Celine Dionmade her return to the stage for the first time in six years while continuing her battle with stiff-person syndrome, and the occasion proved every bit as emotional as anticipated.

The 58-year-old singer — who launched her 26-show residency at the Plenitude Arena in Paris, France, on Sept. 12 - opened the concert with her French-language song \"On Ne Change Pas\" before tearing up, according tomultiple videos circulating online.

\"These are, of course, tears of joy. I’m so delighted to see you,\" Dion told the crowd, according toPeople.

CELINE DION REVEALS INCURABLE NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER DIAGNOSIS IN EMOTIONAL VIDEO

Dion later addressed the significance of the performance and her long-awaited return.

\"I made a promise to come back, to be back on stage,\" she said. \"So here I am, singing for you and singing for me, singing life!\"

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The singer also thanked fans for their support and patience during her years away from the stage, telling them, \"I am everything I am because you loved me,\" before performing her hit \"Because You Loved Me.\"

Dion’s career was first interrupted in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to postpone the \"Courage World Tour.\" In January 2022, she canceled the North American leg of the tour, explaining that her recovery from severe muscle spasms was taking longer than expected.

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At the time, Dion said she was following the treatment regimen prescribed by her doctors and hoped to return to performing once she regained her health.

Months later,Dion revealed the diagnosisbehind her health struggles in an emotional video shared with fans.

\"As you know, I've always been an open book. And I wasn't ready to say anything before — but I'm ready now. I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time. And it's been really difficult for me to face these challenges and talk about everything that I've been going through.\"

Dion then revealed she had been diagnosed withStiff Person Syndrome(SPS), which she explained \"affects something like one in a million people.\"

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SPS is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as \"a rare autoimmune movement disorder that affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). People with this condition first experience a stiffening of the muscles of their trunk followed, over time, by the development of stiffness and rigidity in the legs and other muscles in the body.\"

Dion explained that the condition sometimes made it difficult for her to walk and prevented her from using her vocal cords \"to sing the way I’m used to.\"

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\"All I know is singing,\" Dion said at the time. \"It’s what I’ve done all my life. And it’s what I love to do the most.\"

Dion offered fans a glimpse of her progress in 2024. She received a standing ovation when she appeared at the Grammy Awards to present the album of the year and later documented her health journey in the Prime Video documentary \"I Am: Celine Dion.\"

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In July 2024, Dion performed Edith Piaf’s \"L’Hymne à l’amour\" at theParis Olympics opening ceremony. The appearance marked her first live performance since revealing her diagnosis and was viewed as a hopeful sign that she could eventually return to concerts.

Dion’s Paris residency is expected to feature some of her biggest hits, including \"My Heart Will Go On,\" \"It’s All Coming Back to Me Now\" and \"Because You Loved Me.\"

The singer previously said that touring could be difficult even when she was healthy, but she refused to give up on performing.

\"I’m not giving up,\" Dion said in 2023. \"And I can’t wait to see you again.\"

