Celine Dion makes up for lost time, returning to Memphis for FedExForum concert

Two decades after her last appearance on a Memphis stage, Celine Dion was apologetic about her long absence and determined not to let it happen again. 

“It’s been more than 20 years since we were last here. "What is that?,” Dion asked, in the midst of a Sunday night concert at FedExForum. “That’s way too long, that is not right. I’m gonna find out why that happened … and fix that.”   

Dion did her best to make up for lost time, playing for a wildly enthusiastic and near capacity crowd at the Forum. The scope of the audience was a testament to her enduring and universal appeal: old and young, men and women, gay and straight, they all turned out to sing, laugh and cry along with Dion. An unapologetically old-school performer, Dion traffics in sentimentality and schmaltz but does it so skillfully and genuinely that only the most churlish could be unmoved.  

A five-time Grammy winner who’s sold more than 200 million albums during her career, her current tour represents a long overdue return to the road, following a decade performing residencies in Las Vegas.

“They locked me out in the Nevada desert of all that time,” Dion joked. “But I escaped. And I’m finally back here to the great state of Tennessee and it feels just fantastic.”  

At 51, Dion’s octave-vaulting voice was as potent as ever, while the show saw her add a certain Vegas style and swagger — including multiple outfit changes — while retained her guileless bonhomie on stage. At one point she tore off a pair of elaborately puffy sleeves from her blouse in an impromptu striptease. “But that’s all that’s coming off, OK,” she chided the crowd in her pronounced French-Canadian accent.  

The 18-song setlist touched on a couple of numbers off her recent album “Courage,” but mostly she focused on a string of mega pop hits from the ‘90s (“The Power of Love,” “Because You Loved Me”), her interpretations of popular love ballads (Patti LaBelle’s “If You Asked Me To,” Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself”) and movie and show tunes (“Beauty and the Beast”).   

Supported by an energetic 17-piece group — which included a string section, a horn section, and a troupe of backing vocalists — Dion guided a well-paced performance, studded with plenty of audience interaction. 

In between songs, she spoke of her love for Memphis and the city's history, noting the Bluff City’s designation as “the birthplace of rock and roll. And I also know your city is the home of the blues. So I think this one is right up your alley,” she said before performing the French R&B slow burner “Tous les blues sont écrits pour toi.”

Throughout the night, Dion worked the arena tirelessly in her flowing dresses and high heels. After getting tangled up in her outfit, she said in mock indignation: “Could this dress have a longer train? The train is supposed follow me, not me follow the train.”

Later, she broke from the performance to greet a young girl at the foot of the stage who presented her with a rose and teddy bear. She stopped to put the girl on stage and pose for a photo — and sing a snatch of Elvis Presley’s "Teddy Bear" as well. 

After closing with a  medley of dance hits — that moved from David Bowie to Queen, Tina Turner to LaBelle — Dion emerged for her encore in an epically plumed white gown to perform her love theme from the movie “Titanic,” “My Heart Will Go On,” before closing with a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”  

“Memphis,” she said in one of many heartfelt declarations during the night, “you’ve given so much courage, especially in my most difficult moments. I thank you from my heart.”