CELINE DION LIVE!! | The Voice to Cherish
Celine Dion live in Raleigh 02-12-20 at the PNC Arena
Celine Dion is a name that is synonymous with grace, beauty and talent. Most people will know her from the Titanic song “my heart will go on” which is a beautiful song, but she is much more than that one major hit. Her voice carries beautifully orchestrated notes as if they were written by the most famous poets of our time. She can hold a note for so long you think she is reaching for the stars with each vocal performance. Celine Dion is a talented singer that really needs no introduction. Look at her expansive catalog of music and incredible vocal performances. I have been a fan of Celine since I was young and remember slow dancing with my girlfriend to the song “it’s all coming back to me now”, and even before that hit was big she was a major part of my families musical history. So, when Celine Dion was making her tour stop in NC, I knew I had to cover her show and let me tell you this, she did not disappoint.
Celine’s performance was strong, passionate and emotional. I arrived at the PNC Arena and met up with our representatives for the show. I and the other photographers with me were taken down to the main floor of the stadium. We were authorized to photograph the first song of her set which unfortunately does not give us a lot of photographs to share but regardless it was incredible to see her perform. As we set up our camera’s and gear near the soundboard you could see people dancing all around us. Fans were happy, excited and some even emotional. Right as I was about to stand up the lights went dark and the stadium erupted. When I say erupted, I mean it was so loud that I am surprised my earplugs kept some of the noise out. There were these huge screens above the stage, and they started playing video clips of Celine as she was talking over the clips, but you still did not see Celine. After a few moments the video clips went dark and that’s when it happened. Celine rose up from the center of the stage on a rising platform in an elegant red dress and the stadium went wild. As she reached the platform and walked onto the stage she paused, and you could see her visibly emotional. I looked through my camera and you could see her wiping tears from her eyes. You could tell she was so taken back by the amazing energy and love the stadium was giving her that even a super star like her could not hold back the tears of appreciation and love. She raised up her arms and waved at the fans and started into her first song. The song she played was one that I had always loved, and it was “it’s all coming back to me now”. She did this song solo with just a spotlight on her and she sang it beautifully. The notes were clear, and she sounded on key with every note. After the first song was over, I ran back to my car to drop off my gear, so I missed the two following songs. When I got back, she was already into her third song. She played some of her classic hits with a mix of new tracks from her latest album called “Courage”.
One of the more humorous parts of the show was when her earpiece started going a little crazy. She told the crowd she was hearing her voice go from left to right and one of the sound techs guys came out to help fix the issue. What could have been a disastrous moment for any artists Celine took the technical malfunction with grace, humility and humor. She engaged the fans while the issue was being fixed and that made the show even more enjoyable. After her earpiece was fixed, she went into her next song and did not miss a beat. The light show was very impressive with these huge screens showing incredible visuals during her performance. This did not distract from her performance but enhanced it by helping guide our eyes to these incredible visuals while listening to her iconic voice.
Celine Dion is a singer whose music means a lot to so many people. Her voice is so iconic and recognizable while her grace and beauty are unmatched. I was so happy to see her back on stage and seeing her get embraced by thousands of fans excited to see her back in Raleigh. I want to share a very personal connection I have with Celine’s music. My father passed away a few years ago and he was the light of my mothers’ life and she was to him. My parents had one of those romantic love stories you only read about or see in the movies, but it was real life. My father loved Celine’s song “Because you loved me” and would think of my mom when he heard it. When I was watching her perform, I heard the beginning of that song start to play and I immediately got emotional. You see, the powerful part about music is it can bring you so much joy and love but also help express how you feel inside. My mom lost her best friend, confidant and love of her life the day my dad passed and getting to see Celine sing that song made me feel a little bit closer to my dad as well my mom and reminded me of the love both my parents had for each other.
So, thank you Celine Dion, thank you for a beautiful memory and one I know my dad would have loved to have seen and maybe he did see it, through my eyes.
~Lead Photographer Chris Sturk
https://www.celinedion.com/