Popstar Ariana Grande had an emotional reaction on stage as she commenced her first solo tour in seven years.
At Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night, the Thank U, Next singer stopped to address the crowd about 90 minutes into the show. “Thank you so much, oh my God. L.A., thank you so much. Are you kidding? What the hell? I’ve never in my life experienced a crowd like this,” she said, according to footage posted by the Hollywood Reporter.
The 32-year-old wiped away tears as she spoke. “This is so overwhelming in the most beautiful way ever. Thank you so much for being so loving. Holy moly. I said holy moly, but I meant it, you know,” she continued, adding that the reaction from the crowd was “overwhelming.”
The audience could be heard cheering wildly. Grande said, “This means so much to me. You guys are so amazing. I love you so much and I always have. You can’t do this to me, you know what I mean, because you know what’s going to happen. You know I’m a Cancer. This is going to happen.” She thanked her fans for “always being such a loving, safe presence in my life” over the years.
After her heartfelt tribute to the audience, the three-time Grammy Award winner took on a more lighthearted tone. “I also have to say this is my first time touring wearing contact lenses. It’s so nice to see you for the first time in my life and to be able to connect. It’s so powerful,” she joked. “This is a very overwhelming night.”
Grande hasn’t toured since 2019. Her return to the stage follows a starring role in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked franchise, in which her portrayal of Glinda earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Her Eternal Sunshine tour kicked off on June 6 in Oakland, California. Grande will tour North America and also perform on multiple dates in London, U.K.
Grande’s 2017 tour in Manchester was the site of a terrorist attack and suicide bombing, killing 22 people. In its wake, Grande hosted a benefit concert to raise money for the victims, later becoming the first honorary citizen of Manchester for her contributions. The artist spoke about suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the attack, telling British Vogue in 2018, “It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss.”
Grande has become an overt political voice in the U.S., where she has spoken out against President Donald Trump and his administration. Last week, the Golden Globe nominee called out the White House for using one of her songs as the background tune to a clip celebrating ICE deportations. “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” Grande responded in a comment–which has since been mysteriously deleted.
Throughout June, Grande has been making headlines. Fans reacted strongly to her latest music video, released on June 1st, expressing concern over her seemingly gaunt appearance. The outcry comes after years of concern about Grande’s body image and weight loss, as well as that of her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo.
Grande allegedly split from her boyfriend and fellow Wicked star, Ethan Slater, earlier this month, too.
Despite such news, the popstar’s tour has already received rave reviews from fans and critics, including from the Guardian, which dubbed her performance on Sunday a “stunning return to stage.” Grande’s L.A. concert was attended by a star-studded group of celebrities and friends, including Kim Kardashian, Emma Roberts, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, and Addison Rae.
