Celine Dion opens her long-awaited Paris concert residency Friday night at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, marking her first sustained run of live shows in six years. The 26-date engagement, running through Oct. 17 before resuming next spring, drew roughly 9 million ticket pre-registrations when it was announced, according to Sortiraparis, with all shows selling out within hours.

Dion, who has been open about her struggle with stiff person syndrome, will not perform on consecutive nights — shows fall only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays — a scheduling choice built around her ongoing health recovery, according to reporting on the residency. It's her first sustained engagement on a major stage since she canceled the remaining dates of her Courage World Tour in 2023.

In her March 30 announcement video filmed at the Eiffel Tower, Dion described the engagement as "the best birthday gift" she could imagine, saying she felt "strong, excited, and grateful to be returning to the stage."