On Monday evening (March 18), Nicki Minaj brought her highly-anticipated ‘Nicki Wrld’ tour to Manchester Arena in the U.K.
Although fully-equipped with “that Super Bass,” backup dancers and an overall extraordinary production, the rapper took some time towards the end of her set to strip things down and get intimate with her English fans.
“Put your lights in the sky, and remember everybody we lost,” she said, addressing the tragic terrorist attack that swept the iconic venue back in 2017.
Minaj, 36, delivered a stirring speech to the 21,000-strong Mancunian crowd, recognizing their resilience and bravery in the wake of the horrific event.
“God bless the families of everybody who survived and God bless Manchester… for being resilient and not bowing down to fear,” she continued. “For being strong no matter what.”
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Minaj’s tribute was met with an eruption of whisltes, applause and cheers as the venue filled up with the flashes of lighters and cellphones.
The Manchester bombing took place on May 22, 2017 and left the world in utter shock. It resulted in the loss of 22 lives following the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the sold-out Manchester Arena.
The venue remained closed until Sept. 9 that year, when former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher headlined a benefit show along with his band, the High Flying Birds.
The benefit was launched to raise money for a memorial to the victims who died in the attack, as well as their surviving friends and family members.
Since the atrocity, a longstanding decline in concerts and events has slowly lifted.
Last August, heavy metal pioneers Iron Maiden,performed to first sold out crowd at Manchester Arena since the tragic result of Grande’s concert occurred.
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The first leg of the ‘Nicki Wrld’ tour is set to conclude at SCG Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 4. It is currently the only scheduled tour date in Asia.
A North American tour is expected to be announced soon, as previously promised by Minaj in an Instagram live video.
Updates can be found on her official website.
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