It’s the most talked about comeback in France since Charles de Gaulle came out of retirement in 1958. The general may have launched the Fifth Republic, but Céline Dion is limiting herself to ten evenings at the Paris La Défense Arena between September 12 and October 14. Dion is French Canadian, but the French have adopted her as their own, as they did with the Belgian Jacques Brel and Britain’s Jane Birkin. 

What we really know about the first Easter

Iran has offered Trump an olive branch

Inside the fearless rescue of the second US airman

Dion has been plagued by ill-health in recent years – suffering from an incurable autoimmune condition called Stiff Person Syndrome – and hasn’t sung live for six years. She made an exception for the 2024 Paris Olympics, appearing briefly to sing ‘Hymne à l’amour’ at the Opening Ceremony, but the ten dates this autumn mark Dion’s return to the big stage. 

To say the French are excited is an understatement. Broadcasters have broken off from talking about Trump and Tehran to discuss the second coming of Dion. The conservative newspaper Le Figaro captured the mood of the nation on Tuesday morning when it described Dion’s comeback as causing ‘excitement and........

© The Spectator