The year the show opened, A New Day... received mostly mixed reviews in the press, commenting on how there was not enough of a balance between concert and theater. In "TheaterMania.com", an article by Christine Westley praised the sets but wrote that Dion's performance was "inconsequential at best... The most uncomfortable moments come when the music stops, the dancers disappear, and it's just Dion and her audience. This is when the show's split personality truly emerges: Dragone's alternate world is gone and now we have a Celine Dion concert, during which the star attempts witty banter as her fans scream out the mandatory declarations "We love you, Celine!" and then hold their breath, waiting for her to stop talking and start singing again."