I went-after years (no exaggerations) of trying to go-to the Jazz and Blues festival last night. Celine Dion performed!! AHHHHH!!!!!! Say what now?! Yes I saw Celine Dion perform live, in my little home country and that made for THE best birthday gift I have ever given to myself (my Nook colour comes in a very close second).
Now anyone who loves me knows how much I adore Celine Dion. My suitemates in college found it the funniest thing ever. But then again everything I did brought them joy ha (an i'm not bragging). They found interest in my every activity, I was after all the first Jamaican they had ever met so they have reason I suppose, but I digress.
Before I got to the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny, Jamaica where it was held, there were definitely moments where I was worried as to whether or not I was even going to get to see her. You see my transportation left approx. 45 mins late; then on our way down after leaving Ocho Rios we hit bumper to bumper traffic all the way into Trelawny and by extension the stadium. Then to add insult to injury passengers on the bus were getting "reports" from their friends already that the venue that Celine Dion was going on stage next or that she wasn't closing the show as was originally planned and many, many, other rumours. And rumours they were because none of them were true!! Thanks for the mini myocardial infarction (med school has to count for something) I really appreciated it, as if my diet wasn't contributing to that enough...
To make a long story short (if I really get started I you will be reading this from now into next year) I got to see her..*sighshappily*. It was so fantastic! I sat in the my seat and I kept thinking am I really here? Is she really in Jamaica? On this stage in front of me?! AHHHH!!!!! I owe my adoration for Celine Dion to an old (but never forgotten) friend from high school. I got all my Celine Dion music from her, and from that first CD loan on a nice sunny Saturday afternoon, after watching Yu-Gi-Oh and other Saturday morning cartoons/anime with my brother Celine had me at hello. Except it was very musical and as much of a greeting as you can get from CD.
Celine (b/c were close personal friends on a first name basis) performed many Jamaican favourites such as "I'm Alive" and "My Heart Will Go On". I believe Jamaica has a really special relationship with Celine Dion. It was absolutely amazing to see the response that she received last night. Mind blowing. I'm pretty sure everybody was singing along and dancing as she performed. Yes even the men. Jamaican men who always like to act like dem big an rough an tough were screaming for this woman like nobody's business! Two particular incidents stood out in my mind, one was a man who sat behind me. Now if you looked at this man on the road you wouldn't peg him for a Celine lover i'm sure. He was big and thick and muscular, I would run in the other direction, but when she came on the stage and this man shouted "Celine!!! OMG Celine!!!" I turned and laughed so hard. Not out of judgement, never that but I was just happy that someone was expressing what I felt inside, and shocked that he was male! Incident number two happened before Celine came on stage, Nicole Henry was performing and this woman is also another fantastic artiste, such an beautiful voice and a man above me shouted "Come off a di stage, a Celine we want." I laughed at that as well. Now thank the Lord in heaven that he was no where near the stage and that no one of any real importance heard, just thank God i didn't know him b/c that's rude and a little enbarrassing. Even if that's what you're thinking don't voice it! But like I said I laughed. This brought home the fact that nobody that came that night had any real interest in the other performers. Everybody came for Celine and there had to be more than 100,000 people there last night, it was crazy.
Crowd shot. Do you see all the people recording?! haha
But what can I say Jamaican's know what they want and they came to see her and they wanted her, that much was very apparent by the eruption that resulted on her arrival to the stage. Mind you there was to be no video recordings of any sort, but really who payed any attention to that?
Singing "I Drove all Night"
I'm sad that our bus left late, because as a result we arrived late and I didn't get a seat close up. So I was waaaaaayyyy in the back and because i'm no professional at photography, and my distance didn't help much all my pictures were crappy but I did the best I could with what I had and honestly i think I did pretty darned good lol.
Singing "Pour que tu m'aimes encore"
I must say though that I think her ending was pretty much anticlimactic. She is pretty much a DIVA and can do whatever she wants but maaaannnnnnnnnnnnn I wanted an exciting ending! I'll take what I got though and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction. All in all it was a wonderful night and I absolutely ecstatic that it happened. Celine Dion performed for the first time ever in the Caribbean and she did it in Jamaica, what more can I ask for? Thank you Celine Dion for your wonderful performance and for gracing my little country with your presence for the approx. day and a half you were here.
Other Performers included, Tami and Tessane Chin, Jully Black, Richie Stephens and the Gentleman and Nicole Hentry.
Richie Stephens and The
Gentleman
Nicole Henry
Yours,
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