Céline Dion on Saturday fulfilled her dream of returning to the stage after years battling a rare neurological disorder with a sell-out concert in an arena west of Paris. The 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 around 30,000 people. She paused briefly overcome by emotion, before enthralled fans chanted her name at the end of the opening number. Her return to the stage underscored a remarkable comeback after Stiff Person Syndrome forced her to cancel shows and cast years of uncertainty over whether she would ever perform again.
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Cover image: © France 24
"Finally -- it's amazing we are all together," she said, speaking in English and French to fans who had packed the Plenitude Arena on the western edge of Paris for the sold-out opening night of her 26-show run. "The path was rockier than expected," she said. "But I held on to a faint ray of light in the distance, deep in the mountains." "Tonight, I want to sing for you, sing for myself, sing for life," she added. Read moreCéline Dion poised for emotional comeback concert in Paris The 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. "It's unreal to be here!," said Elisabeth Landry, a 38-year-old Quebecer who lives near the star's hometown of Charlemagne. "I was convinced we'd never see her again, especially not embarking on a run of concerts like this." 'She's happy' Just 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. Albertina Cabral, a fan from Sao Paulo, said she could barely put her feelings into words.
