Celine Dion at Olympics? Singer in Paris as comeback talk intensifies
Celine Dion is reportedly going for gold in her comeback to the stage.
The pop superstar and Las Vegas residency champion is reportedly returning during the Summer Olympics opening ceremonies in Paris on Friday. Variety has reported this as a rumor. Dion’s representatives have not commented on her activities overseas.
Videos posted on social media time show Dion arriving in Paris, with her manager and AEG Presents exec John Nelson in the background. Variety reports Dion arrived in Paris on Monday at Royal Monceau hotel, which is near the Champs-Élysées.
Lady Gaga, another potential opening ceremony headliner and Las Vegas residency performer, is also staying at that hotel.
Dion hinted toward a comeback after taping her hourlong NBC special “Celine’s Story” with Hoda Kotb in May.
On the morning of the special’s premiere June 11, Kotb told “Today” co-hosts Sarah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, “She’s going to be back on stage. I asked her when, and she yelled to her manager, ‘Can I tell Hoda when I can be on stage?’ And he said no. So we know that there is a date upcoming.”
Citing sources, TMZ is reporting Dion will be paid $2 million for just the one song. It seems like a lot when superstars of Dion’s fame command that fee for a full private concert. But that could be a conservative estimate, given that Dion and her entourage — including her medical team — will travel to and back from France and spend about a week in Paris.
AEG reps have said they are optimistic for her return at Resorts World Theatre, but there has been no formal plan for her comeback show or for her tickets to go on sale. There have been unconfirmed reports of her prepping for the show, and taking part in a 90-minute dress fitting, earlier this month.
Dion has not performed a full concert since March 7-8, 2020, at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. She announced in December 2022 she had been diagnosed with the rare neurological condition Stiff Person Syndrome, halting all upcoming residency and touring plans.
Dion has recently released the universally praised “I Am: Celine Dion” documentary on Prime, and she has made many public appearances over the past several months, most recently announcing the Montreal Canadiens’ No. 1 pick at the NHL Draft at the Sphere on June 29.
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