Special T-shirts and macarons, a wave of train tickets and hotel bookings, even a karaoke night for ten thousand people organized by the mayor: Céline Dion's stay in Paris has hardly gone unnoticed by people in the French capital. In the run-up to her long-awaited concert series, which starts tonight, a 'Célinemania' has broken out here.
Because for years it was uncertain whether the Canadian superstar would ever perform live again. Dion announced in 2022 that she suffers from a rare neurological disorder that affects her central nervous system. As a result, she has difficulty walking and singing. "Giving a performance is not difficult," Dion said in I am: Céline Dion, a documentary in which she talks about her struggle with stiff-person syndrome. "The difficult part is to cancel one."
Mysterious campaign
But she returned. A memorable performance at the Eiffel Tower, during the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games, gave her fans hope for more. That hope became reality last spring: with a mysterious poster campaign in Paris, followed by a light show also on the Eiffel Tower, Dion announced that she will give sixteen concerts this fall. Next spring, another ten will be added.
Her big comeback has been carefully directed by the singer, says biographer Élisabeth Reynaud, author of several books about Céline Dion. "Very Hollywood-like. She has done everything to draw the world's attention to herself," says Reynaud. "Just look at what was on the Eiffel Tower: je suis prête (I am ready)."
According to Reynaud, it is no coincidence that Dion chose Paris, her second home, as the chosen place for her tour. "It is the capital of haute couture, the city of love," says Reynaud. "In France, she achieved an important part of her success, especially thanks to her wonderful collaboration with Jean-Jacques Goldman. He wrote two beautiful albums for her, which sold many millions."
At the hotel where she is staying, a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe, fans watch for the singer day and night. Their patience is rewarded: before she gets in the car, she enthusiastically greets her fans. When she returns late at night from her rehearsals, she takes the time to dance and sing with them. "I think she was eager to see her fans again," says Reynaud. "It does her a lot of good to feel their love."
At the best spots by the barrier in front of Royal Monceau sit friends Tamatea Yieng Kow and Vanessa Fournier. The two know each other from the Céline fan club. They have attended hundreds of concerts of their idol and over the years have taken dozens of photos with her.
"The fans are my second family," says Yieng Kow, who made the long journey from Tahiti to Paris. "They are people who understand my passion for Céline, at home not everyone understands that. We grew up with her music, we follow her life closely. When she announced her tour, I immediately knew: I’m taking the plane, I want to be there."
They find it important to stand here every day, says Fournier. "After seven years of absence, with everything going on around her health, it is important that we support her. We see how happy and grateful she is to see us. This comeback means everything to her. And it does us good to see her so happy."
"I am excited and relieved," Yieng Kow adds. "But I am also worried. Because no concert is worth her health. Even if she would sit on a chair and talk to us, that would already be more than enough. We love Céline. She does her best for her fans, and we know that sometimes she does that at the expense of her own health."