Ariana Grande Headlines Manchester Pride, Says She Is ‘Nervous And Overwhelmed’ To Return To City
Ariana Grande returned to Manchester, England, on Sunday to star as the headline act for Manchester Pride, reported The Daily Mail. The pop singer’s visit was the first since her benefit concert a month after 22 people died in a suicide bombing at her Manchester Arena concert in 2017.
As the “7 Rings” singer took to the stage to the cheers of the crowd, she thanked the city for having her back to perform and expressed her trepidation at returning to Manchester.
“I love Manchester so much, thank you so much for having me back. I’m so happy to be here with you – it means the world – so thank you for having me. I’m sorry, I’m so nervous, I had so much more to say but I’m like very overwhelmed so thank you. It’s so beautiful, I love you so much.”
During her performance, the 26-year-old sang an acoustic rendition of her hit single “One Last Time,” which she wrote shortly following the traumatic attack at her 2017 concert.
According to NBC News, at the 2017 concert, suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, was responsible for killing 22 people in his attack while injuring many others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but the terrorist group’s connection was not corroborated by police.
Ariana Grande 'overwhelmed' on return to Manchester at Pridehttps://t.co/akMevGWsIN#ArianaGrande #Manchester #ManchesterPride pic.twitter.com/P5iRdKHx73
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Ariana was reportedly incredibly traumatized by the attack, speaking with Vogue about how horribly she felt for the families affected by the bombing, reported Sky News.
“It’s not my trauma. It’s those families. It’s their losses, and so it’s hard to just let it all out without thinking about them reading this and reopening the memory for them.”
Following the Manchester bombing, the “Dangerous Woman” singer held a benefit concert to raise money for those affected by the tragedy. The concert raised more than $20 million for the families.
At the Manchester Pride concert, Ariana performed some of her most recent greatest hits, including “7 Rings,” “Break Free,” and “Side to Side.”
She also opened her set with “No Tears Left To Cry,” the first song she released after the bombing.
Following Ariana’s performance, her fans took to social media sites Twitter and Instagram to express their love for the singer and thank her for an amazing concert.
“So Ms @ArianaGrande was f*****g fantastic at #ManchesterPride Ended the set with “One Last Time.” Such a special moment for the Manchester crowd,” one Twitter user posted.
A number of other bands and artists made an appearance at the concert, including Coldplay, Katy Perry, Liam Gallagher, Justin Bieber, and Robbie Williams.
