Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BECKER/GETTY IMAGES "Véronic ha s one of t he best voices in t he world," Dion says. "She doesn't do just one style. My God, it's like she sings one way, t hen she sings in another voice that's better than the origi- nal. And then she sings one that nobody has ever touched." Dion's praise gains momentum as she speaks. "Listen, from a singer's point of view, it's unbelievable what she does. I wish I had her to help me out a little bit here and there in my show, when my voice is not in top shape. I wish she could be available to help me finish a song. I'm thinking, 'I wish I could have Véronic come off the bench for this!'" But even with this effusive praise and the back- ing of Dion and Angélil, success in Vegas is never a certainty. In the past two decades, the only resi- dent impressionist to enjoy consistent success on the Strip was the late Danny Gans. Several highly talented impressionists have performed on the Strip brief ly but either moved downtown (includ- ing a not her of Dion's for mer opening act s, Gordie Brow n, who ha s found a home at t he Golden Nugget) or left Las Vegas entirely. Asked about t he business prospect s for t his entertainer she so strongly admires, Dion chuck- les. "I've never been part of the business side," she says. "My own interest in Véronic is strictly in her pure talent. My husband and I are together in producing Véronic to t r y to help her. So they've given me the title, businesswise, of pro- ducer. But I have to say, being sarcastic with a little smirk here, that once you are in the busi- ness for so long as a singer, when you start talking in a meeting because they want your opinion, then they kind of pay attention a little bit more." Dion sees herself primarily as a catalyst in DiCaire's attempt to gain an audience in the US. "My role is for her to have a chance, to be heard in America, to make her as big a star as she is in Quebec, and in France and Belg ium and any- where there are French-speaking people. She is huge there. Huge." DiCaire's rise to commercial success in Vegas and the US will undoubtedly be accompanied by artistic growth. Many of her fans, as well as her entertainment colleagues in the city, think her show would be markedly improved by a live band. Dion doesn't dismiss the notion but sug- gests it might be premature. "We want the focus to be on her voice, with a few da ncers for numbers here a nd t here," she says. "Let's put it this way: I think if we had tried to put her out there with a big set of musicians, there would have been even more pressure on her than there already was. I'm not talking about how much money it would cost. I a m t a lk ing about pressure, and giving Véronic some room to grow the show out over time." Dion remembers her own early career. "I didn't start in Vegas with a big group of dancers and a big show—I started in a shopping mall," she says, chuckling. "That's the way it happened for me." As for DiCa ire, she's fa r more interested in expa nding her a lready m ind-blow ing voca l capacity. She likes the idea of performing as June Carter Cash in a video duet with Johnny Cash. That would recall the great walk-on appearance she made in Million Dollar Quartet at Harrah's when she joined t he ca st for a spin t h rough "Jackson." She's a lways consider ing t he next voice, asking such questions as "Is Carole King good for when I'm at the piano? What about Janis Joplin? Do you think people would enjoy her?" But most ly, DiCa ire wa nt s to per for m even more frequently. "Can I say that I would love to add a fourth date or that it's going to make some st ir?" she a sks w it h a laugh. "I would love to have a fourth day. Let's say I would love to play on Mondays, because we f ig u red out t hat we miss a lot of people. They tell us, 'Véronic, we just got in on Saturday night and we were think- ing about going to see your show Monday, but you're not on." It sounds like more work. "It might be," she says, "but you know, sometimes it's hard for me to start back in the show after four days off. So if I add a fourth show, I would actually keep that momentum going." As she says that, you understand that this is a woma n deter m ined to move for wa rd, fa st. Slowing down is not part of DiCaire's master plan. Those voices need to be heard. For tickets, call 702-777-2782 or visit ballyslasvegas.com. V "LISTEN, FROM A SINGER'S POINT OF VIEW, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE WHAT SHE DOES."—CELINE DION DiCaire in action, and in character, at the Thomas & Mack Center in October. 112 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 108-113_V_FEAT_CS_Veronic_Spring14.indd 112 2/10/14 6:33 PM