In 2003, being a fan of Celine Dion as a teenage American boy meant you were either really weird or gay, according to a society that emphasized masculinity. 

As I think back, it strikes me how long Celine has been a part of my Las Vegas life. I remember my cousins flying to Las Vegas from Caracas, Venezuela to see her show when it first opened. They were so excited to see Celine and I remember thinking how different our cultures were. They are the epitome of masculinity – heterosexual Italian soccer players from Venezuela. 

The truth is my cousins were able to see her for what she is – a legend. Her talent is incomparable and tourists have traveled from all over the world to see her perform at Caesars Palace. Fast forward 12 years and today she sits in front of me, opening her heart. 

At a press conference in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, members of the media, including Gay Vegas, listened to Celine Dion as she opened up about her personal life and her return to the stage. The 47-year-old singer looked absolutely stunning wearing a black and white polka dot shirt dress with a slit up the side, revealing her porcelain stems. With a motherly strength reminiscent of a lioness, Celine talked about the struggles her family had gone through during her year of hiatus. There is a genuineness about Celine that strikes deep in an up-close and personal experience with the singer. 

Celine graciously answered questions to both the English and French media. She expressed her love for her family and how proud she is of her children. Celine spoke candidly of Caesars Entertainment and AEG, like an old friend who had always been there for her in her darkest times during the struggles of her husband’s health. She opened up about her first visit to Las Vegas: René Angélil pointing out the airplane window at, "a little diamond." "That's Las Vegas," he said. Celine smiled, "The diamond has gotten a lot bigger over the years. I don't know how they do it, Caesars and AEG." "It takes me six months to paint my house," she laughed, in reference to rapid construction in Las Vegas. 

Celine struck some very serious chords as she spoke of her husband’s throat cancer and her difficult decision to return to the stage. Her husband insisted that she return to doing what she loved, so he could continue doing what he loved – watching her be happy. 

That is one thing she definitely was on stage, happy. You could tell that Celine uses her performances as a cathartic release. She said of her songs, "I used to sing them. Now I mean them." She was like a songbird newly reintroduced into her natural environment. 

The show was incredibly visual, with several video screens all over the stage giving intimate looks into Celine's life, including clips of home videos with Celine and family playing in the pool alongside a giant inflatable alligator – her husband René enjoying the experience, smiling on camera. They look like any other Vegas family trying to stay cool in the desert heat.

Celine said, "It's not a new day. It's not a new show. It’s a new beginning." We should describe her show as a new beginning, as the technology behind her return show brought some of Las Vegas' most beloved characters back to life. Celine sings duets with Frank Sinatra in “You’re Nobody ’Til Somebody Loves You”, and with Elvis Presley in “If I Can Dream”. Or at least holographic versions of the late legendary singers. The unison of her performance with the legends was eerily realistic, and every note from Celine's mouth is a gift to your ears. She hits those cosmic notes that made me feel as if I were a character in the film The Fifth Element, watching the Diva Plavalaguna aboard Fhloston Paradise. In non-nerd speak: Celine was out of this world. 

She covers classics like "Kiss" by Prince and takes it a step further by completely drowning the audience with "Purple Rain", her transcending voice complemented by incredible purple holographic water drop projections. The Bee Gees join her on video for "Immortality" and she dishes out an amazing performance of Queen’s "The Show Must Go On", a truly fitting title. She owns Tina Turner's “River Deep, Mountain High”, wearing a shimmery green fringe dress that could have been taken right off a Vegas drag super star. Forget the city of Atlantis – it's Las Vegas that's the underwater city in this show. During "My Heart Will Go On", Celine floats in the air as water dances around her, looking like a modern day Cinderella transformation. She doesn't close her show with that number – that would be too predictable. Instead, Celine sings a version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that brought tears to my eyes and would have made Judy Garland very proud.

During her acoustic set, one of her guitarists left the stage to tune his guitar and Celine began improvising by singing. “We’re gonna tune a guitar! We’re gonna tune a guitar!” Further proof, if anything, that Celine Dion is not one to lip-sync. In a city of smoke and mirrors, she is a breath of fresh air. Las Vegas can breathe a little easier now that the Heart of Las Vegas is back home.