Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are strongly rumoured to be performing a duet at tomorrow’s (26 July) Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris.

French journalist Thierry Moreau reports on X that the pair have rehearsed Édith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose for the occasion, with both said to be staying at same hotel near the Champs-Élysée.

Dion has not performed live since 2022, when she rescheduled and cancelled a number of concerts after being diagnosed with incurable neurological condition Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). The Canadian was later forced to axe her entire 2023/24 European tour due to her ongoing health battle.

The 2024 Olympic opening ceremony will be the first held outside a stadium, taking place along a 6km stretch of the Seine River and at Trocadero, showcasing Parisian landmarks.

French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura it expected to perform a Charles Aznavour classic, accompanied by the Republican Guard

Award-winning theatre director Thomas Jolly will serve as artistic director, but details of performers have remained a closely guarded secret. As well as Dion and Gaga, Time Out reports that French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura will perform a Charles Aznavour classic, accompanied by the Republican Guard.

Domestic acts Sofiane Pamart, Juliette Armanet, Philippe Katerine, Cerrone, Marina Viotti, Gojira and Rim’K are also set to appear.

Singer-songwriter Slimane, who represented France at the last Eurovision Song Contest, will also reportedly give a free concert in Saint-Denis tomorrow, backed by a symphony orchestra, just hours before the opening ceremony.

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Celine Dion has cancelled her entire European tour due to her ongoing health battle.

The 55-year-old previously rescheduled a number of concerts last December after being diagnosed with an incurable neurological condition called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS).

However, she has now been forced to scrap the remaining 42 nights on sale for 2023 and 2024.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” says the Canadian singer. “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”

Dion completed the first 52 dates of her Courage World Tour in North America from September 2019 to March 2020, grossing US$104 million at the box office, before the tour was paused due to the pandemic.

The run was due to restart in the Netherlands on 26 August with the first of three shows at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, and wrap up with two nights at The O2 in London from 21-22 April 2024.

“As the world has emerged from the pandemic, Celine has continued to be treated for a diagnosed medical condition that prevents her from performing,” adds a statement posted on the star’s social media channels. “Celine is working hard on her recovery, but at this time is unable to successfully prepare for and perform the remainder of the tour, which was scheduled to run from August 26, 2023 in Amsterdam through October 4, 2023 in Helsinki; then continuing from March 6, 2024 in Prague through April 22, 2024 in London.

“Celine’s medical team continues to evaluate and treat the condition”

“We do have every hope that someday soon, Celine will be able to come to all these cities in Europe to perform for her amazing fans, but that time simply is not now.”

It continues: “In early 2021, when the entertainment industry was still working under tight Covid restrictions, Celine filmed her first motion picture, Love Again, co-starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan.

“Since then, Celine has revealed that she has been diagnosed with a rare condition called Stiff Person’s Syndrome, which causes severe and persistent muscle spasms, and which has prevented her from performing. Celine’s medical team continues to evaluate and treat the condition.”

SPS affects approximately one in 200,000 individuals in the UK, and is caused by the body’s immune system attacking itself. There is no cure for the disease, but it is treatable in most cases through chemical intervention and immune therapies.

Dion first spoke about her SPS symptoms in October 2021, when she postponed the beginning of her Las Vegas residency due to what she described as “severe and persistent” muscle spasms.

The singer’s groundbreaking 2003-2007 Vegas residency, A New Day…, became the most successful residency of all time, grossing more than $385m from 717 shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

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AEG Presents and its subsidiary Concerts West are marking 20 years of events and residencies in Las Vegas, US.

Two decades ago, AEG Presents and Concerts West (founded by Tom Hulett in 1967) launched the first-ever modern-day residency with superstar Celine Dion, whose 16-year run at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace remains the most successful Las Vegas residency of all time.

Dion performed 1,141 shows for over 4.5 million fans, paving the way for artists including Elton John, Cher, Bette Midler, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Reba and Brooks & Dunn and Rod Stewart.

Concerts West booked and operated The Colosseum from 2003 to 2019, and welcomed over 10.3 million fans to the venue which exceeded $1.4 billion in ticket revenue.

In 2009, the promoter launched the first-ever rock ‘n’ roll residency in Las Vegas with Santana at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, for 71 performances at the venue through 2011.

