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Robbie Williams changes lyrics to 'Strong' in emotional tribute to Manchester attack victims

The star performed at Etihad Stadium on Friday

Lucy Mapstone
Saturday 03 June 2017 13:57 BST
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Robbie Williams became emotional on stage as he paid tribute to the victims of the Manchester attack during his concert in the city.

The singer dedicated his song Angels to those who were killed by suicide bomber Salman Abedi nearly two weeks ago, but became choked up during the performance, allowing thousands of fans at the Etihad Stadium to sing for him instead.

In videos and pictures posted on social media by fans from the gig, the singer was seen fighting back tears.

Stuart Rowson wrote alongside his video on Twitter: "A tearful Robbie Williams struggles to sing 'Angels' - after dedicating it to the victims and families of the Manchester attacks."

Another clip was shared by David Raven, who said: "Emotional Robbie Williams dedicates Angels to Manchester terror attack victims, breaks down, 50,000 finish it for him. Everyone now crying."

Jess Spreadbury said on Twitter: "robbiewilliams literally couldn't sing Angels as he stood there with tears in his eyes, he let his fans sing it for him! United as 1!!"

Ie:music, the management team behind Robbie Williams, came under fire for placing tickets directly onto GetMeIn and Seatwave in January 2017
Ie:music, the management team behind Robbie Williams, came under fire for placing tickets directly onto GetMeIn and Seatwave in January 2017 (REX / Frezza Lafata)

During the show, the first night of his Heavy Entertainment Show Tour, Williams asked fans to join him by singing his song Strong.

He changed the lyrics to "Manchester we're strong, we're strong, we're strong", with the words appearing on screens for the crowd to see.

At the start of the concert, Williams said: "We are Manchester and we're not f****** scared."

The pop star shared a picture of himself on Twitter after the gig, complete with a rainbow that had formed in the sky over the stadium.

Along with the poignant picture, he simply wrote "Manchester" and a heart emoji.

Williams is reportedly set to reunite with his former Take That bandmates at the One Love Manchester benefit concert on Sunday.

He will join Ariana Grande at the fundraising event, held two weeks after her concert at the Manchester Arena was targeted by Abedi, who killed 22 people and injured dozens more.

Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus and Little Mix are among the other music acts on the bill for the event, which is to be held at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

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