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Ariana Grande shows cancelled following Monday’s bomb attack

By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 25 May 2017

A representative for Ariana Grande yesterday confirmed that a number of upcoming dates on the singer’s European tour were being cancelled following the bomb attack at her show in Manchester on Monday night that killed 22 people.

The cancellations were not unexpected, though London’s The O2 – where Grande was due to play this week – had previously said it was still waiting for confirmation one way or another. Those with tickets for the London shows should now contact their point of purchase for a refund.

The official statement from Grande’s team said: “Due to the tragic events in Manchester, the ‘Dangerous Woman’ tour with Ariana Grande has been suspended until we can further assess the situation and pay our proper respects to those lost. The O2 shows this week have been cancelled as well as all shows through 5 Jun in Switzerland”.

It added: “We ask at this time that we all continue to support the city of Manchester and all those families affected by this cowardice and senseless act of violence. Our way of life has once again been threatened but we will overcome this together. Thank you”.

Grande’s manager Scooter Braun also put out a personal statement about this week’s events on Twitter overnight. He wrote: “Tonight I got home and took my parents out to dinner. Korean BBQ. We drank and ate and laughed with the tables next to us. I experienced joy for the first time in days. And I remembered… we are free. We are all different but we are free to enjoy each other’s company”.

“I will honour those that are lost by living each day full: full of fun, full of laughter, full of joy. I welcome the differences of my neighbour. The wish of terrorism is to take away that feeling of freedom and joy. No. That is my answer. No. We can’t allow it. Fear cannot rule the day. More people die each year from car crashes then terrorism. Yet I will get in my car. I will choose to live [rather] than to be afraid”.

“So… Manchester I stand with you. Jakarta I stand with you. Children of Syria I stand with you. We will honour you by not giving in to the darkness. And I will honour all of you by laughing, loving and living. Living full for every wonderful innocent child whose life was taken to soon. So if you think you scared us, if you think your coward[ly] act made us change how we live… sorry. All you did was make us appreciate every day”.

He concluded: “Am I angry? Hell yes. But how will we respond? With everything you think you took from us… love and joy and life”.

Earlier in the week the boss of Grande’s record label, Universal Music’s Lucian Grainge, also addressed Monday night’s events in an internal memo to staff. He wrote: “Once again, we try to make sense of a senseless act of violence. Today, our emotions are raw. We are deeply saddened by the awful events last night in Manchester. We extend our thoughts and prayers to all of those affected. And we grieve for all of those lost there, offering our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones”.

Confirming that no Universal employees or members of Grande’s team had been physically injured in the attack, he went on: “The fact that such an unspeakable act can be committed at a place where innocent people – including so many young people – come together peacefully to enjoy music reflects a level of evil beyond comprehension”.

He continued: “This hits home for us as a music company – because so many of us, myself included, spend so much time out seeing our artists perform, let alone attending concerts as fans. That’s why we’ve chosen music as our career – or rather music has chosen us. Today is a day of remembrance, a day to pause and reflect, with thoughts for yesterday’s tragedy”.