U.S. singing star Ariana serves up city gig tickets at restaurant
IT was all eyes to the streets this week as US superstar Ariana Grande touched down in Glasgow ahead of her massive gig at The SSE Hydro.
The ‘Thank U, Next’ star was in town as part of her Sweetener World Tour, which kicked off in New York in March.
Her journey across the globe followed the release of her highly anticipated fourth album, Sweetener, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Album chart in 2018.
Mega-fans camped out close to the Glasgow arena from as early as 7am on Monday to get close to the singer.
But it was arguably fans going about their daily business in the city centre that won the jackpot, with several spotting the ‘God Is A Woman’ vocalist in George Square.
She left fans in meltdown on Monday after posing for pictures, with many calling it the ‘best day’ of their lives.
The chance encounters came just weeks after the singer cancelled her VIP meet and greets ahead of her Glasgow show.
An email sent to fans said she had to pull out of the sessions to ‘preserve her voice’ – and Ariana said on Twitter she would rather ‘meet fans for free’ while shopping.
It was not only lucky shoppers who got the chance to meet Grande – the pop superstar also decided a trip to city centre favourite The Anchor Line was in order.
Waiting staff and chefs were stunned to see her in the restaurant – but that was not to be the end of their surprise.
She asked staff to use a ‘cute filter’ on Snapchat as she posed for pictures and then offered the crew free guest-list tickets to last night’s show.
They took to Instagram to share their excitement, and promised the singer that she would always be welcome at their eatery.
They wrote: “What a sweet(ener) surprise! Ariana Grande in our bar and restaurant!
“Here she is with our staff last night after she asked them to use a “cute filter” on the snap.
“She was also kind enough to hook them up with guestlist tickets to her show!
“You’re always welcome at The Anchor Line Ariana!”
Fans were warned prior to the gig that security was operating a ‘100 per cent clear bag’ policy, and a blanket ban on banners and signs.
It comes as it is the first time she has performed in the UK since one of her concerts was targeted by a suicide bomber in May 2017 in Manchester.
The star revealed she is planning a ‘special show’ for the city, where 22 fans died – including a teenager from the island of Barra.