After two months of shows across North America, Ariana Grande wrapped the first leg of her Eternal Sunshine tour Thursday night in Chicago. The singer posted an emotional message to Instagram following the final show, sharing stage and backstage photos along with performance video.
"i love you … i cannot believe that this concludes the north american leg of the eternal sunshine tour. i am overwhelmed with love and the deepest gratitude. thank you endlessly for the most special, beautiful, joyful and deeply fulfilling few months," Grande, 33, wrote on Instagram.
She added: "i will cherish every moment of this time with you all & these memories forever. thank you, chicago … london, i cannot wait to see you soon. i love you all more than ever."
Grande played multiple nights in Oakland, Los Angeles, Inglewood, Austin, Sunrise, Atlanta, New York, Boston, Montreal, and Chicago before the leg concluded. She now heads to London, where she is scheduled to play 10 shows at the O2 Arena. The tour wraps September 1.
According to Billboard, Grande's spokesperson announced last week that following the conclusion of the tour, the singer will be stepping back from public life. The spokesperson said Grande will be "taking a step back from visibility" and looks "forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny."
That break includes withdrawing from a previously announced role in the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George, where she had been set to appear opposite Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.
Grande addressed the decision directly during her Chicago show on Monday, August 3. She pushed back on speculation that outside criticism had driven the choice.
"Sometimes when a story comes out that's not directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion," she told the crowd. "So I just wanted to speak to my fans directly tonight because I love you so much."
She was clear that the plan had been in place well before any public chatter. "The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing," she said. "It is something that I had decided. It's a 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 also dismissed the idea that negative public attention had worn her down. "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 f–k opposite," she said.
The London dates at the O2 Arena will be Grande's final public performances before she begins her break. No timeline for her return has been announced.
