Kiss' May 30 show at Manchester Arena has been canceled in the wake of the suicide bombing of the building after an Ariana Grande concert on May 22. The legendary greasepaint rockers were slated to play the 21,000-seat building as part of their Kissworld Tour but announced Friday (May 26) that the show cannot go on.
"We are heartbroken by the atrocity committed against the innocent victims of Manchester. We sadly will not to be able to play Manchester Arena on the 30th May," group members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer said in a statement. "We have always looked forward to these shows and our local fans, but in light of recent events a cancelled rock show seems of such little consequence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those affected and all the people of Manchester at this difficult time. We are with you and you are in our prayers."
The Kiss concert is the latest to be canceled following the horrific attack that took the lives of 22 people and injured dozens of others. Blondie called off a show in London on Tuesday out of respect for the victims, as did Manchester-formed boy band Take That, who were slated to play a show in Liverpool on the same night followed by three dates at their hometown arena. EDM duo Axwell & Ingrosso pulled out of a performance at the EUFA Europe League football final during the Manchester United vs. Ajax game on Wednesday.
The aftermath of the tragedy has also resulted in the cancellation of the London premieres of Wonder Woman and The Mummy. Grande has postponed her tour through June 5, with canceled performances including two shows at the O2 arena in London (May 25-26), a concert at the Sportspaleis in Belgium (May 28), two shows at Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland (May 31-June 1), and concerts at Festhale in Frankfurt, Germany (June 3) and Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland (June 5).
If the singer resumes her tour after June 5, her next show would be June 7 at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, followed by a concert at Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon, France (June 9). Grande is scheduled to wrap the European leg of her tour June 17 in Turin, Italy, before heading to Latin America, Asia and then Australia and New Zealand.
