I think it’s only right that with the return of Queen Celine and her exciting Paris news that I dedicate a blog post to her and what for me has been the highlight of 2026!
As most people know I have been a huge Celine Dion fan since 1996 (hard to believe 30 years already) with the release of the Falling Into You CD. I can still remember so clearly blasting out ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ and ‘If That’s What It Takes’ (which I thought was the English translation of Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore) from my mini-hifi system and on repeat, much to the annoyance of my Dad! While most kids my age were all about boybands (East 17 for me), I was drawn to Celine and her power ballads! I found it refreshing to have a singer who wasn’t afraid of letting her personality shine through, how her sense of humour would take over in interviews and how she didn’t follow that typical manufactured pop-star act! An artist who knew how to stay true to herself and still does to this day!
17th April 2026 - A day to remember with the release of a beautiful new Celine Dion song ‘Dansons’
I first had tickets to see Celine in Botanic Belfast back in 1999 for the Let’s Talk About Love Tour which was unfortunately cancelled (and rightly so) due to Rene’s illness. It wasn’t until an almost decade later that I got to have my first concert experience, the 5th March 2008 in Manchester for the Taking Chances World Tour. I can still feel the emotions and excitement of that night, the arena going dark, the opening video, the first words of ‘I Drove All Night’ and Celine making her way to the stage so close to my left! It’s a night that has stayed with me all these years and will continue to do so for many years to come!
What do you say to Taking Chances? (Manchester MEN Arena 05/03/2008)
‘Is that alright Manchester?’ (Manchester MEN Arena 05/03/2008)
Eyes On Me - Celine merchandise perfect for this lover of all things purple!
I have also been very fortunate to experience Celine live in Las Vegas, the first on the 3rd July 2011 where the craziest rain and flooding hit The Strip and caused a short delay to the show, something that she made sure to make a joke about when taking to the stage ‘I bet you weren’t expecting that, rain in the desert!’ and again on the 5th September 2015, the year of my big 30th birthday celebrations!
Jump forward to that little known 2020 pandemic and with it the rescheduling and cancelling of the Courage World Tour and my London O2 date. As sad as it was to miss out on another Celine Dion concert, to know that it brought with it the biggest positive in allowing her to take the time to get the health answers needed was a reward in itself!
For fans and most people in general the ‘I Am Celine Dion’ documentary as beautiful as it was, hit extremely hard with seeing exactly what she had been silently dealing with over the years. It takes an incredibly strong character to allow that kind of ‘in’ and to show themselves at their most vulnerable, but in true Celine fashion it made her all the more relatable! She is someone who has never been afraid to show her emotions, to show how hard she works or the challenges she has faced! A global superstar who could be the biggest diva in the world and yet couldn’t be further from it!
Slowly working on that Celine Dion record collection!
Collecting Celine Dion CDs since Circa 1996!
And so here we are, the year of my big 40th celebrations and ready for Queen Celine to take to the stage once again, back where she truly belongs! I count myself incredibly lucky to not only have gotten tickets to what will be the most unforgettable night with the pre-sale lottery selection, but that I have an idol who has pushed through all boundaries with her determination in keeping her dream and legacy going! It’s honestly the best big birthday gift I could have been given!
The Life Of An Incredibly Lucky Fangirl, Paris, nous voilà!
So, here is to always believing, to pushing through boundaries and to following dreams! I can’t believe that I actually get to say… I’ll see you in Paris Celine!