Ariana Grande’s opening number to the Dangerous Woman tour, Alright, saw her take to the stage in Vogue style. The choreography harking to another pop queen set the tone for the rest of the show – this Ms Grande is a dominating force in pop music.
Hot damn, can this woman sing. She gave one of the most striking vocal performances I’ve witnessed, with her strength and clarity filling the arena.
Jazzy interludes were an excellent way to give her band a chance to show off how damn good they are and be recognised. Their input breathed new life into Grande’s songs, many of which have been played on the radio more times than anyone probably needs them to be, and allowed Grande the chance to show her impressive range, and the crowd loved her for it.
Despite their adoring attitude, the audience was Grande’s biggest weakness. She needs to grow with regards to her ability to control and engage a crowd. There’s only so many times fans can hear “How’re you tonight, Melbourne?” before it wears thin.
But she’s only 24, and was thrust from Nickelodeon to a stage, so I rest easy knowing that she can only get better, and she’s got years to do it.
Pop music needs to be rid of the third verse rap. Stat. There were six instances of pre-recorded collaborations playing on screen, two of which were Nicki Minaj verses. They disrupted the flow of the otherwise well-paced set.
A countdown clock began ten minutes prior to the show beginning, over film of Ms Grande posing for a photo shoot. Silkily edited and softly lit, she looked beautiful. However, it was one of the most ostentatious displays of self-indulgence I’ve been privy to. And I’ve seen Taylor swift live. Though any criticism might just be jealousy. I absolutely wish my job involved ten gorgeous men dancing around me, and fawning over me at all times.
I feel that Ariana Grande has all too often fallen victim to a pop music bias. So many music fans I know haven’t listened to her album Dangerous Woman, which I consider to be one of the best releases of 2016, because of its mainstream label.
Maybe the issue is people thinking it’s not ‘cool’ to like her, or perhaps being turned off by a largely underage crowd, but Grande is an undeniably excellent performer, and the show was phenomenal. She is a powerful, strong artist, with genuine themes of female empowerment flowing through her music, and she’s only getting better. Put short, she’s dangerous.
Highlight: A gorgeous rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow that would soften even the hardest of hearts.
Lowlight: Third. Verse. Rap.
Crowd Favourite: The crowd lost their damn mind every time that girl came on stage. The screams gave me the Baby Driver treatment.
