Celine Dion catches another hockey game; return to stage still mystery

Maybe she’s tuning up for a return to the stage.

Celine Dion chilled at another NHL game Thursday night, attending the Boston Bruins-New York Rangers game at TD Bank Garden. The groundbreaking (and also ice-breaking) Las Vegas Strip resident superstar appeared unannounced in Bruins’ locker room and read the team’s starting lineup.

Now, THAT'S a legendary lineup read 🎤 🎶 @celinedion | #BehindTheB pic.twitter.com/xCqj0pAWRv

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 22, 2024

Alongside her sons Nelson and Eddy Angélil, Dion was a guest star in the Bruins’ pregame routine, introduced by Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, a fellow Québécois.

Dion arrived in a light-pink trench coat and matching slacks, slipped on her glasses and went for it.

“Thank you so much for getting ready for me tonight,” Dion said to the casually dressed defenseman Brandon Cario. She sang out forward Danton Heinen’s name. She reached high notes in announcing the rest of the Bruins’ starting group of David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk and Jeremy Swayman.

Dion and her sons drew cheers during the game as they sat in a VIP suite. They were featured on the video screen as Dion blew kisses, formed a heart with her hands and played air guitar as Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” played on the house system.

📈 | Céline Dion playing her iconic imaginary non-existent electric guitar at the TD Garden.pic.twitter.com/9hclr1UJE2

— Céline Dion Charts (@celinebible) March 22, 2024

How Dion’s activity is related to a potential return to live performance has not been spelled out. Reps for AEG Presents, which books and co-produces all shows at Resorts World Theater, did not return requests for comment. Officials have only said they remain optimistic she will perform again on the Strip.

Dion announced in December 2022 that she suffered from the rare autoimmune disorder Stiff Person Syndrome. She has been unable to return to the stage, rescheduling her postponed dates at Resorts World Theatre and on her international “Courage” tour.

Dion has recently made several such public appearances, presenting the Grammy for Album of the Year to Taylor Swift in February L.A. She has also attended a pair of Golden Knights games, when the Montreal Canadiens were in town last November, and as the Edmonton Oilers visited the week after the Grammys.

On March 9, Dion was spotted entering a limousine in New York City, for reasons unexplained. On March 15, Dion recognized International Stiff Person Syndrome Day, stating on social media that fighting the condition “has been one of the hardest experiences of my life.”

Dion was also named the Bruins’ “Fan of the Game,” but the home team went down to defeat, 5-2.

Preach it

Stand-up comedic Preacher Lawson is back in Las Vegas, playing Mystere Theater at Treasure Island at 9 p.m. Friday. Lawson was a top-10 finalist on Season 12 of “America’s Got Talent” in 2017, and the first host of the “AGT” live show at Luxor in November 2021.

Lawson soon left the show to expand his touring stand-up show. He did not even realize “AGT” is ending the Luxor show this May until we chatted this week.

“Oh, wooow, I didn’t know that,” Lawson said. He paused, and said, “It does surprise me, but I don’t know how the business works. It’s hard to make money in Vegas, but a lot of times, when I was there, the place was packed and we did two shows a night.”

Lawson has since amassed 3.4 million followers on TikTok, and 640,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel with his stand-up clips, MMA training and Vegan cooking tips.

At Luxor, Lawson was a consistently funny host, flexible to introduce the show’s wide range of acts. But it was clear he was destined for is own touring act.

“It was a show that was fun to watch because of all the acts in it,” Lawson said. “It was a great show, but I couldn’t grow as a comedian there.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.