NEW YORK (AP) — The suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England has shaken the music world, with some artists canceling upcoming gigs and others planning to go ahead as scheduled.
Blondie canceled a Tuesday night concert in London “as a mark of respect for the victims of the terrible attack” at the Manchester Arena. Lead singer Debbie Harry tweeted that the Round Chapel date will be rescheduled.
Take That, formed in Manchester, also canceled their Tuesday night concert in Liverpool and May 25-27 dates in Manchester “out of respect” for the victims of the attack which left 22 people dead.
As for Grande, a person close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed to publicly talk about the topic, said the pop star’s tour was not canceled or postponed. The person said that Grande and her team are more focused on the victims at the moment, not the tour. It was unclear if Grande’s next scheduled show — Thursday in London — would take place.
But a number of music acts with upcoming summer gigs in Europe said Tuesday they won’t change their plans.
Shawn Mendes, who’s scheduled to play in Paris on Wednesday, said his show will go on.
“I hope I speak for every artist by saying that we will not stop spreading positivity and love through music no matter the situation,” he wrote on Twitter. “Concerts are events people should never be afraid to attend.”
Celine Dion also will honor her upcoming dates in Copenhagen, Stockholm, London and Paris, including a June 25 stop at the Manchester Arena, her publicist said.
A representative for Guns N’ Roses, currently on tour with upcoming stops in Dublin, Lisbon, Madrid, Zurich, Munich, London and Paris, said the rock band wasn’t making any changes.
The manager for Phil Collins, scheduled to play Liverpool’s Echo Arena on June 2 and then five dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall starting June 4, said those shows would go on. Heavy metal band Iron Maiden also will perform as planned in Cardiff on Wednesday and committed to May 27-28 dates in London.
If the shows do go on, there are likely to be more security precautions. The 02 arena in London in a statement said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the tragedy and added that security had been stepped up for all events. “Please head down early and pack light as we only accept small bags into the area,” it said.
