Céline Dion performs first live show in more than six years

Céline Dion wept on stage in Paris as she performed her first live show in more than six years after taking an extended break to deal with her health.

Addressing the sold-out crowd on Saturday, a visibly emotional Dion told them that it was “amazing we are all together”.

She added: “I made a promise. I made a promise to come back and to be back on stage. Here I am singing for you, and singing for me. Thank you so very much for your support, your patience. I am everything I am because you love me.”

Fans queue up outside the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, Paris. Photograph: Mohammed Badra/EPA

She last performed a full set in 2020 as part of her Courage Tour, but was unable to continue with a planned 2022 North American leg after being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS) in 2022.

The singer, who is scheduled to perform a residency at the Plenitude Arena in Paris between 12 September 2026 and 29 May 2027, told fans that she “made a promise to come back”.

SPS is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that often causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms which vary in severity, caused by the body mistakenly attacking healthy nerve cells. There is no known cure for the condition.

After her diagnosis, Dion stepped away from the spotlight and had only briefly performed three times since: at a virtual performance at a charity event for healthcare workers during the Covid pandemic in 2020, at the opening ceremony of the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris, where she sang the Édith Piaf song Hymne à l’amour, and at the conclusion of fashion designer Elie Saab’s show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, later that same year.

Dion thanked her fans for their patience and support as she addressed the sold-out crowd. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

The performance in Paris is the first of 26 shows Dion is slated to perform at the arena, having increased from an initial 10 due to high demand for tickets. Dion first announced her comeback on 30 March, her birthday, with all the tickets for the shows – estimated to be about 1,170,00 – selling out within a few hours of going on sale. More than 9 million fans reportedly tried to buy them.

Dion is expected to perform many of her most popular songs, including her Oscar and Grammy-winning ballad My Heart Will Go On, as well as hits in English and her native French, including It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, The Power of Love and Pour que tu m’aimes encore.