Madonna cries while honouring Pulse Nightclub shooting victims at Miami Show
April 12, 2024Madonna has consistently leveraged her influence to support the LGBTQ+ community, and during her most recent concert, she paid tribute to the victims of the devastating mass shooting that took place at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016.
The icon, known as the Queen of Pop, extended invitations to survivors and relatives of the individuals lost in the June 2016 tragedy to join her for the Miami leg of her Celebration Tour at the Kaseya Center on Tuesday, April 9. At the event, the 65-year-old delivered a heartfelt talk on the impact of the calamity that claimed the lives of 49 people.
“I want to draw attention to that moment because nightclubs and music and dance are what bring us together. 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,” said Madonna.
“I will always stand for the gays, always, because the gays have always stood for me,” she told the crowd, describing the tragic event as “the worst terror attack since 9/11.”
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According to ‘People’, while speaking to the survivors and their families, Madonna became visibly moved and confessed to feeling “emotional” about the occasion. “I create dance music. My role is to unite people, to make them dance, to bring joy, to avoid judgment. This kind of tragedy shouldn't occur. Remember this,” she expressed.
Following that, the singer acknowledged various survivors by name, shedding light on how the shooting had affected their lives, encompassing the loss of friends, suffering from gunshot wounds, and battling mental health issues.
“When are we gonna learn? That's a rhetorical question, but I'm telling you we all take part in this — you know why? Because we all judge each other,” she continued. “We think we’re so elevated, we think we’ve seen it all, we've done it all, but even I speak evil to other people. Even I judge.”
She added, “We’re all guilty of discrimination in one way or another, therefore we are, on a global level, contributing to these crimes of hate. Therefore, I ask you all to remember your responsibility, and I ask you all to remember you have the ability to shine light in the world and to make a difference.”
After she was handed a guitar, the Grammy winner began to cry, as she asked the audience to turn on their phone flashlights.
“Light up this room, so we are all reminded that their lives were not taken in vain, and that we are reminded that every one of us has the ability to shine our own light on each other and share it with the world, share it with our friends, share it with our families, share it with our loved ones, share it with the people we don’t understand, share it with the people we think are our enemies because at the end of the day, we don’t have any f---ing enemies! We are our own enemies. Please remember that,” concluded Madonna.
Following the speech, she performed an emotional acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor's ‘I Will Survive.’
Throughout The Celebration Tour, Madonna has woven in heartfelt homages — including montages that remember her own family members who have passed away, like her mother, and musicians who have died.
In her rendition of the 1986 hit ‘Live to Tell,’ she pauses to honour figures such as Keith Haring, Freddie Mercury, and many others who passed away from AIDS. While the show thoughtfully acknowledges various losses, it equally celebrates the queer community that has supported Madonna's career and inspired her over the years, serving as both a tribute to them and a retrospective of her career.
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