one of these is the most consequential thing she has ever done and it is not a competition for second place.
the short answer
one love manchester on 4 june 2017 is first and there is no real argument. after it: god is a woman at the 2018 vmas with fifty dancers on a last supper set; the 2019 coachella headline set with the nsync reunion; and defying gravity with cynthia erivo opening the 2025 academy awards.
the eight
- one love manchester, 4 june 2017. organised in under two weeks, thirteen days after the attack at her show, on a bill assembled from everyone who said yes. 55,000 tickets went in twenty minutes. it is the most consequential thing on this list by a distance and the only one where the performance is not really the point.
- god is a woman at the 2018 vmas. around fifty female dancers on a set staged as a last supper. the performance where she stopped being a singer who dances.
- coachella, 2019. youngest headliner in the festival's history, twenty-plus songs, four fifths of nsync, and a tribute in the middle of it.
- defying gravity at the 2025 oscars. she and cynthia erivo opened the ceremony with it, live, weeks after her own nomination. the most-watched thing either of them has done.
- the 2020 grammys, thank u, next / imagine / 7 rings. her first grammy performance after two years of not attending, and an unusually raw one.
- santa tell me, the 2024 tenth-anniversary performance. a live version of a song she had barely performed, released to mark it having become a standard.
- the o2 residency, august 2026. ten nights closing the eternal sunshine tour, with erivo joining on the sixteenth. the last scheduled shows before the break.
- the 2016 snl double. host and musical guest in one night, two months before dangerous woman. the comedy piece covers what it changed.
the pattern
what to actually watch first
if you want the singing, the oscars defying gravity — it is live, it is unassisted, and it is a showtune rather than a pop record. if you want the performer, the 2018 vmas. if you want to understand why any of this matters to the people who care about it, one love manchester, and set aside the full two and a half hours.
the tour archive has search links for the footage of each run, and the screen section covers the specials and the one concert film.
questions people ask
what is ariana grande's best live performance?
one love manchester, on 4 june 2017 — organised in under two weeks, thirteen days after the attack at her show.
what was the 2018 vma performance?
god is a woman, with around fifty female dancers on a set staged as a last supper. it is widely regarded as her best television performance.
did ariana grande perform at the oscars?
yes — she and cynthia erivo opened the 2025 ceremony with defying gravity, live.
how many times has she performed at the grammys?
rarely. she performed in 2020 and has skipped the ceremony every year since, including the two years she won.
where can i watch a full ariana grande concert?
excuse me, i love you on netflix is the only full-length official concert film, from the 2019 sweetener world tour.