March 6, 2015
Ariana Grande is in the midst of her Honeymoon Tour. The tour kicked off on February 25 in Independence, Missouri and is five shows in heading into the weekend. While there has been high demand for Ariana Grande tickets on the secondary market — the tour holds a $199.61 average price — there have been mixed reviews through the first five shows. That average is up 18% since the tour began.
While there are not many who doubt the former Nickelodeon star has the voice to fill an arena, there has been similar criticism around other aspects of the show. Much of it revolves around the excess of backing tracks used that cover up the singer’s vocal talent.
Chuck Yarborough of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted the following of Grande’s performance on March 5:
“The issue is that because it's so obvious that there are backing tracks being used -- several of her songs used taped interludes from rappers, such as "The Way,'' with rapper Mac Miller; "Right There'' with Big Sean; and "Problem,'' with Iggy Azalea -- it raises questions as to whether she's actually singing . . . or being tracked herself.
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But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think she really DID sing on all 18 tunes in her set. I just wish we could have had more moments like "Tattooed Heart,'' where she just stepped up to a microphone and let the voice that has led her to be called "the mini-Mariah Carey'' go.
True confession time: That song was No. 9 in her set list, and was the first time that I was absolutely sure it was Grande, all Grande, all the time.”
A similar sentiment was stated by the Chicago Tribune’s Bon Gendron following a March 3 performance at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois:
“Unfortunately, Grande's singing and focus often got lost amidst recurring sonic interference and visual distractions. Piped-in samples in the form of rapped verses and backing vocals, turned several upbeat tracks into muddled mix tapes. Sounding and looking artificial — Mac Miller's "guest" video appearance on "The Way" failed to sync with what was heard — they exposed shortcomings pertaining to depth and personality that no fancy set piece (a floating cloud, giant chandelier) could offset.”
There are still 35 worldwide shows remaining for Grande’s tour, so it is possible the extracurricular distractions could be toned down as the tour continues. For now, the Honeymoon Tour continues to produce a hot ticket through its last North American date on April 16 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Below are the next 10 stops on her tour, for the entire list of shows check out our Honeymoon Tour preview.
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