‘TEARS OF JOY’

Céline Dion Reveals Why She Broke Down at First Concert in 6 Years

The five-time Grammy winner’s return to the stage comes after she was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.

Céline Dion performed live for the first time in six years on Saturday. The singer, 58, wept as she opened the show in Nanterre, France, singing her 1990s French-language ballad “On ne change pas” (“One Doesn’t Change”). “These are, of course, tears of joy,” she told the 30,000-person crowd as she blew kisses, adding: “I’m so delighted to see you.” The five-time Grammy winner’s triumphant return to the stage comes six years after she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, an incurable and progressive neurological disorder that causes painful muscle stiffness and spasms. The rare condition made her unsure whether she would ever perform again. “The path was rockier than expected,” she told fans, speaking in both French and English. “Tonight, I want to sing for you, sing for myself, sing for life,” she said. Dion returns to the stage following years of intensive training in ballet, Pilates, and voice therapy. Le Parisien reported that Michelle Obama was “discreetly attending this first concert,” which was the kickoff to the Canadian star’s 16-show residency at France’s Plenitude Arena, just a few miles west of Paris.