Celine Dion Paris residency opens with tears after six-year concert break
Celine Dion fought back tears in Nanterre as she opened her Paris-area residency with her first full concert in six years.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Celine Dion’s Paris residency began with a tearful return in Nanterre on Sept. 12, as the singer took the stage for her first full concert in six years. Dion opened the show at Plenitude Arena, west of Paris, with her 1998 French song “On Ne Change Pas,” then became emotional during the opening moments, according to CBC News, Variety and NPR.
“I had promised myself not to cry,” Dion told the audience, according to Variety. She said she was happy to see the crowd and had missed them.
What did Celine Dion say at her Paris residency opening?
Dion thanked the audience for its patience and support and said she had made a promise to return to the stage, NPR and CBC News reported. “Tonight I want to sing for you, for me, for life,” she told the crowd, according to CBC.
The show was more than an emotional entrance. CBC reported that Dion sang 26 songs over more than two hours, including “My Heart Will Go On,” “All By Myself” and “It’s All Coming to Me Now.” Her closing number was “S’il Suffisait d’Aimer,” CBC said.
A full-concert comeback after a long pause
The Nanterre concert marked Dion’s first full concert in six years. She had previously made a high-profile public performance at the July 2024 opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics, singing Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” from the Eiffel Tower, according to Dion’s official website and CBC.
Dion announced in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological condition. NPR reported that she said the illness had made walking difficult and affected her ability to use her vocal cords in the way she was used to.
Her previous tour was interrupted in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, NPR reported. The Paris-area dates are now underway at Plenitude Arena, where the opening-night audience welcomed her back with applause before the singer began the set.
Reporting differs on the total number of planned residency dates, so no overall figure is confirmed here. What is clear from the opening night is that Dion is back in front of a concert crowd, singing live and visibly moved by the moment.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.