A Croke Park concert for Celine Dion, announced last night, is expected to be sold out immediately. The French-Canadian singer of the theme song for the Oscar-winning Titanic film is currently the world's biggest pop star. She will perform one outdoor show on Thursday, May 27th, next year.
The 45,000 tickets for the all-seat in-the-round concert go on sale this morning priced £38.50 and £42.50.
"Our main problem is that we won't be able to meet the demand for tickets," said Mr Justin Green of concert promoters MCD.
"She's the biggest-selling artist in the world, and her sales are unmatched by any other singer. She's already sold out two nights in London's Wembley Stadium, and shifted around 1 1/2 million tickets for her UK dates. Nobody, not even Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, comes close to Celine's popularity."
In the past 30 months, Celine Dion has sold more than 60 million albums, and it is estimated she sells a record once every 1.2 seconds.
Her hit single, My Heart Will Go On, from the soundtrack of Titanic, has become the most played song in the history of US radio, beating even long-standing FM classics by the Beatles and the Eagles. Dion is currently at Number One in the Billboard singles charts with her new single, I'm Your Angel, a duet with American rhythm and blues star, R. Kelly.
She also has a seasonal album in the charts, entitled These Are Special Times, including new versions of Ave Maria, O Holy Night and Adeste Fideles, and featuring Dion's 13 elder siblings as guest singers.
Dion has also matched her huge album sales with massive box-office success. Tickets for her Let's Talk About Love north American tour were snapped up within hours, and she has broken box-office records in many cities she has visited.
Following the Croke Park concert, the Let's Talk About Love tour will visit Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Austria.
Tickets are restricted to four per buyer, and are available at most ticket shops or by 24-hour credit card hotline, 1890 88 88 88. It is the first date of the star's 1999 European tour, and there are no plans to add a second Dublin show.
Her most recent Irish appearance was in June 1997, when she performed in front of 40,000 people in Lansdowne Road.
