Co-Op Live staff member “couldn’t stop crying” after venue’s chaotic failed opening

After weeks of uncertainty and a string of setbacks, Manchester’s long awaited Co-op Live arena finally opened its doors on Friday night with a stellar performance from Bury based band Elbow. The headline act delighted audiences with a special performance to mark the release of their 10th studio album Audio Vertigo, and in the process made history as the first act to ever perform live at the new arena.

set to open three weeks ago with a performance from comedian Peter Kay, however this gig, along with a show by The Black Keys, was pushed back at the last minute due to the building not being ready.The delays continued from there, as organisers announced on May 1 that A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie‘s show was cancelled following a “venue-related technical issue”. Shortly afterwards, they also axed Olivia Rodrigo’s gigs – which left her “so disappointed” – as well as shows by Keane and Take That, with the latter relocating their dates to the rival AO Arena.Unsurprisingly, the slew of issues facing the arena led to music lovers coming forward to express their frustration at the postponements, and branded the venue as “Manchester’s own Fyre Festival”.The issue at hand was revealed to be due to part of the ventilation system falling from the ceiling during Boogie’s soundcheck, and the bosses of the venue being forced to keep the venue closed until it was safe.“If that was 15 minutes later, something catastrophic could have happened,” Tim Leiweke, chief executive of the arena’s operator Oak View Group, told BBC News.He also went on to explain that one of 95 pre-manufactured filters had fallen and landed in the standing area just before doors were set to open, and there had been “no way” to have known that it wasn’t installed correctly beforehand.Speaking with Financial Times, he went on to blame a shortage of labour workers at the venue for the series of delays, adding that organisers of Co-Op Live “couldn’t find people to work” to get the site ready in time.He echoed the sentiment to BBC too, explaining that the issue with the air vent was because those hired to install it “didn’t put the bolts in”.

Elbow have said they are “ready” to open the new Co-Op Live arena in Manchester tonight (May 14) following weeks of chaos at the venue.Guy Garvey and co. are scheduled to perform at the 23,500-capacity arena – which is the UK’s largest indoor venue – as part of their current UK headline tour.

Elbow’s upcoming show will now serve as the venue’s much-postponed opening night.Guy Garvey and co. are scheduled to play the arena, which is set to be the UK’s largest indoor venue with a capacity of 23,500, on May 14 as part of their current UK tour.The arena have had a disastrous few weeks, after a series of events prevented it from being able to open its doors on time.But the venue have now confirmed to Manchester Evening News that, “At this time, we do not expect further impact on our opening season.”The same report suggests that Co-Op Live are also still working on rescheduling Olivia Rodrigo’s postponed shows, with an announcement expected in due course.The BBC also note that the arena has completed an inspection which found that the fault that forced the A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie delay on May 1 was “isolated” and that the venue is now “satisfied” that the opening can go ahead on May 14.The inspection is said to have been carried out by the same subcontractor, SES, that was also responsible for installing the arena’s air handling units.

Keane have announced plans to return to Manchester following the cancellation of a recent gig that was scheduled to take place at Co-op Live.

It's been a difficult few weeks for Co-op Live. The £365m music venue, located at Eastlands next to the Etihad Stadium had been slated to open on April 23 with comedian Peter Kay taking to the stage, but its opening has been delayed several times due to 'technical issues' and ongoing building work.

open with comedian Peter Kay on April 23 and 24, but the gigs were postponed to the end of April, and now later this month following a test event with Rick Astley on April 22. Then, the arena was supposed to see The Black Keys perform on April 27; their shows were moved to May 15.On May 1, the venue failed to launch again after it was forced to pull A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s show just 10 minutes after doors opened due to a “venue-related technical issue”.

Liam Gallagher has offered to perform in a Lidl if the new Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester isn’t “sorted” in time for his ‘Definitely Maybe’ anniversary tour.The troubled venue became the subject of renewed controversy when they cancelled A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie‘s gig last night (May 1) just 10 minutes after doors opened due to a “venue-related technical issue”. This was later revealed to be caused by part of an air conditioning unit falling from the gantry inside the venue during soundcheck.Later that evening, the venue confirmed Olivia Rodrigo’s shows on Friday and Saturday (May 3-4) would also be postponed, which the artist said she was “so disappointed” about.Gallagher is scheduled to perform at Co-Op Live on June 15-16 and 27-28.

