Review: The Dangerous Woman Tour
After a little over a year following her Honeymoon Avenue tour, pop singer Ariana Grande took on the role of a “dangerous woman.”
The 23-year-old’s third tour kicked off February 3, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Talking Stick Arena. Grande made a stop in Cleveland February 26 for a show at Quicken Loans Arena.
Although the artist brought the same talent, the Dangerous Woman Tour added elements of feminism and equality to the show.
During the concert, Grande performed every song on her Dangerous Woman album, as well as a few of her most popular songs such as “Bang Bang,” “Problem,” “Break Free,” “One Last Time” and “Love Me Harder.” Although every show previous to the February 26 event had an interchangeable 23rd song, she did not have that for Cleveland.
As an encore, Grande performed her hit song, “Dangerous Woman.”
For the majority of the tour, including Cleveland, the opening acts were Victoria Monét and Little Mix.
Senior Nicole Tacsar went to the Cleveland show with friends to celebrate her 18th birthday. Tacsar said she thought Little Mix was “amazing,” but was really looking forward to hearing Grande sing “Greedy” and “Moonlight.”
Tacsar also saw Grande’s Honeymoon Avenue tour in 2015, but said this show was more enjoyable.
“The songs were a lot more high tempo and easier to dance to,” Tacsar said. “I loved how her tour was about empowering women and feminism. I think that’s something that young girls can really look up to.”
This was senior Kate Shcherban’s second concert, and both were very different experiences, she said.
“Ariana’s an amazing singer, but the performance did feel a little impersonal. She rarely talked to the audience, and in such a big arena, it ended up feeling that way.” She then added,“This was actually the first time I have been to a big concert. The last concert I went to was at the House of Blues, and that made me feel so much closer to the artist.”
Junior Haley Roble thought differently. She said Grande was better compared to other concerts she has been to. “Her stage presence was good. I loved the background changes; it looked super cool. She talked just enough, and her outfits looked great.”
Grande’s Dangerous Woman album contained many songs featuring other artists, which left fans wondering how she would perform them at the concert, and hoping she would not leave them out.
Although fans probably would have been more pleased by some guest appearances, playing videos of them singing was enough to satisfy concert goers.
“I really liked how she played videos of people featured on her songs,” Tacsar said. “It made it more exciting, and was cool to watch them on the big screen.”
Roble said she was most looking forward to hearing “Side to Side,” one of her favorite songs of Grande’s. Though this song features Nicki Minaj, Roble said it was brought justice even without the rap artist. “It was great at the concert,” she said. “I loved all the props for the song.”
Although they were a nice visual, the videos had deeper meaning. “She had videos playing during that time, and one was a really cool feminist video,” Shcherban said. “I loved that she chose to make such a strong statement during her concert.”
Throughout this tour, Ariana Grande has promoted feminism, sexual orientation and the power of being female.
“‘Thinkin Bout You’ was the perfect opportunity to show that her songs don’t revolve around a certain orientation and that anyone can listen and relate to them,” Shcherban said. “I love how far Ariana went to make an amazing performance. The visuals and messages behind them added so much to the experience.”
Although Grande has maintained her outstanding ability sing, she has noticeably changed her image since the Honeymoon Tour. Her songs express more mature meanings, and her beliefs are rooted in her empowering music.
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