While MadonnaWith her world tour set to be a “celebration,” the singer took some time out Tuesday night (April 9) to have a serious conversation with her fans about one of the worst shootings in American history.
During her final performance in Miami, Florida, Madonna gave an emotional speech to her fans in honor of the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, the second deadliest mass shooting in US history. “I want to remind you that we weren't all that lucky,” Madonna told her audience wistfully, according to a video taken by fans. “I want to draw attention to that moment because nightclubs and music and dancing are what bring us together. It should not be places or things we do that bring us sorrow and tragedy and murder and death and pain and suffering and trauma.”
Along with paying tribute to the 49 people killed in the attack, the legendary pop star also shared her support for the LGBTQ+ community, saying: “I will always stand up for gay people, because gay people have always been on my side.”
“This was the largest terrorist attack in America since 9/11,” he said. “People come together to dance in a club that was inclusive and full of love. It was Latin Night, people were dancing to Latin music and some mom came in there with two guns and started shooting people.”
Madonna went on to say that she invited the survivors and their families, as well as the families of the non-survivors, to attend her show that night, calling out some of their names and thanking them for coming. In the middle of her speech, her voice began to crack with emotion. “I make dance music. My job is to bring people together, make people dance, make people happy, not judge,” he said. “This st isn't supposed to happen. Don't forget it.”
It's far from the first time Madonna has honored victims and heroes during her holiday tour. When her tour stopped at New York's Madison Square Garden in January, the pop icon shared the stories of Ellen Matzer and Valery Hughes, two New York nurses who treated and supported AIDS/HIV patients at the height of the epidemic in the 1990s. 1980.
Watch the fan-captured video of Madonna's speech below:
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-honors-pulse-nightclub-shooting-victims-miami-concert-1235653028/