Keane and Take That have become the latest artists to have their shows at Manchester’s troubled Co-Op Live Arena affected by ongoing “technical difficulties” at the venue.Keane were supposed to play the new 23,500-capacity arena on Sunday (May 5) as part of a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album ‘Hopes And Fears’, while Take That were supposed to be playing five gigs at Co-Op Live from May 7-12.In a disastrous week for the venue, Co-Op Live had to cancel A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie‘s gig last night (May 1) just 10 minutes after doors opened due to a “venue-related technical issue”, which was later revealed to be caused by part of an air conditioning unit falling from the gantry inside the venue during soundcheck. Later that evening, the venue confirmed Olivia Rodrigo’s shows on Friday and Saturday (May 3-4) would also be postponed, which the artist said she was “so disappointed” about.A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s show has been rescheduled for Saturday (May 4) at the nearby AO Arena.Now, Keane have confirmed that their show will not be going ahead as planned.

open with comedian Peter Kay on April 23 and 24, but after a test event featuring Rick Astley on April 22, his gigs were pushed back to the end of April, and now later this May. Then, the arena was supposed to see The Black Keys perform on April 27; their shows have now been moved to May 15.Yesterday (May 1), the venue failed to launch again after it was forced to pull A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s show just 10 minutes after doors opened due to a “venue-related technical issue”.

Keane have announced theit Co-op Live show on Sunday is CANCELLED following a week chaos for Manchester's newest arena.

A Boogie Wit da Hoodie has announced that he will perform at the AO Arena on Saturday night (May 4) following the last-minute cancellation of his original gig at Co-op Live.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie that was cancelled last-minute at the ill-fated Co-Op Live Arena yesterday.The rescheduled show will take place on Saturday (May 4), partly confirming reports earlier today by Manchester Evening News that the AO Arena was preparing to host gigs scheduled for Co-Op Live following the venue’s recent string of technical difficulties.“Yesterday’s canceled Manchester show has been Rescheduled for this Saturday at AO Arena! We won’t give up that easy let’s go!” the rapper confirmed on X/Twitter.Yesterday's canceled Manchester show has been Rescheduled for this Saturday at AO Arena! We won't give up that easy let's go!— ABOOGIEWITDAHOODIE (@ArtistHBTL) May 2, 2024Last night, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s show was pulled just 10 minutes after doors opened due to a “venue-related technical issue”, which was later revealed to be caused by part of an air conditioning unit falling from the gantry inside the venue during soundcheck. Later that evening, the venue confirmed Olivia Rodrigo’s shows on Friday and Saturday (May 3-4) would also be postponed, which the artist said she was “so disappointed” about.The outlet also reported that the upcoming show by Keane may be rearranged, and looking to be held at the AO Arena instead of Co-Op Live.

stand-up performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24. Following a test event with Rick Astley, however, the comedian’s gigs were postponed until April 29 and 30 due to a failed power test.A Black Keys gig that was scheduled for April 27 later had to be pushed back to May 15, and the Kay dates were delayed for the second time.Last night (May 1), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s concert was cancelled at the last minute because of a “venue-related technical issue” before it was confirmed that Olivia Rodrigo’s shows at the Co-Op Live this Friday and Saturday (May 3, 4) had been postponed.

Olivia Rodrigo’s shows on Friday and Saturday (May 3-4) following a “venue-related technical issue” that forced them to cancel A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie‘s show tonight.The venue announced just 10 minutes after doors had opened tonight that A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s show could no longer go ahead due to technical problems. “We kindly ask fans to leave the area.

Co-op Live's first full show was cancelled minutes before it was due to start after part of an air conditioning unit fell from the gantry inside the venue prior to the start of the gig.

Olivia Rodrigo fans say they have been left 'in tears' after her Co-op Live gigs were pulled just days before she was set to perform.

a performance by rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie last minute due to a “venue-related technical issue”.The venue announced just 10 minutes after doors had opened that the show could no longer go ahead due to technical problems. “We kindly ask fans to leave the area.

Co-op Live's opening gig has been cancelled just hours before it was set to start - AGAIN. Tonight's concert will not go ahead due to a 'technical issue' at the venue, bosses said.

BBC, Mark Davyd (CEO of the Music Venue Trust) said he was to meet with the Co-Op Live once the venue was up and running. The meeting comes amongst the furore with Co-Op Live’s executive director Gary Roden, who suggested some grassroots venues were “poorly run” whilst discussing the case for a £1 ticket levy to preserve them.Davyd later criticised Roden’s comments, pointing out the average age of the artists booked to play at the venue was 52: “The average length of time it takes for a British artist to be booked to headline the Coop Live Arena from the date of the release of their first album is 30 (THIRTY) years.