When Celine Dion emerged on stage Saturday night in France, she took her time. She walked out alone and stood before the audience as a hidden string quartet played along. She bowed, held her hands on her heart and shook her head in disbelief.
Nearly a minute passed before she finally brought the microphone to her mouth and began to sing On ne change pas, her 1999 soft pop ballad. You could hear the emotion in her voice and see it in her eyes.
Then came the lyrics “une petite fille” (referring to the little girl she once was), and something gave way. She gestured toward the audience to help her sing as she wiped a tear from her eye.
“These are happy tears, I’m so happy to see you,” she reassured the crowd before jumping into Destin, an upbeat 1995 song from her album D’eux.
It’s been six years since Dion has performed live on stage. In 2022, she announced her diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by muscle rigidity and painful spasms. It later forced her to cancel her Courage world tour.
Saturday kicked off her official comeback. For the next month, the Canadian vocalist will perform three times a week for a sold-out Parisian residency at Plenitude Arena, with an additional 10 shows planned for the spring.
Tickets for the residency were originally priced between $143 and $478, though many fans ended up paying more, with VIP packages and resale tickets reaching more than $1,600.
“We’re here. It was a promise. I’m standing on stage in this city I love so much thanks to your love and support,” Dion told the audience in French. “I have to admit the road was rocky, and it was longer than expected, with unplanned stops along the way. But I held on.”
Against the background of her health struggles, this show feels historic - to the performer and to her fans.
“It’s important for us to be here tonight to show our support, to show that we understand the battle she has been through,” said Chiara Stringari, a 31-year-old singing teacher, before stepping into the arena on the western edge of Paris. “All we care about is that she isn’t suffering. If she’s enjoying what she’s doing, then we’ll enjoy it, too, I’m sure.”
Thousands in Paris belt out Celine Dion tunes at outdoor karaoke event
Dion knows her fans are worried, and halfway through the show, she tried to reassure them: “There is one thing I can tell you in three words: ‘I am well.’ I’ve learned to live with this fragility. By living with it, I’ve learned to tame it, and I’ve made it my strength.”
While she often addressed the crowd in French, those who travelled from abroad - estimated to reach nearly a third of concertgoers over the residency - were not disappointed. A dozen of the 26 songs performed during the 2½-hour show were from her worldwide hits, such as Because You Loved Me, My Heart Will Go On and The Power of Love. She pulled slightly more than half of the setlist from her francophone repertoire, including several hits from D’eux, the bestselling French-language album of all time.
On upbeat songs, she was fun and playful. She mimed air guitar, acted out the lyrics and pretended to fall to the ground. She danced, swayed her hips and laughed. “That’s what music is for. Tonight, we sing, we dance, and we party, like we do where I’m from,” said the Québécoise singer as the guitar riff of J’irai où tu iras echoed in the arena.
She covered Donna Summer’s I Feel Love and Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). And, more strikingly, she put her vocal abilities on full display with Ebben? Ne andrò lontana, an aria from the 1892 Italian opera La Wally. As she sang, draped in a light pink feathery cloak, time seemed to slow. Fake snow drifted from the top of the arena, and the crowd fell silent.
But the true vocal test came a few songs later, when she sang an a cappella version of All By Myself, a song notorious for the vocal range it demands. Wearing a structured leather bustier (her fourth outfit of the night), she launched into the song’s famous high note, and a smile broke across her face. She puffed her cheeks, seeming relieved, and turned to look at her band. The audience erupted in cheers. She wasn’t the only one relieved: We were, too.
After the show, fans gathered outside the arena. Many were buzzing, some with eyes still misty from the show.
“We cried a majority of the time. It was the best concert I’ve been to in my entire life, and it was worth every penny I spent. I would double it if I had to,” said Gina Seejattan, 38, who came with two friends from Miami for the show.
As some made their way to the nearby commuter train station, which was renamed “Celine” for the occasion, others gathered in large crowds around speakers blasting Dion’s hits, singing and dancing.
The love story between Celine Dion and Paris goes on.