Ariana Grande put on a brave face to perform in Manchester, England for the first time since her tribute concert in 2017 after a terrorist attack bombing killed 22 people and injured more than 500.
There were some nerves for the singer as she made her emotional return to the stage at Manchester Pride. She admitted to the audience, “Thank you so much. I’m sorry. I’m so nervous. I had so much more to say, but I’m, like, very overwhelmed. Thank you and I love you.”
The 26-year-old performed nine songs, starting with “No Tears Left to Cry,” which was the first single she released after the attack. She also had some well-wishes for concertgoers explaining why the LGBTQ community means so much to her.
“The gays have always had my heart personally. I spent some of the happiest times of my teenage years singing in gay bars in New York City. I was in a Broadway show and whenever I’d finish a show I’d just go to a gay bar and sing Whitney Houston covers until someone would ask me to leave,” Ariana told the audience. “It’s always been such a special thing for me. So, thank you so much for accepting me, celebrating me the way I’ve always celebrated you guys.”
On May 22, 2017, several explosions were set off by a suicide bomber, during her Dangerous Woman tour date at Manchester Arena.
Ariana Grande released a docuseries, “Dangerous Woman Diaries” in which she revealed an emotional letter she wrote to her fans following the terrorist attack.
“Music — pop music, stan culture — is something that brings people together, introduces them to some of their best friends, and makes them feel like they can be themselves. It is comfort. It is fun. It is expression. It is happiness. It is the last thing that would ever harm someone. It is safe,” she continued.
“When something so opposite and so poisonous takes place in your world that is supposed to be everything but that … it is shocking and heartbreaking in a way that seems impossible to fully recover from.”
The 25-year-old songstress went on to thank the people of Manchester for their unwavering strength and refusal to “let hate win.”
“The people of Manchester were able to change an event that portrayed the worst of humanity into one that portrayed the most beautiful of humanity. ‘Like a handprint on my heart’ … I think of Manchester constantly and will carry this with me every day for the rest of my life,” she said.