Nine years after the Manchester Arena attack, a concert-goer has described how Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine tour helped her heal, with the show ending beautifully.
A Night of Healing at The O2
Nine years ago, the writer was at Manchester Arena when the unthinkable happened. It is a night that stays etched in her mind, as it does in the memories of so many, particularly the loved ones of the 22 people who tragically lost their lives.
While May 22, 2017 cannot be rewritten, she and thousands of other concert-goers had the opportunity to create new memories during Ariana Grande's sold-out, 10-night residency at London's The O2. It is the first time that the Grammy Award-winning singer has performed on UK soil in seven years, and it is here where she will take her last bow before stepping back from the public eye.
Ariana's Final UK Shows
Earlier this month, the 33-year-old announced that she would be moving away from the spotlight after the final show of her Eternal Sunshine tour on September 1. Speaking on stage at an earlier gig in Chicago, Ariana told fans that her decision to take a break from public life came from "a thoughtful and empowered place," and was "not a reactive or impulsive thing" despite recent public scrutiny regarding her health.
On August 20, the Glinda actress did what she does best – threw on her glad rags, tossed her ponytail and showed defiance as she stepped out in front of 20,000 devoted fans. Donning cat ears, knee-high boots and polka dot fits, Arianators erupted into rapturous applause as she opened her show with the upbeat track 'yes, and?' - the lead single from her seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine.
Emotional Tributes and Hits
Joined by her 12-member dance crew and live band, Ariana sang some of her best-known pop hits including 'Break Free', 'Into You', '7 rings' and 'thank u, next'. Dedicated to her exes, 'thank u, next' prompted screams from fans when she changed the lyrics to reflect her rekindled romance with ex Ricky Alvarez.
Showing her versatility and spine-tingling vocals, the singer asked for silence whilst she stripped things back for 'eternal sunshine', performing alone on the mid-stage while live-looping her vocals to create layered harmonies. A sea of phone torches lit up the arena during tracks such as 'imperfect for you' and 'Hampstead' - the latter which Ariana wrote during her stint living in London while filming Wicked.
Tears were shed during 'we can't be friends (wait for your love)' and the writer was left genuinely open-mouthed at her effortless vocal runs during Dangerous Woman. She also took fans right back to the beginning with 'Honeymoon Avenue', the opening ballad from her 2013 debut album Yours Truly, before performing 'hate that i made you love me' and 'petal', the title track from her eighth studio album released just three weeks ago.
A Healing Experience
Ariana performed One Last Time, a song that became a tribute to the victims of the arena attack. The writer usually struggles to listen to this song, but hearing it live tonight made her feel proud.
Having seen Ariana live three times before tonight, including at the powerful One Love Manchester concert and Manchester Pride, there were two things that she knew for sure. One, is that her vocal ability is second to none. Two, is the intimate connection she has with her fans. But what she did not expect was to be overcome with emotion when Ariana was not even on stage.
The show was split into five acts, with each separated by cinematic video interludes inspired by Ariana's 'Brighter Days Ahead' short film, where she plays Peaches, a character who wants to erase her memories due to past traumas. A poignant part was during Act III, when she walks past herself lying in a chair hooked up to a memory-erasing machine, whilst wearing the same outfit from One Love Manchester. In the end, Peaches decides not to erase her memories, despite how painful and traumatic they may be.
For the writer, Ariana's Eternal Sunshine show was more of a healing experience, rather than just a concert. Ending with her single 'supernatural', Ariana is slowly lifted into the air and disappears into the UFO-like structure above the stage. Afterward, an outro plays which sees her sitting down with her younger and older self, who both lean their heads on her shoulders. After going through the emotional journey of the show, it appears to the writer that she has now found peace.