In the decade that followed, they welcomed a number of extended rock engagements to the legendary venue, including Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, before becoming the exclusive booker and operator of the rebranded Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (established Sept. 2021).

In 2019, AEG Presents extended the residency model at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, with marquee artists such as Lionel Richie, Bryan Adams and Sebastian Maniscalco helping to put the venue on Billboard’s annual list of highest-grossing venues in the world in its category.

“We’re so grateful to have been such a part of the long history of entertainment in this remarkable city”

In 2021, in a joint development with Resorts World Las Vegas, Concerts West/AEG Presents became the exclusive booker and operator of the Resorts World Theatre, the newest and most technologically advanced venue on the Las Vegas Strip. It has since launched the residencies of Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and David Blaine.

In 2022, Resorts World Theatre was named the highest-grossing venue in the world for a capacity of 5,000 or less in Billboard’s year-end boxscore charts.

In addition to opening these venues, Concerts West/AEG Presents has also consistently booked performances at several other popular Las Vegas Strip venues, including properties such as Wynn Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Park MGM/ Dolby Live, Venetian Las Vegas, the Michelob ULTRA Arena, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, The Beach at Mandalay Bay and others.

“We’re so grateful to have been such a part of the long history of entertainment in this remarkable city,” says John Meglen, president and co-CEO of Concerts West. “We’re thankful to all of the artists who have trusted us to help them build such an important part of their performing careers, and we are proud of all of our employees who have helped us achieve this…many of them from the very first day, twenty years ago.”

In celebration of their 20th anniversary in Vegas, entertainment fans will have the opportunity to enter to win a Grand Prize to win a pair of tickets to twenty shows playing now through April 1, 2024. That includes concerts from the likes of Katy Perry, Brad Paisley, Sabrina Carpenter, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.

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Celine Dion has rescheduled and cancelled a number of concerts after being diagnosed with an incurable neurological condition called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS).

The star’s 23-date European tour, which was due to kick off in Prague on 24 February 2023 and culminate at London’s O2 on 11 April, has now been postponed until 2024.

While eight of her summer shows scheduled for 2023, including dates in Europe and the Middle East, have been cancelled.

The 54-year-old singer revealed her diagnosis an emotional video posted to her Instagram account on 8 December.

“I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now,” she said. “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges … We now know [SPS] is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having.

“Unfortunately the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life”

“Unfortunately the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to,” she continued. “I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children who are supporting me and giving me hope. I’m working hard with my support medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle.”

SPS affects approximately one in 200,000 individuals in the UK, and is caused by the body’s immune system attacking itself. There is no cure for the disease, but it is treatable in most cases through chemical intervention and immune therapies.

Dion first spoke about her SPS symptoms in October 2021, when she postponed the beginning of her Las Vegas residency due to what she described as “severe and persistent” muscle spasms.

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Some of the world’s biggest artists, collectively worth more than US$1 billion in ticket revenue between 2018 and 2020, will hit the road again in 2021 and ’22, as confidence builds for a return to international touring over the next 12 months.

Sir Elton John, Celine Dion, Metallica, Michael Bublé, Guns N’ Roses, Bruce Springsteen and Eagles – all of whom ranked among the highest-grossing tours of 2018, 2019 and 2020, grossing more than $1bn between them – have in recent weeks revealed plans for new or rescheduled global tours, many of them starting as soon as this summer.

Sir Elton has extended his disrupted final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, with a bumper 30-date, six-month stadium run across across mainland Europe, the UK and the United States.

https://twitter.com/eltonofficial/status/1407684876338405378

“Hello, all you wonderful fans out there. I’m coming to you today with an announcement I’ve been working towards for, well, all my life: the shows that I announce today will be my final tour dates ever in North America and Europe,” he says in a statement.

“I’m going to go out in the biggest possible way, performing at my very best, with the most spectacular production I’ve ever had, playing in places that have meant so much to me throughout my career.

“Whether it’s next summer in Frankfurt or at the legendary Dodger Stadium for the grand finale in the United States, I can’t wait to see you all on the road one last time. This has been an incredible tour so far, full of the most amazing highs, and I look forward to making more wonderful memories with you at these final shows.”

