Celine Dion has officially returned to the stage after two years! The singer recently sang for the first time in almost two years during the first show of her Paris residency. The singer last performed during the Olympic Opening Ceremony on July 26, 2024, when she sang ‘Hymne à l’amour’ from the Eiffel Tower. While returning to the stage to perform full sets of her songs in Paris, Dion was left in an emotional state as she addressed fans.
Celine Dion gets emotional during her first performance in two years
On Saturday, September 12, the iconic singer took the stage for the first time in two years to perform a full show. She performed at Plénitude Arena (formerly the Paris La Défense Arena) in Nanterre, France, for the opening night of her 26-show residency with her 1998 song ‘On Ne Change Pas.’However, moments into the song, Dion had to completely stop herself from singing as she got choked up over the overwhelming opportunity. PEOPLE reported that Dion was seen wiping away tears at the time before resuming the song with full zeal. She then performed another track titled ‘Destiny’ before finally addressing the crowd who were there in her support.She shared in French and English, “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!” She concluded, “Thank you so very much for your support and your patience, and if I may say so: I am everything I am because you loved me.”This was also the singer’s first full concert since she last performed a full set in 2020 during her ‘Courage Tour.’ However, at the time, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Dion had to cancel the remainder of her tour and had to take a break from her career altogether to rest and recover.
About Celine Dion’s stiff person syndrome diagnosis
In 2022, the ‘My Heart Will Go On’ star revealed to the world that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome and had to take a break from her career. According to a Harper’s BAZAAR report published in August this year, the singer had been facing symptoms of the disease for the past 17 years, and she only received an official diagnosis much later in life. Talking about the syndrome to the outlet, Dion shared, “It is a progressive condition. I don’t like to say ‘disease.’ Disease makes you go like this: ‘Kevin, you’re such a disease.’”Cleveland Clinic states, “Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness in your trunk and abdomen (the middle part of your body). Over time, you may also develop stiffness (rigidity) and spasms in your legs and other muscles. Walking may be difficult, and you may become more prone to falls and injury.”The singer will appear for 25 more shows for her Paris residency, which was increased after millions of fans tried to book tickets for her show. She will perform a couple of shows in September and October and will resume in March 2027 to complete the remainder of her residency.
