To think Ariana Grande is fucking amazing for doing this concert

[Bearbehind]

Whatever the reason the Manchester bomber chose her concert to commit his atrocity must play on her mind so it takes some serious balls to come out and do this.

I've never heard of any of her songs though!

Drawing Life - not sure if on TV but certainly at the start there several of the people who we're on stage talked of victims across the world, not just in the UK. They talked about remembering the victims of terrorism in all countries.

To whoever said its "above and beyond" really - its not. Of course it wasn't her fault her concert was targeted, but you cant escape the fact 22 people lost their lives after attending her gig. Of course she will feel guilty and in some was responsible, even indirectly.

She attracted a lot of criticism for largely remaining silent and taking so long to do anything after the attacks, IMO this was an obvious thing to do, its the team behind her not her who would have carried out most of the organising/arrangements- all the behind the scenes slog we don't even see. Of course she was able to use her fame and influence to get such an amazing array of acts to take part. Its wonderful yes, but not going overboard at all.

Just look at the footage- everyone enjoying themselves. After all that people have been through in Manchester after this, those who were at the arena two weeks ago, joy like this is just amazing and what we all need. To slag someone off for enabling this is beyond fucked up

I also think those saying 'it's obviously for PR' are under-estimating how difficult a judgement call it was- some people thought it too soon, for example, so it was far from clear that it would be a huge success. The show itself was less full of dancers/glitzy/full on tour type of performances than would normally be the case, in fact only Coldplay looked like they were on tour. The rest showed up mostly without dancers and sang quite simply, sometimes songs they didn't usually sing. She mentioned at one point that they'd done the rehearsal the day before and changed everything, so it must have felt a bit chaotic.

As Harriet said, it's possible to be cynical about the motives of managers but for it to be 'a good thing' which I think it was.

Taking so long?

12 days before putting on a huge benefit concert. It's all relative surely. Less than two weeks later this had been organised. Previously she'd spoken out, she has visited fans, she has sent donations, she's used her contacts to raise even more money - the concert raised over £2 million and more than that was raised again during the concert through the text donation broadcast at the concert and on tv.
Obviously, as I'm sure any of us here would need, she needed some time out to gather herself.

Because at just 23 she is a YOUNG woman and this was not something anyone can prepare themselves for. It's obvious she needed to have time away. Had she stayed the media would have hounded her - and no doubt then said she was making it all about herself etc. She could have easily done nothing like what she did so.

I think she did an amazing job, both of organising the concert and performing. My parents, in their late 60s, had never heard of her before now they're raving about her!

She's made a lot of little girls who had a very horrible time very happy. I am as cynical as anyone but seeing the little beaming faces on my TV last night did me good.
So far as Ariana is concerned she is refusing to let her future be defined by thus atrocity and whether her motives are monetary or altruistic or, more likely, both, she is quite right. I like her. She's v talented and I think she has showed some courage here.

I think she's been brilliantly courageous.

Why the hell would she need publicity? She's barely been out of the news for the last two weeks. If it was for publicity it would have been 6 months later when everyone had stopped talking about it.

Her music is crap but I enjoyed what I saw of the concert. You can never have enough feel-good, community-uniting events, IMO.

I think she did amazingly well. Even Piers Morgan was full of praise for her on GM earlier. The parents of one of the teenagers who died in the Manchester attack couldn't speak highly enough of her. That says it all for me really.

bet Ariana would be happier if the majority of the UK still didn't know who she was, and 22 people were still alive.

Worth repeating again.

I knew the name but not the woman or the artiste. What she and her team pulled off last night was fabulous and it went so well too in every respect.

I've never had much time for Bieber or Miley Cyrus before, but like the other acts, they judged their parts beautifully. The acts I wasn't so keen on still turned up and gave their time.

Ariana was visibly moved and struggling at times, but the people around her and the crowd supported her and she supported them.

When the soloist of the school choir filled up and Ariana comforted her and helped her on, I suddenly had something in my eye. That moment summed it all up for me really.

I personally think she is a little star and big respect to her and all the performers last night, particularly those that went out of their way to be there from the States and Gallagher flying in from Germany and Take That playing before their concert in Birmingham.

Well done Ariana. I didn't know who you were before the events of two weeks ago but do now. Respect!

With all due respect to the posters who are cynical because they'd never heard of her; that doesn't mean she wasn't hugely famous and successful (worldwide arena tour, anyone?) it just means you're a bit out of touch.

Ariana Grande has been very famous for years and in the last few years especially.

Teeny-bop music isn't my cup of tea but I haven't been living under a rock, either!

So perhaps your not having heard of her has precisely jack shit to do with how much PR she needs, and more to do with the fact that you don't know anything about current pop culture? Which is fine and expected in a lot of cases, by the way!

Not a fan of her music her voice grates but what she done was amazing. Take courage on stage in front of a audience as it is even more so after what she had been though and seeing how it had effected her. Yeah she made have had helped and advice whatever but still pulled something huge together and deserves all the credit she is getting for it.

"With all due respect to the posters who are cynical because they'd never heard of her; that doesn't mean she wasn't hugely famous and successful (worldwide arena tour, anyone?) it just means you're a bit out of touch." we were having this conversation last night actually and I said to DS and DP that not knowing who an artist is is most likely a sign of my age, and was trying to think of artists when I was DS' age where my parents would have said "never heard of them, are they famous then?" .

One of my Mum's friends once said "Did you know there is a group called the Beetles?"

I think she's incredible. The performances she gave last night were very moving and she looked very visibly upset and vulnerable more than once.

I had heard of her before all of this, (she was Cat in Victorious!!) and I think she's really grown as a person and as a woman. Nothing but praise for her.

I had never heard of her either (glad I am not the only one) I feel it is too soon and too raw for people who lost family.

Just seen she's releasing her beautiful version of Somewhere over the rainbow to raise money for the Red Cross Manchester appeal.How lovely.

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/ariana-grande-somewhere-over-the-rainbow-manchester-victims-fund-a7775931.html