Taking Chances World Tour

The Taking Chances World Tour was the tenth concert tour by Canadian singer Celine Dion, organized to support her tenth English‑language studio album, Taking Chances (2007). The tour marked Dion's return to major international stages following five years of her successful Las Vegas residency, A New Day..., and was her first worldwide tour since the Let's Talk About Love World Tour (1998–1999). It opened in South Africa before continuing through Asia and Australia, then moved to Europe for a two‑and‑a‑half‑month run, and concluded with a six‑month North American leg that also included dates in Mexico and Puerto Rico. The tour grossed US$279.2 million overall, with $236.6 million earned in 2008 and $42.6 million in 2009. It was the second highest‑grossing tour of 2008 and ranked seventh among the most successful concert tours of the 2000s.

Background and development

The show, directed by Jamie King—known for his work with Madonna—combined Dion's performances with elaborate staging, fashion elements and choreography. The set included many of her best‑known songs as well as material from her English‑language album Taking Chances. The two‑hour production was divided into four thematic segments—soul, rock, Middle Eastern‑inspired and "fashion‑victim"—and included eight dancers. Rehearsals took place in December 2007 in Primm, Nevada, and at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The technical setup incorporated 20 LED screens, one of which moved above the stage, along with catwalks, conveyor belts, elevators and ramps. Dion also recorded several video sequences for use during the show. The opening film depicted her driving at high speed to a remix of "I Drove All Night". Two versions of this introduction were created: an early one highlighting moments from her career, used in South Africa, Asia, Australia and some European dates, and a later version showing footage from cities visited on the tour. Another montage presented Dion in various fashion styles over the years, accompanied by a remix of "My Heart Will Go On".

King rejoined the production on 2 May 2008 in Manchester, England. Prior to that, the show was not staged in the round (except in Japan) due to logistical constraints. After two and a half months on the road, Dion rehearsed again to refine the performance for the central‑stage configuration. Because of her bilingual repertoire and the limitations of certain venues, King developed three distinct versions of the show. One was an English‑language, in‑the‑round production using the full system of mobile screens and stage machinery. A second, also staged centrally, incorporated ten of her most popular French‑language songs for Francophone audiences. A third, simplified version was created for arenas where the central stage could not be installed; these performances used an end‑stage layout with a large central screen and an expanded lighting design. Before the European leg, both the central‑ and end‑stage versions were finalized and reconfigured to ensure compatibility across venues. New costumes debuted at the start of the European shows.

Dion and her band rehearsed approximately 60 songs in English and French, from which about 27 were selected for performance depending on the market. "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", one of her most successful French‑language singles, was included throughout the tour; the song had set records in the 1990s as the best‑selling French‑language single of all time and one of the few French songs to chart widely outside Francophone regions. Dion also performed several cover songs, including James Brown's "I Got the Feelin'" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World", and Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "The Show Must Go On", though the Queen songs were removed after the 27 October show in Winnipeg. She also performed Kiki Dee's "I've Got the Music in Me", which was dropped after the concert in South Korea.

When the tour reached Dion's home province of Quebec, she performed eight sold‑out shows in Montreal and two in Quebec City. Although not officially part of the tour, Dion also gave a free concert on 22 August 2008 for an audience of 250,000 at the Plains of Abraham during the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. The French‑language performance included numerous guest appearances. The event was broadcast live on Bell Satellite TV and viewed by more than 200,000 people at home.

Broadcasts and recordings

On 22 August 2008, the City of Lévis broadcast Dion's honorary concert for Quebec City's 400th anniversary online and on television. The event attracted an audience of 250,000 people. On 31 August 2008, a special performance of "My Love" aired during the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. The telethon performance was later used as the official music video for the single.

An official tour photo book, Celine autour du monde, was released on 24 September 2009 in Quebec and France. The 368‑page volume includes 485 photographs by Gérard Schachmes, presenting images from concerts, backstage moments, and Dion's travels. It also includes photos of her family, the tour crew, dancers, singers, musicians and technicians, as well as scenes from locations such as the River Thames, an African safari, and early‑morning stage preparations in New York. The book was released in Canada on 14 October 2009, with editions for the United States and Japan planned.

