Ariana Grande Opened Her London Tour Saturday, the Last Shows Before She Steps Away from Public Life in September
Ariana Grande told the O2 crowd it was the loudest room of the whole tour. These are the last 10 shows before she disappears from public life, and she said she plans to savor every second.
Grande, 33, is playing 10 sold-out nights at London’s O2 Arena, the final stop of her Eternal Sunshine Tour before she steps back from public-facing work in September. On opening night, she delivered a 23-song set after months of public speculation about her health.
“Every single show that we do, it gets louder. But this is by far the loudest,” she told the crowd. Grande also spoke about living in London, writing a song about a Hampstead pub and the bond she has built with her fans over the past 15 years. “Thank you for being such a beautiful presence in my life,” she said.
The planned break will close out an especially intense five-year stretch that included two albums, most recently July’s Petal, and her role as Glinda in the Wicked films. Her spokesperson told People that she was stepping back after years of “endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” much of which has recently centered on her body.
Grande has also spoken directly about the toll of that attention. In a November Instagram post, she reshared an interview with Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo in which she described growing up under constant observation.
“I’ve been doing this in front of the public, and been a specimen in a petri dish since I was 16 or 17,” she said. “It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise.”
That gives the London residency added significance: the city has become a recurring home for Grande, and these shows mark her final public appearances before the break begins.
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