'I made a promise': Celine Dion fights back tears during first full concert in six years

Celine Dion fought back tears just moments into her first full concert in more than six years, as the singer returned to the stage for the opening night of her 26-show Paris residency.

The 58-year-old singer began the concert at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre with her 1998 song On Ne Change Pas. Shortly after starting the performance, Dion became visibly emotional, paused and wiped tears from her eyes.

She placed a hand on her chest and then brought her hands together in a gesture of gratitude towards the audience before regaining her composure and finishing the song. She followed it with another 1990s hit, Destin.

Addressing the crowd in both French and English, Dion thanked fans who had travelled from different parts of the world to see her return to live performance.

“There are many of you here tonight from all over the world. Thank you so very much for coming,” she said, adding that she hoped first-time visitors to Paris would “fall in love with it” as she had.

Dion later reflected on the journey that brought her back to the stage after being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome in 2022, a rare neurological disorder that can cause muscle stiffness, painful spasms and mobility problems.

“I made a promise. I made a promise to come back, to be back on stage,” she told the audience. “So here I am, singing for you and singing for me, singing life!”

She also thanked her fans for standing by her during her health struggles, telling them: “I am everything I am because you loved me,” before moving into her 1996 hit Because You Loved Me.

Dion's last full concert was held in March 2020 at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. The remaining dates of that tour were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and later cancelled as she dealt with health complications following her diagnosis.

While Dion has made several public appearances since her diagnosis, including a performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony and at a fashion show in Saudi Arabia later that year, Saturday's concert marked a significant return to regular live performance.

Her Paris residency will feature 26 shows, marking her first extended concert run since her health forced her to step away from the stage.