Ticketmaster has temporarily halted its sale of Celine Dion tickets for her hugely anticipated comeback shows, after identifying “suspicious activity” that blocked real fans from securing their spots.
The Canadian star is scheduled to perform 10 shows at the La Défense arena in Paris later this year, from 12 September through 14 October.
Dion called the comeback the “best gift of my life”, following a well-documented struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome, which she was diagnosed with in 2022.
However, fans were furious after Ticketmaster was forced to pause the sale today (Thursday 4 June) due to bots and scalpers snapping up tickets en masse.
“Tickets are still available for Celine Dion,” a statement from the company’s French account said. “Our technical teams have identified suspicious activities and are actively working to prevent these bad actors from disrupting the sale.
“We are doing everything possible to restart the queue as quickly as possible. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused and sincerely thank all affected fans for their patience and understanding.”
In an updated statement, Ticketmaster announced that the sale has been postponed: “Tickets are still available and will be held until the new sale date and time.”
Fans have branded the situation “a disgrace” after they queued for hours in the hope of seeing Dion perform.
“Finally got on the site after three-and-a-half hours getting a thousand different messages to be kicked out and back to square one,” an angry fan wrote on X, “really pathetic.”
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open image in galleryOthers castigated Ticketmaster for a “wasted morning” in which they had been blocked from buying tickets after lengthy wait times.
“Connected to the site at 9am, 6,000th in the queue at 10am, three hours to access the sale, only to finally get ‘The session is not open for sale’, be kicked off the site… and end up 33,000th in the queue, you are a disgrace!” another unhappy fan said.
The Independent has contacted Ticketmaster for further comment.
Following her diagnosis with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), Dion announced that she was cancelling the remaining dates of her rescheduled tour.
In a statement at the time, she said: “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100 per cent.”
SPS is a rare neurological condition that affects just one or two in every one million people. It begins with muscle spasms and, over time, can cause crippling full-body attacks and torso rigidity.
open image in galleryWhen she first announced her diagnosis in December 2022, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer posted an emotional video to her Instagram page explaining that she had been diagnosed with SPS, which she said affects “every aspect of my daily life.”
In 2024, Dion was the subject of Oscar-nominated director Irene Taylor’s documentary for Prime Video, I Am: Celine Dion, which followed the Grammy-winning star as she coped with her diagnosis.
That same year, she spoke of her determination to return to the live stage and perform once again. “Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, but I remain determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible,” she wrote on Instagram.