"We've been waiting so long, so long to put this show on. We've moved it and postponed it and finally we're here."
Moments earlier, the 26-year-old had walked down the the catwalk of her vast stage, slowly raising her hands to the air as she soaked up the adulation of 21,000 fans who'd waited two years to see her at Manchester's AO Arena.
This wasn't just a pop concert - it was a reunion.
