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I was in Charlottesville, VA visiting a friend about a week after Heather Heyer was murdered in what was clearly a terrorist attack but will never officially be called that. Given all the awful and tragic things that have happened since, it seems like so long ago but it’s been less than two months. It was heartbreaking to be there, to see the tributes and Love signs and the beautifully simple messages that were up in all the shop windows. I couldn’t even bring myself to go to the memorial that was there for her, but the community came together at a difficult time. I mention this as preface to this story about Celine Dion performing in Vegas Tuesday night and dedicating her show and all the proceeds to the victims of the Vegas attack. There are dozens and dozens of victims, and hearing their stories and seeing their faces just brings it home how it could be any of us or any one of our loved ones and friends. Just thinking about it makes me cry and I can’t imagine what it must be like to be there in Vegas where all those people were killed in cold blood.

People still want to come together to listen to music and see performances, especially after such tragedy when we need each other. That’s why Celine Dion’s gesture on Tuesday night was so meaningful. She still performed, she didn’t cancel her show (which would have been understandable) and instead gave a heartfelt message to everyone along with donating the revenue from that night.

Céline Dion is paying her respects to the victims and families of Sunday’s Las Vegas shooting, which left 59 people dead and 527 concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Festival injured.

“The Power of Love” singer returned to the stage of her Vegas residency at The Colosseum inside Caesars Palace on Tuesday evening with a touching tribute.

“I hope that you’re doing okay … Before we start the show, I need to talk to you for a moment,” a tearful Dion told the crowd. “I never start the show like this but tonight is very different. On Sunday we lost too many beautiful, innocent souls, and so many are still suffering,. But tonight we’re going to let these families know that we are supporting them and that we will help them through their tragic loss.”

Dion, 49 continued, “We dedicate tonight’s show to all of the victims and their families, and to the first responders, and to the doctors and nurses who are working around the clock to save lives, and to so many heroes who did whatever they could to help complete strangers in a time of desperate need.”

Dion, who stood on stage with #VegasStrong signs on the big screen, also announced she and the show partners AEG Presents and Caesars Entertainment would be donating all proceeds from the concert to the victims of Sunday’s shooting.

[From People]

I would say Celine is a national treasure, but you get to claim her Canadians. She’s your national treasure. (You also gave us Justin Bieber, but Celine’s goodness outweighs his general sh-ttiness.) I love her and would expect nothing less from her. She feels things deeply, she’s a true artist and she’s an amusing fashionista. I’m trying to distract myself from thinking about this. It’s too much to process. One person should not be losing their lives to a madman with a gun or a car or an explosive device and the people who commit those acts should not be named and discussed as we try to figure out why they did it. They should be called “shooter/terrorist/awful excuse for human #4105” and their life should be scrutinized by the police, not the press. These f-kers get too much press for these horrible acts. Keep them anonymous and pass laws to limit access to guns, restrict access to more deadly guns as well as limit the number of guns that one person can have. No one needs arsenals like this.

Now let’s revisit some of Celine’s outfits in Paris this summer.

photos credit: Backgrid, Getty and WENN