Ariana Grande Honors Mac Miller With Beautiful Moment During Sweetener Tour Opener

Ariana Grande kicked off her Sweetener World Tour in Albany, New York on Monday night, and fans noticed that Grande used the evening to pay tribute to her late ex-boyfriend Mac Miller even before she stepped on stage.

Fans who attended the concert shared that Miller’s music was playing at the venue ahead of the show, with several people using Twitter to express their feelings over the touching choice.

“Aaaaand they’re playing Mac Miller at the Ariana Grande concert,” one person wrote. “Not emotional no no no not at all.”

“They’re playing Mac while we wait for Ariana,” another fan tweeted.

Since Miller’s death in September 2018 of an accidental overdose, Grande has posted numerous tributes to the late rapper, including a cryptic message on social media on his birthday, Jan. 19.

“Miss u,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet. Soon after, she shared a series of photos of herself and Miller on her Instagram Story.

She also covered up a tattoo on her foot of the badge number of her ex-fiancé Pete Davidson‘s late firefighter father with the name of her Miller’s dog Myron, who she began caring for after the rapper’s death.

When Grande’s latest album, Thank U, Next, was released in February, fans immediately noticed that the song “Ghostin’,” which finds Grande thinking about another man while she’s with her current partner, bears a resemblance to Miller’s song “2009,” with many guessing that Grande had sampled Miller’s song for her track.

After Monday’s show, Grande tweeted clips from the performance along with an emotional reflection on the evening.

“i really dunno what to say yet. for now, thank you will suffice. a dream come true typeeaa night. i love you. so much. thank you,” she wrote. “mhmm my mind is all over the place and v emotional. thank u. i don’t know what i’m posting rn tbh. at all. i’ll hit u tomorrow bc…. tonight was too much. thank you thank you thank you. i love you. and i yeah.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Kevin Mazur