AEG's Emma Bownes has praised the "incredible" production for Ariana Grande's The Eternal Sunshine residency at The O2 as one of the most ambitious she has ever seen at the London venue.
Grande completed the final show of the acclaimed 10-date engagement – her first UK shows in seven years and the Live Nation-promoted tour's only European stop – last night (September 1).
Speaking to Music Week, Bownes said the show's transforming semi-demolished house set, suspended Halo installation and extended catwalk and B-stage combined to create one of the standout productions in the venue's history.
"When an artist sits down in one venue for a residency, it gives them the opportunity production-wise to create more ambitious productions, and Ariana’s show specifically was incredible," said Bownes, AEG International's SVP venue programming. "The physical centrepiece of the semi-demolished house which transforms throughout the show – the massive suspended Halo and the extended catwalk and B-stage – all combined to make this one of the best shows, production-wise, I’ve ever seen at The O2.
"However, loading this level of production out around dark days would have been tricky, so we do our best as a venue to reduce the amount of load outs where possible, enabling the tour to stay in situ. Where that’s not possible, we work with promoters of shows that may be playing on the dark days of a residency to ensure that we can keep as much production in the roof, and equipment on site, as possible."
Hosting these long runs is something that we’ll never take for granted
Emma Bownes, AEG International
Bownes said the diary at The O2 is “incredibly busy”, with the venue likely to confirm around 240 shows in 2026. But when Grande's UK promoter, Anna-Sophie Mertens at Live Nation, got in touch, the venue did everything it could to accommodate the run, which also served as the tour's finale.
"The first five shows were announced and put on sale in August 2025, with a second wave of shows added in September," added Bownes. "There’s no doubt in my mind she could have added many more – the demand for tickets was insane."
The O2 has previously hosted Prince's legendary 21-night 2007 run, as well as extended residencies from Queen & Adam Lambert, Elton John, Usher and Adele, among others. It will also welcome Olivia Rodrigo for 11 nights in 2027.
"Hosting these long runs is something that we’ll never take for granted, and it’s hugely important to us that we celebrate those residencies so that fans feel like they’re part of something really special," said Bownes.
The venue marked Grande's residency with a bespoke flower arch of daisies, chamomile, ranunculus and cosmos and a 12-panel story wall dedicated to Grande, alongside backstage care packages that included ice cream vans on hot days.
Increasingly, fans are planning travel around live entertainment – planning a few days’ stay around a show they may want to see
Emma Bownes, AEG International
Bownes – who won the Live Music Inspiration honour at the 2024 Music Week Women In Music Awards – described the sell-out shows as a "huge success", reserving special praise for Grande's "powerhouse vocals".
"Ariana’s fans are devoted and passionate, screaming lyrics back word for word and the atmosphere has been incredible, even more poignant as the run has progressed as fans know that there will be a break after these shows," she said. "Fans have been arriving on site early every morning with outfits themed around different albums – cat ear headbands, pink princess-style dresses, polka dots – it’s been a joy to see."
Bownes said the residency model also benefits artists directly: extended runs let them capitalise on strong demand in a single market, often with the most dedicated fans buying tickets to more than one night. Long stays in one venue also spare artists and crew the physical toll of touring night to night.
There have also been knock-on benefits: The O2 revealed last month that concert tourism played a major role in Grande's London stint, with more than a third of ticket buyers coming from overseas.
According to the AEG venue, 35% of ticket purchasers for the 33-year-old's European exclusive run, which kicked off on August 15, were from abroad, with 47% from outside London. But Bownes suggested it was not an isolated case.
"More than half [55%] of the fans that attended the UK exclusive 10 night run with Usher last year came from outside of London," she said. "Increasingly, fans are planning travel around live entertainment – planning a few days’ stay around a show they may want to see. With London being the live music capital of Europe, and with so much to see and experience in London for travelling fans, multi-night residencies at The O2 just make sense."
