Taking Chances Tour

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = Taking Chances Tour


image_caption = Dion performing on her 2008 World Tour
album = "Taking Chances"
"D'elles"
artist = Céline Dion
start_date = February 14 2008
end_date = February 15 2009
number_of_legs = 6
number_of_shows = 9 in Africa
10 in Asia
5 in Australia
35 in Europe
68 in North America
127 Total
last_tour = "A New Day..."
(2003-2007)
this_tour = Taking Chances Tour
(2008-2009)
next_tour =

Taking Chances Tour is a global concert tour by Canadian pop singer Céline Dion, in support of her 2007 studio albums "Taking Chances" and "D'elles". The tour marked the return of Dion after performing her groundbreaking show, "A New Day...", in Las Vegas for five years. The tour will visit 5 continents, 24 countries and 86 cities. Dion will perform over 100 shows.cite press release |title=La tournée mondiale de Céline Dion 2008-2009 - 5 continents - 85 villes - 101 spectacles |publisher=CNW Group |date=2007-11-07 |url=http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/November2007/07/c5054.html |format= |language=French |accessdate=2007-11-07 |quote= ]

The show

The show, directed by Jamie King (famously known for his work with Madonna, Christina Aguilera and The Spice Girls), combines Dion's performances with color, fashion and dance. Céline Dion performs some of her biggest hits, along with songs from her latest English album "Taking Chances". [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon_pr.cgi?id=35|title=Celine Dion announces highly anticipated 2008-09 North American tour|accessdate=2007-11-07|work=Celine's Official Website]

The two hour show is divided into four segments: soul, rock, Middle-Eastern and, fashion-victim. Dion is supported by eight dancers (4 male and 4 female). Rehearsals took place in December 2007 in Primm, Nevada and MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The tour setup includes about twenty LED screens, among them one that will orbit the stage, plus conveyor belts and elevators. Dion pre-recorded a selection of videos for her show. The introduction video shows her driving a car at high-speed, with intermingling images from her career, set to a remix of "I Drove All Night" as the beginning of her concert. Another video shows the singer dressed in varying fashions over the years, with the "My Heart Will Go On" remix in the background.

) for logistics reasons. After two and a half months, Dion rehearsed again to perfect the show for the "in the round" setup. Because of Dion's bilingual career and the restrictions of certain arenas and stadiums on the tour, King had to direct and choreograph three separate shows. One show features a set list comprised mostly of English language songs and is performed in the round using the full system of mobile screens, elevators and conveyor belts. A second show also features the center stage arrangement but includes up to ten French language songs for performances in Francophone countries. A third, less complex show is being used where the center stage arrangement would not fit into the venue or where it would be impractical to transport the stage. An end stage setup is used in these cases, and features a massive central video screen and a lighting system that engulfs the stage in brilliant blue and red from above on all three sides.

Dion and her band rehearsed about 60 tracks, both in English and French. Among those ones, about 25 songs will be performed in each show, according to each visited market. "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" will be performed throughout the whole tour. It is the best-selling French-language single of all time, and one of the only French songs in music history to achieve chart success in many non-Francophone countries. The singer also performs several cover songs, including: Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "The Show Must Go On," and James Brown's "I Got the Feelin'" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." She also performed Kiki Dee's "I Got the Music in Me" but the song was removed after concerts in South Korea. [cite web|url=http://www.canoe.com/divertissement/musique/dossiers/2008/02/07/4833942-jdm.html|title=Cap sur l'Afrique|date=2008-02-09|accessdate=2008-02-09|last=Parent|first=Marie-Joëlle|work=Journal de Montréal|language=French] At the show in New York City on September 15 2008, Dion performed "Because You Loved Me" as a duet with up-and-coming Filipina singer Charice Pempengco. [cite web|url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/09/16/08/charice-performs-duet-celine-dion-madison-square-garden|title=Charice performs duet with Celine Dion at Madison Square Garden
date=2008-09-17|accessdate=2008-10-03|] This performance was recorded and later broadcast on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

After the show in Pretoria, South Africa on February 16 2008, René Angélil reorganized the concert, including a few changes to the costumes chosen by Annie Horth, as well as to the song set list.

