Too sick to sing, Ariana Grande buys lunch for fans in Lexington for canceled concert

Ariana Grande may have canceled her Lexington show Sunday, but she still managed to help make unforgettable memories for dozens of her fans.

Some of Grande’s die-hard fans gathered at Rupp Arena on Sunday after the pop singer announced she was too sick to perform that night’s show. Shellye Echeverria, who co-runs the @GrandeTourNews Twitter account, organized the meetup, and she said Grande sent her a message asking how she can help.

“So we all met up at Rupp Arena, took a bunch of pictures, laughed, talked, basically made a sad situation into a happier one,” said Donald Sneed, who runs the Grande fan account with Echeverria.

The group of more than 40 fans, some of whom traveled from all across the country, then went to nearby Saul Good Restaurant & Pub, where their bill was covered by Grande. Echeverria said Grande got her in contact with an assistant, who planned the lunch for the group.

One fan referred to Grande’s act as “big angel energy,” while another called it “the most wholesome thing ever.”

“That’s just who Ariana is,” Sneed said. “You don’t have to love her music but you can’t say she doesn’t care for her fans.”

“There’s literally 40+ of us together enjoying today. Positivity is the energy today,” Echeverria wrote on Twitter. “I’m literally so happy.”

Unfortunately for Grande fans, the Lexington show will not be rescheduled, according to a Rupp Arena spokesperson. Grande will conclude The Sweetener World Tour in December.

Her show is the first to be canceled at Rupp since Ozuna in December 2018. Before that, Bad Bunny canceled his November 2018 show.

Grande said she was “devastated” she had to cancel the show. Rupp Arena confirmed the cancellation around 12:40 p.m. Sunday, about seven hours before the concert.

Some fans had a more difficult time with the cancellation. Justin Perron wrote on Facebook that his daughter was “absolutely crushed” she couldn’t see the singer. Robert Wise wrote that he was going to take his sister for a birthday present for her first concert, but “now her dream is crushed.”

Another young fan offered perspective.

“My 7-year-old wanted to see her and when I told her the news she said, ‘If she is sick I want her to feel better. I can’t sing good when I’m sick,’” Benjamin Bugg said on Facebook.

Those who purchased tickets for Grande’s show will receive full refunds. For tickets purchased through Ticketmaster.com, the refund will be processed automatically. To begin the refund process for tickets purchased at the Rupp Arena ticket office, call 859-233-3535.

This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 11:05 AM.