",{"_281":239,"_282":342,"_283":343},"9be62f78-ddff-4936-a0d6-e8787c9414e7",{"_27":342,"_40":344,"_286":345,"_42":346,"_251":347,"_289":-5,"_29":290,"_291":348,"_293":349,"_244":295,"_80":-5,"_82":120,"_238":350,"_281":239,"_317":363},"Céline Dion Review","Céline Dion made a powerful return to the stage in Paris, performing her first full concerts in six years despite her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome. The performance was emotional, with Dion overcoming physical challenges to deliver a resolute and acclaimed show. While some songs were transposed and adaptations were made due to her condition, her voice showed both resilience and new textures, culminating in triumphant moments that deeply moved both her and the audience.","Plenitude Arena, ParisDion wiped away tears and belted out the notes, giving an astounding performance despite her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome","https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cb134f3cfc0af150a69868c90deb392e1c268758/822_175_4563_3650/master/4563.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&precrop=40:21,offset-x50,offset-y0&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctcmV2aWV3LTQucG5n&enable=upscale&s=c4bf029c229fb4c893bb3e2925a5f33f","2026-09-13T01:47:04","https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/sep/13/celine-dion-review-paris-comeback-emotional-triumphant-return-plenitude-arena",{"_27":351,"_298":352,"_137":300,"_80":353,"_312":360,"_313":361,"_315":362},"8c438088acb2108c6c76c5328349c0109f7392a216262b561a88d6c90bd79b43","f1a3edcf65da2d84bbec57bda8173bffa6dbcc31319647f1d5fcd0d40e232bbe62305e001566ccd94d96d4f838099d14922f7d6248add2ee5a450a78da76340d",[354,355,356,358,359],[244,344],[44,347],[305,357,39,307],"30023:c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da:9be62f78-ddff-4936-a0d6-e8787c9414e7",[309,39],[140,360,39],"c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da","Céline Dion Review\nPlenitude Arena, ParisDion wiped away tears and belted out the notes, giving an astounding performance despite her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3cvxjt27s74qhy9ctz5k3ujgqd3vg96pdme8nywdq6g6le2yzw6qqjrjcn9xcexvdec94jxgenx956rjvek94snqepk94jnsdecxa3njdp3x3jnwn3k3gq ",1789281534,"Dion wiped away tears and belted out the notes, giving an astounding performance despite her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome\nIn 2022, when Céline Dion shared that she had been diagnosed with a rare incurable neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome (SPS), there was no guarantee that the 58-year-old would ever tour again. Her condition, which resulted in muscle spasms so strong that it left her with broken ribs, had made it impossible to perform, and in a 2024 documentary, I Am: Céline Dion, fans saw how the disease had constricted her once seemingly infallible voice. Through it all, though, Dion was resolute that she would one day return to the stage. “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl,” she said in the film. “But I won’t stop.”\nThankfully at the opening night of her sold out five-week residency in Paris, her first full-length concerts in six years, no crawling is needed: Céline Dion is back. She glides on to the stage in a black dress, an enormous diamond necklace clasped around her throat, and launches into On ne change pas. There are tears almost immediately: she struggles through the second verse, her voice cracking as she begins to cry. By the time the strum of Destin has kicked in, though, that emotion is replaced with sheer elation. “I made a promise to be back on stage. Singing for you. Singing for me,” she says. “Singing for life.”\nThat she does. There is no cure for SPS, but the work Dion has put into managing her condition so she can perform again is astounding. Still, clearly some necessary allowances have been made. Some songs such as Because You Loved Me, The Power of Love and My Heart Will Go On have all been transposed down. It’s understandable given the effect her condition has had on her voice, although, in the case of Because You Loved Me and It’s All Coming Back To Me Now, it does somewhat dampen their melodramatic potency.\nThat is not to say that Dion’s voice is weakened: when she needs to, as she does on the driving Tout l’or des hommes, she can still belt out a note. There’s also some welcome texture to her vocal, too: recently released ballad Dansons sees her embracing her lower register, while Courage, recorded following the death of her late husband René Angélil, is genuinely affecting as Dion allows her voice to get fragile and raspy.\nFor some, Dion’s success – she has sold more than 200m records and is the third most successful female artist of all time – is inexplicable: to them, her music is the apotheosis of saccharin and anodyne adult contemporary. But for the 30,000-plus in the crowd tonight, that contempt is decidedly absent. After all, you don’t attend a Céline Dion show expecting anything avant garde. You’re there to hear Beauty and the Beast, an unexpected highlight.\nStill, Dion does have some surprises up her sleeve: the run of J’irai où tu iras, Ne bouge pas and Dans un autre monde provides some rollicking respite from the balladry, Dion strutting up and down the stage while doing vocal acrobatics or fake boxing with backing singer. This is followed by an outlandishly camp disco section, complete with covers of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love (oddly enough, Moroder’s sequenced synths really are a great match), Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and a chandelier that quickly morphs into a glitter ball. As Dion shimmies about, separating the covers with a souped-up electronic take on That’s The Way It Is, a sly smile reveals that she, too, knows how ridiculous it all is.