Opening acts

* Jody Williams (South Africa)
* Yuna Ito (Japan)
* Anthony Callea (Australia)
* Arno Carstens (United Kingdom)
* Michaël Gregorio (France along with selected dates in Europe)
* Il Divo (Ireland)
* Jon Mesek (Germany, Austria)
* The Story's (Netherlands)
* Nordstrøm (Denmark)
* Calaisa (Sweden, Finland)
* Lenka Filipová (Czech Republic)
* Natalia Lesz (Poland)
* Gordie Brown (United States, Toronto)
* Véronic Dicaire (Montreal)

et list

hidden begin
titlestyle = background: #ccccff; font-size: 100%; width: 65%; text-align:center;
bodystyle = text-align: left; font-size: 100%; width: 75%;
title = Anglophone
#"I Drove All Night Remix" (Video)
#"I Drove All Night"
#"The Power of Love"
#"Taking Chances"
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now"
#"Because You Loved Me"
#"To Love You More"
#"New Mego's Flamenco" (Dancers Instrumental Interlude)
#"Eyes on Me"
#"All by Myself"
#"My Heart Will Go On Remix" (Video Interlude)
#"I'm Alive Remix"
#"Shadow of Love"
#"Fade Away"¹
#"Can't Fight the Feelin" ¹
#"I'm Your Angel" (with Barnev Valsaint)
#"Alone"
#"Pour que tu m'aimes encore"
#"Think Twice" ¹
#"My Love"
#"The Prayer" (with Andrea Bocelli)
#"We Will Rock You"
#"The Show Must Go On"
#Soul Medley: (by band and background vocalists with Dion joining them at the end)
##"Sex Machine"
##"Soul Man"
##"Lady Marmalade"
##"Respect"
##"I Got the Feelin'"
#"It's a Man's Man's Man's World"
#"That's Just the Woman in Me" ¹
#"Love Can Move Mountains"
#Encore:
##"River Deep, Mountain High"
##"My Heart Will Go On" ¹ performed at select concerts

hidden begin
titlestyle = background: #ccccff; font-size: 100%; width: 65%; text-align:center;
bodystyle = text-align: left; font-size: 100%; width: 75%;
title = Francophone
#"I Drove All Night Remix" (Video)
#"I Drove All Night"
#"J'irai où tu iras" (with Marc Langis)
#"The Power of Love" ¹
#"Destin"
#"Taking Chances" ¹
#"Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)" ¹
#"New Mego's Flamenco" (Dancers Instrumental Interlude)
#"Eyes on Me"
#"Ziggy" ¹
#"L'amour existe encore" ¹
#"Dans un autre monde"
#"All by Myself"
#"My Heart Will Go On Remix" (Video Interlude)
#"I'm Alive Remix"
#"Je Sais Pas"
#"My Love"
#"S'il suffisait d'aimer"
#"Alone" ¹
#"The Prayer" (with Andrea Bocelli) ¹
#"We Will Rock You"
#"The Show Must Go On"
#Soul Medley: (by band and background vocalists with Dion joining them at the end)
##"Sex Machine"
##"Soul Man"
##"Lady Marmalade"
##"Respect"
##"I Got the Feelin'"
#"It's a Man's Man's Man's World"
#"That's Just the Woman in Me" ¹
#"Love Can Move Mountains"
#Encore:
##"River Deep, Mountain High"
##"My Heart Will Go On" ¹ performed at select concerts

Additional Notes

Anglophone Set List

*"I Drove All Night" was added to the running order during the February 20th performance at ABSA Stadium
*"I Got the Music in Me" was performed during the South African leg of the tour, along with performances in Japan and South Korea
*"Shadow of Love" and "I'm Your Angel" were not performed during the September 6th performance at the Foxwoods Resort Casino
*"Can't Fight the Feelin'" was performed in place of "Fade Away" at select concerts in Australia and South Korea
*"A World to Believe In" was performed in place of "Think Twice" during shows in Japan
*"A New Day Has Come" was performed at the March 18th performance at the Olympic Gymnasium Arena in place of "Think Twice"
*"My Love" was added to the running order during the March 18th performance at the Olympic Gymnasium Arena
*"The Prayer" was added to the running order during the June 2nd performance the the Amsterdam Arena. The song was not performed during the June 7th performance at the Globe Arena
*"A Song for You" was performed in place of "The Prayer" at the June 7th show at the Globe Arena
*"That's Just the Woman in Me" was removed from the running order at the beginning of the European Leg

Francophone Set List

*"The Power of Love" was not performed at the July 9th performance at the Stade de Genève. It was also not performed during the August 16th performance at the Bell Centre
*"Taking Chances" was not included in the performances at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino
*"Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)" was not included in the performances at The Main Square in Arras, Stade de Genève and the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino
*"Ziggy" was performed during the European Leg in francophone countries
*"L'amour existe encore" was performed in place of "Ziggy" during performances at the Bell Centre in Montreal
*"Shadows of Love " was performed during the August 15th performance at the Bell Centre
*"Alone" was not included in the performances at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann, The Main Square in Arras and the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino
*"Tout l'or des hommes" and "On ne change pas" were performed at the May 13th performance at Sportpaleis
*"The Prayer" was included in the performances at the Stade Charles-Ehrmann, The Main Square in Arras and the Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino, along with the August 15th and 16th performances at the Bell Centre in Montreal

