The entrance to 02 Arena, May 27, just before the Iron Maiden show, one of the first big events post-Manchester, U.K., bombing, just five days earlier.
REPORTING FROM LONDON - The events of May 22 in Manchester, U.K., shocked the world; not only that 22 innocent people lost their lives, but also that this cowardly atrocity was carried out in a place likely to be full of people under 18. The U.K.’s terror threat level was raised to critical following the event, meaning that another attack could be imminent, and it remained that way for the beginning of the bank holiday weekend. This meant that people attending large events over the weekend were very aware of the possible risk.
Two of the biggest events held over the bank holiday weekend were Comicon, held at ExCel Centre, East London, which ran from Friday to Sunday and the Iron Maiden concert at the O2 Arena on Saturday and Sunday. A stall holder, Kasper Lewis, from Comicon, said that numbers were down.
“Whilst business picked up on Saturday afternoon, the Friday and Saturday morning were unusually quiet,” said Lewis. "Another stall holder said that they sold 10 times as much on the Friday at the previous convention. There were a lot of posts on the Facebook group for this event from teenagers or young people who were nervous about coming or whose parents did not want them to come.”
Secuirty was tight at the 02 Arena, May 27, for the Iron Maiden show.
At the O2 Arena, like at the London Comicon, security was much stricter and more visible than usual. A member of staff at the O2 confirmed that the concert goers appeared to be more subdued than usual, that it was very quiet as people were queuing up to go in.
However, after speaking to some of the fans, especially older fans who had lived through the IRA attacks 30 or 40 years ago it became clear that the British sense of ‘Keep calm and carry on’ was very present. The attitude was one of carrying on as normal and not letting the terrorists affect concert attendance for music lovers.
Attendee Chris Searle said: “It’s a one in a thousand chance as there were 22 thousand people at the Ariana Grande concert. I think people forget that we had the IRA in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and since my cousin was killed in an IRA pub bombing in Birmingham, I’ve learned that these things just happen.”
Vanessa and Shawn Lapchuck, attended the Iron Maiden show at 02 Arena and said they would not live in fear.
Vanessa and Shawn Lapchuck echoed Chris’s sentiments about the IRA attacks: “We’ve dealt with the IRA, we’ve grown up with it, we won’t let them win, but I should think younger people might be affected," said Vanessa Lapchuck. "We were at a festival last weekend, we are going to Glastonbury and Download, it won’t stop us doing what we do.”
Some of the slightly younger fans did appear to have had some apprehension, with a couple who were perhaps in their late 20s or early 30s, saying that although “you can’t live in fear,” it had crossed their mind. “It hits you hard at every level but keep calm old British style; the police dealt with it very well; I think we are a very supportive nation.”
James Frost at the Iron Maiden concert, May 27, 02 Arena.
Another younger attendee, James Frost, said that “I work in security for gigs and festivals normally, and family are quite worried because it could happen anywhere at any time, although it’s not something you can be afraid of."
While the attack was devastating for all involved, the diamond in the ashes is the amount of support shown to the people of Manchester, with vigils being held in other parts of the U.K., and hundreds of thousands of pounds being raised to support victims’ families. The British people have suffered a blow, but they have also come together; the feeling was defiantly one of support, stiff upper lip, and quiet acceptance, rather than anger. Fighting terror, not with hate and fear, but with support, is something to be proud of.