It is two minutes after I've announced to my office that I have a pair of coveted Celine Dion tickets for BST Summer Time at Hyde Park, and someone has put her Greatest Hits on over the speakers. My colleagues begin to sing along together while working, occasionally busting out in a chorus of "BABY BABY BABY" or "NO NO NO NO"! I tweet that I'm going, and get a flood of messages from friends who I didn't know also had tickets. Attending or not, the excitement is palpable. I haven't even seen Celine yet, and I already known my evening is about to be iconic.
Celine performed at BST Hyde Park on Friday
Arriving at Hyde Park, there is a truly a mixture of people who have probably been fans of Celine since the 80s, and youngsters with a penchant for power ballads and a flair for the dramatics. The anticipation is palpable as we wait for Celine to hit the stage, and she does not disappoint. Dressed in a stunning blue jumpsuit, (one of four costume changes including a purple sequinned jumpsuit and a flowing green gown), she keeps stopping the set because she wants to chat to everyone so much. She shouts: "I'm looking out at this sea of people you look beautiful! People of London – my people. Are you ready to have a good time with me tonight?"
The star performed all of her classics
The songstress instantly has the crowds laughing and crying, peppering her pitch perfect power ballads including It's All Coming Back to Me Now and All By Myself with plenty of humour and even a sing-a-long to Because You Loved Me. She tells an anecdote about how Ryan Reynolds won her over to perform Ashes for Deadpool 2 (she thought he wanted her to co-star and that she would win an Oscar), performs an amazing version of Beauty and the Beast with a member of her band, and had a girl next to me in the crowd in floods of tears with her rendition of Pour que tu m'aimes encore.
At the end of her set, she said: "If I may, I would love to leave with this message of peace and harmony in the best way that I can," before sitting down in her final look, a sensational yellow gown, and performing Imagine to the crowd. Overall, it was one incredible night at the Great Oak Stage in Hyde Park. I only wish I could do it again!
