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 Around 50,000 fans crammed into Old Trafford cricket ground
under the watchful eye of hundreds of police, including a
significant number of armed officers, a sight that would be
unusual under normal circumstances.
The show saw performances from big pop acts from both sides of
the Atlantic, including local heroes Take That and Liam
Gallagher, along with Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Justin
Bieber, Little Mix, Coldplay, the Black Eyed Peas, and Grande.
The show was a mix of gaiety and somber reflection - fans could
at times be seen jumping for joy, while others, holding banners
saying "for our angels", could be seen wiping away tears. The
event began with a moment of silence for the victims of the
bombing less than two weeks ago.
"I don’t want to feel or hear or see any fear in this building,"
U.S. singer Pharrell Williams told the crowd as he led them in a
rendition of his hit single "Happy". "The only thing we’ll feel
here tonight is love, and positivity."
Fellow singer Miley Cyrus joined the rendition and said: "I’d
like to wrap my arms around each and every one of you and thank
you ... The most important responsibility we have in this time
is to take care of one another."
During her set, "Part of Me", singer Katy Perry told the crowd:
"love conquers fear and love conquers hate, and this love you
choose will give you strength and it’s our greatest power,"
before asking the crowd to turn and hug the person next to them.
The somber cause that the concert was being held to benefit was
never far from the crowd's mind. Grande told the audience that
her song selection was influenced by the mother of 15-year-old
Olivia Campbell, who died in last month's bombing.
"Sorry" singer Justin Bieber also paid tribute, saying: "I just
want to take this moment to honor the people that were lost. We
love you so much. To the families, we love you so much."
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Up to 14,000 of those who attended Grande's May 22 concert, at which
a suicide bomber killed 22 children and adults, were given free
tickets to attend Sunday's show, with some persuaded to attend by
their affection for the pop star, and despite their very real
concerns about security.
"I’m real excited, but real scared," Shannon Beetham, 14, who was
injured in last month's bombing, told Reuters. "We were there in
Manchester (arena) as well, I was hit."
There were also plenty of upbeat moments, such as when a uniformed
police officer was seen holding hands and dancing hand-in-hand with
young fans, or when former Oasis front man Liam Gallagher belted out
a swaggering version of "Rock 'n' Roll Star".
Grande closed the show by inviting all the other performers on stage
to help her sing her 2014 hit "One Last Time", before she closed
with a moving solo version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
Fans seemed to have forgotten any lingering fears about security
towards the end of the evening, with a lively crowd of middle-aged
fans singing "Tonight, I'm a rock and roll star" as they made their
way out of the stadium.
(Editing by Tom Heneghan and James Dalgleish)
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