The Marvellous Message of the One Love Manchester Concert

I must admit I'd never heard of Ariana Grande before the terror attack in Manchester two weeks ago.

And neither had I heard of many of the young artists who performed at her One Love Manchester benefit show yesterday evening.

Ariana Grande returned to the Manchester stage two weeks after a suicide bombing killed 22 victims at her concert in the city, singing upbeat and motivational pop anthems as the audience cheered loudly for the singer.

But despite feeling a bit old, I quite enjoyed the show, and I have to agree with the Globe's John Doyle.



It was powerful, defiant act of joy. 

The evening concert for 50,000 people stood as a glorious act of defiance. It illuminated the solace of endurance and the primacy of public, uninhibited joy. 

There was a pure, charitable motive, but for Ms. Grande – who spoke and performed with admirable grace and dignity on Sunday – and the other performers, it was a collective assertion that music matters in a way that no terrorist act can subdue or demean.

The kids were amazing...



The audience, who mattered far more than the performers, rallied in the face of horrific attacks by summoning the indomitable spirit of love, youth, popular culture, Manchester and the joy of music itself. Respect is due to these kids.

And when I read about the Canadian who was killed, and the heartbreaking end of this love story.

The Canadian woman killed during the attack in London was struck on London Bridge and died in her fiancé's arms, her fiancé's siblings say.

And what Christine Archibald's family had to say about who she was:

"She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected," the statement said. "She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death. Please honour her by making your community a better place.

I thought Justin Bieber's message was also right on...



Love always wins in the end. 

Manchester, and London, and the rest of us, will never surrender to hate.

And the cowardly terrorists don't stand a chance...