Céline Dion is back where so many fans have been waiting to see her: on stage, in full concert mode.
The singer opened her long awaited Paris residency on September 12, 2026, performing her first full concert in more than six years at Plenitude Arena in Nanterre. The night was emotional from the very beginning, with Dion becoming visibly tearful just seconds into opening song “On ne change pas.” She paused to thank the audience and reflected on the promise she had made to return to performing.
A Setlist Built Around Memory and Comeback Energy
The concert stretched to roughly two and a half hours and moved through both French language classics and the English hits that made Dion a global star. The opening section included “Destin,” “Because You Loved Me,” “Encore un soir,” “Tout l’or des hommes” and “The Power of Love.”
The middle of the show mixed nostalgia with surprise. Dion performed “My Heart Will Go On,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “I’m Alive” and “J’irai où tu iras,” while also bringing back songs she had not performed live in years. There was even a disco inspired stretch featuring “I Feel Love,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and a reworked version of “I’m Alive,” giving the show a looser, more playful energy than fans might have expected.
New Music Shared the Stage With the Classics
Dion also used the night to introduce newer material, including “Dansons” and “Je chanterai,” both receiving live debuts. The set then moved into more dramatic territory with “The Prayer,” “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and the opera aria “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana.”
For the encore, she returned with “All by Myself,” “Pour que tu m’aimes encore” and “S’il suffisait d’aimer,”closing the night on exactly the kind of emotional, voice first note fans had hoped for.
More Than Just Another Concert
The importance of the night went well beyond the setlist.
Dion had not headlined a full concert since March 2020. Her touring plans were first interrupted by the pandemic and later by her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome, which forced her to step away from performing for an extended period. Her 2024 Paris Olympics appearance proved she could still command a stage, but this residency represents something much bigger: a return to a complete live show.
Reviews from opening night described the comeback as emotional and triumphant, with her voice still carrying the power and expression that made her one of pop’s defining performers.
The Paris residency continues through the autumn, but opening night already delivered the headline fans wanted most.
Céline Dion is performing again.
