Critics celebrate Céline Dion’s ‘risky’ comeback show in Paris
Sarah Leavitt, reporting from Paris for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), external, said the crowd “was left without words” by the stunning performance.
She noted that she didn’t want to cry, but “of course she cried right away.”
Dion also “endeared herself” to the crowd by saying during one song that she wanted to stop and start over.
Will Hodgkinson at the Times of London, external writes in his review, “miraculously, her art will go on,” that the performance was “overwhelming”.
She “looked suitably humbled and tearful” as she emerged, he said, going on to praise the stage direction.
“Truly, she was throwing the love at the crowd, who threw it right back at her. There was no holding back. It was quite overwhelming, actually,” he writes.
The performance was “complete with both costume, key change and air of tragic, important romance”.
“Céline Dion’s strength lies in being a diva with the common touch while being as French as they get, even if she is Canadian. She fulfilled that role with all the verve you could hope for,” writes Hodgkinson.
“The concert had a spiritual feel, with visual interludes steeped in biblical imagery alluding to a pilgrimage,” Elsa Keslassy writes for Variety., external
In video clips, Dion is seen wandering in a desert. “The set design was highly cinematic, with a monumental staircase sweeping up one side and a moon dominating the stage, while the backdrop appeared to have a stark, almost brutalist gray texture.”
The star, known for power ballads like My Heart Will Go On and Because You Loved Me, has said she will not let her diagnosis control her life.
“The way I see it, I have two choices. Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I switch off and it’s over,” she told French Vogue magazine, external in 2024.
“I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team.”