“D” Is For Defiance

The One Love Manchester concert yesterday was billed as an act of defiance against terror. It was much, much more.

• It was a coming of age for Ariana Grande and the stars who performed with her: Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay, Pharrell Williams and more.
• It was about their music, not about glitz and glamour.
• It was about love and compassion. Who can forget the images of Ariana Grande hugging terror victims in the hospital?
• It was about courage and overcoming fear: the fear of the terror act in Manchester 2 weeks earlier and the night before in London.
• It was about about being on a world stage–there was nothing small about this concert.
• It was about a vision to raise money for the victims of the Manchester attack. The fund raising goal was $2 million; as of last night, over $13 million had been raised.

Some of the artists may be known more for their antics than their music. Not last night. And, perhaps not in the future.

Bravo to the performers and to the 50,000 who attended the concert. And, a special shout out to Ariana Grande who had the vision to do this and made it happen.

Thought For The Week

“You can’t win if you don’t begin.” – Robin Sharma