Ariana Grande will host a ‘One Love’ benefit concert in Manchester this week.
The event will feature Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Take That, Niall Horan, Coldplay, Pharrell Williams and Miley Cyrus. The concert is to raise money for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.
The concert has been a challenge for promoter Festival Republic’s Mark Benn. Due to security being a huge issue, given the concert stands in defiance against the terrorist attack that killed 22 in Manchester last week.
“It just came out of the blue for me,” Benn told Variety. “I didn’t anticipate Ariana wanting to step forward and play a concert so soon after the tragedy that happened. For such a young woman to have the bravery to stand up and do that, I think every act should take notice. By coming back, not just to get on stage, but to get back on stage in the city where it’s happened, it’s inspiring.”
All artists are playing the concert for free and paying for travel expenses themselves. Live Nation is chipping in on production costs with Ticketmaster not taking booking or postage fees on tickets.
The event at Old Trafford, expected to sell 45,000 tickets with special guests teased.