INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Bastille Day Terror Attack: Nice Slowly Recovers — Rihanna, Massive Attack, And Robert Plant Cancel Shows

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 22:37 PST, Jul 16, 2016

Nice, a popular tourist resort on the French Riviera, was just starting to get back to normal following the Paris attack last year. Now, following the devastating Bastille Day terror attack, the town is quiet as the Promenade des Anglais is cleaned up and opened again for tourists and locals.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, summer was going to be good, with a Rihanna concert scheduled for Friday, followed by a jazz festival starring, among others, Massive Attack and Robert Plant. The local Hard Rock Café had even air-freighted in a very special silver trumpet for the latter event once owned by the famous Louis Armstrong.

Thursday’s Bastille Day terror attack, where Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a truck that zigzagged through the crowds celebrating the fireworks on the beach promenade, killing 84 and injuring dozens more, has ended the summer excitement.

While the beach has reopened, the town is quiet. Locals and the remaining tourists are in mourning in what is usually the jewel of the French tourism industry. In a town that relies strongly on tourism, people are somber.

Speaking of the Bastille Day terror attack, Marco Sellers, the manager of the local Hard Rock Café, said, “The nation is in mourning.”

“This is the start of our summer.”

While Armstrong’s trumpet hangs alongside Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” fedora and Elton John’s hot pink newsboy cap in the new 70-seater dining room upstairs, no one has been up there to see them.

In related news on the Inquisitr:

Massive Attack and Plant took to Twitter to let fans know their Tuesday concert was canceled.

As for Rihanna, the 28-year-old was scheduled to perform at the Allianz Stadium Friday as part of her “Anti World Tour,” but she canceled after the attack.

Photos have since emerged of Rihanna leaving dinner at a restaurant not far from the scene of the terror attack, looking tense and unhappy as she learns about the devastating carnage nearby.

Soon after the Bastille Day terror attack happened, Rihanna’s former boyfriends both reached out to her to find out if she was okay. Chris Brown and Drake were not alone, as reportedly her phone has been ringing constantly as friends, family, and music producers check up on the Barbadian singer.

According to Hollywood Life, a source told them, “The terrible event really shook her up, but seeing how much everyone cares for her has made her feel better. She feels grateful to be alive.”

The source said, “Rihanna has been feeling the love since the tragedy in Nice. Her cell has been blowing up with friends and family checking in worried sick about her — both Chris Brown and Drake have reached out to her to make sure she is OK. Her phone is also ringing off the hook with every big music producer in the game checking on her.”

There were 10,000 tickets sold for the various Bastille Day concerts to be held over the summer week, and fans will be getting a refund.

According to the International Business Times, an official statement about Rihanna’s concert read, “In agreement with the authorities, the concert is cancelled. The Allianz Riviera provides support to families of the victims and their families. Ticket holders are invited to contact their dealers to make the refund.”

Meanwhile, Nice battles on. A construction crew removed all the metal barriers from the scene of the Bastille Day truck attack on Saturday, cleaning up the wax from hundreds of candles lit during the vigils on the sidewalk.

As quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Gilles Bertrand, a forklift operator, said, “It’s time to open up the promenade.”

“We’re hoping it was an isolated act. You have to not think about it, and just live.”

The world mourns with a brand new hashtag, #JeSuisEpuise, meaning “I am tired” of all the mass killing and terrorism.

[Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images]

Share this article: Bastille Day Terror Attack: Nice Slowly Recovers — Rihanna, Massive Attack, And Robert Plant Cancel Shows
rihanna
More from Inquisitr