Music world jittery after Manchester blast
NEW YORK: The suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, has shaken the music world, with some artists cancelling upcoming gigs and others planning to go ahead as scheduled.
Blondie cancelled a Tuesday night concert in London “as a mark of respect for the victims of the terrible attack” at the Manchester Arena.
Lead singer Debbie Harry tweeted that the Round Chapel date would be rescheduled.
Manchester band Take That also cancelled their Tuesday night concert in Liverpool and today to Saturday in Manchester “out of respect” for the victims of the attack that left 22 people dead.
As for Grande, a person close to the situation said the pop star’s tour was not cancelled or postponed. The person said Grande and her team were more focused on the victims at the moment, not the tour.
But a number of music acts with upcoming summer gigs in Europe said on Tuesday they won’t change their plans.
Shawn Mendes, scheduled to play in Paris on Wednesday, said his show would go on.
“I hope I speak for every artiste by saying that we will not stop spreading positivity and love through music no matter the situation,” he tweeted. “Concerts are events people should never be afraid to attend.”
Celine Dion also will honour her upcoming dates in Copenhagen, Stockholm, London and Paris, including a June 25 stop at the Manchester Arena.
A representative for Guns N’ Roses, currently on tour with upcoming stops in Dublin, Lisbon, Madrid, Zurich, Munich, London and Paris, said the rock band wasn’t making any changes.
The manager for Phil Collins, scheduled to play Liverpool’s Echo Arena on June 2 and then five dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall starting June 4, said those shows would go on.
If the shows do go on, there are likely to be more security precautions. The 02 arena in London said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the tragedy and added that security had been stepped up for all events. AFP