Ariana Grande at Spark Arena review: Flawless, but maybe her heart's not in it anymore

It doesn't feel like Ariana's heart is in it anymore.

"Nine more," she wrote on Instagram before powering through a 90-minute setlist in front of 11,000 Kiwi fans, without so much as catching her breath.

Another down, eight to go.

The Spark Arena performance on Saturday night was nothing short of flawless, performance wise - her vocal range is almost unbelievable. She belted out 'Side to Side' whilst riding full-speed on a stationary bike - a feat I can hardly do on its own.

A crew of backup dancers only accentuated Grande's own moves, who somehow navigated all corners of the stage within minutes while still managing to look effortlessly cool.

But towards the end of the evening her smile was wavering, albeit slightly.

Ariana Grande concert
The view from the stands. Photo credit: Newshub.

The singer definitely had "a little less conversation", the extent of which was repeatedly telling the crowd she loves New Zealand. I started to wonder who she was really trying to convince.

"You have so many sheep here!" she told the crowd, but I'm calling her bluff. Yep, OK Ari - I'm sure you saw a lot of sheep in Auckland's CBD.

But, telling New Zealand that you love New Zealand is enough to steal hearts anyway.

Grande paid tribute to the 22 fans killed in a terrorist attack at her Manchester show in May, by singing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'.

It was a poignant moment of the show, one of the only changes of pace and perhaps one of the most genuine points of the night.

The singer's reaction following the tragedy has been applauded, after she returned to the city to visit the injured children and the families of the dead.

It's a place she describes as close to her heart, and that showed in her performance.

But overall, it was a night many won't forget and she far from let us down. Kudos to Grande for continuing with the tour, for coming to see her fans on the other side of the world and for not letting tragedy be her lasting legacy.

Newhsub.