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Ariana Grande's Dallas concert was part yoga class, part hide-and-seek, and all pop 

When your songs are as frothy as Grande's are, it's best to turn the spotlight up to 11 and just let them sparkle.

Ariana Grande's first Dallas show since the 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bombing began with a somber prelude.

Before entering the American Airlines Center on Tuesday night, fans saw German Shepherd police dogs sniffing for explosives and signs forbidding all bags inside the arena, except ones made of clear plastic. In the age of terrorism, even something as benign as a bubblegum pop concert can feel strangely scary.

But the mood lightened as soon as soon as Grande strutted onstage in a mini-skirt party dress and launched into her new ode to sexual liberation, "God is A Woman."

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The former Nickelodeon star did make a fleeting reference to the experience in her new song "7 Rings." But in typical Grande fashion, she laughed off her sadness by describing a shopping spree, sung to the melody of "My Favorite Things."

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"Whoever said 'Money can't solve your problems' / Must not have had enough money to solve 'em."

It was that kind of show - a ton of Top 40 clichés about love, fame and life, wrapped up in glittery packages and delivered by one of the best voices in pop.

As a vocalist, Grande was brilliant as usual. A pint-sized Mariah Carey but with less bombast, she spent most of the show cooing and trilling with a velvet touch. When she did finally go acrobatic and wail in "Dangerous Woman," the effect was all the more potent. The backing vocals were obviously canned, but Grande's golden pipes were au naturel.

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Flanked by a four-piece band and a dance troupe, Grande sauntered around the runway with a wiggle in her walk and an "I Dream of Jeannie" ponytail swaying behind her. Her 4-inch boot heels prevented any serious dancing, but she made up for that with giddy floor gymnastics. There were so many seated backbends the show felt like an Iyengar yoga class.

The near-capacity audience put their backfields in motion as well, bouncing in unison to "Break Free" and swaying left and right to Grande's ribald reggae hit "Side to Side." Too often, however, fans were simply left squinting at the singer.

Forgoing super-bright lights and mammoth video screens that are typical at most arena shows, Grande spent big chunks of the concert half-hidden in murky lighting reminiscent of early R.E.M. - the band, not Grande's unrelated "R.E.M.," which she did perform.

Maybe the dim lighting was supposed to make her seem more arty and mysterious, but it didn't work. When your songs are as frothy as Grande's are, it's best to turn the spotlight up to 11 and just let them sparkle.

Thor Christensen is a Dallas writer and critic. Email him at thorchris2@yahoo.com.