Ariana Grande ‘One Love Manchester’ Benefit Concert Rakes In $12M, Usher Explains Why He Was A No-Show
Ariana Grande and her manager, Scooter Braun, organized a benefit concert titled “One Love Manchester,” and it was a huge success, raising over $12 million. The event was planned to raise funds for the victims of the suicide bombing that occurred on May 22 at Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena.
On June 4, the concert was finally held at the Old Trafford cricket field, and it was a one-of-kind event filled with performances with top singers. The crowd was treated to a show where Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, and One Direction’s Niall Horan gave great performances.
Imogen Heap, Pharell Williams, Black Eyed Peas, Take That, Liam Gallagher, Marcus Mumford, and Little Mix also performed. For a concert that was planned in haste, the outcome was awesome.
According to TMZ, the concert was completely sold out, and about 55,000 people were in attendance. As of June 5, the total amount raised for the Manchester emergency fund was over $12 million, and the organizers said that this figure can still go up later.
“When it’s all counted it should be enough to take care of the victims and their families,” the source said.
The show was also streamed live on Facebook and Twitter, and the number of viewers from around the world went past the 15 million mark. Moreover, on its broadcast via BBC, it was estimated that more than 14.6 million people reviewed the benefit concert.
Grande hosted the “One Love Manchester” benefit concert, and she also served as the performer during the show’s finale. She delighted the audience with her emotional rendition of Judy Garland’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She also sang her second album’s title track, “My Everything,” with a local children’s choir.
However, some artists were able to make it to the concert. There were some who were said to be coming to perform but did not appear on stage for the charity concert.
One of the artists who was supposed to be at the event was Usher. He did not make it to Manchester, but the singer has good reasons to miss it.
Likewise, people were asking why Usher did not show up when he actively promoted the “One Love Manchester” on his social media. It was also announced last week that he was in the line-up of performers, but concert-goers did not see him on stage.
The singer finally revealed on Monday, June 5 why he was not at the concert.
On his Instagram account, the 38-year-old wrote, “So happy to see that last night’s concert in Manchester proved that love always prevails. I would have loved to be there but it was my son’s first day at Camp Kudzu, one of the few summer camps for kids living with diabetes. This was an important day for him and for myself as a proud father. Stay strong UK.”
At any rate, Ariana Grande also performed “One Last Time” just before the concert ended. It was said that this song will be re-launched as a charity single. Needless to say, the sales will also go to the “We Love Manchester” Emergency Fund.
The charity show was organized after Grande’s concert was bombed on May 22. Dozens of people were wounded and 22 lost their lives in the terrorist attack. The youngest victim to die was just 8-years-old.
Finally, Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman Tour” has been temporarily suspended for safety issues. The singer also needs time to recover as she was traumatized by the tragic experience. Organizers announced that they will resume the tour on June 7 in Paris.
[Featured Image by Dave Hogan for One Love Manchester/Getty Images]
