Manchester terror attack

Musicians press forward with tours

Canadian crooner Shawn Mendes went ahead with a show in Paris on Wednesday.
Canadian crooner Shawn Mendes went ahead with a show in Paris on Wednesday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

LONDON • The show must go on.

That is the defiant attitude taken by some musicians in the wake of Monday's suicide bombing in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert.

Veteran British rockers Iron Maiden are proceeding with their shows in London today and tomorrow.

Performing in Cardiff, Wales, two days after the attack, the band's singer Bruce Dickinson was quoted by WalesOnline as saying onstage: "We don't care where you are from, what religion you are, what colour you are and we don't care what you had for breakfast.

"If you are here tonight, then we all come in peace."

Canadian crooner Shawn Mendes was not cowed too, reported MTV News.

At a show in Paris on Wednesday, he said: "Music is one of the very rare things in life that can bring people together in a way that words cannot describe, but we can only feel.

"And something that important is something that is worth protecting. Never, never let it be broken."

Paris itself had been a scene of heartbreak in 2015, when terrorists attacked the Bataclan venue, where the Eagles Of Death Metal were playing, killing 89 people.

American rockers Aerosmith are also proceeding with their European tour, which includes a date at the Download rock festival in England on June 11.

But other acts - Blondie and Take That - have chosen to play safe and pulled out of British gigs.

On the big-screen front, Universal Pictures on Thursday became the second Hollywood studio to cancel a London red-carpet film premiere, Reuters reported.

The Mummy, an action adventure starring Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe, was due to have a premiere in London featuring cast members on Thursday next week.

Universal Pictures attributed the cancellation to showing respect to "those affected by the (Manchester) tragedy".

Citing similar reasons, Warner Bros has also canned the London red-carpet premiere of Wonder Woman on Wednesday next week.

Gal Gadot, who plays the iconic heroine, and co-stars Chris Pine and Robin Wright had been slated to attend the Leicester Square premiere.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 27, 2017, with the headline Musicians press forward with tours. Subscribe