Ariana Grande to headline Manchester fundraising concert

Ariana Grande to headline Manchester fundraising concert



Ariana Grande's tribute concert to the victims of the Manchester attack will take place on Sunday 4 June, it has been claimed.

The 23-year-old singer was criticised for flying home to Florida after Monday's bombing rather than visiting the surviving victims.

She then announced she would return to the city for a benefit concert - and sources now say it will be next Sunday.



Organisers are reportedly inviting celebrities to the event to ensure it is a star-studded bash.

A source told TMZ that Live Nation will produce the benefit gig and Ariana and her manager Scooter Braun have been reaching out to a number of high-profile stars, asking them to perform at the show.



The star immediately flew home to the US following the atrocity but has revealed plans to return to the city to meet those affected and raise funds for the victims and their families.

MailOnline has contacted Ariana's representative for comment.



The US pop star said 'we won't let hate win' as she called for people to come together following the bombing which killed 22 people at the Manchester Arena on Monday night.

'My heart, prayers and deepest condolences are with the victims of the Manchester attack and their loved ones,' she said in a lengthy statement on Twitter.

'There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better.

'However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.

'The only thing we can do now is choose how we let this affect us and how we live our lives from here on out.'



She added: 'I have been thinking of my fans, and of you all, non stop over the past week.

'The way you have handled all of this has been more inspiring and made me more proud than you'll ever know.

'The compassion, kindness, love, strength and oneness that you've shown one another this past week is the exact opposite of the heinous intentions it must take to pull off something as evil as what happened Monday.

'You are the opposite.



'I am sorry for the pain and fear that you must be feeling and for the trauma that you, too, must be experiencing.'

'We will never be able to understand why events like this take place because it is not in our nature, which is why we shouldn't recoil.

'We will not quit or operate in fear. We won't let this divide us. We won't let hate win.

'I don't want to go the rest of the year without being able to see and hold and uplift my fans, the same way they continue to uplift me.

She posted a link to the Red Cross and Manchester Evening News's fundraising appeal which has raised £5m since the attack.



'Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.'

'I'll be returning to the incredibly brave city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honor of and to raise money for the victims and their families. I want to thank my fellow musicians and friends for reaching out to be a part of our expression of love for Manchester. I will have details to share with you as soon as everything is confirmed.'

Monday's suicide bombing took place just after Grande had finished performing, claiming the lives of 22 of her fans and injuring a further 119 young people.

The distraught star later cancelled several concerts scheduled in London and Europe through June 5, out of respect for the victims of the atrocity.

A statement from the starlet's management team issued Wednesday, stated: '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.

'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.

Grande's team confirmed that her all of her shows through June, scheduled to take place in London, Belgium, Poland, Germany and Switzerland, have been cancelled.

The songstress has 13 more shows scheduled after that date - at venues in France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Mexico, although those are currently still scheduled to proceed.



The source explained that Ariana's team in part made the tough decision to cancel the shows after Prime Minister Theresa May raised the terror warning in the country to critical - suggesting another attack is imminent.

Following the attack, a devastated Grande tweeted her sympathies to the victims.

'Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words,' Grande wrote Monday night,' she wrote.

Grande immediately flew home to Florida after the attack, greeted upon landing by her boyfriend, Mac Miller.