Just 24 hours following the traumatic terror attack in Manchester, Broken Social Scene kicked off their European tour in the very same city, and welcomed local icon Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths, to join them on stage for one of the band’s most well-known songs, “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl,” as well as “Cause = Time.”
A blast inside a Manchester music venue killed 22 people, many of which were young children, and injured 59 additional victims. The attack was by a suicide bomber named Salman Abedi, who detonated the fatal homemade device at the end of a Ariana Grande concert.
“Tonight, we play for the hearts of Manchester…,” the band had posted earlier on Facebook, before their concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The show was opened with “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl,” from the band’s 2002 record You Forgot It In People.
“Thank you for showing up. Thank you for coming out tonight,” the band wrote. “What’s most important is tonight we’re here together, all of us. That’s what we could do, and that’s what we’re doing, so thank you Manchester.
“We’re so happy. There’s no other place we’d rather be than here with you. To start this show, to show you how we love your town, there’s a man who I love dearly who’s come out to play for you. He is your city, he is your legend, please give it up for Mr. Johnny Marr.”
Broken Social Scene’s new album, Hug of Thunder, is out July 7th. Check out the fan shot footage below.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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