More than 50,000 attended One Love Manchester, the star-studded fundraising effort launched by Ariana Grande for the benefit of victims at her Manchester concert last month.
Stars such as Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, and Miley Cyrus joined Grande in celebrating Manchester and as a tribute to the fans killed and injured at the last concert. It was also a tribute to the victims in London—an attack which had taken less than a day before.
The concert received glowing reviews from The Telegraph, which said, “Ariana Grande came on to sing it with Coldplay and looked understandably overwhelmed as the crowd all but drowned them out. They had come to celebrate the spirit of Manchester. They sang along in solidarity with London. There could not have been a more timely moment to celebrate the power of music to banish darkness.”
The concert aired around the world, streamed live on YouTube, and broadcast on BBC One.
Grande visited hospitalised fans from her last show before the concert.
The concert is estimated to have raised something like £2 million.
Piers Morgan, who two weeks ago criticised Grande for "abandoning" Manchester, took to Twitter to apologise for his outburst.
I misjudged you, @ArianaGrande & I apologise.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 4, 2017
You're an admirable young woman & this is a magnificent night.
Respect.#OneLoveManchester pic.twitter.com/r4v6NQMr97
A list of highlights from the show:
1. That moment where Robbie Williams rewrote “Strong” to be about Manchester
With a quick rewrite, Williams made “Strong," a catchy tune great for crowd sing-a-longs, about Manchester's enduring spirit.
This Robbie Williams "Manchester, We're Strong" moment is emotional #OneLoveManchester pic.twitter.com/A4z8TmY3Jo
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) June 4, 2017
The crowd sang "Manchester We're Strong" after the concert. This made me emotional . #OneLoveManchester pic.twitter.com/ljF7OIoSvq
— Common White Girl (@GIRLposts) June 4, 2017
2. Oasis is gone, but not forgotten
Coldplay and Ariana Grande covered the Oasis song “Don't Look Back in Anger,” the first of four songs that the band played. It's a shame Oasis themselves didn't show-up, except:
3. Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher made a surprise appearance
Mancunians were delighted to find local boy Liam Gallagher perform one new song and a melancholy rendition of “Live Forever” (with Chris Martin on guitar).
4. A school choir singing alongside Grande
Just over two dozen students from Parrs Wood High School Choir backed Grande's “My Everything.” Grande herself joined in with the choir head, who became visibly emotional. Grande grabbed her hand to guide her through it.
