Marianne Gunn's verdict: three stars
The 21-year-old Nickelodeon star (from programmes Victorious and Sam & Cat) managed to completely sell out the 13,000-capacity Hydro for one night - and created an aura of tinnitus for the non-teenage factions of the crowd. Playing cutesy "air-head" Cat has captured a younger audience which meant (much like Miley Cyrus before her) a career in music was somewhat inevitable for the tiny Floridian. She is also starring in a new Fox TV series, Scream Queens, an apt analogy for the Monday night crowd.
"Make some noise, Glasgow!" was certainly the mantra of the evening, and as Grande re-entered riding a sparkling chandelier it was clear she was trying to make some kind of fairy tale come alive for her fans. With her blush boa and her trademark cat ears (available in the foyer for £17 a pop) she created a Ghetto Gatsby vibe before singing Pink Champagne, a track she described as "super old"; it turns out it was released in 2010. During this part of the show, it was clear that Grande relied quite heavily on a backing track although her Mariah-esque vocal flourishes proved that the pint-sized, bubblegum popster can actually hit the high notes.
With nods to Madonna, Kylie, Britney and even Cher (with some bizarre digital MiMu gloves), the production values were what every live-concert novice was looking for: pyrotechnics - check; confetti cannons - check; kick-ass dance troupe - check; and even her own DJ - check check. One Last Time, Love Me Harder and Break Free were the stand-out performances before a monochrome 1960s-styled performance of Problem brought the show down for half nine (a blessing to the parents - and "super old" people - in attendance).
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