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, Sir Elton’s farewell tour, was brought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic last March, with the last show on 7 March 2020 at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta, Australia. The tour resumes on 1 September at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin and will conclude in Australasia in 2023.

The tour, produced and promoted by AEG Presents, grossed $212 million in 2019 and $71.2m in 2020.

“I’m going to go out in the biggest possible way, performing at my very best”

Springsteen, who grossed an incredible $88.3m from his Springsteen on Broadway shows, which had an average ticket price of $509, in 2018, also has live plans for 2022.

As well as reviving Springsteen on Broadway, Springsteen confirmed to E Street Radio on SiriusXM he is planning a full tour with his E Street Band in 2022. “I knew we were going to tour with the band next year,” he said, “[but] I had a friend who got so enthusiastic about it [Springsteen on Broadway] that he talked me into it sitting on my couch one night. The next day I said, ‘OK, we’ll do some shows.’ It really came around kind of casually.”

Eagles, meanwhile recently added another six dates to their long-delayed Hotel California tour, which kicks off at Madison Square Garden in New York in August.

While the band has only announced the rescheduled US dates so far (the first leg ends at Chase Center in San Francisco on 23 October 2021), pre-pandemic the Live Nation-promoted tour included included dates in London (Wembley Stadium) and Los Cabos, Mexico (Cabo en Vivo), so it is expected that additional European and Latin American shows are still to be announced.

Eagles grossed $166m from their 2018 North American tour.

Metal titans Metallica earlier this month announced six European festival shows for 2022, adding to the open-air shows pencilled in for the US in September, October and November 2021.

“We have waited far too long to say these words: we’re getting back out there”

Under the banner The Return of the European Summer Vacation, the band will play headline shows at Denmark’s Copenhell, the Netherlands’ Pinkpop, Italy’s Firenze Rocks, the Czech Republic’s Prague Rocks, Belgium’s Rock Werchter, Spain’s Mad Cool and Portugal’s NOS Alive. .

“We have waited far too long to say these words: we’re getting back out there and are finally announcing our return to Europe in 2022,” say Metallica in a statement. “Needless to say, we cannot wait to see all of you once again as our European ’tallica Family will finally have a chance to reunite in June and July of next year.”

The festivals next year will be Metallica’s first European shows since their Worldwired global tour, which grossed a total of $179m in 2019.

Elsewhere, Bublé (who grossed $115.8m in 2019 and $24.8m in 2020) is resuming his An Evening With Michael Bublé tour in North America in August, while Dion’s (2020 gross: $71.2m) postponed Courage world tour will finally kick off the same month in Winnipeg.

Also resuming a postponed tour this summer are Guns’ N Roses, whose world stadium tour – newly rechristened We’re F’n’ Back! – will begin at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on 31 July 2021. The tour will include Australasian dates later this year and a string of European stadium shows next summer.

Opening the tour will be the late Eddie Van Halen’s bassist, son Wolfgang, with his band Mammoth WVH.

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Major US agency ICM Partners has won a legal battle over unpaid commissions from a deal negotiated and procured for former client Celine Dion with AEG.

The superstar signed a $500 million multi-year touring and performing contract with AEG in 2017 but was dropped by her representative of over 30 years Rob Prinz (ICM partner and co-head of worldwide concerts) in 2019 after failing to pay commission.

ICM sued the singer to receive the unpaid funds and the company announced on Wednesday (18 November) that the California labour commissioner ruled in its favour, upholding the terms of the contract even after the representation has ended.

The ruling states: “Although the Omnibus Agreement (Dion’s agreement with AEG negotiated by ICM and Prinz) is valued at a staggering half a billion dollars, the labour commissioner has dealt with similar matters, albeit not in this monetary range.

“In similar fact patterns, we have consistently applied the rule stating. [A] talent agency is generally entitled to receive post-termination commissions for all employment secured by the agency prior to its termination.”

“[The ruling] unequivocally confirmed ICM’s and Rob Prinz’s right to commission an extremely lucrative deal”

The labour commissioner cited fellow cases, including ICM Partners v James Bates, Paradigm Talent Agency v Charles Carroll and Endeavor Agency v Alyssa Milano, in the decision.

