Canadian-French singer, Celine Dion, has made an emotional return to the stage, performing her first full concert in more than six years after battling a rare neurological disorder.
The 58-year-old singer broke down in tears of joy on Saturday as she opened a sold-out residency at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris.
Dion began the concert with her French-language ballad, On ne change pas, before performing Destin to an audience of about 30,000 fans.
Addressing the cheering crowd, Dion said she had promised to return to the stage and expressed appreciation for the support and patience of her fans.
Her return marks a major milestone in her career after stiff person syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological condition, forced her to cancel several performances and raised concerns about whether she would ever perform live again.
The condition causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms and occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy nerve cells.
Dion last performed a full concert during her Courage World Tour in 2020. She later cancelled the North American leg of the tour in 2022 after announcing her diagnosis.
Since then, she has made only a few public performances, including an appearance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics and a performance at a fashion show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Reflecting on her journey back to live performance, Dion said the road had been difficult, describing it as “rockier than expected.”
The singer is scheduled to perform 26 concerts at the Paris arena between September 2026 and May 2027.
The residency, initially planned for ten shows, was expanded following overwhelming demand, with reports that more than nine million fans attempted to secure tickets after her return was announced.
Fans are expected to hear some of Dion’s biggest hits, including My Heart Will Go On, It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, The Power of Love and Pour que tu m’aimes encore.
The Paris concerts are expected to draw fans from around the world as one of the best-selling music artistes of all time begins a new chapter in her career.
