Ariana Grande promised the victims of the May 22 bombing in Manchester, England, that she would return to the city for a benefit concert in their honor and she's already set the date. The singer -- who postponed her Dangerous Woman European tour through June 5 in the wake of the terror attack that took the lives of 22 and injured more than 100 fans -- announced on Tuesday (May 30) that she will perform a charity concert on Sunday (June 4) for bomb victims.
Grande will be joined by an all-star roster of friends and musicians for the show, including: Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell, Usher, Take That, Niall Horan and others. The gig is slated for the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground, which has a 50,000 capacity; it will air live on BBC TV, BBC Radio and Capital Radio Networks and a streaming partner will be announced soon. All net ticket proceeds from the show will go to the We Love Manchester emergency fund.
General admission tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster beginning Thursday (June 1) at 10 a.m. BST here. Fans who were at the Manchester show will be offered free tickets and others who want to attend should register here before Wednesday (May 31) at 4 p.m. BST.
Both Grande and her mother have offered words of strength and support for the victims of the bombing that authorities believe was carried out by a single attacker wearing a suicide vest that was detonated in an area outside of Manchester Arena at the conclusion of the singer's concert last Monday. "This past week I have spent in reflective thought, prayer & deep sorrow," wrote Joan Grande over the Memorial Day weekend. "I join my daughter in extending my help & services to all those affected by the diabolical act of terror which occurred in Manchester! My heart goes out to all the victims; those who lost their lives, those injured, those recovering & all survivors of that night, along with the families & friends whose grief knows no bounds."
Last week Grande vowed to return to Manchester for the benefit concert, telling fans "we won't let hate win." In a lengthy letter to fans, she said:
My heart, prayers and deepest condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones.
There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.
The only thing we can do now is choose how we let this affect us and how we live our lives from here on out.
I have been thinking of my fans, and of you all, non stop over the past week. The way you have handled all of this has been more inspiring and made me more proud than you'll ever now. The compassion, kindness, love, strength and oneness that you've shown one another this past week is the exact opposite of the heinous intentions it must take to pull off something as evil as what happened Monday.
YOU are the opposite.
I am sorry for the pain and fear that you must be feeling and for the trauma that you, too, must be experiencing.
We will never be able to understand why events like this take place because it is not in our nature, which is why we shouldn't recoil.
