Canadian music icon Celine Dion has made an emotional return to the concert stage, performing her first full show in six years after a rare neurological disorder forced her to step away from live performances.

Dion opened her Paris-area residency on Saturday at an arena in Nanterre, near the French capital, where she became visibly emotional as she began the show with “On ne change pas” before moving into “Destin.”

The performance marked a major moment in the singer’s career after her battle with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological condition that significantly disrupted her ability to perform.

According to a Reuters report captured by CNN Entertainment, Dion is scheduled to perform 26 concerts in Nanterre over the next eight months as part of the sell-out residency.

The concerts, announced on the occasion of her 58th birthday in March, are expected to attract fans from different parts of the world eager to see the five-time Grammy Award winner back on stage.

Dion, one of the best-selling recording artists in music history, had largely stayed away from live performances since her health condition forced her to cancel shows and put her touring career on hold.

Her return to the stage in France therefore represents a significant comeback for the singer, whose career has spanned decades and produced some of the world’s most recognisable pop ballads.