Ariana Grande takes the stage at Chicago’s United Center on August 3, 5, and 6 for the final three North American performances of the Eternal Sunshine Tour, her first concert run in seven years. The three-night stand closes out a trek that has spanned the United States and Canada since its June 6 launch in Oakland, California, before Grande moves on to a five-show residency at The O2 in London later this month. The tour supports her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, released in March 2024 via Republic Records, and its deluxe follow-up Eternal Sunshine: Brighter Days Ahead, which added nine bonus tracks and six new songs when it dropped a year later.
- The United Center confirmed three performance dates: August 3 (doors 7:30 p.m., show 9:00 p.m.), August 5 and August 6 (doors 6:30 p.m., show 8:00 p.m.)
- The Eternal Sunshine Tour marks Grande’s first return to live performance since the Sweetener World Tour wrapped in December 2019, which drew more than 1.3 million fans across nearly 100 shows
- A third Chicago date was added due to overwhelming demand; pre-show party packages for all three nights have sold out
- The tour also supports Grande’s eighth album, Petal, released July 31, mid-tour
- Grande has described the Eternal Sunshine Tour as potentially her final concert run for the foreseeable future, citing a shift toward acting and other creative projects
Seven Years Between Tours
The gap between the Sweetener World Tour and the Eternal Sunshine Tour is the longest stretch Grande has gone without performing live since she began headlining arenas in 2015. The Sweetener run covered nearly 100 shows and drew more than 1.3 million fans, making it the largest concert tour of Grande’s career at that time. In the years since, Grande released two albums (Positions in 2020 and Eternal Sunshine in 2024), starred as Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked and its sequel Wicked: For Good, earned an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress, and largely stepped away from the concert circuit.
Grande acknowledged the length of the hiatus in a conversation on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast earlier this year. She described the Eternal Sunshine Tour as her “last hurrah,” at least for a “long, long, long, long, long time,” framing the decision as a deliberate choice rather than a retreat. “I think I just am feeling a lot more connected to myself and my art since I started doing different things,” Grande said, pointing to her expanding work in film and television as the creative direction she intends to pursue after the tour wraps.
The Chicago Residency and Demand
Chicago was originally scheduled for two United Center dates on August 3 and 5. A third night on August 6 was added after tickets for the first two shows sold rapidly, a pattern that repeated in several cities along the route. The pre-show party packages, which included a DJ set, photobooth, raffle giveaway, two complimentary drinks, private bar access, light appetizers, and early access to merchandise, sold out for all three Chicago dates. Resale prices on Ticketmaster have climbed into the $600-$700 range for remaining inventory.
The three Chicago shows serve as the final North American performances before Grande transitions to the European leg. The five-show O2 residency in London will close out the Eternal Sunshine Tour entirely. Grande has not announced additional dates beyond the London run, consistent with her public statements about stepping back from touring after this cycle.
The Setlist and Production Across Eras
The Eternal Sunshine Tour setlist draws from across Grande’s full discography, spanning from her 2013 debut Yours Truly through the new material on Petal. The show is structured in five acts, each representing a different phase of Grande’s career and artistic identity. The production incorporates narrative film segments between acts, including scenes that reference Grande’s past visual identities, from the auburn-haired Yours Truly era to the high-ponytail Dangerous Woman period to the platinum-blonde Sweetener aesthetic.
One recurring visual motif follows Grande encountering a young version of herself, a device that ties the concert’s emotional arc to the album’s themes of memory, identity, and self-reconciliation. The staging matches the ambition of a performer returning to arenas after a seven-year absence, with the production scale reflecting both the breadth of the catalog and the significance Grande has attached to what may be her final extended run of live shows.
The addition of Petal to the setlist, released just days before the Chicago dates, gives the final North American shows a layer of freshness that earlier stops on the tour did not have. Fans attending the United Center performances will hear new material that was not part of the original touring repertoire when the run launched in June.
Grande’s Expanding Portfolio Beyond Music
The Eternal Sunshine Tour arrives at a point where Grande’s career has expanded well beyond pop music. Her portrayal of Glinda in Wicked earned an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe nomination, positioning her as a dual-threat in both music and film. She reprised the role in Wicked: For Good, released in November 2025, and has since wrapped filming on Focker-in-Law, the fourth installment in the Meet the Parents franchise, and signed on for Season 13 of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story.
Grande has also hinted at a theatrical stage project separate from Broadway, describing it in general terms without providing details. “It’s not on Broadway,” she said in a public interview, “but it’s something that I’m very excited about and inspired by.” The combination of film roles, a possible stage production, and the Eternal Sunshine Tour paints a picture of an artist deliberately diversifying rather than cycling through the traditional album-tour-album loop that has defined pop career trajectories for decades.
The Chicago dates mark the final opportunity for North American fans to see Grande perform live before the London residency and whatever comes next. For an artist who has framed this tour as a closing chapter, the three nights at the United Center carry a weight that extends beyond the typical arena show.
FAQs
When is Ariana Grande performing in Chicago?
Ariana Grande performs at the United Center on August 3 (9:00 p.m.), August 5 (8:00 p.m.), and August 6 (8:00 p.m.). Doors open 90 minutes before showtime for each date.
Are tickets still available for the Chicago shows?
Primary tickets have largely sold out. Resale tickets are available through Ticketmaster, with prices currently in the $600-$700 range. Pre-show party packages for all three nights are sold out.
What album does the Eternal Sunshine Tour support?
The tour supports Grande’s seventh album Eternal Sunshine (2024), its deluxe edition Eternal Sunshine: Brighter Days Ahead (2025), and her eighth album Petal, released July 31, 2026.
Is this Ariana Grande’s last tour?
Grande has described the Eternal Sunshine Tour as her “last hurrah” for a “long, long time,” citing a shift toward acting and other creative projects. No additional tour dates have been announced beyond the London O2 residency.
