LONDON — Ariana Grande’s final words, before she stepped offstage and out of the spotlight, were for her fans. Addressing the crowd during her last concert in London Tuesday before she takes a break from the public eye, the singer was full of emotion and gratitude. Grande thanked the audience and called The Eternal Sunshine Tour one of “most beautiful, extraordinary, experiences” of her life. The music star confirmed in August that she’d be taking time out after the conclusion of her live shows, with the final leg being a 10-date run at London’s O2 Arena. On stage, Grande has admitted to being emotional about the tour coming to an end after 41 dates, which also took place in the U.S. and Canada before the U.K. On Tuesday, she tried to speak “without sobbing completely,” she said. “I’ll cherish this experience always. I have the best fans in the entire world and I always have,” she said. A representative for Grande told People magazine in August that the 33-year-old singer “will be taking a step back from visibility” after the tour. “She 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,” the statement said. In a social media post on Monday, ahead of the penultimate night, Grande warned fans that she had to swap out her trademark six-inch heeled platform boots after cutting her foot. She reassured them that she was on the mend, even if she was a few inches shorter on stage. While Grande wasn’t in her highest heels, her followers still were; the audience dressed up in her style with stilettos, cat ears and ponytails — something the star noticed. “Thank you for all of your effort and continuing to make this so special. I have loved every minute of this with you all,” Grande said. The concert concludes with Grande summoned back, sci-fi style, to a spacecraft as she ascends to the mothership in a beam of light. It’s not known when she will next be seen on earth, although Grande’s most recent album “Petal” will certainly be a fixture at September’s MTV Video Music Awards, where she’s in the running for artist of the year. Hilary Fox, The Associated Press
