I Saw A Queen

Yup, you read that title right.

It's a little late but lemme tell y'all about the night I saw the astounding and remarkable, international vocal superstar and one only Jamaican superstar Celine Dion.

Again, you read it correctly, cause I said what I said.

What a night, a simply magical night. And to be honest it was a great ass day too. We celebrated my friend's birthday got nice and tipsy. I drove NOWHERE. And I ended the night singing along with the magical Celine.

I was on the side of the stage but I must say, I missed not one bit. There were LED screens facing the seats on the side, and if I was feeling boasty, I could walk down the stair and literally have been next to the stage. Now I am writing this a few months after I went so I'll be skipping a lot of details, bare with me, please.

Okay, so now we done waited for everyone to come in. The cameraman and DJ were on a roll capturing the intense excitement of the night. Folks were living their best lives dressed to the nines and throwing down like they left their kids or boring partners at home. Which might have been true for some, but based on the crowd mostly not true for others. It was babies, kiddos, teens and young folks, intermingled with new couples, mid couples and couples who done been through it all. And we were all there, for one thing, to sing our hearts out with Celine.

Now the show I attended was her second night in Miami. It was also the night after her mother had passed away. And ugh my heart. You could tell her heart was sad, but what a way she celebrated the woman who loved her always.

But can we talk about this style icon? She started the show off in a spectacular, sleek red number. She had a few wardrobe changes throughout the show. But I must say her final outfit of the night was simply breathtaking. Truly the look of royalty. She looked bomb and you can tell sis don't skip gym day.

To start the show off, she hit us with a couple of older hits at this time, and cause I been on my Celine binge before the show, I was ready to lose my voice. How does one woman have such an iconic discography, it is beyond me. Basically, every song she performed I've either heard or knew completely. And the songs I didn't know so well just so happened to be her French songs, and truly she has bangers in French too.

I don't call her my favourite, mega-star, Jamaican auntie. Every single dance, party or stage show that I've experienced in Jamaica has a Celine Dion set. And she played the favourites, from If You Asked Me To to To Love You More [I'm getting misty just thinking about this moment all over]. Of course, I sang along to my childhood late-night soundtrack. But I have to admit Celine can ROCK. Right before the final encore set, she did a cover set of some of the most funkified and rocking songs. And that sparkling, crystal jumpsuit she had on was perfect for the set.

Something you should know is that Celine loves to dance and move. Even during her ballads, she performed with her whole soul and body. It just made you want to go up there with her and give it your all too. She didn't even seem to break a sweat.

And her BAND!! Ugh, they were phenomenal. She had her own mini-orchestra on that expansive stage. And if you think she was standing in the center alone, you would have made a sad mistake. And her band was right there with her. They were so lively in the uptempo moments and just as powerful during the ballads. And her back up vocalists were sensational. They provided the right balance to the entire setlist. One of my favourite moments had to have been when she and her male backup vocalist performed her smash hit Beauty and the Beast. I could have sworn I was in the room of the original studio recording.

And while Celine is the queen of the duets, sometimes a solo artist has gotta do what a solo artist has to do. And she did exactly that while she performed her cover of The Prayer. I had goosebumps before the second verse and chills by the final note. [I'm definitely listening to some of Celine's biggest love songs as I write this just so I can feel like I'm back at the arena breathing the same air as her].

But if I thought that would be the last time I felt that way for the night I would be wrong. Remember when I said that her final wardrobe change was beyond amazing. Well so was the performance. Imagine seeing her come out in a pale light blue, Cinderella-esque ball gown. She walks out to a specific part of the stage and is automatically lowered to the lower half of the stage. And as she begins to crescendo into the bridge of the My Heart Will Go On rows of illuminated drones begin to soar above the arena. Creating the illusion of the stars surrounding her, she even reaches out to touch one. And then just as quickly as the stars can disappear some nights, the drones begin to lower and she closes out her most iconic song. And with a deep and grateful bow to the crowd, she takes a moment to revel at the moment. And it was at that moment, I knew I could never have planned for such a magical night.

And while she closed out the show with a cover of John Lennon's Imagine, I simply had already ascended to another plane at the end of My Heart Will Go On.

I feel like I've missed so much more from that night, like the wonderfully cute, moving and lovely transition videos in between her wardrobe changes. The magnificent second outfit she had, the sleeves, the pants suit, the power, the regality. The energy and excitement in the area on the way to the show, before, during and at the end of the show and even when I was walking back to meet my uber, I felt like I was on a cloud.

Honestly, it was the best Christmas gift to receive and a part me wishes I could go back to that night so I can relive all over again.


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