Ariana’s heartfelt gig
Singer’s return to stage raises ¤2.35m for Manchester victims
London: Ariana Grande made an emotional but triumphant return to the stage for a star-studded on Sunday charity show after 22 people were killed in a terror attack at her Manchester Arena concert last month.
With an estimated audience of 50,000, the soldout event saw some of the biggest names in the music world join Grande to support her in her attempt to raise funds for the families of the victims and they pulled all stops to make it one of the most watched events.
The gig generated 2.35 million euros in donations over a three-hour period. The evening featured tributes from Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Robbie Williams, Little Mix, Pharrell Williams, Niall Horan, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.
The cricket ground was flooded with face paint, glitter, placards and Grande’s bunny ears and witnessed a sea of raised hands as Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford opened the gig with the song Timshel, saying Let’s not be afraid, Manchester.
Williams altered the chorus lyrics of his hit track Strong with the words, Manchester we’re strong, we’re strong, we’re strong. We’re still singing our song, our song, our song, as the crowd hummed along.
A young girl, Lily Harrison, who was injured in last month’s Manchester Arena attack, also attended the show to see her favourite pop star perform at the event, reported The Guardian.
Former One Direction star Horan took to the stage, leaving fans in tears as he dedicated This Town to the victims. “Seeing you guys coming together was a sight to behold, we love you, we are with you, the whole world is watching,” he told the crowd.
Cyrus’ performance was all about her friendship with Grande, who noted the Bang Bang hitmaker’s strength as a role model. About an hour into the concert, Grande’s manager Scooter Braun came on stage to do the honours. “Last night, this nation was challenged, and you had a decision to make whether to come out here tonight,” Braun said referring to the second terror attack on Saturday in the heart of London As soon as I met her (Olivia Campbell’s mother, 15-yr-old who died) I started crying and I gave her a big hug. She said I should stop crying because Olivia would have wanted me to stop crying
Ariana Grande, Singer
that killed seven. “And this is so beautiful. You looked fear in the face and said, ‘No. This is Manchester...’ Manchester, your bravery is our hope.”
Wearing a sweat shirt graffitied with the legend One Love Manchester, Grande showed up several times throughout the show alongside Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas and Little Mix to celebrate the fighting spirit of Manchester.
She also talked about meeting the mother of 15year-old victim, Olivia Campbell, who died in the attack.
“As soon as I met her I started crying and I gave her a big hug and she said I should stop crying because Olivia would have wanted me to stop crying,” she said.