I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the first day for Ariana’s pre-sale tickets to go on sale (September 15, 2014) and I had downloaded some app called “Fahlo” so that I could gain access to buy tickets first. After they were purchased, I thought waiting 7 months for the actual show was forever. Turns out, it was. That’s a long time to wait to go to a concert, but it was so worth it. I didn’t have any doubts about her vocals because as most of us know – she’s kind of a powerhouse. With that said though, I definitely have a lot of feels about the show itself.
Let’s start with the positives.
Singing – She sang her songs in a different way than I’ve ever seen her perform them before at any event, show, or performance that I had to stream on YouTube so it’s unlikely that she was lip synching. If she did lip synch at all, it was most likely for “Hands On Me” which is fine because that’s not her best song anyways and doesn’t exactly highlight her range. There were so many times when the audience was just in awe of her vocals and you just couldn’t even look away from her because it was that. amazing.
Dancing – Ari used to get a bad rap for not being a great dancer because of the dance moves that she produced while always performing “Problem.” In her defense though, that’s not really a track where you need to go all out for. I had read articles before about how people have said that she’s actually a really good dancer, but just hasn’t had a chance to show them off. Well, I think it’s because she was saving them for the Honeymoon tour! I was actually super impressed with her moves and she looked adorable as always.
Outfits – For her tour, Ariana worked closely with Emmy-award winning costume designer Marina Toybina who designed the seven looks that she took the stage with. Each outfit was cute, sparkly, and sexy in true Ariana fashion. Also, let’s not forget that each outfit had a pair of matching cat ears, which was probably the best part. Glowing cat-ears were also being sold as part of the merch and it was probably one of the best merch pieces I’ve ever seen. The cat ears glowed in a hue of colors and sometimes even with the beat of her songs. The more I saw them in the crowd, the more I wanted them… that was until Sheila and I learned that they cost $40! We’re assuming that they only cost about $5 or less to make, but whatever – it’s a day later and I still want a pair.
Instrumentals – I couldn’t get enough. Her mini orchestra transitioned into her songs beautifully especially for “One Last Time” and “Tatooed Heart.” I love seeing this kind of thing at shows because I find that artists often get lazy and rely on a DJ or a backing track and having strings there on stage with her brought her songs to life in a really refreshing way. If you want a sneak peek at what this actually looked like, here’s a video that she shared with her fans prior to the tour starting.
Opening Acts – I can’t believe I’m considering this a positive because when I first caught sight of the opening act, I was completely over it. How quickly I change my mind… So Sheila and I ended up missing Cashmere Cat which was a huge bummer. We didn’t know if he’d actually be there or not so the whole thing was very confusing to us. After CC, Rixton took the stage – a UK boyband that we’d never heard of before, but somehow grew to love by the end of their set. Tbh, their songs aren’t all that great, but they can really nail some covers. When I watched them cover “Frontin'” by Pharrell, “Fine China” by Chris Brown, “Uptown Funk,” Beyonce, and Sam Smith, I was sold. The last song of their set was actually a song that played on the radio and was considered Top 40, but we had no idea they were the ones behind it. Embarassingly enough, Sheila and I just thought it was yet another cover.
And now… for the negatives. I know… I just wish I didn’t have any!