Ariana Grande review: glittering hits and powerhouse vocals

Faced with the choice to erase painful memories or live with them, à la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ariana Grande opened the first night of a five-show Los Angeles run promoting her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine with an emotive, occasionally zany show.

It illuminated one of her hardest-won revelations: forgetting her most painful experiences isn’t a bargain she is willing to make. The night felt especially momentous after she hadn’t been on tour since 2019, during which she starred in two back-to-back Wicked films and judged The Voice.

Grande began with a theatrical curtain drop to Yes, And?, a strutting dismissal of rumors about who she has chosen to be by her side, and surrounded by dancers she doubled down on the song’s unbothered ethos with shoulder shimmies, hand flicks and several whistle notes that showcased her four-octave range.

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