Ariana Grande is a long way from her Nickelodeon career as Cat Valentine in the TV series Victorious or her beginnings on Broadway. While she’s been an actress essentially as long as a singer, her early performances at famed NYC jazz club Birdland gave a strong indication as to where she would spend the majority of her professional career. Grande’s 2017 “Dangerous Woman” tour saw her traversing the globe and beating out such iconic acts as The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Sting, and many more in terms of making money. Ariana has more than proven her ability and her business sense make her one of the most powerful performers in current days.
It’s not hyperbolic to say that the “Dangerous Woman” tour was a juggernaut. Travelling through the stadiums and arenas of North America, South America, Asia, Australia, UK, Japan, Thailand, Europe, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and a dizzying list of locations, Grande and company earned in the ballpark of $70,000,000. The logistics of moving a production this size across the globe is akin to moving a small city from continent to continent. Witnessing the production value onstage gives credence to the talent and herculean effort required to make such an impact and entertain so many different peoples and cultures. Tour & Production Manager Doug Middlebrook oversaw all aspects ranging from rehearsals to travel and venue logistics and nearly every production aspect required for keeping “Dangerous Woman” on task. He reveals, “It was an enormous amount of work but that’s to be expected with the type of production level we had. Ariana cares deeply about creating an entire experience for the people who come to the show and we give them everything we’ve got! There’s a sense of always bringing your best to the show and that starts with Ariana.”
Grande definitely projects personal strength, so it’s no huge leap to see the positive message for women in the “Dangerous Woman” production. With songs presented in the show like "Be Alright", "Knew Better", "I Don't Care", "Break Free", and the tour namesake "Dangerous Woman", the setlist may have been a subtext call to female empowerment. Even the fashion sense of Ariana’s onstage wardrobe had such diverse influences ranging from Audrey Hepburn to 90’s R&B group TLC. Displaying her impressive talent and sense of confidence has been a winning formula for Grande, as vetted by her four Grammy nominations, three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, and an MTV Video Music Award. The “Dangerous Woman” tour itself was awarded a Teen Choice Award for Best Summer Tour and a Nick Award for Best International Show of the Year. The tour announced to the old guard that Ariana Grande has established herself as one of the most popular and important recording/touring artists of present day.