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Ariana Grande took a moment during the final show of her “Eternal Sunshine” tour to thank the audience at London’s O2 Arena, sharing how it’s been an “extraordinary experience” across her 41 shows.
“I just want to say
thank you so much,” said Grande, seated on a stool on the B-stage. “This has been such an extraordinary experience. Thank you for 10 beautiful London shows and for 41 incredible Eternal Sunshine tour shows.
“This has been one of the most beautiful, extraordinary experiences of my life and I just want to express my gratitude without sobbing completely,” she continued, choking back tears. “But really, thank you from the bottom of my heart, it’s been so special and I’ll cherish this experience always and I have the best fans in the entire world and I always have. And I love your outfits, I love your faces, I love seeing you, I love connecting with you in this way. Thank you for all of your effort for making this so special. All your messages and your costumes and your wardrobe and makeup is just so beautiful. I have loved every minute of this with you all and I just want to make sure I express how grateful I am. Thank you and I love you so much.”
Grande kicked off her “Eternal Sunshine” tour in June with a trio of shows at Oakland Arena in California. Throughout the North American trek, she performed a handful of shows in various markets including Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, New York City, Boston, Montreal and Chicago. In mid-August, she traveled across the Pond for 10 shows at London’s O2 Arena, where she brought the journey to a close on Tuesday evening.
During the tour, Grande declared that she would be stepping out of the spotlight for an extended break following its conclusion. In early August, a rep for Grande cited “ongoing public scrutiny” as one of the reasons for the pause, and said that she “looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both happily and healthily.” In tandem, Grande bowed out of Stephen Sondheim’s West End revival of “Sunday in the Park With George.”
Grande later clarified that the break, which was announced amid speculation about her well-being and health, was planned in advance and was not a “reactive or impulsive thing.” “It is something that I had decided to plan that I had quietly made a long time ago and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place,” she told the crowd in Chicago in early August. “And I want you to know many things can be true at the same time. I want to share this because I heard that my fans were worried that negativity was ruining things for me, but I just have to say that could not be more the fuck opposite. Honestly, this is not what that is.”
