MANCHESTER, U.K. – Staged on June 4, less than two weeks after a suicide bomber killed himself and 22 others as attendees were leaving an Ariana Grande concert, and one day after another terror attack in London killed eight, the “One Love Manchester” concert drew 55,000 to Manchester’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground and raised funds for Manchester victims and their families. The British Red Cross reported it received more than £10 million ($13 million) in donations in the 12 hours following the concer.
Ariana Grande led a long roster of performers that included Coldplay, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, Liam Gallagher, Take That, Robbie Williams, The Black Eyed Peas, Imogen Heap, Mac Miller, Marcus Mumford, Niall Horan, Little Mix and Victoria Monét.
Within a day of the event, more than $3.5 million had been raised for the “We Love Manchester Emergency Fund,” which was established by the Manchester City Council and the British Red Cross to support the Manchester bombing victims and their families.
Although free tickets were offered to attendees of the May 22 Manchester concert, staged at the Manchester Arena a few miles away, other tickets were made available at £40, or around $51, with many also donating £2,500 for the fund set up on the Manchester victims’ behalf. Once offered on sale June 1, the benefit concert sold out within minutes.
With safety concerns already present, and ratcheted up even further with the London attacks the day before, intensive security efforts were put into place by the Greater Manchester Police Department, including thorough bag checks, canine patrols and a reinforced police presences on public transportation in the area.
Ariana Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, who also manages Justin Bieber, credited attendees from the stage for their decision to turn out for the concert, especially in the wake of the latest terror attack less than 24 hours prior, in London.
“Last night this nation was challenged, and all of you were challenged, and you had a decision to make if you were going to come out here tonight,” Braun said. “You looked fear right in the face and you said, No, we are Manchester, and the world is watching.”
Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman tour, which had been suspended in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing, is set to resume starting with the concert set for June 7 in Paris.
While many commended the concert as an important step forward in the aftermath of the terror attacks, tensions about security remain high. On Friday, June 2, the 80,000 attendees on the first night the three-night Rock am Ring festival in Nuerburg, Germany were evacuated before headliner Rammstein could take the stage.
The festival resumed the next day after a thorough search of the grounds had been conducted and officials were reassured that the event could proceed safely.
For more details on that story, go to http://plsn.com/wp/main-news/22943.
