Paris cheers awesome power of Celine Dion

Celine Dion made an emotional return to the stage after a six-year absence on Saturday, overcoming high-profile health woes to thrill fans in the first of a series of concerts in ?Paris. "I'm standing on stage in this city I love so much thanks to your support and your love," she told the crowd. "The path was rocky, the road was longer than planned but I held on." The star announced in 2022 she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological condition which ?causes muscle spasms and left her unable to perform. Dion seemed overwhelmed at times and broke down in tears during her opening number, holding out a microphone to the audience to help her through the bridge. "I promised I wouldn't cry - but they're tears of joy," she said, speaking mostly French throughout. The staging was muted and Dion mainly wore a series of black gowns, leaving little to distract from her obvious emotion at being back in front of a crowd. "She didn't shy away from what she suffered ?and ?she shared it with her audience," British fan Catherine Rushforth said as she left the arena in Nanterre on the outskirts of Paris. Dion strutted confidently through her familiar on-stage theatrics, pulling faces and playing air guitar, and belting out ballads including My Heart Will Go On and All ?By Myself which made her one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. But she opened with one of her biggest French-language hits On Ne Change Pas (We Don't Change) - an apparent reference ?to her extended absence. Her 16-concert residency, with a further 10 dates in 2027, has caused a frenzy in the French capital where crowds gather outside her swanky ?hotel until the early hours hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Dion's accolades include five Grammy Awards, 20 Juno Awards, seven American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame. Seven of her albums have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide, the second most among women. She was ranked among the greatest women in music by VH1 and the greatest voices in music by MTV. Dion is one of the highest-grossing touring artists, the second woman to accumulate US$1 billion in concert revenue, and one of the wealthiest musicians in the world. Forbes ranked her the highest-paid female musician of 1997, 1998, 2004, and 2006. She received honorary doctorates in music from the Berklee College of Music and the Université Laval. Dion was conferred with the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit, and was elevated to the Companion of the Order of Canada. Her real international breakthrough came when she duetted with Peabo Bryson on the title track to Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). It became her first top-ten hit in the UK and her second top-ten hit in the US. The song earned its songwriters an Academy Award for Best Song and gave Dion her first Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Beauty and the Beast" served as the lead single from her 1992 self-titled album, which, like her debut, had a strong pop rock influence combined with elements of soul and classical music.