French fans of Ariana Grande flooded to a Paris concert hall on Wednesday as the U.S. pop star resumed her European tour following a suicide bombing at the end of her show in the English city of Manchester that killed 22 people.
There was a heavy police presence outside Paris’ AccorHotels Arena, with roads surrounding the venue blocked off to traffic hours before the event started. Security staff searched all bags and police with sniffer dogs patrolled the venue.
Paris police said security measures were at their highest level following the attacks in Manchester on May 22 and in central London on June 3 that killed a total of 30 people.
Grande, 23, suspended her tour after the bombing at Manchester Arena. But she returned to the city on Sunday for an all-star benefit concert for victims that raised some $3 million and helped turn the former Nickelodeon child star into a national hero.
“She began touring again quite soon after the attacks and she really did a lot of things for Manchester. She raised lots of money for the families, she went to see the affected young girls. I admire her a lot for what she does,” 16-year old French fan Azliz Roult told Reuters Television.
Some teens on Wednesday admitted they were nervous about going to Grande’s concert after the attacks.
“The excitement sort of replaces the fear, but it’s true that there is a part of me that is still a bit scared,” said Edith, a 16 year-old Parisian fan.
