Ariana Grande performed in Manchester on Sunday (25.08.19) for the first time since her One Love benefit concert.
The 26-year-old star was left devastated in May 2017 when a terrorist bomb killed 22 people and injured more than 250 others at her concert at Manchester Arena and while she returned two weeks later for One Love Manchester, to help raise funds for those affected, her concert at Pride on Sunday was her first major gig in the city since the tragedy.
Before the concert, Ariana tweeted: "on our way to manchester pride. love u so much. can’t wait to give u all our love. you’re my heart in every way. see u soon (sic)."
And the star admitted that she was "overwhelmed" as she took to the stage.
She told the crowd: "Manchester holds a very special place in my heart. I’m so happy to be with you, so thank you for having me. Sorry, I’m so nervous. I had so much more to say but I’m really very overwhelmed. So thank you."
Ariana opened her set with ‘No Tears Left To Cry’, the first song she released after the tragedy’, and performed many of her hits including ‘7 Rings,’ ‘One Last Time,’ ‘Break Free,’ ‘Side to Side,’ ‘Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,’ and ‘Be Alright’ during her 35-minute headlining set.
Last month, Ariana revealed she is still "processing a lot" on tour after crying on stage.
The past two years have been extremely tough for the pop star, as in addition to the Manchester bombing, her former boyfriend Mac Miller tragically passed away last September, aged just 26.
In a lengthy statement to fans, Ariana wrote: "tour is wild. life is wild. i’m grateful for the sea of love i have around me everyday and for the people who come to these shows and give all of us every ounce of energy they’ve got. i’m grateful to work with the best musicians and dancers in the world. i’m grateful for my voice and my team. i’m grateful for this music. i’m grateful for my tour bus driver, Kurt who bought me pickles yesterday because he saw we ran out. i’m grateful for the opportunity to sing to thousands of people every night. it’s a dream come true. no matter how hard it gets or how many feelings come up that are screaming at me to be processed and sorted through one day, i’m grounded by gratitude and promise not to give up on what i’ve started. i feel everything very intensely and have committed to doing this tour during a time in my life when i’m still processing a lot … so sometimes i cry a lot! i thank you for accepting my humanness. i’m not sure what i did to deserve to meet so many loving souls every night / to feel so much love, but i want you to know that it really does carry me through. i feel it and i appreciate it. and all of you so much.
i’m sharing this because i’m grateful and because i want you to know that if you too are hurting, you can push through and are not alone. it is hard to balance taking care of the people around you, doing your job, and healing / taking care of yourself at the same time… but i want you to know, you aren’t alone and i think you’re doing great.
love you. (sic)"
Ariana Grande returns to Manchester stage
