Published : 13 Sep 2026, 11:49 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:50 AM
Celine Dion has made an emotional return to the stage in Paris, performing before 30,000 fans six years after illness forced her to step away from live shows.
The 58-year-old Canadian pop icon, diagnosed with stiff person syndrome -- a rare neurological disorder -- in 2022, had not performed a full concert since a 2020 show in New Jersey, reports BBC.
Her last public appearance on Saturday was a single song at the Paris Olympics closing ceremony in 2024.
It marked the opening night of a 26-show residency at Europe's largest covered concert venue.
Dion was visibly overcome with emotion throughout the night, breaking down in tears after her first song and telling the audience she had promised herself she would not cry, according to BBC.
"I made a promise to come back, to be back on stage. And here I am," she told the crowd.
She performed in a black gown before changing into a trouser suit, and at one point asked to stop mid-song and start over -- a moment that won the audience over further.
Critics noted her voice sounded rawer than before but remained distinctly her own, with one reviewer describing the night as "perhaps the riskiest comeback in the history of showbusiness".
The residency runs through September and October and into the new year. An additional 10 shows in May 2027 were announced and have already sold out, states BBC.
Outside the arena, Paris has been gripped by Dion fever for weeks, with tribute boat cruises on the Seine, city-organised karaoke events and Dion-themed nights at clubs across the city catering to fans who could not get tickets.
