IN THE DAYS that followed the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017, nobody expected anything of Ariana Grande.
At the time of the concert, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 22 young people, Grande herself was just 23 years of age. Although she escaped physically unscathed, it’s difficult to imagine how she must have been feeling at the time.
Regardless of the fact that everybody would have understood if Grande had decided to take a break from music and public appearances following the events that unfolded at her concert, she decided to participate in the One Love Manchester benefit concert, less than a fortnight after the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena.
This was a very important gesture, especially to the many young fans who had attended her concert on the 22nd of May who will probably never feel safe at an event like this again (these fans were invited to attend One Love Manchester for free).
It’s likely that seeing that Ariana Grande was willing to come back to play in Manchester so soon after such an incomprehensible tragedy was very heartening for a lot of the city’s young people.
Yesterday, Grande’s manager Scooter Braun took to Instagram to applaud her willingness to participate in the benefit concert so soon after the tragedy.
Braun shared a photo of the singer crying on stage at the One Love benefit concert and wrote:
Dear @arianagrande… You are my hero of 2017. The tragic event that took place this year in Manchester will never be forgotten and what I and others asked of you within two weeks of the attack was unfair and too much. But you showed up. You inspired. You helped. You gave back. And you are a hero… and to hell with anyone who says otherwise.
He continued:
Thank you for being exactly who you claim to be… and thank you for letting me be a witness. #Onelovemanchester will always be the greatest and most important show I’ve ever been a part of. Thank you to all those involved and all the artists who came out. Thank you to the city of Manchester for your bravery. But Ariana… Thank you for taking back the narrative and inspiring us all. Hate will never win. #myhero
Well deserved praise.
