Sawt Falasteen - Celine Dion arrives in France ahead of sold-out comeback dates

The singer headed to the Royal Monceau luxury hotel near the Champs-Elysees, where a crowd of admirers behind security barriers cheered her and shouted "Céline, we love you!”.

"I’ve always felt supported from day one and it’s a story that keeps going," she told BFM TV, wearing black sunglasses and a beige trench coat.

"It’s true that this is my second home. I appreciate that you’re here, thank you very much," she said to fans.

The 58-year-old announced in March that would give 16 concerts in the French capital starting from September and October after a lengthy break prompted by health problems. Her last full concerts were in 2020.

The announcement prompted a furious scramble for tickets not seen since Taylor Swift's The Eras tour in 2024.

Dion appeared at the Eiffel Tower for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics that same year, with her show-stealing performance later becoming the subject of speculation about whether she had sung or lip-synched.

The singer disclosed in 2022 that she had been was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disorder. She was forced to cancel her last tour dates due to both the Covid pandemic and ill health.

N.Shalabi--SF-PST