Last year, Nikki Wiedenhoeft of Fort Frances won two tickets to see Céline Dion in concert in Las Vegas.
Earlier this month, she finally took the trip—and got far more than concert tickets. She got the experience of a lifetime.
Wiedenhoeft has been a fan of the Quebec-born songstress for a decade now and is a member of “TeamCéline,” an online fan club that runs various contests.
“I’ve loved her so much for so many years. It was a total dream,” she said of winning the contest.
While the prize package didn’t include a chance to meet the pop diva, Wiedenhoeft made an effort to get a personal message across to Dion.
During the year between winning the VIP tickets and the actual concert, the mother of two made a videotape of her family and her home, and a book including photos and a list of her favourite songs, as well as an explanation of what the songs mean to her.
“She’s so personal with her fans, I wanted to bring her into our home a little bit,” Wiedenhoeft explained. “I wanted her to know what [her songs] mean to me and my family, and how her music has helped heal my son.”
Wiedenhoeft’s son, Nicholas, who is nearly 10, has cerebral palsy. He also suffers from epilepsy, Type I diabetes, and is blind. “Music is special to him because he can’t see,” she noted.
On their frequent stays in hospital, Wiedenhoeft said she always sings Dion’s music to Nicholas—and his response is immediate. “I really believe that music has healing powers,” she remarked.
She sent the book and video to the contest organizers, who forwarded them to Dion’s personal assistant two days before the show.
While she hadn’t expected any reply from Dion, Wiedenhoeft later would find her efforts had paid off.
Earlier this month, she and her husband, Chris, as well as her parents, Larry and Mitzy Armstrong, flew down to spend four nights in Las Vegas.
The concert took place at The Coliseum at Caesar’s Palace—a venue that was built specifically for Dion, who will be performing there for the next two years.
The four sat front row centre, only feet from the massive stage, with a huge video screen overhead. And not only did they have the best seats in the house, but Wiedenhoeft soon found Dion was well aware of who she was.
“She blew me a kiss right at the beginning of the show. There was constant communication,” including smiles and winks, she said.
“It was a trip. I never sat back in my seat.”
During “Love Can Move Mountains,” Dion came down from the stage and danced with the Wiedenhoefts.
“She kissed [Chris’] ear and he just about fainted. She high-fives me and said, ‘You guys look hot!’” Wiedenhoeft laughed. “I was awestruck.”
She described the concert as a spectacle, complete with dozens of dancers and special effects.
“The dancers were flying around doing split jumps everywhere,” she noted. “It’s magical. It’s an experience, it’s not a concert.
“I wasn’t just attending it. I felt a part of it,” she added.
Besides the visual extravaganza, the show touched a range of emotions as well, she said. “There were so many emotions. We were either crying or up dancing,” Wiedenhoeft recalled.
At the end of the concert, as Dion and her dancers were taking a bow, the singer came forward with a single red rose and gave it to Wiedenhoeft.
“She reached out and embraced me, and I was just shaking. She’s just this wee little thing, and I think I almost squished her,” she laughed.
She asked Dion if she had received the book and video, and she said she had and thanked her for them.
As Wiedenhoeft thanked the singer for making her dream come true, the scene was being shown on the large screen for the other audience members to see.
“I dropped to my knees. The crowd was going nuts. It was like something in a movie,” Wiedenhoeft enthused. “I couldn’t get up. I was toast by this point.
“We both cried. She was so humbled by my reaction to her, too,” she said.
Finally, Dion left, but it was another three hours before the family could make their way out of the venue.
“People wanted to know my story,” she said, adding she met other Dion fans from as far away as Japan and the Ukraine.
“I was emotionally drained, but it was so worth it. It was a dream come true for a small-town girl like me,” Wiedenhoeft said, smiling as she sat in her living room, holding the rose.
“This night, I’ll never forget it, ever, ever, ever.”
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