The tour was documented in the film Celine: Through the Eyes of the World, which follows Dion on stage, behind the scenes and during personal moments with her family. The documentary was released on DVD and Blu‑ray on 11 May 2010.

Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert was also released on 11 May 2010. It includes a DVD and live CD of the English‑ and French‑language setlists (issued separately). The English recordings were made in Boston on 12–13 August 2008, while the French recordings were captured in Montreal on 31 August and 1 September 2008. A deluxe edition includes both DVDs, a 52‑page booklet and fold‑out souvenir postcards.

Commercial reception

The tour achieved major commercial success worldwide, generating a total gross of US$279.2 million—US$236.6 million in 2008 and an additional US$42.6 million in 2009. These earnings placed it among the highest‑grossing concert tours of its time, ranking second globally in 2008 and later appearing seventh on the list of the most successful concert tours of the 2000s.

Dion set a Canadian concert record when all her Montreal shows sold out within minutes. After additional dates were added, bringing the total to 11, Montreal became the tour's largest market, drawing an average of 20,995 attendees per show and a combined total of 227,616 spectators. By that time, Dion had appeared at the Bell Centre 31 times since 1996.

Other Canadian dates also sold out rapidly, leading to second shows in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, and a third in Toronto. In the United States, extra dates were added in New York, Uniondale, Boston, and Newark. In Ireland, 64,000 tickets for her Dublin concert—the largest single show of the tour—sold out in three hours.

Dion also sold out stadium concerts in South Africa, the Netherlands (50,000 attendees), and Denmark (42,000). A second date was added in Sydney following strong demand. On 22 August 2008, Dion performed a free concert on the Plains of Abraham as part of the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, attracting an estimated 250,000 attendees.

Dion's 7 February 2008 concert at The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor sold out in 15 minutes, with more than 125 fans queuing overnight for tickets. Her performance at the Sprint Center in Kansas City became the arena's highest‑grossing concert at the time, earning $1,661,827, a record later surpassed by Elton John and Billy Joel. Her Miami concert at the American Airlines Arena set an attendance record with 17,725 tickets sold. Although Britney Spears surpassed that attendance two months later, Dion's concert grossed $2,247,233 compared with Spears's $1,972,928.

Dion became the top‑selling performer for three venues: Montreal's Bell Centre, Kansas City's Sprint Center, and the New Orleans Arena, where her concert grossed $1,829,331. Her 2008 Bell Centre shows ranked second on Billboard's Top 25 Boxscores list.

Critical reception

The concerts received mixed reviews from critics. Diane Coetzer of Billboard wrote that Dion's first performance in South Africa "may not have ultimately succeeded in presenting her as a multi-faceted performer, but it definitely confirmed that Dion is a singer of unparalleled ability. Performing in a stadium that ordinarily holds rugby fans and flanked by two huge screens, Dion used her astonishing voice to captivate the near-capacity crowd". Coetzer praised the choreography and visual production, but felt that the inclusion of soul covers and songs by Queen created an awkward shift in tone until the finale, when "My Heart Will Go On" was performed.

Jon Caramanica of the New York Times observed that Dion "showed off a few new tricks without violating her core tenets of scale and pomp". However, he described some material, including "My Love", as "a technical exercise, a singer practicing her vocal workout in front of thousands of people". The Independent gave the London concert a negative review, awarding it two stars out of five and stating, "Many singers perform in their second language and manage to sound convincing. Despite selling a reported 200 million albums – including 27 million copies of that Titanic soundtrack – Céline Dion is not one of them".

Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times offered a more enthusiastic assessment, writing that the tour was becoming "one of the highest-grossing North American concert attractions of 2008" and praising Dion's ability to deliver "emotional climax after emotional climax" supported by extensive production elements. He noted that despite the show's technical polish, Dion allowed "her human side" to emerge between songs, which he felt balanced the more elaborate arrangements. Lewis also drew attention to the focus on new material and the strong support from her band, backing vocalists, and dancers. As in Coetzer's review, the soul covers were viewed less favorably.

