page_title: Sweetener World Tour
section_title: Critical reception
hierarchical_section_title: Sweetener World Tour / Critical reception
caption_attribution_description: English: Grande on the Sweetener World Tour at the O2 Arena in London on October 15, 2019
context_page_description: The Sweetener World Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer and actress Ariana Grande in support of her fourth and fifth studio albums, Sweetener and Thank U, Next. Comprising 101 shows, the tour visited North America and Europe. The tour was officially announced on October 25, 2018, and was led by Live Nation Entertainment. The tour began on March 18, 2019, in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center and concluded on December 22, 2019, in Inglewood, California at The Forum.
  Designed based on the idea of a sphere, the tour was intended to feel abstract and "ethereal". Grande enlisted LeRoy Bennett as the creative director and production designer and Jason Baeri as the lighting director. The tour featured costumes from Versace and Michael Ngo, and a stage featuring a circular runway looping around a pit. The staging design was centred on an inflatable hemisphere for visual projections, and a large orb lowered during parts of the show.
  The tour attained both critical and commercial success. It received positive reviews from critics, who complimented both the stage design and Grande's vocals.
context_section_description: The tour has received positive reviews from critics. Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone gave the opening night at Albany a positive review, stating that "Grande's new world tour is full of emotional drama, iconic looks, and undeniable hits". Spanos also commented on Grande's looks, stating that "fewer and fewer young stars today have the kind of distinctive aesthetic that can be reproduced en masse by fans, but Grande has dedicated years to perfecting how she has presented herself. In 2019, it seems the world has finally caught up to her. Or, as her frequent collaborator and friend Nicki Minaj predicted on “Side to Side” three years ago: “Ariana run pop." Chris Richards of the Washington Post gave a positive review to Grande's show in Washington D.C, stating that "Ariana Grande reached the height of her fame by making heavy feel light". He praised her vocals stating that "Grande's voice is equal parts breathy and acrobatic, and she knows how to hit a big note like she's whispering it". Chris Willman of Variety praised Grande's two night show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, calling the show "giddy, splendorous, beautifully designed, expertly performed and almost a little bit avant-garde in its staging". He also stated that it was "much more than at Coachella, her visually experimental Staples stop was revealed as a thing of inventive beauty, not to mention expertly sung fun."
  The second leg of the tour in Europe has also received positive reviews. Adam White of The Telegraph gave the show a 5 out of 5 stars, stating that the show was "a night of magic and melancholy from the most exciting young star in pop". Cydney Yeates of Metro gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "there's nothing more to say now besides God*is*a woman and her name is Ariana Grande."  Hannah Mylrea of NME noted that "the production was fairly understated, putting the full focus on her impressive vocals, but there were moments of impressive choreography".
  Grande's headlining performance at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was praised by critics, with many praising her vocals, visuals, and guest appearances, particularly the appearance of NSYNC. Shad Powers of USA Today stated that "Grande closed out Weekend One of Coachella in style, putting together a set that included special guests, stunning visuals, and of course her undeniable voice." Rhian Daly of NME called her set "a breathtaking moment of light in a dark world". She also stated that, after the end of the set, "the feeling was already mutual long before Grande took to the stage but [...] its foundations are more solid than ever". In another positive review, Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian stated that "with her headline set surveying her entire career, [Grande's] work forms a fascinating, still-unfolding pop Bildungsroman: every sexual epiphany and personal milestone sketched out in real time, resulting in a uniquely involving opus. You can see why she is such an icon to a generation who also tell their own stories in public, via Snapchat and Instagram." Claire Shaffer from Rolling Stone stated that "Grande gave a star-studded headlining performance", naming NSYNC's guest appearance as one of the best moments of the 2019 Coachella. Suzy Exposito continued, "Grande became one of the boys that night, claiming Timberlake’s verses from the center stage and whipping her lustrous, anime pony like a boss." Lyndsey Havens of Billboard called Grande's set "epic" and stated that she "continues to rewrite the rule book for pop stardom and admittedly fosters a new relationship with herself." She praised Grande's collaboration with NSYNC, stating "all together with Grande, they delivered well-practiced choreography, sang the track she samples with her filling in for Timberlake and finally ended with "Tearin' Up My Heart."
caption: Grande performing at The O2 Arena in London.
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