Poor Ariana Grande. She has just kicked off her new tour and the reviews have not been very positive. 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.”
One would think Ms. Grande would practice a little more before she arrived in Chicago. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. If Grande did practice more, perhaps her efforts just aren’t appreciated. The Chicago Sun Times believes for Ariana, it’s 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.”
The Sun Times review does go on to praise Grande’s vocals. The critic, Selena Fragassi, says that the stripped-back moments where Ariana Grande was in the middle of the stage or sitting atop a grand piano were much better than the numbers that required ridiculous spectacle.
The Chicago Tribune gave Ariana Grande a better review, at first.
“Cautiously flirtatious and constantly smiling, the singer came across like a playful albeit safely removed collegiate cheerleader that winks at admirers but refrains from acting on temptations. She blended sweet charm with light sass, moving away from girl-next-door innocence yet keeping wholesomeness within clear view.”
Critic Bob Gendron continues the review with a more negative slant. He says Grande’s singing and focus often got lost amidst recurring sonic interference as well as unnecessary visuals. He also mentions that some of her performance seemed artificial.
Perhaps Ariana Grande needs to lay off the theatrics and just sing. However, it’s a little unfair that Grande is being bashed so much, especially since this is her first tour. Mariah Carey fans can laugh all they want about Ariana’s alleged stage failures, but with practice, Grande could have the very last laugh. Ariana Grande is here to stay for a long time and this is still just the beginning of her concert tour. It’s quite possible that in five years, we’ll see Ariana Grande slaying huge football stadiums.
[Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images]
