{"id":895199,"date":"2026-09-14T08:18:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/895199\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T08:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:18:21","slug":"celine-dion-concert-an-emotional-comeback-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/895199\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00e9line Dion concert: An emotional comeback in Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fans have been waiting for Celine Dion\u2019s return to music after her Stiff Person diagnosis that kept her away from the spotlight. Genevieve Beauchemin reports. <\/p>\n

PARIS, Fra. \u2013 C\u00e9line Dion teared up as she took to the stage for her comeback concert in Paris and so did most of the 30,000 fans in the audience. <\/p>\n

The Quebec superstar was emotional as she opened with her song \u201cOn Ne Change Pas,\u201d that translates to \u201cwe don\u2019t change\u201d and is one of her early hits. Fans say she showed her voice had not lost a beat during her renditions of \u201cThe Power of Love\u2019 and \u201cMy Heart Will Go On\u201d as she dipped into both her French and English repertoires.<\/p>\n

\"\"Paris\u2019 Plenitude Arena Paris\u2019 Plenitude Arena. (Xavier Duranleau) <\/p>\n

Between songs, Dion told the crowd of 30,000 people that she had made a promise to be back on stage, and that she was fulfilling that vow. She also thanked her fans for her support and their patience while she had stepped away.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I may say so,\u201d she told the crowd. \u201cI am everything I am because you loved me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Celine Dion C\u00e9line Dion returned to the stage after a six-year hiatus in Paris Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Nicolas Gerardin, handout) <\/p>\n

Fans described her performance as \u201coperatic\u201d and \u201cmajestic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was emotional, but also very strong, very passionate and very confident, like C\u00e9line we knew,\u201d said a fan club member, Luciano Consentino as he left Paris\u2019 Plenitude Arena.<\/p>\n

\"\"A fan club member, Luciano Consentino. A fan club member, Luciano Consentino. (Xavier Duranleau) <\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s Laura Webb and Berta Machado say they had vowed to see a Dion comeback concert since watching the documentary I Am C\u00e9line, in which she detailed her journey after a diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome that can induce painful spasms. When they learned it would be in Paris they hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you know what happened?\u201d asked Barta Machado after the show. \u201cWe went to the casino and won $18,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

They banked that jackpot on Dion delivering a performance they would not soon forget.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t cry at concerts, but it was amazing,\u201d said Webb. \u201cIt was a once in a lifetime chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concert started more than 45 minutes late after tens of thousands of fans streamed into Paris\u2019 Plenitude Arena wearing C\u00e9line Dion t-shirts, glitter and wide smiles.<\/p>\n

\"\"Toronto\u2019s Laura Webb and Berta Machado. Toronto\u2019s Laura Webb and Berta Machado. (Xavier Duranleau) <\/p>\n

Noemie Tournex was born in Montreal but has lived in France for years. She draped herself in the Quebec flag to honour her roots and her idol\u2019s home province.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a dream,\u201d she says. \u201cWe stayed up all night trying to get tickets when they came out, we were working on six computers, and we weren\u2019t sure if they could be fake. But here we are!\u201d<\/p>\n

Management of the Plenitude Arena warned it had taken legal action to stop some fraudulent online ticket sellers, and that it set up a booth outside the concert venue to guide and assist some fans who may have been victims if they opt to file a complaint.<\/p>\n

\"\"Paris\u2019 Plenitude\u00a0Arena Celine Dion Paris\u2019 Plenitude\u00a0Arena. (Xavier Duranleau) <\/p>\n

Fans from around the world converged on Paris turning the City of Love into the City of C\u00e9line. Her songs play in restaurants on the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es, billboard ads for her show went up near the Arc de Triomphe and across the city and a limited-edition gift box of macarons have been on sale at the Galeries Lafayette.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an impressive marketing machine that got into gear,\u201d said Quebecer Nathalie Cloutier who was vacationing in Paris.<\/p>\n

But her popularity is also linked to the powerful connection many fans feel with the superstar.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is authentic,\u201d says Stella Duval who travelled from Joliette, Que. for the concert. \u201cShe loves her audience, and it shows. Her songs have been with me through the good times and the tough times in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before showtime, Dion had but in one more appearance on her Paris hotel doorstep. Fans have been gathering day and night to cheer her on for her return to centre stage since she landed. She took several minutes to wave and thank them. Several members of her official fan club, called \u201cThe Redheads\u201d had gathered and set up a display of hundreds of candied apples, called \u201cpommes d\u2019amour\u201d in French.<\/p>\n

\"\"C\u00e9line Dion C\u00e9line Dion receiving apples from her fans. (Xavier Duranleau) <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a reference to her documentary,\u201d said fan club member Sophie Lesaffre. \u201cIn it, she says she feels like she is an apple tree that once had a lot of apples, of songs, to give to people, and that she had no more apples to give.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lesaffre gifted an apple to Dion, who held it up as she was whisked away to the concert venue with a police escort.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe took time to talk to us, she understood the message of love we wanted to pass on to her,\u201d said Lesaffre.<\/p>\n

There are 15 more concerts planned, and all are sold-out. Fans expect that Dion will deliver her brand of emotion with a powerful voice in coming shows too, but many fans said that her first time back at centre stage was a once in a lifetime performance.<\/p>\n

Correction<\/p>\n

The story has been updated to corre<\/p>\n

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