“Further, [c]ommissions are owed post termination for monies negotiated by the agent during the term of the agreement and the artist cannot unilaterally determine there is no further obligation to pay for work already performed.”

Patricia Glaser, litigation counsel for ICM Partners says: “We are very pleased that the labour commissioner listened to the testimony of numerous witnesses over several days and reviewed a significant number of documents before issuing a very thoughtful 32-page opinion which unequivocally confirmed ICM’s and Rob Prinz’s right to commission an extremely lucrative deal which they were instrumental in negotiating and procuring.”

Rick Levy, general counsel, ICM Partners says: “This ruling leaves no doubt that Rob Prinz and ICM not only had a legally enforceable agreement to commission Ms Dion’s AEG deal, but that, throughout her brilliant career, Rob represented her in an exemplary manner, culminating in an unprecedented touring and residency contract.

“As the labour commissioner found, agents have every right to be paid for the work they do for their clients, especially where, as here, Rob’s more than two decades of hard work resulted in raising her compensation to dizzying new levels.”

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With gross earnings of nearly US$90 million, Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road was the biggest tour globally in the first half of 2020 according to the latest Pollstar box-office numbers.

The site’s mid-year Top 100 Worldwide Tours shows Sir Elton had grossed $87.1m from 38 shows, with a total of 664,749 tickets sold, when concert touring ground to a pandemic-induced halt in March. (The ‘mid-year’ reporting period runs from 21 November 2019 to 20 May 2020, though the final show of John’s only 2020 touring period, at Western Sydney Stadium in Australia, took place months before, on 7 March.)

Sir Elton’s AEG-promoted success down under outshone his nearest competition to the tune of $16m, Celine Dion placing second with Courage world tour, which played arenas in North America from September to March. Another AEG tour, Courage grossed $71.2m from 33 shows, with 408,407 tickets sold.

Third and fourth, and the only other artists grossing more than $50m, were Trans-Siberian Orchestra and U2, respectively, while fifth-placed Post Malone recorded $38.8m from 22 dates.

Live Nation, unsurprisingly, retains its crown as the number-one promoter; Madrid’s WizInk Center is a new entry for top arena, having sold 30,000 more tickets than second-placed Madison Square Garden.

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A host of new artists have joined the line-up for One World: Together at Home, a livestreamed benefit concert co-curated by Lady Gaga in celebration of health workers and in support of the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 solidarity response fund.

Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, Christine and the Queens, the Killers, Sam Smith, Alicia Keys, Usher and Celine Dion join previously announced acts Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Lizzo, John Legend, Paul McCartney, J Balvin and many more for the mega charity concert, which is taking place on Saturday 18 April from 8 p.m. (EDT).

First announcing the event last week, Gaga revealed she had helped to raise $35 million for the WHO fund, which is dedicated to funding protective equipment for health workers and efforts to find a Covid-19 vaccine.

On Monday, the singer called on world leaders including Canada’s Justin Trudeau, France’s Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to contribute funds to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, organisations seeking to find a vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus.

As part as the One World: Together at Home initiative, Global Citizen, the social action platform that has partnered with the WHO to produce the event, is calling on individuals, philanthropists, investors and business to support global health efforts.

“We are incredibly grateful for the continued support from the artist community to make One World: Together At Home a moment of global unity”

“We are grateful to the private sector who have listened to the public’s call for action and come together to support the global response to Covid-19,” says Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen. “This pandemic is too large for governments to tackle alone.

“We are also incredibly grateful for the continued support from the artist community to make One World: Together At Home a moment of global unity,” continues Evans. “Our hope for the special is that everyone will come away believing that we, as a shared humanity, can emerge from this moment forever grateful for the work of doctors, nurses, teachers, grocery store workers, and all those who are the backbone of our communities.”

One World: Together at Home, which will be hosted by US talk show hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, will be broadcast live across US television networks ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as being streamed online.

Internationally, the UK’s BBC One will show an adapted version of the concert the following day from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (BST), including exclusive performances from UK artists and interviews with frontline health workers. Additional international broadcasters include AXS TV, beIN Media Group, IMDb, MultiChoice Group, and RTE.

There will also be a globally curated digital show beginning at 2 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. GMT. Streaming partners include Alibaba, Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, LiveXLive, Tencent, Tencent Music Entertainment Group, TIDAL, TuneIn, Twitch, Twitter, Yahoo, and YouTube.

