Céline Dion made her triumphant comeback in Paris on Saturday night, battling back from agonising Stiff Person Syndrome to deliver a dazzling return to form ★★★★★
A show-stopping comeback against all the odds? It’s All Coming Back to Her Now.
Hair-raising power ballads, surprise disco covers and a haunting operatic solo – Céline Dion is back.
At times she looked like she could hardly believe it herself.
In her opening numbers she gasped and gulped after every line, appearing floored by the enormity of what she was managing to do.It was an emotionally charged night at Paris’ Plenitude Arena, six years after Céline’s last concert and four years since she announced to the world that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person’s Syndrome, an extremely rare and devastating neurological condition that causes severe muscle spasms and relentless fatigue, leaving sufferers effectively locked inside their own bodies.
As the minutes ticked past the scheduled start time, the anticipation inside the arena turned to nervous speculation. Céline, normally the consummate professional, was 50 minutes late.
When the black curtains eventually peeled back, Céline emerged and the tears started falling. You wondered if she had been taking a moment to compose herself.
After bowing to each side of her audience, she waved her arms high, signalling she was ready to go. Eyes-brimming, the veteran singer gave herself little nods of approval, before finally breaking down at the end of the track, seemingly overwhelmed at having made it through.
“I made a promise… I made a promise to come back and to be back on stage. And here I am, singing for you and singing for me… singing live!” she tells the crowd.
“If it’s your first time in Paris, I hope you fall in love with it. I know I did.
“Thank you so very much for your support, for your patience, and if I may say so… I am everything I am because you loved me.”
After a poignant start, a little bit of the old Céline was seemingly brought back to life with every song. By the second act she’s air guitaring, hip thrusting and fist-pumping through her up-tempo favourites, with the crowd on their feet.
Swapping her floor-length black gown -and a diamond necklace to rival Kate Winslet’s Heart of the Ocean – Celine returns in a chic trouser suit, freeing her to show off some of those signature kooky dance moves.
By the time she’s joined on stage by an electric guitar duo, the Canadian superstar appears to be having the time of her life.
As well as her own singalong anthems, Céline’s concerts are known for surprise covers from the diva who could seemingly sing anything. Tonight we’re treated to Donna Summer’s I Feel Love and the Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
Returning to her big ballad favourites for the rousing finale, the singer belts out that final note of All By Myself, before bursting into tears again.
She did it.
It’s a moment of pure relief after anticipation has been building for months. In April, more than nine million people registered for the pre-sale ticket lottery, underlining the demand to see her return.
In the days leading up to the residency, Céline fever hit Paris with hundreds lining the streets outside the five-star Raffles Hotel, where she has been staying, hoping to get a glimpse – with fans chanting her name and belting out her songs at all hours of the day.
There was even a mass karaoke event on Friday, where 10,000 people gathered for renditions of her biggest hits. Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris, said the capital’s giant street party would honour Celine as ‘an artist of the people.’
Fans flew in from Europe, America and all around the world to be with her – some travelling without even having tickets.
And tonight finally, they got their Céline. But this was no ordinary return from a veteran performer ready to make another comeback.
This took years of rehabilitation, sheer willpower and the love a devoted fan base, as she battled against her SPS.
The 58-year-old said she experienced the slow onset of symptoms for 17 years before finally receiving a diagnosis in 2022. She had used clever tricks to disguise her condition from the world. But tonight, there was nowhere to hide.
It has taken years of ‘training like an athlete’ to restore Céline’s confidence and get back to her best.
And while the voice is no longer quite as piercing as it was at the height of her powers, the astonishing control remains. Céline hit the notes – including the big, punishing ones.
A gospel choir was brought in to lift just two songs, leaving Céline to carry the vast majority of the show herself.
Perhaps the biggest test came when she tackled a soaring Italian opera solo, Ebben? Ne andrò lontana. It was a brave choice after years of vocal and physical difficulties – and yet she pulled off the endless intriciate runs.
After what once seemed impossible, tonight was also the culmination of one of the hardest battles of her life.
In the 2024 documentary I Am: Céline Dion, she shared the reality of the condition with extraordinary honesty. She spoke of muscle spasms so severe they cracked her ribs, left her struggling to breathe, swallow and most heartbreakingly of all for her, sing.
Céline has said she initially failed to recognise the seriousness of what was happening to her body because she was so focused on caring for her late husband, René Angélil, as he battled cancer.
Eventually, she was forced to come to terms with her greatest fear: that she might never sing again.
Judging by the tears that came after that final note, it seems nobody was more proud or overwhelmed by that what she’d accomplished than Céline herself.
As her band left the stage, Céline was left alone under a spotlight, blowing kisses to the crowd on what she’ll surely remember as one of the biggest performances of her life.
Setlist in full:
- On ne change pas
- Destin
- Because You Loved Me
- Encore un soir
- Les derniers seront les premiers (first time performed since 2009)
- Tout l’or des hommes
- The Power of Love
- My Heart Will Go On
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Chase (live debut)
- J’irai ou tu iras
- Ne bouge pas (first time performed in full since 2003)
- Dans un autre monde
- I Feel Love / I’m Alive / That’s the Way It Is / Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
- Dansons (live debut)
- Un garcon pas comme les autres
- Courage
- Love Can Move Mountains
- The Prayer
- It’s All Coming Back to Me Now
- Je chanterai
- Ebben? Ne andro lontana
Encore
- All by Myself
- Pour que tu m’aimes encore
- S’il suffisait d’aimer
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