Canadian singer Celine Dion made a triumphant return to the stage after nearly four years, marking the opening concert of her ‘Celine Dion Paris 2026’ residency. The event took place at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, near Paris, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.
Dion, who had been battling a rare, painful condition, kicked off her 16-show residency with the French song “On Ne Change Pas,” meaning “we don’t change” in English. She was visibly emotional after the performance, with tears in her eyes. “I had promised myself not to cry,” Dion expressed to the audience, as reported by Variety. “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 to come back, to be back on stage. So here I am, singing for you and singing for me, singing live!”
Online videos show Dion in a black dress with her hair in a bun, delivering powerful renditions of hits like “Because You Loved Me” and “Power of Love.” She also performed “My Heart Will Go On,” an iconic song from “The Titanic” movie soundtrack.
Ahead of the show, Dion posted a photo on her Instagram Story, smiling with her hands raised in front of fans, captioned “En route!” Dion, a native of Quebec, a French-speaking region of Canada, holds a special place in the hearts of fans in France, with sold-out concerts predicted to generate millions of dollars for the area.
The Grammy-winning artist opened up in 2022 about her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder causing rigid limbs and intense muscle spasms. She stated that the condition impacted her daily life, sometimes making walking difficult and hindering her vocal abilities.
Dion’s previous concert tour was interrupted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She later performed at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony in July 2024.
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