The Bay Area waited 7 years for Ariana Grande. Her return was supernatural.

It’s been seven years since the Bay Area has seen pop sensation Ariana Grande hit the stage, and she returned with blockbuster visuals, gravity-defying vocal runs and moments of surprising vulnerability in one of the year’s most ambitious concert productions.

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Grande launched her Eternal Sunshine Tour in Oakland with three sold-out shows, drawing nearly 20,000 fans every night who were able to witness the glossy pop perfection that has defined her career. The star also launched a pop-up merchandise store last week in San Francisco, which remains open through Wednesday and has attracted an ample amount of fans lined up daily around the Powell Street block. 

Hours before Grande took the stage on Tuesday, Oakland Arena had already become a celebration of her musical eras and albums. Fans arrived dressed as their favorite versions of the pop star, from the leather-clad confidence of “Dangerous Woman” to the glitzy glamor of “thank u, next” and the pastel green of “Positions.” The most popular look, however, belonged to “eternal sunshine,” with streams of concertgoers in flowing white dresses and bright red gloves, a theme so pervasive that even Grande’s mother, Joan Grande, was spotted greeting fans while wearing a pair of red gloves herself. 

Even the fans who emerged from the brutal ticket-buying frenzy with only nosebleed seats in the upper reaches of Oakland Arena got a good view. Grande’s stage featured a lengthy catwalk that cut through the floor and ended at a circular platform, allowing the singer to connect with every corner of the venue throughout Tuesday’s show. 

Fifteen minutes before showtime, the arena buzzed with anticipation as a giant clock counted down while shadowy silhouettes of Grande and her dancers stood motionless behind a curtain. When the timer finally struck zero, a cinematic sequence unfolded across the massive screens. What looked to be Grande’s home appeared to flood and collapse in on itself as water burst from the sides of the walls, a striking visual that perhaps echoed the emotional wreckage built into “eternal sunshine.”

After the dramatic sequence, the curtain fabric on stage covering the dancers came crashing down. Grande stood in a black lace outfit, as the shimmering synths and pulsing house beat of “yes, and?” washed over Oakland Arena, accompanied by the singer’s instantly recognizable airy whistle and hum at the start of the track. 

Despite rumors on social media during Grande’s press tour for “Wicked: For Good” last November, she didn’t include any songs from the box-office hit during the concert; however, there were small Easter eggs for those paying close attention. 

“It’s good to see us isn’t it?” Grande told the crowd after her opening number, paying homage to an iconic line from her “Wicked” character, Glinda the Good. 

Themes of healing and self-reflection also ran throughout the show. In several on-screen interludes, Grande appeared alongside a younger version of herself, revisiting her past eras and even watching “The Wizard of Oz” together. And notably absent from the setlist was any music from “Sweetener,” the album released during one of the most traumatic periods of her life.

Grande continued her multi-act show with some of her biggest hits, including “positions,” “7 rings,” “the boy is mine” and “Break Free.” She even included unexpected, fan favorites such as “Honeymoon Avenue,” “just like magic,” “safety net” and the newly released “hate that i made you love me.”

If there was a moment that showcased Grande’s vocal power though, it was “Dangerous Woman.” Dressed in an asymmetrical black and purple gown, she effortlessly navigated the song’s towering notes and intricate runs, creating one of those rare live moments that feels impossible to replicate anywhere else. Grande dropped to her knees as she poured into the lyrics and her guitarist rocked out to the smoldering riffs and slow-burning groove. 

The star even added some humor and subtle shade into her show that was enjoyable for fans, including a lyric change and omission. It happened as she sang her massive hit “thank u, next,” a cultural phenomenon of a song that nearly broke the internet as Grande recovered from breakups, the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and a mass bombing at her 2017 concert in Manchester.

Over the years, “thank u, next” has often been a visibly emotional song for Grande, who has at times performed it through tears. On Tuesday, however, she radiated joy, smiling throughout the performance. She playfully tweaked the lyric from “’cause she grew from the drama” to “we all grew from the drama,” a small but telling change that reflected just how much distance she seems to have put between herself and the turbulence that inspired the song.

And one of the most hilarious moments was when she didn’t sing the lyric “only wanna do it once real bad,” a lyric referencing marriage, and made a two-finger gesture seemingly referencing her divorce in 2024. The change also comes days after her breakup with former co-star Ethan Slater went public. 

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The last stretch of the show felt like stepping into a dream. The stage transformed from a sleek futuristic landscape to a whimsical garden sanctuary. Soft golden light spilled across the arena with the feeling of floating through a world built entirely from healing, hope and beauty. 

At one point, standing alone at the edge of the stage, Grande carefully layered a live loop of “eternal sunshine”: stacking vocals piece by piece as the audience watched in near-total silence, probably the only time that night that the arena was quiet. 

As the pop star sang “past life” and “Hampstead,” a bittersweet feeling settled over the crowd. The realization that the night was drawing to a close seemed to make every note feel more precious as Grande seized the moment, delivering some of the most breathtaking vocals of the show that evoked gasps and even tears.

Though the singer hardly addressed the crowd, she stopped briefly to thank the audience before the finale. 

“Thank you guys so, so much for such an incredible and beautiful night. I can’t believe I got to spend three whole nights in Oakland with you all,” Grande said. “… I know I’m a little shy and I do a lot of singing and not a whole lot of talking, but I just have to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Because my fans are unbelievable.”

The show’s most powerful moment arrived during the closing number, “supernatural.” As Grande lay limp in a harness and slowly ascended above the stage, she looked as though she were being pulled into another dimension, a stunning visual that mirrored the imagery from her album “eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead.”

Beneath her, fans wiped away tears as she unleashed a finale that felt less like a concert ending and more like a spiritual ascension.

In the days following Saturday’s opener, some online criticism emerged, questioning whether Grande had lost some of the pop-star edge, arguing that she was permanently “Glindafied” from “Wicked” with her softened persona.

Tuesday’s show put those concerns to rest. Grande strutted confidently down the catwalks, flashed playful smirks at the crowd, busted out the iconic ponytail and leaned into the show’s glamorous theatrics. At one point, cameras even captured celebrity stylist Law Roach giving her a backstage lip-gloss touch-up, with the footage projected onto the arena’s giant screens as if inviting fans directly into her pop-star world.

Grande is scheduled to perform in Oakland for a third and final night on Wednesday before heading to Los Angeles. Her newest album, “petal,” releases next month on July 31.