Ariana Grande ends tour with emotional farewell and steps back from public life

Ariana Grande knelt close to the London audience and asked for help as she sang One Last Time, a song that carries particular weight for survivors of the 2017 Manchester terror attack. The performance came during an emotional farewell at the end of her Eternal Sunshine tour.

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London, I'm going to need you to help me on this one

Grande occasionally appeared close to tears. She lost her composure briefly while singing Nowhere, Nobody, reaching the line, "Hard to believe in a perfect ending." The moment passed quickly, and she continued performing with the control and energy that defined the show.

A foot injury forced her to replace her trademark stilettos with knee-high platform boots. She still moved across the stage in sync with her dancers, often balancing on tip-toe to make up for the lost height. The performance offered no visible sign of the health problems that had fueled months of speculation, beyond the injury.

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Hard to believe in a perfect ending.

Grande announced last month that she would pause future public-facing appearances. She also withdrew from Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George at London's Barbican, where she had been due to appear with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey. Bailey pulled out on the same day.

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one last hurrah

The tour began in the United States in June and marked what Grande had called "one last hurrah" before taking more acting roles. Her 10-night residency at London's O2 Arena attracted fans from China, Australia and cities across Europe, with 200,000 people attending the London dates. Reviews ranged from Rolling Stone's praise for one of the best singers of her generation to The Telegraph's description of the show as "flawless". The Guardian's Kate Solomon, however, said she felt "gripped by genuine concern" for Grande, even while enjoying the concert.

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gripped by genuine concern