UMG chief Lucian Grainge has called the terror attack at Manchester Arena in the UK on Monday “evil beyond comprehension” in a note to his staff.
Twenty-two people were killed with a further 64 injured after a bomb was detonated in the foyer of the venue as fans were leaving an Ariana Grande concert.
No UMG employees were injured in the Manchester attack and Grande and her team are safe.
The youngest named victim was eight-years-old.
On Tuesday, Grainge sent a memo (which you can read in full below) to UMG staff that said: “Today, our emotions are raw. We are deeply saddened by the awful events last night in Manchester.
“We extend our thoughts and prayers to all of those affected. And we grieve for all of those lost there, offering our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones.
“We can report that no UMG employees were injured in the attack, and that Ariana Grande and her crew are safe.
“the fact that such an unspeakable act can be committed at a place where innocent people – including so many young people – come together peacefully to enjoy music reflects a level of evil beyond comprehension.”
lucian grainge, umg
“That said, the fact that such an unspeakable act can be committed at a place where innocent people – including so many young people – come together peacefully to enjoy music reflects a level of evil beyond comprehension.
“This hits home for us as a music company—because so many of us, myself included, spend so much time out seeing our artists perform, let alone attending concerts as fans.
“That’s why we’ve chosen music as our career—or rather music has chosen us. Your safety and security is absolutely paramount to us.
“I want you to know that if, for any reason, you ever have any questions or concerns, we want you to reach out so we can resolve it.”
Grande was due to play London’s O2 Arena as part of her Dangerous Woman tour on Thursday and Friday this week.
Those dates have been cancelled, as have all scheduled shows through to June 5 in Switzerland.
“Due to the tragic events in Manchester, the Dangerous Woman tour with Ariana Grande has been suspended until we can further assess the situation and pay our proper respects to those lost.”
statement from Live Nation
A statement from the tour’s promoter Live Nation reads: “Due to the tragic events in Manchester, the Dangerous Woman tour with Ariana Grande has been suspended until we can further assess the situation and pay our proper respects to those lost.
“We ask at this time that we all continue to support the city of Manchester and all those families affected by this cowardice and senseless act of violence.
“Our way of life has once again been threatened but we will overcome this together. Thank you.”
While a number of other gigs have been postponed in the wake of the attack — Blondie’s Amazon Prime show in London and Take That’s Liverpool Echo Arena date tonight — others are continuing as normal.
Dear Colleagues,
Once again, we try to make sense of a senseless act of violence.
Today, our emotions are raw. We are deeply saddened by the awful events last night in Manchester. We extend our thoughts and prayers to all of those affected. And we grieve for all of those lost there, offering our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones.
We can report that no UMG employees were injured in the attack, and that Ariana Grande and her crew are safe. That said, the fact that such an unspeakable act can be committed at a place where innocent people – including so many young people – come together peacefully to enjoy music reflects a level of evil beyond comprehension.
This hits home for us as a music company—because so many of us, myself included, spend so much time out seeing our artists perform, let alone attending concerts as fans. That’s why we’ve chosen music as our career—or rather music has chosen us. Your safety and security is absolutely paramount to us. I want you to know that if, for any reason, you ever have any questions or concerns, we want you to reach out so we can resolve it. Our Security team and Human Resources staff stand ready to assist you. Please take advantage of all they have to offer.
Today is a day of remembrance, a day to pause and reflect, with thoughts for yesterday’s tragedy.
Thank you, as always, for everything you do.
Lucian
Music Business Worldwide
