Céline Dion cried as she returned to the stage for her first full concert in over six years.
The 58-year-old singer's career was initially sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic and then she had to take a break after being diagnosed with the neurological condition stiff-person syndrome, but she returned to the spotlight on Saturday (12.09.26) for the opening night of her 26-show residency at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, France.
Céline opened the show with On Ne Change Pas but had to stop just seconds into the 1998 track after becoming overcome with emotion. She was seen wiping away tears before putting her hand to her chest and then clasping her palms together.
She then finished the song before moving on to Destin and later taking a moment to emotionally address the crowd.
Speaking in French and then in English, Céline said: “There are many of you here tonight from all over the world. Thank you so very much for coming. If it’s your first time in Paris, I hope you fall in love with it, just like I did. Finally, it’s amazing we are all together.
“I made a promise. I made a promise to come back, to be back on stage. So here I am, singing for you and singing for me, singing life!
“Thank you so very much for your support, your patience and, if I may say so: I am everything I am because you loved me."
The speech served as an introduction to her 1996 hit single Because You Loved Me.
Céline's last full concert took place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey back in March 2020, before the rest of her tour was axed due to the pandemic.
She was diagnosed with the rare and progressive stiff-person syndrome in 2022, which can cause muscle rigidity, spasms, shortness of breath and mobility problems.
She previously appeared at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony and later that year at the 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab fashion show in Saudi Arabia.
In August, the Think Twice hitmaker revealed she had been taking new medication, doing physical and vocal therapy and immunotherapy ahead of her residency, and had also been taking ballet classes and Pilates sessions three times a week to be in shape for the shows.
She told Harper's Bazaar magazine: “It’s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I’ve missed them."
The singer, who recently returned to the public eye with her documentary I Am: Céline Dion, explained why she chose to share her health journey so openly.
She said: “They [her fans] paid for tickets. They bought my records. They gave me that luxury. So the least I can do is tell them that I’m alive.”
