Céline Dion makes historic Paris comeback, six years after last tour

Canadian singer Céline Dion on Saturday fulfilled her dream of returning to the stage after years battling a rare neurological disorder with a sell-out concert in an arena west of Paris.

Dion appeared visibly moved as she opened her first full concert in six years with her 1990s French-language ballad “On ne change pas” (“One Doesn’t Change”), singing to a crowd of around 30,000 people.

The 58-year-old singer paused briefly overcome by emotion, before enthralled fans chanted her name at the end of the opening number.

Her return to the stage underscored a remarkable comeback after Stiff Person Syndrome forced her to cancel shows and cast years of uncertainty over whether she would ever perform again.

“Finally – it’s amazing we are all together,” she said, speaking in English and French to fans who had packed the Plenitude Arena on the western edge of Paris for the sold-out opening night of her 26-show run.

Dion added: “The path was rockier than expected. But I held on to a faint ray of light in the distance, deep in the mountains.

“Tonight, I want to sing for you, sing for myself, sing for life.”

The largely female crowd sported sequined dresses and tops, glittered cheeks, and T-shirts emblazoned with the star’s image or nods to her biggest hits.

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“It’s unreal to be here!,” said Elisabeth Landry, a 38-year-old Quebecer who lives near the star’s hometown of Charlemagne.

“I was convinced we’d never see her again, especially not embarking on a run of concerts like this,” she added.

Over her four-decade career, Dion has sold around 260 million albums in English and French, with hits including “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and “Because You Loved Me”.

In December 2022, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare and incurable autoimmune disorder that can cause severe muscle stiffness and agonising spasms.

Dion has described the condition as making her feel as though she is being strangled, with cramps so intense they have left her with broken ribs.