Diana Ross will be paying Manchester a visit next year as part of her UK tour.
The iconic singer is not just one of the most influential recording artists and performers of her generation, but arguably of all time, especially as she is famed for her part in shaping the sound of popular music as we know it today.
In the 1960s, Ross reigned as the ‘Queen of Motown’.
She lead trailblazing and best-selling girl group The Supremes to chart dominance with hits such as Baby Love, Stop!, In the Name of Love, and You Keep Me Hangin’ On, before launching her solo career and releasing well-known songs such as I’m Still Waiting, Touch Me in the Morning, Endless Love, and, of course, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, and the UK number one single Chain Reaction.
And now, she’s set to bring some of her legend status right here to Manchester city centre as she takes to the stage at the AO Arena next year.
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Diana Ross’ UK Thank You Tour will be in Manchester on Tuesday 14 June 2022.
Diana Ross’ UK Thank You Tour will be in Manchester at the AO Arena on Tuesday 14 June 2022 / Credit: AO Arena
The new tour dates come after her ‘Top of the World’ tour had to be rescheduled due to the ongoing pandemic, with a statement by promoters explaining at the time: “In light of the ongoing situation with COVID-19, the Diana Ross shows will now take place in the summer of 2022, with exact dates being announced in the coming weeks.
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“We appreciate your patience at this time, hang onto your tickets and look forward to seeing you in June and early July 2022.”
🎙️ The @DianaRoss Top of the World Tour is moving to 2022.
💬 Promoter Statement: "In light of the ongoing situation with COVID-19, the Diana Ross shows will now take place in the summer of 2022, with exact dates being announced in the coming weeks. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/2k9oiIHwhO
Ross will also be releasing a new album on 5 November this year.
The title track from her upcoming album – which Ross co-wrote and curated every song from – ‘Thank You’, was released this past summer and is said to be a voice of gratitude, gratefulness, and personal dedication to her audiences over the years.
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The tour will give Ross a chance to share with fans her music, memories, and career magic.
Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Fans are preparing to pay tribute to Mani from The Stone Roses ahead of his funeral service
Danny Jones
Stone Roses fans and Greater Manchester locals alike are getting ready to pay their respects to the late, great, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, following his tragic passing last month.
As well as details surrounding his funeral being announced earlier this week, the iconic Manc musician’s cause of death has also finally been revealed.
While Hatton’s service featured a high-profile cortège which started all the way from his hometown of Hyde, past multiple landmarks and ending at the Etihad Stadium, those local to Mani’s family home on the edge of Stockport are also being welcomed to help send him off.
It's the funeral of Mani of the Stone Roses on the 22nd. He lived locally. This poster is asking people to line the route of his funeral cortege to "show that he truly was adored". pic.twitter.com/X0DYHl10Hp
He had been struggling with emphysema for some time; he was declared dead at his home in the suburb of Heaton Moor, and is said to have died peacefully in his sleep.
As you can see from the posters put in various places around the area, residents wishing to pay their own tributes to Mani before his private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral are encouraged to line the long street leading down from St Paul’s and Heaton Moor United Church as he heads towards the city.
Departing Parsonage Road from 10am on Monday, 22 December, before turning right onto Heaton Moor Rd, then Wellington and eventually on to the Cathedral, you can expect plenty of people to show up.
One of those people will be his former bandmate and another influential guitarist, John Squire, who is one of many famous musical names to have honoured him in their own way over the last few weeks.
Other members of The Stone Roses, as well as Primal Scream (who he joined in 1996), are expected to join the close family and friends at the service itself.
Nevertheless, we have no doubt that plenty will be observing the funeral in their own way.
So, for those of you also looking to honour him, you know what to do; and to quote the poster itself, “together we can show this local legend and his family that he was truly adored.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th September 2021 
