REVIEW

In some ways the Celine Dion show seems a throwback to a different era. In some ways it is.

Most ticketholders in the house bought their tickets in a different climate - they went on sale nine months before the show, scheduled for last November. That was then postponed till Tuesday.

In this new era of austerity, the Dion tour is a rare extravaganza, throwing in every trick in the staging book - huge screens, an in-the-round stage, video, a 10-piece backing band, rising platforms, the works.

The biggest effect, however, is Dion herself, she of the voice that could cut glass and acting as excited as Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch. Wearing impossibly high heels and an impossibly short skirt, Dion took the stage to the hit I Drove All Night and kept the crowd under her spell the rest of the evening.

Whether you like Dion's music or not (sign me up for the latter), it's hard to be even mildly cynical with her stage presence - playing to the crowd and the cameras at the same time, hammy and cheesy, yet sincere and goofily earnest.

After two songs she stopped for an extended heartfelt apology for the postponement of the show, and took the time to thank the doctors, nurses and patients at Craig Hospital, where her nephew had undergone some physical rehabilitation (and who were repaid with rows and rows of great seats at the show).

She also charmingly recalled being the act to open the Pepsi Center nearly a decade ago (her last performance here) and pointed out old friends Pierre Lacroix and Phil Anschutz in the crowd.

Even with ticket prices in the triple-digits in these hard times, it would be hard for a fan to come away unhappy. The years of Vegas dates have honed Dion's patter to a fine comedic point.

Hit after hit came off the stage, including over-the-top cabaret versions of All By Myself and Alone. Songs like Taking Chances, the title track of her latest album, play much better live than on disc.

Comedian/voice impressionist Gordie Brown opened the show, reinforcing my notion that comedy should open more shows these days. Rather than another musical act to endure, Brown had the crowd from the get-go, lampooning everyone from Louis Armstrong to Axl Rose in song.

It was occasionally below-the-belt humor, but also a rare time when a crowd gave a standing ovation to a guy they hadn't heard of 30 minutes earlier.

At press time Dion was still onstage belting out an endless string of hits, with her Titanic signature song, My Heart Will Go On, scheduled as the final encore.

Celine Dion

*When:Tuesday night

*Where: Pepsi Center

*Grade: B