Céline Dion had a dream: to step back on stage and reconnect with her fans after six long years away. The Quebec superstar is making it happen right now in Paris, a city she adores, thanks to this residency program launched on September 12, 2026. Every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evening until October 17, 2026, Céline Dion is performing in a packed Armée de la Défense arena. We were at the second show of the singer, held on September 16, 2026. In front of more than 35,000 people, Céline Dion delivered a spellbinding performance, brimming with emotion and hit after hit. Here’s how it went.
Scheduled for 8:00 p.m., the show finally kicked off 35 minutes late; not as late as the first night when the star stepped onto the stage at 8:48 p.m. This Wednesday evening, for the second Paris date, fans were unfazed, well aware a delay might occur. At 8:35 p.m., the lights in the Île-de-France venue went dark. The violins for On ne change pas rang out and the crowd roared as Céline Dion appeared on the vast stage. Dressed in a black gown for the occasion, the artist paused to survey the hall and greet the audience, before launching into the first verse of this 1998 evergreen. Here we go for 2 hours and 25 minutes of show!
For this grand return to the stage, Céline Dion has surrounded herself with Willo Perron, who is in charge of the production. Monumental, yet very clean, the scenography minimalist may seem surprising at first for the venue. But it was above all designed to showcase the singer's uniquely distinctive voice. On the imposing stage of the La Défense arena, trois monolithes géants, s'apparentant à de grands blocs de pierre, ont été érigés. Mobiles, ces structures glissent, pivotent, s'ouvrent et se referment au fil des quatre actes du spectacle, offrant ainsi une certaine dynamique au show. Le tout est à suivre sur les écrans géants, grâce à plusieurs caméras (dont deux sur rails) installées dans la salle.
On stage, Céline Dion is not performing solo. Far from it. She’s joined by pianist Scott Price, who also serves as her musical director for the new show, along with guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, backing singers, and a string quartet, delivering for the occasion fresh, reimagined arrangements of her biggest hits.
Céline Dion never runs short of hits. On Wednesday night, the singer delivered a thoughtfully chosen setlist, appealing to both her international fans with about ten English-language songs, and, of course, to her French-speaking fans as well.
The language of Molière, of course, we return to it with her hit "Destin", written by Jean-Jacques Goldman. "Ainsi passent mes heures
Au rythme entêtant des battements de mon cœur", she sings, smiling and keeping time with the audience, before addressing a few words to them. "You hear the beating of my heart. I am standing on stage in this city I love so much thanks to your support and your love" she tells the crowd, before thanking the audience. These gestures of gratitude will be frequent from the singer, well aware of the immense love fans have shown her for so many years.
Céline Dion doesn’t hold back this Wednesday night. Confident that she wants to sing for her fans, for herself and for life, the Canadian star keeps the show going with "Because You Loved Me", "Les derniers seront les premiers" or also "Tout l'or des hommes". Like a little girl who has aced an exam, Céline Dion can’t hide her excitement and joy at the end of every song. Her smile is infectious and her emotion very apparent, perhaps a touch too much at times. For some, the over-the-top theatrics and the intense facial expressions of Céline Dion are off-putting. For others, these expressions embody the singer’s authenticity and hypersensitive personality, conveying the raw emotion of her performances.
Following the rousing The Power of Love, the singer takes a brief pause to make way for the show's second act and a fresh look. A true fashion enthusiast, Céline Dion will application of five different outfits for this performance, conceived and crafted by several leading French fashion houses.
For the second half of the show, Céline Dion opens with a commanding rendition of "My Heart Will Go On," the iconic theme from Titanic. Phones light up throughout the venue as the intergenerational crowd roars with delight. Admittedly, the singer's voice has shifted a bit due to illness; listened to closely, it sounds deeper than before. But she remains stunning and fully in control.
The diva moves on with more English numbers, including Beauty and the Beast, performed with the Quebec-born Barnev Valsaint, one of her backing singers. I'm doing well then announces Céline Dion. I've learned to live with this fragility, she says, alluding to her illness. By constantly being around it, I tamed it and decided to turn it into a strength, she adds. The applause erupts before the track The Chase starts to play. While some fans had slid back into their seats in the stands, everyone rises again to sing and dance to I Will Go Where You Go. No Jean-Jacques Goldman on stage for this duet, but Jordan Lévesque, another of the singer’s backing vocalists who doesn’t shy away from the spotlight, delivering a very lovely moment on stage.
Céline Dion invites the audience to dance to a string of upbeat numbers, such as "I Feel Love", "I'm Alive", "That's the Way It Is" or the excellent "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics, brilliantly reinterpreted by the star and enhanced by the violins.
Another short intermission and a fresh video projected on the giant screens before we move to the third act. On the images being shown, Céline Dion is seen dancing. Emerging from beneath the stage, the Quebec diva returns to perform, as expected, her latest single "Dansons", written by Jean-Jacques Goldman. The emotion climbs another level as the opening notes of the song "Un garçon pas comme les autres" ring out, the crowd singing along in unison. For "Courage", Céline Dion wins over the audience with a piano‑and‑voice rendition.
Now comes Act IV of the show. For the occasion, a 16-strong chorus of talented singers joins Céline Dion on stage to perform, alongside her, Love Can Move Mountains, The Prayer, It's All Coming Back to Me Now, and Je chanterai. The evening gains another dimension when the Canadian star delivers an incredible operatic rendition of Ebben? Ne andrò lontana, from Alfredo Catalani's La Wally. Wearing an imposing pink feathered coat, Céline Dion proves she has lost none of her vocal prowess. The staging is meticulously crafted for the occasion, with smoke effects and falling fake snow to recreate the opera’s mountain ambiance. Céline Dion offers us a breathtaking moment of grace. After receiving a bouquet of red roses from one of her violinists, Céline Dion can’t hide her emotion and confesses I have just realized a dream.
But the evening isn’t over yet. The encore is on. Confident as ever, Céline Dion returns to perform "All by Myself" and nail the famous note that fans fear most. Then the star whisks us back to the 90s with "Pour que tu m’aimes encore" and "S’il suffisait d’aimer", two songs that strike fans as timeless anthems. And it’s a cappella, with the full choir, that Céline Dion chooses to close this 2 hour 25 minute set by performing "Des milliers de baisers", a personal message to her fans.
Before leaving the stage, Céline Dion takes one last moment to study the crowd and thank them for their unwavering support. It’s to the sound of the "Hymne à l'amour", played in the house, that fans file out of the La Défense arena, clearly won over and thrilled to have shared these beautiful reunions with their idol in Paris. They, too, leave impressed, moved by a voice that is at once fragile and powerful. Slightly altered by illness, Céline Dion’s voice remains profoundly moving. For this second date, many would have liked a different setlist from the first night, with two or three additional songs.
Act I
We don't change
Destiny
Because You Loved Me
One More Night
The Last Shall Be First
All the Gold of Men
The Power of Love
Act II
My Heart Will Go On
Beauty and the Beast (with Barnev Valsaint)
The Chase
I’ll Go Where You Go (with Jordan Levesque)
Don’t Move
In Another World
I Feel Love / I’m Alive / That’s the Way It Is / Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Act III
Let’s Dance
A Boy Unlike Any Other
Courage
Act IV
Love Can Move Mountains
The Prayer
It’s All Coming Back to Me Now
I Will Sing
Ebben? Ne andrò lontana
Reminder
All by Myself
If You Love Me
If Loving Were Enough
Thousands of Kisses
Location
Plenitude Arena (formerly Paris La Défense Arena)
99 Jardin de l'Arche
92000 Nanterre
Route planner
Accessibility info
Official website
www.celinedion.com
