Kevin Mazur/One Love Manchester/Getty Images for One Love ManchesterIt was a music-filled night of hope and joy following an act of tragedy. Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester benefit concert, a fundraiser for the victims of the May 22 terror attack at her show at Manchester Arena, took place Sunday night in front of more than 50,000 fans at Manchester’s Emirates Old Trafford venue.
The concert showcased uplifting performances from artists including Ariana, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Niall Horan, Coldplay, Little Mix and more.
Ariana didn’t open the show — that honor went to Marcus Mumford, from Mumford & Sons — but she was the main attraction. Wearing a One Love Manchester sweatshirt, she performed her own emotional set and then joined various other artists on stage for duets.
Right before she took the stage, her manager Scooter Braun delivered a touching message to the crowd referencing both the Manchester bombing and the London attack that occurred Saturday night. “Hatred will never win, fear will never divide us, because on this day we all stood with Manchester,” he said.
Ariana then took the stage and performed “Be Alright,” “Break Free” and “My Everything.” She also performed two songs with her boyfriend Mac Miller, including her song “The Way” and his song “Dang!”; duetted “Don’t Dream It’s Over” with pal Miley Cyrus; sang “Better Days” with Victoria Monet; and joined The Black Eyed Peas for “Where Is the Love.”
The singer admitted that after meeting with the family of 15-year-old victim Olivia Campbell, she decided to change the tone of her concert.
“Olivia would’ve wanted to hear the hits [today,]” Ariana told the crowd. “We had a totally different show planned…we changed everything.”
And indeed the show had a celebratory tone that both honored the victims and praised the city’s resilience.
That spirit was also evident in Pharrell’s performance. He sang “Get Lucky” and then brought Miley Cyrus out to help him sing “Happy.”
“I don’t feel or smell or hear or see any fear in this building,” Pharrell said on stage. “All we feel here tonight is love, resilience, positivity.”
Justin Bieber and Niall Horan both brought their guitars out for separate acoustic sets. Justin played stripped down renditions of “Love Yourself” and “Cold Water,” his hit with Major Lazer, while Niall performed “Slow Hands” and “This Town.”
And in a memorable moment, Coldplay instructed the crowd to sing to Ariana. The band, joined by the fans, sang the Oasis song, “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” The song’s lyrics were flashed on the screen so the entire venue could join in. Later in Coldplay’s set, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher joined them on stage.
As the three-hour concert came to a close, a visibly emotional Ariana came back out to perform her 2014 hit “One Last Time” surrounded by all the artists who took the stage that night.
The concert ended with Ariana singing an emotional cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The singer broke down in tears and was barely able to finish the song.
The concert aired on Freeform and was also broadcast in dozens of countries around the world. Net proceeds from the concert will go to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, which was set up by the city council and the British Red Cross to aid those affected by the Manchester attack, which killed 22 people and injured more than 100 others.
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