Celine Dion made an emotional return to the stage on Saturday after a six-year absence, overcoming major health challenges to perform the first of a series of concerts in Paris.
The Canadian superstar was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome in 2022, a rare neurological condition that causes muscle spasms and forced her to step away from live performances.
Addressing the crowd, Dion said she was grateful to be back in a city she loved and thanked fans for supporting her through her difficult journey.
“I’m standing on stage in this city I love so much thanks to your support and your love,” she told the audience. “The path was rocky, the road was longer than planned but I held on.”
Dion became visibly emotional during her opening performance, at one point breaking down in tears and holding her microphone towards the audience as they helped her through the bridge.
“I promised I wouldn’t cry – but they’re tears of joy,” she said, speaking mostly in French during the concert.
The singer kept the staging understated, performing mainly in a series of black gowns that kept the focus on her emotional return rather than elaborate production.
“She didn’t shy away from what she suffered and she shared it with her audience,” British fan Catherine Rushforth said after leaving the arena in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris.
Despite the emotional moments, Dion also displayed the trademark showmanship that made her one of the world’s best-selling recording artists, pulling faces, playing air guitar and delivering some of her biggest hits.
She performed songs including “My Heart Will Go On” and “All By Myself”, while opening the concert with her French-language hit “On Ne Change Pas”, or “We Don’t Change” — a song that appeared particularly fitting given her prolonged absence from the stage.
Dion’s Paris residency comprises 16 concerts, with a further 10 performances scheduled for 2027. Her return has already sparked excitement across the French capital, with fans gathering outside her luxury hotel late into the night in the hope of seeing her.
“Her fight is an example for all of us, it’s wonderful,” said fan Julien Faruch, a chef.
