Netflix gives fans exclusive access to Ariana Grande from her Sweetener World tour back in 2019 – including on stage and behind the scenes moments.
On 21 December 2020, Arianators went crazy for the release of the Excuse me, I love you – Ariana Grande concert documentary as they once again got to experience what a concert felt like. Remember them?
Over the last few years, Ariana Grande has grown in fame and popularity, from her days on Victorious – on Nickelodeon – to taking the music world by storm. It was no wonder fans were going to go crazy for the release of this concert film – as well as something to get them through the days of the pandemic.
Ariana opens with “God is a woman” – one of her most popular hits – and as expected, the London crowds go wild for Grande. Throughout the film, we see her perform other hits such as “Bad Idea”, “Break up with your girlfriend”, “REM”, Be alright” and many more – both her released singles and songs off her albums. As well as this, we see behind the scenes action from preparing for her concert through make up and costume changes to having fun with some of her best friends off stage.
Already flawless in her looks, Ariana is immaculate through her performing. Close ups at the very beginning simply show her love towards the music as you can see she gets lost in it. Her voice and vocals reciprocate this longing for the music she has because you cannot fault any note she sings.
Stand out songs performed include “Side to Side” and “Tattooed Heart”. Both these performances oppose in their tone and style, yet this didn’t stop Ariana smashing them through her faultless vocals and showmanship. Whilst performing “Side to Side”, viewers saw the sassier side to Miss Grande through her dance moves. Something about Ariana and her dance moves will instantly make her your girl crush.
The best part of this was when she individually showed off her dancers to the crowds as they each smashed it with their solos. Then we have “Tattooed Heart”. In this performance, Grande slowed things down as it was just her and her microphone. It was one of the more emotional performances of the concert, and emotions were heightened as she got the crowds to sing along – something that didn’t take much persuasion for them to do.
Something I loved about this film was how we saw a side to Ariana some of us may have not seen before. I will admit, I am not an obsessive fan of Ariana, but I still love and appreciate both her as an artist and her songs. I feel like in this documentary, we see the sensitive side to her such as how close she is with everyone on her crew and her family. For instance, at the end of every phone call, no matter who it is whether it is her mother or even her manager, she will always sign them off with “I love you”. I think this is a side we always expected to be familiar with Ariana as we saw how she reacted to her fans after the tragic Manchester bombing in 2017.
Image credit: New York Post
A scene that will bring you to tears is the “show circle” Ariana gives before her last show as she explains it is the show and the people around her that got her through the year. A tear-jerking moment indeed.
In all honesty, there is nothing you can fault in this music documentary. It has all the elements you could want, a close encounter with Ariana on stage, a look into her life behind the scenes as we see she is a normal human being just like us and both the comedic and sensitive side to the artist we might never thought we knew.
Ultimately, Excuse me, I love you is a must watch most definitely for all the Arianators out there, but a watch for those who may not be the biggest fans of Ariana as you see a side to her we may have never seen before – with some sassy and sexy performances along the way…
By Katie Green
Feature image: The Artistree