing the song that Pink wrote for her after Angélil passed, the singer took a moment to not only remember her husband, but also those who, in the UK, have been affected by the tragedies that have struck the country over the last few weeks. As the song came to a close, it’s clear that the emotion of the night had become too much, and there were visible tears as the audience roared their support.

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After a string of hits, including show highlight Because You Loved Me, Refuse To Dance and a cover of Black Or White, which saw Celine do an incredible Michael Jackson impression, things became suitably epic with a rendition of Queen’s The Show Must Go On, a track the singer previously performed at last year’s Billboard Music Awards.

Returning to the stage for an encore, Celine appeared amidst fog, wearing a light up dress that would have made Lady Gaga’s ArtRave jealous, to sing the iconic theme to Titanic, My Heart Will Go On. The track, which topped the Official Singles Chart for two weeks in 1997, has taken on a life of its own, with the Canadian-born singer delivering some serious vocal runs as the song reached its epic climax. It might be cheesy, but hearing My Heart Will Go On live is almost a religious experience.

Finally, the singer marched into the crowd, making a lap around the 20,000 capacity O2 arena to stand on a B-Stage with her guitarist to deliver her favourite song, a cover of Queen’s Love Of My Life, which she dedicated to her hero Freddy Mercury.

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As the show finishes and the house lights come on, it’s clear why, in the last 12 months, Celine Dion has reinstated herself as a cultural icon. Not only are the songs totally epic, but she has the personality and vocal power to match their melodrama. As she said to the crowd during the show, hopefully people will be turning out to see Celine Dion in another 30. Don’t get it twisted, Celine is the Queen.

Celine Dion plays another show at The O2 tonight (21 June) as part of the venue’s 10^th birthday celebrations, which was kicked off by a show by Alt-J. The celebrations, which are expected to continue for the rest of the year, will feature also feature a show by Ed Sheeran. Celine Dion will return to the UK in July to continue her world tour.

Celine Dion’s setlist:

1. The Power Of Love
2. I Drove All Night
3. Taking Chances
4. Loved Me Back To Life
5. That’s the Way It Is
6. I’m Alive
7. It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
8. How Does a Moment Last Forever
9. Beauty And The Beast
10. Think Twice
11. The Reason
12. Recovering
13. The Colour Of My Love
14. Because You Loved Me
15. Pour Que Tu M’Aims Encore
16. All By Myself
17. Refuse To Dance
18. Love Is All We Need
19. Black Or White
20. Love Can Move Mountains
21. River Deep, Mountain High
22. The Show Must Go On
23. My Heart Will Go On
24. Love Of My Life

Article image: Rex