Céline Dion en concert (tour)

Céline Dion en concert was the first concert tour by Canadian singer Celine Dion. The tour visited Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick in Canada.[1]

Céline Dion en concert
Tour by Celine Dion
Associated albumMélanie
Start dateJanuary 1985 (1985-01)
End date2 June 1985 (1985-06-02)
Legs1
No. of shows42 in Canada
Celine Dion concert chronology

Background

In early November 1984, René Angélil and pianist Alain Noreau, who was to act as orchestrator and conductor, began planning the tour of Quebec. Rehearsals started in late December 1984 and soon Angélil realized that Noreau was not up to the job. He called Paul Baillargeon, who'd written the music for "Une colombe," and asked him to replace Noreau. Baillargeon agreed. At this point, the band was made up of six musicians and two backup singers. The tour kicked off in January 1985 in La Sarre. Shortly afterwards, in February 1985, Angélil's wife Anne Renée left him and later sued for divorce. The tour stopped.[1]

Development

On 12 March 1985, Dion gave a press conference to announce her first real concert tour. It got back on track in Amos on 26 March 1985. The show was changed slightly. Some songs had been added, others were eliminated. The overall image was younger and funkier. Paul Baillargeon put together a new band. He kept the two backup singers Simon Leclerc and Catherine Léveillée and hired Florent Richard on bass, Gilles Valiquette took care of the guitars, synthesizers and sequencers. With Baillargeon's keyboards, drums and the strings and woodwinds added by the sequencers, the sound was smooth, rich and modern. Whilst the vast majority of the shows were held in Quebec, she also performed some shows In New Brunswick and in Ottawa. Many of the concerts were held in College Auditoriums.[1]

Concert synopsis

The show was diverse in the extreme. It was Dion's first real tour and it was designed to showcase her strengths. There were several Eddy Marnay songs, Paul Baillargeon's "Une colombe," Hubert Giraud's "Mamy Blue," and medley of songs by Félix Leclerc and Michel Legrand. Dion even sang an aria from Georges Bizet's opera, Carmen. She also performed English-language songs, including "Over the Rainbow," "What a Feeling" and " Up Where We Belong" (in duet with Baillargeon).[1]

Critical reception

Céline Dion en concert received positive reviews. The critics compared Dion to the world's greatest singers and said she had a way of touching people. Dion reminded them of Édith Piaf and the great female jazz voices.[1]

Commercial response

The tour turned out to be much more successful than expected. Extra performances were added and instead of twenty-four shows since January 1985, Dion soon reached the forty-second in May 1985. Between 26 March 1985 and 2 June 1985, she gave thirty-six performances in twenty-five cities in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick.[1]

Broadcasts and recordings

The concert at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in the Montreal's Place des Arts on 31 May 1985 was recorded and released on LP and cassette in late 1985. It was titled Céline Dion en concert.[1]

Set list

  1. Ouverture "La première fois"
  2. "Chante-moi"
  3. "Mon ami m'a quittée"
  4. Félix Leclerc medley: "Bozo/Le p'tit bonheur/Moi, mes souliers/Attends-moi "ti-gars"/Le train du nord"
  5. "Mon rêve de toujours"
  6. "Mamy Blue"
  7. "Avec toi"
  8. "Up Where We Belong" (duet with Paul Baillargeon)
  9. "Benjamin"
  10. "Tellement j'ai d'amour pour toi"
  11. "Mélanie"
  12. "Visa pour les beaux jours"
  13. "Un amour pour moi"
  14. "Trop jeune à dix-sept ans"
  15. "Ce n'était qu'un rêve"
  16. "Over the Rainbow"
  17. Michel Legrand medley: "Quand on s'aime/Brûle pas tes doigts/La valse du lilas/Quand ça balance/Les moulins de mon cœur"
  18. "C'est pour toi"
  19. "L'amour est enfant de bohême"
  20. "Va où s'en va l'amour"
  21. "Amoureuse"
  22. "D'amour ou d'amitié"
  23. "What a Feeling"
  24. "Une colombe"
  25. "Les chemins de ma maison"
  26. "La première fois"

Tour dates

Date City Venue
Canada[2]
January 1985 La Sarre
26 March 1985 Amos
27-28 March 1985 Rouyn
29 March 1985 La Sarre
30 March 1985 Val-d'Or Le Carrefour College
3 April 1985 Shawinigan
4 April 1985 Trois-Rivières
5 April 1985 Nicolet
6 & 8 April 1985 Sherbrooke
9 April 1985 Ottawa
12 April 1985 Joliette
14 April 1985 Sorel
17 April 1985 Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Auditorium de Valleyfield
18 April 1985 Drummondville
20 April 1985 Habitat St-Camille
21 April 1985 Cowansville
24 April 1985 Alma Auditorium d'Alma
25-26 April 1985 Jonquière CEGEP de Jonquière
27 April 1985 Chicoutimi
15-16 May 1985 Edmunston
17-18 May 1985 Rimouski
21-22 May 1985 Rivière-du-Loup Centre Culturel
24-26 May 1985 Quebec City Grand Théâtre de Québec
31 May - 2 June 1985 Montreal Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
2 October 1985 Charlemagne
4 October 1985 Lévis Collège de Lévis
5 October 1985 Jonquière CEGEP de Jonquière
6 October 1985 Alma Auditorium d'Alma
11 October 1985 Lachute Auditorium Lavigne
12 October 1985 La Prairie Auditorium Magdelaine
13 October 1985 Longueuil Auditorium Édouard-Montpetit
16 October 1985 Ottawa National Arts Centre
17-19 October 1985 Montreal Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
20 October 1985 Trois-Rivieres Salle J.A. Thompson
23 October 1985 Drummondville Carrefour Socio-Culturel
24 October 1985 Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Auditorium de Valleyfield
26 October 1985 Sherbrooke Salle Maurice O'Brady
28 October 1985 Joliette Centre Culturel
30 October 1985 Baie-Comeau
01-2 November 1985 Quebec City Grand Théâtre de Québec
3 November 1985 Rivière-du-Loup Centre Culturel
05-6 November 1985 Edmunston
8 November 1985 Fredericton
9 November 1985 Moncton
10 November 1985 Bathurst
12 November 1985 Tracadie
13 November 1985 Campbellton
14 November 1985 Matane
15 November 1985 Rimouski Centre Civique

Personnel

  • Celine Dion – lead vocals
  • Paul Baillargeon – piano, music director
  • Gilles Valiquette – guitar
  • Gilles Pinard – guitar
  • Michel Cyr – keyboards
  • Floriant Richard – bass
  • Serge Gratton – drums, percussion
  • Margot Morris – harp
  • Monique Lacasse – backing vocals
  • Frédérique Bédard – backing vocals
  • Harvey Robitaille – sound recording
  • Jean Claude Hébert – sound engineer's assistant
  • Maurice Giraud – lighting design
  • Oswald Foisy – stage director

References

  1. Beaunoyer, Jean; Beaulne (2004). Don Wilson (ed.). Rene Angelil: The Making of Céline Dion: The Unauthorized Biography. Dundurn Group. ISBN 1-55002-489-2.
  2. Tour date information provided from Physical Press Service Communications from the Tour organisers in 1985
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