Ariana Grande made an emotional but triumphant return to the stage for a star-studded 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 sold-out 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.
After Williams, 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.
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 15-year-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.
Towards the end, Grande got emotional as she sang a heartbreaking version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Justin Bieber had tears in his eyes as he honoured those who lost their lives in the attack.
The Canadian singer delivered an emotional speech before hitting the notes of the acoustic versions of his tracks Love yourself and Cold water.
“I’m not going to let go of hope. I’m not going to let go of love. I’m not going to let go of God… Put your hand up if you’re not going to let go,” Bieber, 23, told the crowd. (PTI)