Photo: proacguy1/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) (cropped)

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AEG Presents has introduced a series of new sustainability initiatives and community-based activities to make British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park 2019 its most eco-friendly and inclusive yet.

BST Hyde Park returns this Friday (5 July) with an exclusive European performance from Celine Dion. Other performances over the ten-day event will come from Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Florence and the Machine and Robbie Williams.

Sustainable practices at the event include a zero waste to landfill policy, achieved through the use of biodegradable food packaging and cutlery. Heineken, BST’s drinks partner, is trialling a new plastic-free, 100% compostable paper cup. The majority of food traders (80%) will also offer meat-free options.

A post-event litter pick-up team will ensure no trace is left behind once the festival is over and a dedicated ‘Green Team’ will maximise recycling rates, introducing a new bin system to recycle previously non-recyclable plastics such as crisp packets, carrier bags and bottle caps.

Biodiesels such as hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) will be the fuel of choice to avoid the harmful diesel emissions produced by many live events.

Situated in the heart of London, a community impact management will be on site at BST, helping AEG to limit the effect on the local area. A four-day midweek event, Open House, will take place from Monday 8 to Thursday 11 July with movie nights, live music, street food, tennis screenings, family theatre and an ambient performance from Icelandic avant-rock band Sigur Rós.

“As a ten-day event with nearly half a million visitors each year we have a huge responsibility to deliver for our visitors, the local community and Hyde Park itself”

AEG are offering training and paid employment opportunities will be available to students at schools and universities and raising money for BST’s partner charities, including the Royal Parks charity and My Cause UK.

“We work very closely with AEG Presents to ensure our Sustainability Strategy is embedded into the British Summer Time event planning process and so we welcome the pioneering green practices being introduced this year,” says the Royal Parks head of events, Alun Mainwaring.

“As a ten-day event with nearly half a million visitors each year we have a huge responsibility to deliver for our visitors, the local community and Hyde Park itself,” comments AEG Presents senior events manager Jenny Hamada.

“We take this responsibility extremely seriously and work with our partner the Royal Parks year-round to build and implement positive initiatives.”

Another focus for the BST Hyde Park team is accessibility. AEG Presents celebrated a double win at the Outstanding Attitude Awards in March and recently receiving a gold status from Attitude is Everything for BST, the inclusivity-based music charity’s highest accolade.

Tickets for BST 2019 and more information about the festival can be found here.

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AEG Presents has announced that Celine Dion will headline the opening night of British Summer Time (BST) in London’s Hyde Park on Friday 5 July.

The Canadian singer joins previously-announced headliners Florence and the Machine and Robbie Williams, who will play the event on Saturday 13 July and Sunday 14 July respectively.

It is the first time that Dion will perform on Hyde Park’s Great Oak Stage and the show is believed to be her only European appearance of the year. The five-time Grammy award winner will be the best-selling artist ever to perform at BST, having sold more than 240 million record worldwide.

“I’m so excited. I love London, and it’s a great honour for me to be part of the Barclaycard presents BST Hyde Park concerts. I can’t wait… summertime in London, here we come,” says the singer.

“Celine’s record-breaking career has seen her perform her many iconic songs on the globe’s most iconic stages, yet never before in Hyde Park,” comments senior vice president of AEG Presents, James King.

“I love London, and it’s a great honour for me to be part of the Barclaycard presents BST Hyde Park concerts”

Daniel Mathieson, head of experiential marketing and partnerships for event’s sponsor Barclaycard says it is a “privilege” to welcome the singer along with “a fantastic set of headliners”.

Launched in 2013, BST Hyde Park is back this year for its seventh edition. Past highlights include the Rolling Stones’ return to Hyde Park, and comeback shows by the likes of the Strokes and Libertines.

Rock legends Bob Dylan and Neil Young were originally set to co-headline this year’s event on 12 July, but following Young’s objection to the involvement of headline sponsor Barclaycard, the pair will now play a standalone concert. On the same date, and in the same venue.

Tickets for Celine Dion’s performance go on sale on 29 January at 9am, with presale tickets available from 23 January. The remaining headliners and full line-up are expected to be announced shortly.

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