figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\tSince then, Grande has released not just one album but two \u2014 with a third on the way. (Petal arrives July 31, amid the tour.) So, naturally, when she announced her Eternal Sunshine Tour last August, excitement \u2014 and demand \u2014 was at an all-time high. Especially considering that this outing is significantly scaled back, by comparison, spanning just 41 dates across a limited number of cities.<\/p>\n
\n\tSince 2019, Grande released Positions in 2020 and Eternal Sunshine in 2024, both of which were Grammy nominated for best pop vocal album. She famously starred in Wicked and Wicked: For Good as Glinda, a role for which she was Oscar nominated. And still to come, in addition to releasing a new album this summer, she will appear in the forthcoming Focker-In-Law and in a West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George. And those are just the things we know about.<\/p>\n
\n\tGiven Grande\u2019s schedule and expanding stardom, seeing her back on stage felt more special than ever. And not only because, as one user on X put it, she didn\u2019t have to tour, but because despite the outing\u2019s namesake, this won\u2019t last forever.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn fact, Ari even teased this could be her last tour for some time, telling Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast in November, \u201cI don\u2019t want to say anything definitive. I do know that I\u2019m very excited to do this small tour, but I think it might not happen again for a long, long, long, long, long time. I\u2019m going to give it my all and it\u2019s going to be beautiful. I think that\u2019s why I\u2019m doing it because I\u2019m like, \u2018One last hurrah!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd whether that holds true, night one had the same energy as the last first day of school. Grande was equal parts composed and silly, dangerous and delicate, confident and contemplative \u2014 a vibrant spectrum of being that not only comes from experience, but from embracing that experience. <\/p>\n
\n\tAnd that\u2019s exactly what Eternal Sunshine celebrates: Ariana in all her forms. Past, present and future. So even if her tour can\u2019t last forever, its message surely will \u2014 because in the end, what\u2019s more eternally radiant than loving exactly where you are because you\u2019re proud of where you\u2019ve been? And perhaps even more excited for where you\u2019re going. <\/p>\n
\n\tBelow, find the five best moments from Grande\u2019s opening night of her Eternal Sunshine Tour.<\/p>\n
\tThe Psychological Storytelling<\/p>\n
\n\tThe entire show, which is directed by Grande and her longtime collaborator Christian Breslauer, is a testament to containing multitudes. The tour opens on screen, with a beautifully filmed scene in which Grande is brushing her teeth, a seemingly mundane moment, when her home begins to flood. The water forces her out, and leads her to a nearly-lobotomized former version of herself, circa Eternal Sunshine.<\/p>\n
\n\tLater on, Grande finds herself knocked out in a field of flowers before being woken by a little girl, who looks an awful lot like a young Grande. Together, they sit on a swing set and the young girl asks Ari if she comes around here often. \u201cNo, actually,\u201d Ariana replies, with a touch of remorse \u2014 perhaps a nod to, at some point, losing touch with her younger self.<\/p>\n
\n\tOnly now, she\u2019s keeping her close. In another clip, Grande and the young girl are watching The Wizard Of Oz together in what appears to be a break room, before they tread the flooded hallways of the Brighter Days Clinic. Along the way, they peer into various procedure rooms in which Ariana\u2019s past personas are hooked up to memory wipe machines: in room one, we see Ari\u2019s flowing auburn tresses, reminiscent of her Yours Truly era; in the second room, her baggy sweatshirt and high pony are present; and in a third room sits her bleached blonde Sweetener self. And then, there\u2019s an empty fourth room, in which the young girl enters but closes the door. <\/p>\n
\n\tFor those wondering what it means, the next scene offers some perspective. In it, Ari rushes back to her Eternal Sunshine body, desperately attempting to stop the \u201cdeletion process,\u201d which over the course of the show has reached its fifth and final step. She\u2019s met with repeated \u201caccess denied\u201d pop ups, prompting her to do the only thing left: smash the machine.<\/p>\n
\n\tA final scene shows present-day Ari taking a seat between the young girl \u2014 her younger self, no doubt \u2014 and the older self she portrays in her Brighter Days Ahead short film. As she settles in, they each rest their head on Ariana\u2019s shoulders in a tender moment that proves while you can\u2019t always erase or rewrite the past, you can reclaim it.<\/p>\n
\tThe Retroactive Humor<\/p>\n
\n\tThe show was divided into five sections, marked mostly by a mix of set changes and new \u2018fits. For a setlist that leaned heavily on her newer material \u2014 spanning Positions and Eternal Sunshine \u2014 Grande tucked two Thank U, Next hits in early. Both that album\u2019s title track and \u201c7 Rings\u201d appeared in the show\u2019s second section, and despite being fan favorites and Hot 100 No. 1s, it made sense to knock them out sooner than later. In the context of the Eternal Sunshine sphere, they felt a touch out of place \u2014 which Grande acknowledged as she quietly giggled her way through \u201cThank U, Next.\u201d And whether intentional or muffled by laughter, she barely got out this line about marriage: \u201cOnly wanna do it once, real bad\/ Gon\u2019 make that s\u2013t last.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tYet, there was one lyric that snapped everything back into focus. When she sang, \u201cI know they say I move on too fast\/ But this one gon\u2019 last\/ \u2018Cause her name is Ari\/ And I\u2019m so good with that,\u201d Grande instinctively struck a pose as a knowing smile crept across her face. It was a fleeting but potent moment of self acceptance, underlying the show\u2019s theme that no matter how many versions of Ari exist \u2014 whether crafted by herself or the public \u2014 they are all still worthy of love, because they all got her here.<\/p>\n
