Céline Dion Launches Paris Residency After Six-Year Hiatus

Céline Dion returned to live performance on Saturday, Sept. 12, to begin her 26-date residency at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, France. The opening concert attracted an audience of about 30,000 and marked the start of a series expected to draw more than 480,000 attendees across the first 16 shows. Ticket sales were completed within hours, and a lottery attracted over nine million entries.

The setlist emphasized Dion’s French-language catalog, featuring several songs from the Jean-Jacques Goldman-written album D’eux, the best-selling French-language record in history, alongside her well-known English hits. Production was intentionally minimal, with a large stage but no pyrotechnics, to keep focus on her vocal performance.

The concert began 47 minutes behind schedule and lasted until 11:14 p.m. local time, running close to two and a half hours. Dion opened with “On Ne Change Pas,” followed by a disco-styled segment, an operatic rendition of “La Wally” performed under simulated snowfall, and a gospel-choir-backed version of “Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore.” She also introduced the new Goldman-written single “Dansons,” and delivered an a cappella version of “All by Myself.”

Among the audience were former First Lady Michelle Obama, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, singer Aya Nakamura and astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Later in the show, Dion performed dance-oriented tracks such as “I Feel Love,” “Sweet Dreams,” and a re-worked “I’m Alive,” showcasing a more upbeat side of her repertoire.

The full setlist from the opening night is available for fans planning to attend the remaining dates of the residency.