"I promised to return": Celine Dion gave her first solo concert after a 6-year hiatus

“I promised to return”: Celine Dion gave her first solo concert after a 6-year hiatus

The 58-year-old singer Celine Dion returned to the stage after a long hiatus caused by health problems.

She performed on the evening of Saturday, September 12, at the “Plénitude Arena” located in the city of Nanterre near Paris. This was the pop star's first full solo concert in the last six years. The hiatus in her concert activity was caused by the pandemic and a severe neurological disease — stiff-person syndrome (muscle stiffness).

Stiff-person syndrome is a very rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), which manifests as progressive muscle stiffness (rigidity), painful spasms, and high sensitivity to external stimuli.

“If I cannot walk, I will crawl. But I will not give up!”.

The concert began with the song “On ne change pas,” and as soon as she sang it, the artist could not hold back her tears.

“I promised myself not to cry... But I am so happy to see you all. I missed you so much. I will sing with you and try not to cry anymore,” Variety quotes Dion as saying.

Then she added:

“I am here because I promised myself and you that I would return. And I am standing on this stage only because of your faith and incredible love.”

Celine Dion performed hit songs such as “The Power of Love”, “Because You Loved Me”, “Pour que tu m’aimes encore”, “All By Myself”, “I’m Alive” and “My Heart Will Go On”.

Nearly 30,000 people gathered to watch the concert. Many fans arrived wearing T-shirts with Celine Dion's image or dressed in the singer's style.

As a reminder, Celine Dion was diagnosed with a very rare disease — stiff-person syndrome. It occurs in one or two out of a million people, which is why it is poorly understood. It is assumed that its development can be caused by stress or loud sounds, increased sensitivity, and naturally, there was plenty of all this in the famous singer's life. The syndrome manifests in the form of muscle stiffness and painful spasms. Today, it cannot be cured, only the symptoms can be alleviated.