Artists rethink upcoming UK concerts

Some fans are calling for Justin Bieber to cancel his upcoming London concert.
Some fans are calling for Justin Bieber to cancel his upcoming London concert.

The music world is shaken after the suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester on Monday night.

It's prompted some artists to rethink their own upcoming gigs, with some cancelling shows already.

All events scheduled within the next week at the targeted venue have reportedly been cancelled, which is believed to include Kiss' performance on May 30.

Blondie cancelled their upcoming June show in London "as a mark of respect" for the victims of the attack. Take That have also cancelled their Manchester tour dates for next month, as well as Tuesday night's concert in Liverpool.

It's been reported Ariana Grande may cancel the rest of her UK tour, with the star returning to Florida overnight, saying on Twitter she is "broken". She was next due to perform in London next Thursday.

A number of Justin Bieber fans have begged the star to cancel his open air concert in London in July, for their own safety and the safety of the singer himself. There's no word from Bieber yet about whether the show will go ahead.

But a number of music acts with upcoming summer gigs in Europe say they don't plan to change their plans, including Guns N' Roses, Phil Collins and Iron Maiden.

However, they can expect to see a heightened security presence with the United Kingdom raising their threat level from "severe" to "critical", which means officials believe another attack is imminent.

Shawn Mendes, who is scheduled to play in Paris on Wednesday, says 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 Tweeted. "Concerts are events people should never be afraid to attend."

Celine Dion also will honour her upcoming dates, including a June 25 stop at the Manchester Arena.

The O2 Arena in London told local media it is "shocked and deeply saddened" by the tragedy and says security has been stepped up for all events.

A number of other upcoming acts haven't commented on their show status yet, but those that do go ahead will also be tightening safety measures.

Newshub.