In a video montage opening the penultimate performance of the Honeymoon Tour’s North American leg, Ariana Grande offered “good music, good choreography, and a great time. I want to make sure that my fans have the best night of their lives.” As a 60-second countdown ticked off onscreen at the Frank Erwin Center Tuesday, the mob of tweens waited impatiently.
Suited up in the pop singer’s merchandise, from light-up cat ears to tour T-shirts they had changed into minutes after begging their parents to buy it, the local welcoming committee cooled its heels all summer anticipating the Grammy-nominated TV star’s first international jaunt. When the petite singer emerged in laced rabbit ears and her signature sky-high ponytail, her crew of dancers touched off a Grande 90-minute spectacle.
The 22-year-old Nickelodeon sensation arrived no stranger to success, having had two albums of bubblegum diva pop courting both hip-hop and EDM top the charts behind a string of Top 10 singles. Pairing that CV with a cotton candy explosion during “Bang Bang,” Grande’s collaboration with Brit powerhouse Jessie J and music mogul Nicki Minaj only made sense. Although the track’s guests weren’t onstage, the lookalike backup dancers made do as Grande demonstrated she favors entrances made for Broadway, where the Florida native debuted at 13.
For “Best Mistake,” she levitated over the stage on a makeshift cloud, followed two songs later by a Miley Cyrus-like entrance atop an extravagantly large chandelier for “Right There.” Pulling out all the stops, she rose from under the stage on a white grand piano for “My Everything,” accompanied by a tender voiceover of her late grandfather advising her to pursue her dream in music and “not let the media intimidate you.”
There was no consistent theme to the show, each song incorporating the visual makeup of a music video. The singer’s elegant aura best matched the more feminine set designs that didn’t feel over-planned. Others, like the futuristic, electronic backdrop during “All My Love,” seemed forced upon Grande’s innocent, softer image.
What she lacked in audience connectivity was made up for in pyrotechnics and a tap-dancing hype man. She didn’t deliver more personality than a generic “Austin, how are you feeling tonight?,” but then again, the tweens weren’t looking for anything more than that. They came to see a show, and they got an arena spectacle in spades.
Even so, Ariana Grande’s singing made for the main shock factor of the performance. While laying down, dancing, and even hopping, her vocal range and pitch stayed perfectly intact. That prowess, often compared to Mariah Carey’s, held its own, proving she isn’t just another cookie-cutter product of the industry.
This article appears in October 9 • 2015.