Madonna paid an emotional tribute to the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting during her concert in Miami, Florida on Tuesday (April 9).
During the latest stop on her ‘Celebration Tour’, the Borderline singer remembered those affected by the tragedy, which saw 49 people killed and 53 injured at the LGBTQ+ club in Orlando on June 12, 2016.
“We’ve all had some traumas in our lives – each and every one of us, in one way or another,” Madonna said. “Isn’t that true? And we can spend a good part of our lives being victims, and letting that trauma stop us from achieving what we were put on this Earth to do.”
She went on to “remind” the audience of the 2016 shooting, adding: “I want to draw attention to that moment because nightclubs and music and dance are what bring us together,” Madonna continued.
“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.”
Pointing out “some very important people” in the crowd, the Ray Of Light singer revealed that she had invited some of the survivors and their families to the concert, along with “the families of those who did not survive”.
“I will always stand for the gays, always, because the gays have always stood for me,” Madonna continued. “I’m very emotional about this. I make dance music. My job is to bring people together, to make people dance, to make people happy, to not judge.
“This shit is not supposed to happen. Don’t forget about it.”
It comes as Madonna prepares to end her ‘Celebration Tour’ with a free concert in Brazil on May 4.
Closing out the run, the Express Yourself singer will play the show on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which “will be free of charge as a thank you to her fans for celebrating more than four decades of her music over the course of the epic global run of the tour.”
Taking place in front of the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel, no tickets are required and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Billed as Madonna’s “biggest show yet”, the concert will be broadcast live on TV Globo.
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