Tour dates

Postponed concerts

Céline Dion was forced to postpone all her concerts in Australia due to a throat infection. Her Australian publicists said "Ms Dion is being treated with antibiotics for a minor throat infection and irritated sinuses that she has been suffering from for a number of days since arriving in Australia,". [cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23434416-3102,00.html|title=Celine Dion cancels concert due to illness|date=2008-03-26|accessdate=2008-03-26|last=Harris|first=Amy|work=The Courier News|publisher=Queensland Newspapers|place=Australia] [cite web|url=http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/03/28/Sydney_Celine_Dion_concert_cancelled|title=RESCHEDULED: New dates for Celine Dion tour announced |last=Lambert-Patel|first=Anil|date=2008-28-03|accessdate=2008-03-28|work=Live News|publisher=Macquarie National News] Because of the itinerary changes, the concert scheduled for Malaysia was also changed and the concert in Beijing, China was canceled. [cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/style/17280779.html|title=Celine Dion cancels Beijing concert|accessdate=2008-04-08|work=Star Tribune|place=Minnesota]

Box office score data

Record sellouts

over 30 times since 1996. [cite web|url=http://www.matin.qc.ca/articles/20080209141033/celine_dion_huitieme_spectacle_ajoute.html|title=Céline Dion: un huitième spectacle ajouté|date=2008-02-09|accessdate=2008-02-09|work=Matin|publisher=La Presse Canadienne|language=French]

Other Canadian concerts were sold out immediately, prompting second dates to be added in Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg, and a third show added in Toronto. [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon.cgi|title=Additional Concert Announced in Edmonton!|accessdate=2007-11-16|work=Celine's Official Website]

In the United States, second dates were announced in New York City, Uniondale, Boston, and Newark. [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon.cgi|title=New USA Concert Dates Announced - TeamCeline Ticket Pre-sale Begins Monday|accessdate=2008-02-07|work=Celine's Official Website]

In the United Kingdom, tickets for Manchester and London were sold out in few minutes. Two new dates were added on the same day. The 64,000 tickets in Dublin, the largest single concert of the scheduled tour, were sold out in 3 hours. [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon.cgi|title=Second Show Date in London and Manchester Just Announced!!|accessdate=2007-06-11|work=Celine's Official Website]

Dion also sold out stadium audiences in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Copenhagen, Denmark. [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon_pr.cgi?id=43|title=Celine Dion's Taking Chances Tour, 'on a roll' across Europe!|accessdate=2008-06-08|work=Celine's Official Website]

A second concert date was added for Sydney, Australia after tickets were selling fast in this country. [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon.cgi|title=Additional Concert Announced in Sydney, Australia - TeamCeline Tickets On Sale Now!|accessdate=2008-01-23|work=Celine's Official Website]

Dion's world tour is among the biggest music events ever hosted in South Africa, with almost 400,000 tickets sold. After ticket sales exceeded expectations, another date was added there. She is the all-time best-selling artist in South Africa. [cite web|url=http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=685979|title=Céline brings her own dentist on tour to SA|date=2008-01-19|accessdate=2008-01-19|last=Cohen|first=Lauren|work=The Sunday Times|place=South Africa|publisher=AVUSA, Inc.]

On August 22 2008 although a free concert (not a part of the Taking Chances Tour), Dion sang in front of her biggest crowd at a live concert, when she performed on the Plains of Abraham to help celebrate Quebec City's 400th Birthday. Tickets were distributed to 250,000 people. [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon.cgi| title=250,000 Capacity for Quebec Concert!|accessdate=2008-07-18|work=Celine's Official Website]

According to "Billboard", all shows of the North American leg of the tour have sold out so far.

Quebec City 400th Anniversary Show

Although not officially a part of the Taking Chances Tour, Dion performed in front of 250,000 spectators at the Quebec City 400th Anniversary Concert. The concert was held at the Plains of Abraham on August 22, 2008. The concert was part of a year-long festivities to celebrate the founding of Quebec City. It was noted for being the largest crowd Dion has performed for in her entire recording history. The show, exclusively performed in French, featured many special guests, including: Garou, Marc Dupré, Don Birgas, Nanette Workman, and Mes Aïeux. The show aired live on Bell and was watched by over 200,000 people. [cite web|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2008/08/22/6543896-cp.html|title=Celine Dion performs free concert|date=2008-08-23|accessdate=2008-09-14|last=Richer|first=Jocelyne|work=CANOE|publisher=The Canadian Press]