\nMost astonishing, though, is a rendition of Ebben? Ne andrò lontana from Alfredo Catalani’s opera La Wally: wearing a pink feathered coat and standing a protruding rock that has just emerged from below the stage, Dion pays homage to Maria Callas as fake snow falls from the ceiling on to the audience below. It is brilliant and ludicrous and purists will loathe it. Nevertheless, the kookiness all feels very Céline.\nThe biggest response from the crowd, many of whom have likely been out practising at one of the many mass karaoke events celebrating Dion’s music throughout Paris this week, arrives during Pour que tu m’aimes encore. The singing is so loud it almost drowns Dion out. It is All By Myself, however, that seems like the most significant for Dion. As the piano solo and slide guitar gives way, she glances upwards before unleashing herself on that final chorus. When she realises she hit the big notes, it’s relief – then triumph – that spreads across her face. Given where she has come from, and her performance on stage tonight, it’s a feeling that is clearly well deserved.",{"_281":239,"_282":365,"_283":366},"e1189afe-49b1-4989-a9e3-ab8167531f45",{"_27":365,"_40":367,"_286":368,"_42":369,"_251":370,"_289":-5,"_29":290,"_291":371,"_293":372,"_244":373,"_80":-5,"_82":120,"_238":374,"_281":239,"_317":386},"Celine Dion overcomes rare neurological disorder to perform first concert in 6 years","Celine Dion performed her first full concert in six years in Paris, visibly moved as she sang for an enthralled crowd of 30,000 fans. This marked a significant comeback after battling stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and cramps. The concert, part of a 26-date residency, is projected to generate substantial economic benefits.","September 12, 2026 / 6:54 PM EDT / CBS/AFP","https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2026/09/12/7b02c3c9-bd91-4f69-9f58-7b0343e75f84/thumbnail/1200x630/fcde7716b1b086dd0bf8f22765bdefbe/gettyimages-2294427610.jpg","2026-09-12T22:54:39","https://www.cbsnews.com/news/celine-dion-first-concert-in-6-years-rare-neurological-disorder-stiff-person-syndrome/","health",{"_27":375,"_298":376,"_137":300,"_80":377,"_312":311,"_313":384,"_315":385},"6655d37244d4496f9ded1f775b6087f8ba12ac0c738cf4d7f1149c39c1c59650","baa74b5ef35b397b5874ad124b10528dae4e5ba1b1ef8e178474f70eb3f02949e13e8b1e15221d947084a0724b2deeea23ca117fc95a956a2d435f48f4d37412",[378,379,380,382,383],[244,367],[44,370],[305,381,39,307],"30023:6759f7a309cd07f7abfe0c57ab4e0ff30ffcd68d9c744d403f22e2428df23738:e1189afe-49b1-4989-a9e3-ab8167531f45",[309,39],[140,311,39],"Celine Dion overcomes rare neurological disorder to perform first concert in 6 years\nSeptember 12, 2026 / 6:54 PM EDT / CBS/AFP\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqe6e773snng8774lurzh4d8qluc0lntgm8r5f4qr7ghzg2xlydecqqjx2vf38qukzen9956rjc33956rjwpe94snjefn94skywp3xcmn2ve3vc6r293mjw8 ",1789281591,"Celine Dion wept tears of joy on Saturday as she fulfilled her dream of returning to the stage after years battling a rare neurological disorder, with a sold-out concert in Paris.\nThe 58-year-old French Canadian singer appeared visibly moved as she opened her first full concert in six years with her 1990s French-language ballad \"On ne change pas\" (\"One Doesn't Change\"), singing to a crowd of 30,000 enthralled fans.\n\"These are, of course, tears of joy. I'm so delighted to see you,\" Dion said, blowing kisses to the audience at the packed Plenitude Arena on the western edge of Paris.\nCanadian singer Celine Dion reacts as she performs during her first concert of a residency at the Plenitude Arena west of Paris on Sept. 12, 2026.\nThomas SAMSON /AFP via Getty Images\nHer return to the stage underscored a remarkable comeback after stiff-person syndrome, an incurable condition that causes stiffness and cramps, forced her to cancel shows and cast years of uncertainty over whether she would ever perform again.\n\"The path was rockier than expected,\" she said, speaking in French and English.\n\"But I held on to a faint ray of light in the distance, deep in the mountains.\"\n\"Tonight, I want to sing for you, sing for myself, sing for life,\" she added.\nThe largely female crowd sported sequined dresses and tops, glittered cheeks and T-shirts emblazoned with the star's image or nods to her biggest hits.\n\"It's unreal to be here!\" said Elisabeth Landry, a 38-year-old Quebecer who lives near the star's hometown of Charlemagne.\n\"I was convinced we'd never see her again, especially not embarking on a run of concerts like this.\"\nFrench daily Le Parisien said former first lady Michelle Obama was \"discreetly attending this first concert.\"\nJust hours before, one of the best-selling singers of all time greeted admirers outside her luxury hotel a short walk from the Arc de Triomphe.\nCeline Dion performs on the opening night of her residency at the Plenitude Arena on Sept. 12, 2026, near Paris, France.\nSamir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images\nAlbertina Cabral, a fan from the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, said she could barely put her feelings into words.\n\"It's unbelievable to stay here and to go to the concert and to see Celine so close,\" she said. \"And she's feeling good, she's happy.