Sarah Rodman of the Boston Globe responded positively, writing that "there was never a dearth of stimulation", citing costume changes, lighting, video elements, and the use of dancers. She concluded that even when the material was not as strong, Dion's performance remained compelling.

CTV News praised Dion's Montreal performance, noting her characteristic stage mannerisms and the enthusiastic response from fans. The outlet described the concert as a significant return to touring after her five-year Las Vegas residency, with audiences showing strong engagement throughout the show.

Much of the critical divide centered on Dion's updated stage persona following her Las Vegas residency. Dave Simpson of The Guardian awarded the Manchester concert three stars out of five, commenting that during her touring hiatus "Dion has clearly been abducted by aliens and replaced by CelineBarbie", referring to her more stylized choreography, flirtatious stage presence, and reinterpretations of rock and pop material. Sun Media gave the Toronto concert 3.5 stars out of 5, questioning whether Dion was truly "taking chances" and describing her as "basically Vegas personified". Conversely, The Vancouver Sun praised the show's staging and noted Dion's efforts to interact with the audience, while questioning the extent to which such gestures could genuinely "humanize" a performer with such a devoted fanbase.

Opening act

• Jody Williams (South Africa)
• Yuna Ito (Japan)
• Anthony Callea (Australia)
• Michaël Gregorio (Europe, select dates)
• Arno Carstens (England)
• Il Divo (Ireland)
• Jon Mesek (Germany, Austria)
• The Storys (Netherlands)
• Nordstrøm (Denmark)
• Calaisa (Sweden, Finland)
• Lenka Filipová (Czech Republic)
• Natalia Lesz (Poland)
• Gordie Brown (North America, select dates)
• Véronic DiCaire (Montreal and Quebec)

Tour dates

Cancelled shows

Personnel

• Celine Dion – lead vocals

Band

• Claude "Mégo" Lemay – musical director, piano
• Dominique Messier – drums
• Marc Langis – bass
• André Coutu – guitars
• Jean Sebastien Carré – violin
• Yves Frulla – keyboards
• Nannette Fortier – percussion
• Julie McInnes – cello
• Élise Duguay – background vocals, cello, tin whistle
• Mary-Lou Gauthier – background vocals
• Barnev Valsaint – background vocals
• Andrew St. Pierre – background vocals
• Amanda Balen – dancer
• Melissa Garcia – dancer
• Kemba Shannon – dancer
• Addie Yungmee – dancer
• Zac Brazenas – dancer
• Joshua Figueroa – dancer
• Dominic Chaiduang – dancer
• Aaron Foelske – dancer
• Miguel Perez – dancer
• Chris Houston – dancer
• Tammy To – dancer

Production

• René Angélil – manager
• Denis Savage – tour director
• Michel Dion – tour manager (talent)
• Patrick Angélil – tour manager (production, logistics, media relations)
• Rick Mooney – production manager
• Shari Weber – assistant production manager
• Alexandre Miasnikof – stage manager
• Nick Skokos – artist's personal security
• Cindy Beaumariage – tour rigger
• Yves "Lapin" Aucoin – lighting director
• François "Frankie" Desjardins – front of house engineer
• Charles Ethier – monitor engineer
• Mario St-Onge – audio system engineer
• Marc Theriault – RF engineer
• Trevelynn Henuset DC – health services/chiropractor
• Karl Gaudreau – assistant lighting director, lighting head
• Veillet Mireille – video director
• Jeff Dubois – head back-line technician
• Guy Vignola – computer programmer, keyboard technician
• Martin Perreault – head of video
• Sharie Weber – production assistant
• Stephanie Duval – production assistant
• Sylvia Hebel – tour accountant
• Jamie King – creative director
• Jim Allison (Concerts West) – tour director
• Lonnie McKenzie – production director
• Solotech (Montreal) – lighting, audio, video vendor
• Billy Wilson – merchandiser

See also

• List of highest-grossing concert tours
• List of highest-grossing concert tours by women

Notes