hidden begin
titlestyle = background: #ccccff; font-size: 100%; width: 75%; text-align:center;
bodystyle = text-align: left; font-size: 100%; width: 75%;
title = Quebec City Anniversary Show Set List
# "Dans un Autre Monde Remix" (Video)
# "Dans un Autre Monde"
# "Destin"
# "On Ne Change Pas"
# "Seul" (Garou solo)
# "Sous Le Vent" (Dion and Garou)
# "Si Pour te Plaire" (Marc Dupré solo)
# "Tout Pres du Bonheur" (Dion and Dupré)
# "Show" (Nanette Workman solo)
# "Lady Marmalade" (Dion and Workman)
# "J'irai où tu iras" (Dion and Workman)
# "Tue-moi" (Dion and Dan Birgas)
# "O Fortuna" (Birgas solo)
# "Les 3 P'tits Cochons" (Dan Birgas and Mes Aïeux)
# "Ton Père est un Croche" (Mes Aïeux solo)
# "Dégénération" (Dion and Mes Aïeux)
# "La Bastringue" (Dion and the Dion family)
# "La Ballade de Jean Batailleur" (Zachary Richard solo)
# "Promesse cassée" (Dion and Richard)
# "L'arbre est dans Les Feuilles" (Dion and Richard)
# "L'amour Existe Encore" (Dion and Éric Lapointe)
# "Toucher" (Lapointe solo)
# "Mon Ange" (Lapointe solo)
# "Chasse-Galerie" (Garou, Lapointe and Claude Dubois)
# "Si Dieu existe" (Dion and Dubois)
# "Febbe De Reve" (Dubois solo)
# "Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)"
# "S'il Suffisait D'aimer"
# "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore"
# "Une Chance Qu'on S'a" (Dion and Jean-Pierre Ferland)
# "Un peu plus haut" (Dion and Ginette Reno)

Broadcasts and recordings

According to Dion's official website, a DVD for the tour is already in production. The DVD will feature two full-length concerts with English and French set list. The English set list is going to be recorded in Boston, while Québec for the French set list. The DVD will also have a behind-the-scenes featurette following Céline Dion during the entire year long tour. No release date has been announced. [cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/whatsgoinon.cgi|title=Celine Dion, Taking Chances Tour DVD|accessdate=2008-03-15|work=Celine's Official Website]

On August 22 2008, the City of Lévis aired Dion's honorary Quebec City's 400th birthday concert on both the web and television. Dion performed in front of 250,000 people. [cite web|url=http://www2.canoe.com/divertissement/musique/nouvelles/2008/08/01/6333016-ca.html|title=Rediffusion du spectacle de Céline Dion|date=2008-08-01|accessdate=2008-09-01|work=Canoë|language=French] Additionally on August 31 2008, a special performance of "My Love," aired on the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon". [cite web|url=http://www.mda.org/news/080820telethon_5Ws.html|title=2008 JERRY LEWIS MDA TELETHON|accessdate=2008-09-01|work=MDA]

Personnel

* Manager: René Angélil
* Tour director: Denis Savage
* Tour manager: Michel Dion (talent)
* Tour manager: Patrick Angélil (production, logistics and media relations)
* Production manager: Rick Mooney
* Assistant production manager: Shari Weber
* Stage manager: Alexandre Miasnikof
* Artist’s personal security: Nick Skokos
* Tour rigger: Cindy Beaumariage
* Lighting director: Yves “Lapin” Aucoin
* Front of house engineer: Francois “Frankie” Desjardins
* Monitor engineer: Charles Ethier
* Audio system engineer: Mario St-Onge
* RF engineer: Marc Theriault
* Assistant lighting director/lighting head: Karl Gaudreau
* Video director: Veillet Mireille
* Head back-line tech: Jeff Dubois
* Head video: Martin Perreault
* Production assistants: Sharie Weber, Stephanie Duval
* Tour accountant: Sylvia Hebel
* Director: Jamie King
* Tour director: Jim Allison, Concerts West
* Production director: Lonnie McKenzie
* Lighting, audio, video vendor: Solotech, Montreal

Band

* Musical director, keyboards: Claude Lemay
* Drums: Dominique Messier
* Bass: Marc Langis
* Guitars: André Coutu
* Violin, guitars: Jean Sebastien Carré
* Keyboards: Yves Frulla
* Percussion: Nanette Fortier
* Background Vocals: Élise Duguay, Mary-Lou Gauthier, Barnev Valsaint
* Dancers: Amanda Balen, Melissa Garcia, Kemba Shannon, Addie Yungme, Zac Brazenas, Dominic Chaiguang, Aaron Foelske, Miguel Perez, Chris Houston, Tammy To

References