Stars to gather in Manchester for benefit gig

U.S. pop star Ariana Grande announced on May 30 she would return to Manchester to headline a star-studded benefit concert for the victims of the deadly May 22 Manchester attack on her show last week.

Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher and Take That will join her for a concert on June 4 in memory of the 22 people who died, seven of whom were children.

"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," Grande said.

The 23-year-old said she was "broken" and suspended her world tour after the bomb went off near an exit of the Manchester Arena venue at the finale of her show on May 22.

Fans who attended that show will be offered free tickets to the benefit concert at the Old Trafford cricket ground, which has a 50,000 capacity for concerts, with the rest sold to raise money for the affected families.

Grande is a favorite of pre-teens and as well as the children killed, a number of the victims were parents who came to pick up their daughters.

Manchester-born Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher made his solo debut on May 30 with a sell-out concert in aid of the bombing victims.

Like Grande's, it raised money for the "We Love Manchester Emergency Fund" set up by the local council and the British Red Cross, to help the grieving families and victims.

Ahead of the show starting, 25-year-old Marnie Taylor said she hoped Gallagher would boost everyone's mood.
"Kind of bring back the gig spirit of what gigs are supposed to be, they're supposed to be safe, they're supposed to be somewhere where people can escape," she said.

Gallagher said it was...