The former couple, who split in 2016, have remained close friends and are “taking things very slowly” amid their romance reunion, a source previously told PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Ricky Alvarez was spotted dancing and taking photos at Ariana Grande’s Brooklyn, N.Y., concert during her Eternal Sunshine tour on July 18

• The former couple, who split in 2016, have remained close friends and are “taking things very slowly” amid their romance reunion, a source previously told PEOPLE
• Grande has made lyric changes referencing Alvarez during recent performances, including one on his birthday in Brooklyn

Ricky Alvarez was spotted cheering on Ariana Grande during her tour amid their romance reunion.

Video taken by fans and shared on social media after Grande’s show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, July 18, showed Alvarez, 35, dancing as Grande, 33, performed her 2024 track “Imperfect for You.”

Alvarez, Grande’s former backup dancer, could be seen smiling and laughing with friends as he took photos and videos of the concert. He was dressed casually for the outing, wearing a gray beanie and blue flannel shirt.

Grande is nearly halfway through her 41-date Eternal Sunshine tour, and her eighth album, Petal, is set for release later this month. 

The Grammy winner and Alvarez called it quits in 2016 after dating for about a year. Despite their split, the pair have remained friendly over the years.

When Grande released “Thank U, Next” — in which she famously name-checked Alvarez alongside several other exes, including Big Sean, Pete Davidson and Mac Miller — Alvarez posted an Instagram Stories post in support of the song.

The “Hate That I Made You Love Me” singer was first spotted with Alvarez in Austin, Texas, on June 26, her birthday. Later that night, he attended her tour stop in the city and was seen in the VIP pit of the crowd.

A source told PEOPLE at the time that the pair had been “hanging out recently.”

On July 7, a Grande source told PEOPLE that Alvarez spent the Fourth of July weekend in Florida with the Wicked star and her family.

“She’s having a great time on tour. She loves having close friends join her for parts of the tour,” the source said at the time.

The source added that “Ricky has always been a friend and confidant” and Grande “really trusts him.”

“He has such great, positive energy, makes her laugh, and she enjoys spending time with him,” the Grande source said.

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By July 14, another source told PEOPLE that the pop star and her former backup dancer are “taking things very slowly” amid their reunion.

“Ariana has always considered Ricky a friend,” the insider said. “She’s not held ill will against him [since their split]. Ricky is dependable, trustworthy and very supportive. Ariana feels she can be herself around Ricky.”

“They’re not jumping into anything serious right away, but Ari is happy to have him back in her life,” the source added.

Recently, Grande has made several sweet lyric changes to the line in “Thank U, Next” that mentions Alvarez.

While performing at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on June 26, she sang, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / I know he’s still got my back.”

Two days prior, she sang, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / And they still kinda slap.”

During Grande’s concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on July 13, which was also Alvarez’s birthday, she gave him a special shout-out with another lyric change: “Wrote some songs about Ricky / We always find our way back.”

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