Grande returning to Manchester for star-studded concert

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Hundreds of people gather for a vigil in St Ann's Square on Monday (May 30) to mark exactly one week since 22 people were killed by a suicide bomber at the Manchester Arena in northern England.
United States pop star Ariana Grande will be joined by Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher and Take That for Sunday's concert in memory of the 22 people who died after a bomb went off at the finale of her May 22
United States pop star Ariana Grande will be joined by Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher and Take That for Sunday's concert in memory of the 22 people who died after a bomb went off at the finale of her May 22 show at the Manchester Arena, seven of them children. PHOTO: REUTERS

MANCHESTER • United States pop star Ariana Grande has announced she would return to Manchester to headline a star-studded benefit concert for the victims of the deadly attack after her show last week.

Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher and Take That will join her for Sunday's concert in memory of the 22 people who died, seven of them children.

"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," Ms Grande said on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old said she was "broken" and suspended her world tour after the bomb went off near an exit of the Manchester Arena venue at the finale of her show on May 22.

Fans who attended that show will be offered free tickets to the benefit concert at the Old Trafford cricket ground, which has a 50,000 capacity for concerts, with the rest sold to raise money for the affected families.

Ms Grande is a favourite of pre-teens. Along with the children who were killed, a number of the victims were parents who came to pick up their daughters.

Manchester-born frontman of rock band Oasis, Liam Gallagher, made his solo debut on Tuesday with a sell-out concert in aid of the bombing victims.

Like Ms Grande's, it raised money for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund set up by the local council and the British Red Cross, to help the grieving families and victims.

Before the show started, 25-year-old Marnie Taylor said she hoped Gallagher would boost everyone's mood.

"Kind of bring back the gig spirit of what gigs are supposed to be, they're supposed to be safe, they're supposed to be somewhere where people can escape," she told AFP outside the O2 Ritz venue.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 01, 2017, with the headline Grande returning to Manchester for star-studded concert. Subscribe