\tThe Return of the Ponytail (and Embrace of the Bun)<\/p>\n
\n\tAriana opened the show with the sassy house-pop track, \u201cYes, And?\u201d complete with the ponytail she wears in its music video \u2014 and immediately proving that pop star Ari is back. But by the show\u2019s second section, she\u2019s switched her look from black to baby pink, and the pony has been swept into a tight ballet bun. While she keeps it sleek for \u201cThank U, Next,\u201d she doesn\u2019t play when it comes to \u201c7 Rings.\u201d As the iconic opening instrumental plays, Ari\u2019s dancers help her let the bun down, combing it back into a ponytail as she touches up her lip gloss.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis pony-bun bit continues throughout the show, becoming a marker of sorts for how easily Ariana can oscillate between perceived versions of herself while playing into the idea that a hairstyle can mean everything, or nothing at all. <\/p>\n
\n\tAnd while the hairstyles mostly matched up with the musical era Ari was delivering, there were some outliers. Namely, rocking a bun for \u201cDangerous Woman\u201d \u2014 that likely wasn\u2019t on any bingo cards. After performing the hit, Grande spotted some of that album\u2019s signature bunny ears in the crowd and made a makeshift pair with her hands. And within seconds, the motion triggered a different memory, as Grande quickly dropped one hand and centered the other at her forehead while wiggling her fingers in an ode to Glinda. <\/p>\n
\n\tEven when it\u2019s not built into the show, she can\u2019t help but hopscotch across the various characters she\u2019s embodied over the years \u2014 and thankfully, the memory of each is still intact.<\/p>\n
\tHer \u201cOverwhelming\u201d Standing Ovation<\/p>\n
\n\tHalfway through the show\u2019s fourth section, Grande takes a seat atop a stool placed on her B-stage, which is situated deeper into the crowd. She\u2019s immediately met with a lengthy and boisterous standing ovation. \u201cThank you so much, I love you guys so much \u2014 and I missed you,\u201d says Grande, visibly shaken by the reception. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThis is very overwhelming, and I just have to thank you so much for being here,\u201d she continues, wiping at tears with her satin gloved hand. She goes on to thank her entire team while collecting herself \u2014 much of which can\u2019t even be heard over the applause and cheers \u2014 before introducing an early and lasting fan favorite, \u201cHoneymoon Avenue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd whether it was a tight runtime or opening night nerves \u2014 or both, or neither \u2014 it was the most Ari spoke to the crowd all night, making her brief expression of gratitude hit even harder.<\/p>\n
\tBeing Beamed Up For a \u201cSupernatural\u201d Finale<\/p>\n
\n\tAs the show hit its 90-minute mark, there was a series of finale fake outs. First, there was the behind-the-scenes (possibly in real time, but more likely pre-taped) filming of her final look, complete with glam touch ups, a ponytail comb-out and a final wardrobe approval from stylist Law Roach himself. Grande then emerges for a smokey and soaring \u201cInto You\u201d that sure felt like a set closer \u2014 especially considering her dancers joined hands with her in the middle to take a bow.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs it turns out, it was their last song \u2014 but not hers. She then takes center stage for the live debut of \u201cHate That I Made You Love Me,\u201d which sends the crowd into a voracious \u201cAri!\u201d chant as she exits the stage. The crowd\u2019s devotion is soon rewarded, though, as she quickly reappears in one last outfit change. She sings \u201cWe Can\u2019t Be Friends\u201d from the main stage \u2014 an uptempo enough track where it could be the closer, and for a moment, it feels like it might be.<\/p>\n
\n\tUntil, a spotlight drenches the B-stage and Ari can\u2019t help but saunter over, taking carefully calculated steps while singing Eternal Sunshine\u2018s \u201cSupernatural.\u201d And even though they had already bid farewell, her dancers return in flowy white clothing for their star\u2019s final send off (and to provide a subtle assist). As they retreat once more \u2014 this time for good \u2014 it\u2019s clear Ari has been clipped into an invisible harness that slowly lifts here off the ground, perfectly recreating her Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead cover art.<\/p>\n
\n\tIt not only brought the visual and her vision to life, but provided a truly super ending for a true superstar \u2014 one for whom not even the sky, or an arena ceiling, is the limit. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Saturday night (June 6) in Oakland, Calif., nearly 20,000 fans learned that good things really do come…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":721759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,325805,4946,134,9607,136],"class_list":["post-721758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-best-moments","tag-concert","tag-entertainment","tag-genre-pop","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=721758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/721759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=721758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=721758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=721758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}