Update: Grande Honors Manchester Victims

Ariana Grande returned to the city to pay tribute with an energetic, all-star concert featuring Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Liam Gallagher two weeks after a suicide bombing killed 22 of her fans and injured dozens of others in Manchester, England.

Dave Hogan via AP – ‘One Love Manchester’
Ariana Grande, centre in white, performs at the One Love Manchester tribute concert in Manchester, north western England.

Grande was emotional and teary-eyed throughout the One Love Manchester concert Sunday, which the British Red Cross said it raised more than £10 million ($13 million) for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, created for those affected by the attack at Grande’s May 22 show.

She closed the three-hour-plus event with a cover of “Over the Rainbow,” crying onstage at the song’s end as the audience cheered her on.

“Manchester, I love you with all of my heart,” Grande said before the performance, and just after singing “One Last Time” with Miley Cyrus, Pharrell and more of the show’s performers standing behind her in solidarity.

Gallagher, formerly of Oasis, earned loud cheers from the audience as he emerged in his home town in surprise form. He sang and offered encouraging words to the crowd, who held inspirational signs in their hands.

One of the most powerful moments was when the Parrs Wood High School Choir performed Grande’s “My Everything” with the singer. The 23-year-old pop star held the young lead performer’s hand, both with tears in their eyes, as the rest of the singers joined in.

Perry also left a mark with her resilient performance: She sang a stripped down version of her hit, “Part of Me.” Backed by two singers and a guitarist, she delivered the song wearing all white, singing, “Throw your sticks and your stones, throw your bombs and your blows, but you’re not gonna break my soul.”

“I encourage you to choose love even when it’s difficult. Let no one take that away from you,” she said.

Bieber shared similar words onstage, even coming close to crying when he spoke about God and those who died at Grande’s show.

“(God) loves you and he’s here for you. I wanna take this moment to honor the people that were lost, that were taken,” he said. “To the families, we love you so much. … Everybody say, ‘We honor you, and we love you.’“

Coldplay were also a crowd favorite, performing well-known songs like “Viva La Vida” and “Fix You.”

Dave Hogan via AP – Ariana Grande & Miley Cyrus
Performing at the One Love Manchester tribute concert in Manchester, England.

Grande performed throughout the show, singing her hits from “Side to Side” to “Break Free.” She even collaborated with others onstage: She sang Fergie’s verse on the Black Eyed Peas hit, “Where Is the Love?” along with the group; she performed a duet with Cyrus; and she sang her debut song, “The Way,” with rapper Mac Miller.

Cyrus said she was “so honored to be at this incredible event” and performed “Happy” alongside Pharrell, who also sang “Get Lucky.”

“I don’t feel or smell or hear or see any fear in this building. All we feel here tonight is love, resilience, positivity,” Williams said.

Take That, who are from Manchester, followed with fun energy that the crowd danced to.

“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this,” singer Gary Barlow said. “We want everyone to stand strong.”

Robbie Williams also performed, changing some of his lyrics of “Strong” to honor the Manchester victims.

“Manchester we’re strong … we’re still singing our song,” he sang with the audience of 50,000.

The Manchester concert came the day after attackers targeted the heart of London, killing seven people. Authorities have said the attack started with a van plowing into pedestrians and then involved three men using large knives to attack people in bars and restaurants at a nearby market.

The One Love Manchester concert aired across the globe. Other performers included Little Mix, Niall Horan, Imogen Heap and Victoria Monet.

Grande Returning For Manchester Benefit Show “
By Associated Press
Posted at Sunday, June 4 at 9 a.m. PDT

Ariana Grande will return to the stage Sunday in Manchester, England, for a concert to raise money for victims of a suicide bombing that struck at the end of her last show nearly two weeks ago.

Manchester Evening News via AP – Surprise Visit
Victim of the Manchester concert blast Lily Harrison hugs Ariana Grande during her visit to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Sunday’s “One Love Manchester” concert, to be held at the city’s Old Trafford cricket ground, comes the day after attackers targeted the heart of London, killing seven people. Authorities have said the attack started with a van plowing into pedestrians and then involved three men using large knives to attack people in bars and restaurants at a nearby market.

Grande’s manager Scooter Braun said on Sunday that the concert will go on as planned. He called the event a “statement that hatred and fear will never win.”

“Today’s One Love Manchester benefit concert will not only continue, but will do so with greater purpose,” Braun said in a statement. “We must not be afraid and in tribute to all those affected here and around the world, we will bring our voices together and sing loudly.”

A star-studded lineup including Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Marcus Mumford and Take That is scheduled to perform. The show will be broadcast across the globe and proceeds will go to an emergency fund set up by the city of Manchester and the British Red Cross.

The May 22 attack at Grande’s Manchester concert killed 22 and

Xcel Energy Center – Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande makes a stop at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., March 3.

wounded dozens more. The pop singer visited young fans injured in the attack at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital on Friday.

“We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win,” Grande wrote in a statement when she announced the benefit concert last week. “Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.”

Other performers will include Pharrell Williams, Usher, the Black Eyed Peas, Robbie Williams and Niall Horan.

The concert will be broadcast on a variety of outlets.  Disney’s young adult cable network Freeform will air the full concert live at 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday. ABC plans a one-hour highlight special following its NBA Finals telecast.

The concert also will be broadcast on more than 130 iHeartRadio stations, and MTV will livestream the event on the website www.onelovemanchester.mtv.com.