Top moments from Ariana Grande’s benefit concert
Less than two weeks ago, Ariana Grande’s show in Manchester was disrupted in the most horrific fashion imaginable. Twenty-two fans (many of them children) died when a suicide bomber attacked the Manchester Arena. Her response was to come back to the same city and hold an even bigger show called One Love Manchester, designed to honor and benefit the victims and their families.
Over the course of three hours at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Sunday night, the likes of Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Liam Gallagher and Grande herself attempted to bring some light to a time of darkness for this city in northern England. These were the top moments of a hugely emotional night.
Ariana Grande
The 23-year-old looked like she could break from the emotional strain at almost any moment. But she led from the front and showed grace under pressure, playing the host for all her guests (both famous and not), gamely duetting with Miley Cyrus on Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and, most importantly, belting out the hits as she acknowledged her fans would have wanted.
Robbie Williams
The former Take That singer was losing his voice, but it didn’t matter. By picking “Strong” and “Angels” (the two songs most likely to inspire a singalong), Williams got Old Trafford moving and emoting as one after barely 20 minutes. The crowd continued to sing after he had left the stage.
‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’
Back in 1996, when this single from Manchester’s own rock ’n’ roll heroes Oasis was riding high on the charts, songwriter and guitarist Noel Gallagher was repeatedly asked what this song was about. His answer was that it was nonsense: The lyrics were written just to sound good, and meant nothing. But in the last two weeks, those lyrics have come to mean everything.
Just days after the bombing, a crowd of Mancunians began singing an impromptu version of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” during a public memorial service. On Sunday, it was employed again as a source of healing and solace. Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay performed the song delicately, dedicating it to Grande herself — and this time, Manchester sang it even louder.
No Oasis reunion
The rumors were rampant that Noel Gallagher and his brother Liam would reunite for One Love Manchester after years of animosity. But while Liam surprised everyone with his set, and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” gave fans another taste of the Britpop legends, the full-fledged Oasis show didn’t happen — and it was for the best. The cultural clout the band still has in the UK is huge, and had it reformed (even momentarily), the entire event would have become less about honoring the bombing victims and their families, and more about two famous rock stars calling a truce on their personal pettiness.
Coldplay
There’s a very good reason that Coldplay always seems to be on hand for events like these. Their colorful and uplifting set judged the mood perfectly, with Martin dropping in a short verse of “Sit Down” by James (another Manchester-born anthem of solidarity) before segueing into a resplendent “Fix You.”
Later, Martin returned to the stage to accompany Liam Gallagher on an acoustic version of Oasis’ “Live Forever” — an act of astonishing backbone, since Gallagher has publicly poked fun at and called Martin just about every name under the sun during the last 17 years. Who wants to poke fun at him now? Anyone? No, didn’t think so.