One Love Manchester

Following last Sunday’s (4th) One Love Manchester Concert, featuring performances from Ariana Grande, Take That, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Little Mix, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Imogen Heap and former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, the British Red Cross confirmed that more than £10 million has so far been raised for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund with £2 million being raised during the three-hour concert through text and online donations.

50,000 people were in attendance at the concert, held to raise money for those affected by the terror attack at Ariana Grande’s show on May 22nd when 22 people were killed in a terrorist attack as they left the Manchester Arena.

Broadcast live on BBC One, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 5 live, BBC World Service and BBC Radio Manchester, and Global Radio the concert drew an average TV audience of 10.9 million viewers making it the most watched TV event of the year so far.

Speaking briefly between songs Grande thanked the audience for attending, saying: “I want to thank you so much for coming together and being so loving and strong and unified. I love you guys so much and I think that the kind of love and unity we’re displaying is the medicine that the world really needs right now. So I want to thank you for being just that”.

Clearly upset between songs, Grande gave a remarkable performance on mike, joining various guests throughout the event for duets including; Black Eyed Peas for “Where is the love”, Miley Cyrus and supporting Coldplay’s Chris Martin in a rendition of Oasis’s ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, which has become a talisman for Manchester’s response to the attack.

On a lighter note and to paraphrase a well worn Beatles cliche – Liam Gallagher wasn’t the best singer in the world, he wasn’t even the best singer in Oasis, he wasn’t event the best singer in the Oasis tribute band as Messrs Martin and Grande proved on the night – but hats off to him for being allowed to be himself – it’s what the world needs now!