Madonna honours victims of 2016 Orlando shooting at Miami show
Madonna paid tribute to the victims of the 2016 Orlando shooting at her show in Miami, Florida earlier this week. Watch the footage below.
The pop star was performing at the Kaseya Center arena on Tuesday (April 9) as part of her current ‘Celebration Tour’ when she took a moment to reflect on the tragedy.
On June 12, 2016, a mass shooting at the LGBTQ+ nightclub Pulse in Orlando left 49 people dead and injured 53 more. The gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, was shot dead by police.
“We’ve all had some traumas in our lives – each and every one of us, in one way or another,” Madonna began. “Isn’t that true? And we can spend a good part of our lives being victims, and letting that trauma stop us from achieving what we were put on this Earth to do.”
Later, the singer said she wanted to “remind” the audience of the 2016 shooting. “I want to draw attention to that moment because nightclubs and music and dance are what bring us together,” Madonna continued.
“They shouldn’t be places or things that we do that bring us sadness and tragedy and murder and death and pain and suffering and trauma. But unfortunately, human beings are still stuck in some kind of a rut.”
The Queen Of Pop went on to “point out some very important people” in the crowd, revealing that she had invited some of the survivors and their families to the concert, as well as “the families of those who did not survive”.
“I will always stand for the gays, always, because the gays have always stood for me,” Madonna explained.
“I’m very emotional about this. I make dance music. My job is to bring people together, to make people dance, to make people happy, to not judge. This shit is not supposed to happen. Don’t forget about it.”
Madonna called the nightclub shooting “the biggest terrorist attack on America after 9/11”, before reading out the names of some of the survivors and sharing their stories.
“We are all guilty of discrimination in one way or another. Therefore we are – on a global level – contributing to these crimes of hate,” she said. “Therefore I ask you all to remember your responsibility. And I ask you all to remember that you have the ability to shine line in the world and to make a difference.”
At the end of her emotional speech, Madonna delivered her acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’. You can watch the moment in the video above.
Madonna’s ‘Celebration Tour’ is due to conclude with a huge free concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4, marking her biggest show ever.
In other news, the singer’s lawyers have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit filed against her on the grounds of late concert start times.
The post Madonna honours victims of 2016 Orlando shooting at Miami show appeared first on NME.
Tom Skinner
NME
