Ok, let’s get this out of the way IMMEDIATELY, Ariana is my sister, so I am biased… BUT, having said that, it is not in the nature of our family to sugar coat anything or to hold back our opinions about each other in any way shape or form. So, having said that… IT WAS THE GREATEST CONCERT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!
Actually though, the level of maturity and professionalism, vocal ability, dance ability as well as the capacity to keep an entire arena entertained, I have never seen someone else who does this well in all of my years of concert going on this earth. And I have seen EVERYONE! You name them, I’ve seen them… When I was 7 years old the first concert I saw was Billy Joel and Elton John together in concert (Versace designed the set, which accounts for my obsession) to be followed by Madonna’s Girly Show… still at 7, and I never stopped. I am, to put it lightly, a concert aficionado. And it’s not just “the greats” that I have seen, though I have never missed a Madonna, Cher or Celine concert and had seen Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli over ten times before my tenth birthday, I have also seen Counting Crows, Dave Matthews Band, Shania Twain, Miley, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Justin Bieber, *NSYNC (7 times), Britney, BSB, Jon Bellion, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Bette Midler, Tom Jones… I mean… the list goes on and on… so I basically have a degree in Concerts and since two out of my three majors at school were theatre and dance, I know what I am saying and I know how to be discerning and critical.
So having said all that… the Dangerous Woman Tour is… ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!
From the opening where she pays homage to one of her greatest inspirations, Queen Madonna, by slaying some of the most intricate choreography I have seen at a pop concert ever, while still belting into a very live mic held by her dancers, to its stunning visuals (which where all conceived by her), to her perfect modern Audrey Hepburn dress (another inspiration), Ariana sets us up for one of the greatest nights of our lives right away.
Now you may have read that little “live mic” part and glossed over it, but please don’t. This girl is LETTING YOU HAVE IT WITH REAL VOCALS WHILE SHE SPRINTS AROUND THE STAGE IN 9” PLATFORM STILETTOS. HELLO! GOODBYE! And it’s not just in those moments of cardiovascular triumph that you are stunned, but also when she is just sitting and singing onstage as she does during “moonlight” and my favorite “thinking bout you”. Her voice, her passion and her presence fill the entire arena and the surrounding area with love and light and when those same sex couples come up kissing behind her during “thinking bout you” I'm reminded that she isn’t just here to cater to the pop world, but she is here to make a statement and to save lives as well. And there are very few artists, even in the list I mentioned above, that would ever do that… let alone at her young age. But she compels them to listen, to hear her, to hear those she is singing about, and she has actually saved lives.
But back to the show, the set list is completely fantastic! She sings over 22 songs every night with a special surprise every now and then, like Jason’s Song with JRB… I die. And she sings all of her top 10s in new and interesting ways so we are always left guessing and craving more.
After seeing The Dangerous Woman Tour… I know I will be going to see my little sister tear it up onstage for decades to come, cause she is the real deal, and I can’t wait to be there for every step of the ride.