Ariana Grande may always be compared to Mariah Carey, but it appears as if the singer is finally coming into her own on her latest tour. When she first kicked off her current concert tour in late February, the reviews were mediocre. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Piet Levy of the Journal Sentinel thought Ariana Grande needed more practice.
“But Saturday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center , Grande faced one of the bigger tests of her career. The 21-year-old headlined an arena for only the second time on her first-ever tour. And it showed. The Bradley Center may have been filled to near-capacity with automatically adoring teen and preteen ‘Arianators.’ But the Milwaukee stop on Grande’s Honeymoon Tour didn’t signify the birth of the next superstar. Most of the time, it felt like a dress rehearsal.”
The Chicago Sun Times believed for Ariana, it was too much too soon.
“But Grande is not Mariah. Or Whitney. Or Britney. Or Katy. Not yet, anyway. Her stiff stage presence and unrehearsed dance moves still need attention as does her synergy with overlay tracks.”
However, Ms. Grande must have been practicing more. By the time she hit Los Angeles this past week, the reviews were far more positive. The Los Angeles Times was full of praise for Ariana Grande.
“Whatever its cause, there was no missing the transformation that took place halfway through Grande’s concert, the first of several local dates on the 21-year-old pop phenom’s Honeymoon Tour. After 45 minutes or so of steady wheel-spinning, Grande suddenly shifted into higher gear, singing with more intensity and authority. And that’s where she stayed for the remainder of an ultimately impressive performance.”
A week before, Hector Saldana of My San Antonio gave the star another great review , especially praising Ariana’s vocals. He noted that right when Grande sang “Bang Bang” at the beginning of the show, it was obvious the singer wasn’t just a product of studio trickery. He also noted the bond the singer shares with her fans.
Speaking of excellent vocals, Ariana Grande recently did a cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” which many people said was incredible. According to Entertainment Weekly , Ariana brought out David Foster , the man who wrote the song, to play piano. The audience was obviously stunned.
On Sunday evening, Grande will play a show in San Jose, CA. She will then play Seattle, WA Tuesday evening. Have you seen Ariana Grande in concert? Let us know in the comments section.
[Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images]
