By MELODY GOH and JO TEH

KUALA LUMPUR: Canadian singing sensation Celine Dion lived up to her top billing right here last night with a power-packed performance in the open.

The petite 39-year-old Dion performed 22 songs, almost non-stop, as over 10,000 fans at Stadium Merdeka followed her every move, and tune.

The show kicked off at 8.50pm with vignettes of Dion’s many music videos shown on two large screen placed at the sides of the stage.

The singer got things going with the fast-paced I Drove All Night, followed by one of her smash hits, Power of Love.

Thrilling concert: Dion performing in front of more than 10,000 fans at Stadium Merdeka last night.

Dion then extended her apologies to Malaysians for postponing the show, which had initially been scheduled for April 8, saying that she had fallen ill while performing in Australia.

“Thank you for being understanding and for giving me another chance to perform here tonight,” said Dion, as the audience cheered her on.

She also said that the rain began to worry her when she arrived here earlier yesterday.

“But I was told that it usually rained in the afternoons here, so that was all right,” she quipped.

Backed by an ensemble that included four guitarists, a drummer and a pianist, Dion also belted out her other chart-topping hits like Because You Loved Me, All By Myself, Alone and a French number, Pour Que Tu M’Aimes Encore.

Also on stage with her were three backing vocalists and eight dancers, who entertained the audience during short intervals.

Dion reserved the best for last, when she sang her monster hit My Heart Will Go On, which was the theme song for the movie Titanic.

The concert, part of her “Taking Chances World Tour” with Kuala Lumpur being the only South-East Asian venue, ended at 10.30pm.

Also present were Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and singer Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and her husband Datuk Khalid Mohd Jiwa.

source: the star online