If you think Ariana Grande is all hair flips, giggles and auto tune, you are very much mistaken. The 21-year-old former Nickelodeon star has some serious pipes, and unlike the pop princess acts of rodeos past, Grande can handle both R&B and pop dance music with ease.
Whatever problems Grande may have, singing is definitely not one of them.
Country music is the cornerstone of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but Tuesday Grande, her DJ and dance crew turned NRG Stadium into a full-out club. The standing room only crowd of 75,068 circled each floor of the stadium six to seven people deep, and as the lights went down, the decibels went up.
No matter the age, it was a Girls Night Out and Grande set the tone early, starting her 14-song set with "Bang Bang," bringing the people to their feet.
No matter the age, it was a Girls Night Out and Grande set the tone early, starting her 14-song set with "Bang Bang," bringing the crowd to its feet. She followed with "Hands On Me," "Break Your Heart Right Back" and "Be My Baby," stopping frequently to ask they crowd how they were doing and to yell, “Let’s go!” in a high-pitched voice.
Grande’s signature half-up, half-down high ponytail was in full effect as was her equally-as-famous cat ear headband. Her flirty sequined dress revealed cutouts at her waist and it looked like she was perfectly comfortable dancing in over-the-knee high heel Louboutin boots.
Her impressive vocal runs are an interesting contrast to her bouncy, hair flipping persona. She grooved on "Right There" from her 2013 album Yours Truly with great R&B finesse that showed why she was among a heady group of women invited to perform at the White House for the Women of Soul concert last spring.
She got massive vocal help from the crowd during "Love Me Harder." The fans clearly waiting for the radio hit and when Grande rolled into "All My Love," lying down on the concert stage, she didn’t skip a beat.
Grande and her crew ended the show with the high-energy "Problem" and from the thumping base to the choreographed dance moves on stage, it was hard to believe that just an hour before the same crowd has been screaming just as loudly for mutton bustin’.
Grande is petite package with a big voice, proving that when it comes to talent, size isn’t everything.
Ariana Grande's Set List
Bang Bang
Hands On Me
Break Your Heart Right Back
Be My Baby
Lovin' It
Right There
The Way
Tattooed Heart
Adore
One Las Time
Love Me Harder
All My Love
Break Free
Problem
Ariana Grande drew a near-record rodeo crowd of more than than 75,000.