\"\nParis spared no effort in welcoming Dion, drawing thousands of fans from across the world, including some who flew in from as far away as the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.\nFor days, Paris played host to costume contests, giant karaoke parties and tribute cruises on the Seine.\nOn Friday, the iconic cauldron rose above the Tuileries Garden, echoing the diva's surprise appearance up the Eiffel Tower to perform \"Hymn to Love\" by Edith Piaf during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024.\nA lyric from the song, \"I'd go and fetch the moon if you asked me to,\" along with the singer's first name, was projected in big letters onto the balloon.\nThe suburban train station serving the arena has been temporarily renamed \"Celine.\"\nChloe and Katy Rydquist, who traveled from London, had spent around $2,000 on their tickets, saying Dion's return to the stage justified the cost.\n\"She's a legend,\" Chloe said.\nThe star's residency is projected to generate hundreds of millions of euros in economic benefits.\nShe kicks off her 26-date run with 16 sold-out shows in September and October, before returning for another 10 in May.\nFans who missed out on tickets have found other ways to catch a glimpse of their idol.\nDion has regularly stepped outside the Royal Monceau hotel to greet waiting fans, at times breaking into song and dance with them well into the early hours.\nOver her four-decade career, Dion has sold around 260 million albums in English and French, with hits including \"It's All Coming Back to Me Now\" and \"Because You Loved Me.\"\nDion revealed in late 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the rare disorder is believed to be an autoimmune condition in which your immune system attacks the healthy cells of your body by mistake.\nIt can cause \"stiff muscles in the torso, arms, and legs,\" as well as \"greater sensitivity to noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms,\" according to the NIH.\nIt impacts twice as many women as men, the NIH said, and is also believed to be a progressive disorder that worsens over time. While symptoms can be treated with medication, there is no cure.\nAccording to the Johns Hopkins Stiff-Person Syndrome Center, the disorder is estimated to impact only one to two people per one million in population.\nDion has described it as making her feel as though she is being strangled, with cramps so intense they have left her with broken ribs.\nShe has returned to the stage after what she has described as years of training \"like an athlete,\" doing ballet and Pilates several times a week, as well as voice therapy.",{"_281":239,"_282":388,"_283":389},"f9aa00e8-7140-48de-a950-ec0955727352",{"_27":388,"_40":390,"_286":391,"_42":392,"_251":393,"_289":-5,"_29":290,"_291":394,"_293":395,"_244":373,"_80":-5,"_82":120,"_238":396,"_281":239,"_317":407},"Céline Dion performs first live show in more than six years","Céline Dion performed her first live show in over six years in Paris, expressing deep emotion and gratitude to her fans. The performance marks her return after a significant break due to her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome (SPS). She is scheduled for a residency in Paris from September 2026 to May 2027, with all tickets selling out rapidly.","The singer’s triumphant return to the stage comes after health problems forced her to take a lengthy break","https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8955d244f4b301c3f6906294f8dd144390359382/1666_362_3098_2479/master/3098.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&precrop=40:21,offset-x50,offset-y0&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=34177778baab89047532d9770756ca92","2026-09-12T22:50:44","https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/sep/12/celine-dion-weeps-as-she-performs-first-live-show-in-more-than-six-years",{"_27":397,"_298":398,"_137":300,"_80":399,"_312":360,"_313":406,"_315":362},"fc5c21735b1904347b740dd0dc274e50009175e3800b65ec5fa9a9d83da57bb0","fba8d9112100f68bcca97d14cf88bf0ccccb825ef35a087d09a154d0f73c97e830afbe85f9a1a54badb0697c46033a877f13053654c72300ee3c94ba0ff7c739",[400,401,402,404,405],[244,390],[44,393],[305,403,39,307],"30023:c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da:f9aa00e8-7140-48de-a950-ec0955727352",[309,39],[140,360,39],"Céline Dion performs first live show in more than six years\nThe singer’s triumphant return to the stage comes after health problems forced her to take a lengthy break\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3cvxjt27s74qhy9ctz5k3ujgqd3vg96pdme8nywdq6g6le2yzw6qqjxvwtpvycrqefc95mnzdps956rser994snjdfs94jkxvpex56nwv3hxv6ny8uln6n ","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.\n\nAddressing the sold-out crowd on Saturday, a visibly emotional Dion told them that it was “amazing we are all together”.\n\nShe 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.”\n\nShe 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.\n\nThe 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”.\n\nSPS 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.\n\nAfter 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nDion 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.",[],"selectedArticleImage","rootArticleImageUrl","consensusHtml","tweets",[],"userSchema","perspectivesColumns","intro","relatedArticles",[284,320,343,366,389],"actionData","errors"]

Céline Dion Returns to the Stage in Paris After Six Years

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