A seedy looking sex shop that was dreamed up for a Peter Kay TV series nearly 25-years ago, took on a life of its own after the cameras stopped rolling.
14.05.2024 - 10:13 / nme.com
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.
The dates come in support of their latest studio album, ‘Audio Vertigo’.The £365million Co-Op Live was initially due to open with two stand-up shows from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24. However, these dates – along with numerous others – were postponed as a result of ongoing issues in the building.News of the postponed gigs followed a reduced-capacity test event featuring a performance by Rick Astley on April 20 before arena boss Gary Roden resigned soon afterwards.Other concerts to have been impacted by the problems include those of Olivia Rodrigo, The Black Keys, Take That and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.The latter event was cancelled at the last minute because of a “venue-related technical issue” – later confirmed to be a part of the air conditioning unit falling from the ceiling (via Manchester Evening News).
Nobody was injured.In a statement on May 2, the Co-Op Live announced a new opening date of May 14 and said the team was “working incredibly hard to get the building up and running”. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News last week, the venue explained: “At this time, we do not expect further impact on our opening season.”According to BBC News, the Co-Op Live has now passed a final inspection to allow the opening to finally go ahead.Yesterday (May 13), Elbow shared an image of their gear set up on the stage at the venue – suggesting that things were running smoothly and on time.
“Ready for tomorrow at Co-Op Live arena. See you
.A seedy looking sex shop that was dreamed up for a Peter Kay TV series nearly 25-years ago, took on a life of its own after the cameras stopped rolling.
Nicki Minaj’s show at Manchester’s Co-Op Live tonight (May 25) was cancelled after she was arrested in Amsterdam earlier in the day.The rapper was due to take her ‘Pink Friday 2’ live show to the venue as part of her ongoing UK and European tour, but she was unable to make it to the gig after the events in the Netherlands.Minaj livestreamed her own arrest this afternoon, as she appeared to be detained by Dutch police for allegedly “carrying drugs” while travelling between countries. The Dutch National Police Corps confirmed that she had been arrested, but that she had since been released.Doors at the Co-Op Live opened at 7pm, with Minaj due on stage an hour later.
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.The venue – which has a capacity of 23,500 and is the biggest indoor arena in the UK – has been plagued by issues over recent months, and has experienced countless delays when it comes to opening.Originally, the arena was set to open officially three weeks ago with an opening gig from comedian Peter Kay, however this, along with many other planned shows, were postponed at the last minute.Now, the venue has finally opened its doors to the public and seen Elbow become the first act to complete a scheduled date in the venue’s calendar.Guy Garvey and co. received an enthusiastic response from the crowd last night (May 14) and made references to the long-running issues that have loomed over Co-Op Live in recent weeks.“Good evening Manchester! Let’s open this venue properly shall we?,” the frontman said at the beginning of the gig, opening with ‘Things I’ve Been Telling Myself For Years’.
Troubled Co-op Live is set to finally open its doors tonight. After a number of false starts, East Manchester's new £365 million venue, set to become the biggest indoor arena in Britain, will host its first full show with local heroes Elbow the headline act.
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.
Just days after hosting the first of six rescheduled gigs from Co-op Live, Manchester’s AO Arena has been named as one of the best music venues in the country.
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.
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.
A support network run by survivors of the Manchester Arena attack have urged Co-op Live bosses to postpone concerts until the building is fully ready.
performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24. However, following a test event with Rick Astley, the comedian’s gigs were moved to April 29 and 30 due to a failed power test.
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 has spoken out about her upcoming shows at Manchester’s Co-Op Live being postponed at the last minute, saying that she is “so disappointed” by the news.The pop star was set to perform at the new arena in Manchester tomorrow night (May 3) and Saturday (4) as part of her ongoing ‘GUTS World Tour’.However, just two days before the shows were set to go ahead, an update was shared from the venue organisers, confirming that the dates had been pushed back due to ongoing technical issues at the arena.It marked the latest in a series of shows that have been delayed due to ongoing issues with the opening week for Co-Op Live. Originally, the 23,500-capacity arena, located opposite the Etihad Stadium, was supposed to open with performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24.
Olivia Rodrigo told her fans she is 'so bummed' after her Co-op Live shows were cancelled with just 48 hours notice.
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.