Culture 3 min read By Lauren Baxter
Ariana Grande ends London O2 run with tearful tribute before stepping back from public life
Ariana Grande wrapped up her 10-show run at London's O2 Arena with an emotional farewell to fans, describing the Eternal Sunshine tour as one of the most extraordinary experiences of her life, before taking a planned step away from visibility.
Ariana Grande has completed her 10-show residency at The O2 in London, closing out the European leg of her Eternal Sunshine tour with a tearful tribute to fans before she steps away from public life. The singer, who has said she is taking a break from visibility due to ongoing public scrutiny, described the tour as one of the most beautiful and extraordinary experiences of her life.
Midway through her final set, Grande addressed the crowd from a stool on the B-stage, fighting back tears as she expressed her gratitude. She told fans she wanted to thank them without sobbing completely, adding that she has the best fans in the entire world and always has. She praised their outfits, faces, costumes, wardrobe, and makeup, saying she has loved every minute of connecting with them and will cherish the experience always.
The London dates, which began last month, were part of a larger worldwide trek that kicked off in June with three shows in California. In total, Grande has played 41 dates across the globe on the Eternal Sunshine tour. The singer had previously confirmed that these would be her last live shows for a while, as she plans to withdraw from the spotlight.
Grande has also pulled out of the upcoming West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George, in which she had been due to appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey next summer. She has reportedly exited the new season of American Horror Story as well. The decisions follow intense public conversation surrounding her body and health.
Shortly after announcing her plans, Grande addressed fans again, clarifying that the move was not reactive or impulsive. She said it was a decision she had quietly made a long time ago from a thoughtful and empowered place. She pushed back on concerns that negativity was ruining things for her, insisting that could not be further from the truth, and emphasized that multiple things can be true at the same time.
The singer released her eighth studio album, Petal, on July 31. She is still set to appear alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in the upcoming Meet the Parents sequel Focker-In-Law, which arrives in November. Her final London show was reviewed with five stars, with critics praising how her setlist mixed gold-plated hits like Into You and Thank U, Next with deeper cuts from Eternal Sunshine and Petal.
The review noted that Grande's overall message seemed to fall somewhere between Thank U, Next and Yes, And?, describing her as doing business as usual until she boxes up her stage costumes in September. Fans at the O2 witnessed the end of that run as Grande closed the chapter on a tour she called one of the most special experiences of her career.
