The Manchester attack is a terrible reminder that no big music venue can ever be truly safe

Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande Credit: Getty

An Ariana Grande concert seems the unlikeliest target for a terrorist attack. Which, I fear, is the very point.

The bombing in Manchester is the second attack on a European music venue in two years. When terrorists murdered 129 revellers in a rampage at an Eagles of Death Metal concert in November 2015, the world was shocked to the core. But with the Manchester attack, the terrorists have somehow stooped even lower.

The adults killed at the Bataclan were in no way legitimate targets, yet we can but reel aghast at the very notion of terrorists attacking an event where the likeliest victims would be kids. What streak of murderous misogyny exulted in the notion of visiting carnage on a girls’ night out? No entertainment venue will feel safe after this.

As a regular gig goer, I can confirm that security had been stepped up at all major venues (in Europe and America) since the Bataclan attack. There are bag searches and metal detectors on entry. Some venues employ X-ray machines. You can't even bring a bottle of water into most arenas. But last night’s suicide attack, timed to strike as the audience were leaving, reminds us there will always be weaknesses that unscrupulous attackers can exploit.

Following an Ed Sheeran concert at the same venue on April 23, an audience member on Trip Advisor complained about lax security. “A female security person just scanned our ticket and didn’t check my bag at all,” wrote a fan identified only as Anna. “In these times of terror attacks it is not good enough.”

Her words were sadly prescient but it is still not clear if enhanced security would have made a difference. Reports suggest the attack took place in the foyer, in a public space. In which case, the attacker would not have passed through any security gates, but perhaps mingled with parents waiting to collect their children.

No doubt security protocols will be stepped up again in the aftermath. Fans tend to be very forgiving of this, even if it leads to long queues. But it is surely impossible to guarantee absolute safety and security at public events without sacrificing the very freedom terrorists are so keen to assault.

Concert-goers leaving the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena Credit: Reuters

In the immediate wake of the Bataclan, several bands temporarily postponed Paris dates (including U2, Motorhead and Foo Fighters), American heavy rock band the Deftones (friends of the Eagles of Death Metal) cut short their European tour but Prince was the only major artist to completely cancel a planned European tour.

The Bataclan itself remained closed for a year before reopening with a concert by Sting in November 2016, and is now a fully functioning and popular venue once again. Otherwise the attack did not seem to have a significant effect on concert attendance, certainly here in the UK.

There was, if anything, almost a sense of solidarity in defiance amongst gig and club goers, determined to affirm their freedom to enjoy nights out. There were many tribute shows, and musicians spoke out from stages at concerts all over the world to condemn the attack. What makes this potentially different is the targeting of such a young audience.

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Grande is an amiably innocuous, pretty pop star, a young American beauty with a fantastic voice. She rose up through children’s TV, playing a sweet natured air head on Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious. Though her image has grown saucier over the years, the 23 year old retains a wholesome demeanour, with her hair worn in a trademark pony tail, and her costumes sexy but modest.

Her tour was labelled Dangerous Women (after her latest album) but that should fool no one. Her audience is primarily kids, teenagers and young adults, mostly girls, many of whom would have likely been attending their first concert. Grande won six Teen Choice Awards in America last year, which gives you an idea of her appeal.

Like many young pop stars, she appears to offer a safe gateway to the entertainment rituals of our society. How many parents had dropped their children off at Grande’s concert, and waited for their return, worrying more about access to alcohol or their behaviour with friends than the possibility of bombs and murder?

It is not clear how effectively the music industry can counteract this threat. There is sure to be raised anxiety as we enter the summer festival season. Events like Glastonbury have vast audiences that are inherently hard to police, although actually the expensive advance ticketing, the huge size of the areas and the bottleneck entry systems should technically make them less vulnerable for potential terrorists to exploit.

Tributes left outside the Bataclan concert hall, Paris, after the attack in November 2015 Credit: CHARLES PLATIAU

Nonetheless, venue operators and promoters will feel a need to reassure concert goers. We can expect public announcements about enhanced security at all major events in the near future, with stepped up bag searches, metal detectors and visible security presence. It may make concert going a little bit more of a trial but, for the moment, I genuinely don’t think it will have a profound effect on adult audience numbers. But teenage pop shows may be a different matter.

As with the Bataclan, this attack is on Western values, on pleasure and entertainment, things that give our lives meaning. It is an attack on our right to congregate, our desire to celebrate. Music is life, which is why it has become a target for vicious exponents of a death cult.

The added horror last night is that they targeted children. Adults may choose to fight for their right to party, as so many demonstrably did following the Bataclan attack. But who is going to feel safe allowing their kids to depart on a night out now?