In her first visit to Costa Rica, the American star was greeted with euphoric cries by the 14,000 fans who braved the chilling night air at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater of the Parque Viva. Just the mention of Ariana Grande was enough to stir up a collecting shouting to form a deafening chorus.
At 6:00 pm the warm acts that got the crowds going included a brief performance by Costa Rican Fatima Pinto, a solo performance Victoria Monet, the 24-year-old singer who has written with and for Ariana Grande on several occasions, including for her Dangerous Woman album, and a full performance by Latin American pop boy band, CNCO.
Before entering the state, the concert began with a ten minute video and a countdown clock to the 8:30 pm stage appearance by Ariana, accompanied by 10 male dancers, opening the concert with her single Be Alright, a sticky pop and R & B composition that is part of her latest album Dangerous Woman (2016).
Before closing the show Grande slowed the rhythm of the concert to perform a homage to the victims of the tragedy Manchester concert. The singer chose a simple rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, song from the musical The Wizard of Oz.
The aftermath of Manchester meant tight security in Costa Rica. The production prohibited handbags and cameras, leaving fans only with the cell phone cameras to capture the event.
Despite the early Sunday morning arrest by the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) of a man who had ‘threatened the tranquility’ of the concert, no problems were reported.
The Parque Viva opened its doors at noon amid growing traffic chaos due to the rearrangement of roads in La Guacima, Alajuela, and the converting the Ruta 27 to one-way San Jose traffic for returning vacationer.
