The pouring rain was not enough to deter the legions of Ariana Grande fans who flocked to the Bell Centre Tuesday evening and stood patiently in line to see the pop superstar play the first of three Montreal shows this week. She is back in our city after a seven-year absence.
“I’m so excited,” said Miana Macchavecchio, 16, who came in from Laval with her sister Kiara, 18. It was the first time seeing the singer for the siblings, dressed in matching black and white outfits.
“I have no idea what to expect,” Kiara said. “I didn’t do any research (about the show); I wanted to be surprised.”
The two are drawn to Grande for “her songs, her vibe,” Miana explained.
“Her style,” Kiara added.
“Her hair, her outfits,” Miana continued. “There’s not much else that sounds like her.”
JJ Williamson, 24, has been a fan of Ariana Grande since the age of 11. “She basically grew up with me.” Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
JJ Williamson flew in from Manchester, England, for the occasion after scoring a floor ticket last year for Thursday’s show. He doubled down Tuesday morning, picking up a last-minute ticket for that night’s performance.
“I was looking for the price to drop down a bit. Things are going for about £86 ($161) at the moment,” said Williamson, decked out in an array of bracelets, face decals and a jersey with the word “Petal” on the back in reference to Grande’s eighth album, out Friday.
JJ Williamson flew in from Manchester, England, for Ariana Grande’s Bell Centre shows. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
The 24-year-old has been a fan of the artist since the age of 11, explaining: “She basically grew up with me.
“I have her tattooed all over my body — here, here, here,” he said, showing off multiple Grande portraits up and down his arms.
He was touched by the singer’s response to the terrorist bombing that occurred at her concert in Manchester in May 2017, killing 22 people as well as the bomber and injuring hundreds more.
“She really uplifted us and healed with us. It was beautiful,” he said. “She will always be my No. 1.”
Williamson had seen Grande perform a half-dozen times and was ecstatic to be adding a couple more dates to the tally.
“Her voice is insane, it’s out of this world. Especially hearing it live, it’s so crazy. She’s very raw, and not afraid to tell a story with her songs.”
Jana Alfadhli, Judy Malak and Nora Alfadhli came from Gatineau to see Ariana Grande at the Bell Centre. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Sisters Jana and Nora Alfadhli, age 16 and 24, came in from Gatineau with their cousin Judy Malak, 19, and were seeing Grande for the first time.
“I’ve been a fan since before her Nickelodeon days,” Nora said. “I used to watch her YouTube videos.”
Jana loves Grande for “her vibe, her voice.”
“She’s much better than Mariah Carey,” Malak opined.
“She’s such an inspiration,” Nora added.
Grande is a great role model, said Jana: “I want to be like her when I grow up.”
Malak finds her “so relatable. She makes music for people.”
As they neared the front of the line, Nora mused that she might faint during the performance.
“I’m definitely going to be crying,” she said.
Josh Martin of Brantford, Ont., took the title of Ariana Grande’s new album Petal to heart. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
In tribute to the Petal theme, Josh Martin wore a sheer blouse adorned with flowers and had more flowers lining his forehead, as well as aqua blue and pink makeup to match.
Martin, 25, had come in from Brantford, Ont., for the occasion with Cameron Pearce, 29, who was not attending the show.
“I love her makeup brand and the way she cares for her fans,” Martin said. “She’s very relatable, and every song she releases is good. She doesn’t have a bad song. She’s very talented.”
Josh Martin, left, waits outside the Bell Centre on Tuesday with Cameron Pearce. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
The 17,000 fans who attended Tuesday’s show would surely agree. They screamed their hearts out as the singer powered through a generous and entertaining two-hour set filled with hits from throughout her career.
Backed by an airtight four-piece band and flanked by 12 dynamic dancers, Grande delivered an earnest, energetic concert made all the more special by the fact that Montreal is the only Canadian stop on her Eternal Sunshine tour.
Aleeya and Areej Syed wait outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Parading up and down a catwalk to a satellite stage at the centre of the crowd, she and her dancers brought the party to the people with a number of upbeat anthems, from the Madonna-esque opener Yes, and? to the emancipation romp Break Free, early-career hit One Last Time and late-set offering We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).
And she brought it home with a mix of mid-tempo R&B tracks and ballads including Positions, Eternal Sunshine (for which she politely asked the crowd to pipe down) and Dangerous Woman, each of which garnered massive singalongs.
The theatrical staging was disarmingly simple, leaving Grande ample room to own the arena on her own merits. And that’s just what this good witch and her four-octave range did, sprinkling pixie dust every step of the way.
Ariana Grande performs again at the Bell Centre on Thursday and Friday.
Chantelle Dass and Maya Eibensteiner from Vancouver wait outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Alexei Abecassis waits outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Hanna Kimball and Macie Maybury wait outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. The pair travelled from New York state to enjoy the show. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Kaitlin and Gaby Hurst and Lola Anastasia from Lancaster, Pa., shelter from the rain as they wait outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Chantel Ritchie and Jesseca Trwong from Ottawa wait outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Anushree Jaiswal from Toronto waits outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Alexei Abecassis waits outside the Bell Centre for the first of three Ariana Grande concerts in Montreal, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
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