FULL OF HEART; CELINE DION COVERS HER HITS IN SURPRISINGLY INTIMATE SHOW.Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Critic Noun 1. music critic - a critic of musical performances critic - a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art Adult-contemporary goddess Celine Dion did Wednesday what so many before her were never able to manage - make the yawning yawning a deep, involuntary inspiration with the mouth open, often accompanied by the act of stretching. Repeated yawning in the presence of other signs, may accompany signs of chronic abdominal pain or hepatic disease. cavern of the Forum seem intimate. Dion, performing before a packed house of loyal fans from all age groups, did it by placing her heart-shaped, high-tech stage directly in the middle of the floor with the crowd surrounding her on all sides. The result was an unusually pleasing concert experience at a preposterous venue for music, a 17,000-seat sports arena. Of course, it helps that Dion strives to connect with her fans. Throughout the entertaining and hit-filled set, she stopped to tell anecdotes and jokes, to accept gifts and, at one point, reached into the crowd to help a small girl on stage for a few hushed minutes. Whether those moments were genuine or not - and, to be sure, there was plenty of Vegas-style show biz throughout the evening - the French-Canadian chanteuse chan·teuse n. A woman singer, especially a nightclub singer. [French, feminine of chanteur, singer, from chanter, to sing; see chant.] held the audience in the palm of her hand and plainly delighted in doing so. Known for over-emoting, Dion has taken critical jabs for being horribly over-exposed; her reading of ``My Heart Will Go On,'' the love theme to ``Titanic,'' was recently dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. the most-played radio hit in the history of the human race. It's thought that a typical human anywhere in the world hears that ballad on an average of five times a day. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old Dion is as tireless as she is ambitious. Her 90-minute-plus set was a blur of choreography, tight set pieces that included video-aided duets with Barbra Streisand Noun 1. Barbra Streisand - United States singer and actress (born in 1942) Barbra Joan Streisand, Streisand and the Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb — that became one of the most successful musical acts of all time. They were born on the Isle of Man to English parents, lived in Manchester, England and moved to Brisbane, Australia during , and seemingly impromptu moments with the paying customers. Musically, Dion covered the bases, fronting a solidly rehearsed if generic small band, plus backup singer-dancers. Along with her voice, which sometimes seems to veer into a region only hamsters can appreciate, the secret to the rail-thin diva's enormous success includes well-crafted material penned by the top adult-contemporary hitmakers, evil geniuses cackling cack·le v. cack·led, cack·ling, cack·les v.intr. 1. To make the shrill cry characteristic of a hen after laying an egg. 2. To laugh or talk in a shrill manner. v.tr. in hidden laboratories high above Hollywood. Dion especially shines on the epic ballads - ``It's All Coming Back to Me Now,'' ``Because You Love Me,'' ``Immortality'' and, especially, the ubiquitous ``My Heart Will Go On,'' which ended the evening with Dion in flowing antique gown, leaning into a wind generator against a mock-up mock·up also mock-up n. 1. A usually full-sized scale model of a structure, used for demonstration, study, or testing. 2. A layout of printed matter. of a ship's bow. Other crowd-pleasers included the gospel-tinged romp ``Love Can Move Mountains,'' the disco tribute ``Stayin' Alive'' and a medley of such tunes as ``The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,'' Eric Clapton's ``Tears in Heaven'' and the Beatles' ``Because.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Celine Dion reached out and touched loyal fans of all ages with her show Wednesday night at the Forum. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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