Despite her lack of conversation, the concert was very interactive and inclusive for the fans, as she encouraged audience participation in many songs and walked around the pit, keeping everyone entertained. She played song after song, with hardly any breaks in between, so there was not much banter with the audience. It also allowed for some interesting and up-close choreography. This design allowed for Grande to get close and interact with her fans in the pit while engaging those in the higher levels. Her unique stage design consisted of a walkway extending from the stage and circling the pit. The sound of these albums are distinctly different, more mature, and more R&B-sounding than her first, so focusing on them showed Grande’s maturity, authenticity, and growth. The majority of Grande’s setlist contained songs from her latest three albums, with little to none from her first two. but the opening group, Social House, started nearly an hour late. The night started off disappointing and progressively frustrating, as the concert was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Zoe Kallenekos (’20) and Allison McSally (’20) pledge to vote in the 2020 election as a part of Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next gen” campaign.
At the HeadCount booth at Grande’s concert, fans who are 17 and older could register to vote while younger fans could “pledge” to vote, signing up to receive a text on their 18th birthday reminding them to register. Grande has been vocal about her “thank u, next gen” campaign and getting one’s voice heard in politics, and overall empowerment. According to their website, HeadCount has registered over 600,000 voters since 2004 and, according to, “Grande’s ‘Sweetener’ tour is the most successful solo artist tour HeadCount has seen since 2008.”
Throughout her tour, Grande teamed up with HeadCount, a non-profit organization that registers voters at concerts. The show, set at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, was the first of the third leg of her “Sweetener” World Tour. For the cost of the ticket, there were high expectations for Ariana Grande’s concert.