Adrina grande
Justin Bieber, Coldplay and Katy Perry will join Ariana Grande at a charity concert in Manchester, England, on Sunday.
Grande announced Tuesday that the “One Love Manchester” show will be held at the city’s Old Trafford cricket ground just under two weeks after a bomber killed 22 people at the pop singer’s concert in Manchester.
Other performers will include Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, Usher, Niall Horan and Take That. Proceeds will go to an emergency fund set up by the city of Manchester and the British Red Cross.
“We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win,” Grande said in a statement. “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.”
The singer added: “Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy. So that is what it will continue to do for us.”
Tickets for the tribute concert go on sale on Thursday, with prices yet to be announced. Those attending are asked not to bring bags.
Proceeds will go to the We Love Manchester emergency fund, which has been set up by Manchester City Council, in conjunction with the British Red Cross. Organisers expect at least £2m to be raised from the event.
Grande sent a tweet with details of the gig, with the One Love logo featuring the bunny ears she is known for wearing. Her manager Scooter Braun also tweeted, with the message: “We stand with you.”
Seven children were among the victims who died when Salman Abedi detonated a bomb on 22 May.
Grande, 23, suspended her Dangerous Woman tour, including cancelling two shows at London’s O2 Arena, following the attack.
But the US singer had promised to return to Manchester, saying: “I don’t want to go the rest of the year without being able to see and hold and uplift my fans”.
“I’ll be returning to the incredibly brave city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honour and raise money for the victims and their families.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins told BBC Radio Manchester: “When the idea of the concert came up, my first reaction was, we need to speak to the families of the victims and see what they feel.
“It’s fair to say that the majority of them are very much in favour, there are some that clearly aren’t and that is absolutely understandable.”
After the attack, the singer posted her condolences on Twitter, saying: “Broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words.”
Fifty people injured in the attack were still being treated in hospital – including 17 in critical care.
Manchester Victoria station reopened on Tuesday. The station, which is connected to Manchester Arena, suffered structural damage in the incident.
