Grand opening of Manchester’s Co-op Live postponed with 24 hours notice
The grand opening of Manchester‘s new state-of-the-art arena, Co-op Live, has been postponed a daye before it was set to open its doors to the general public for the first time.
The new venue, which boasts a capacity of 23,500 and is the biggest entertainment arena in Europe, first staged a test event on April 20th. Rick Astley was set to perform to 11,000 arena workers and specially invited individuals, but before the concert, 4,000 attendees had their tickets cancelled for safety measures.
Those who’ve had their tickets cancelled have been offered the opportunity to attend a show by The Black Keys at the Co-op Live for free on April 27th, which will now be the first concert at the arena. Comedian Peter Kay was set to perform on April 23rd and 24th at the new venue, but he will now play at the Co-op Live next week instead.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Co-op Live explained the decision: “It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind. Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly. This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size.”
Their message continued: “All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase. Refunds will be available for those who can no longer attend. We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause for some. We are thrilled to welcome Peter Kay as our grand opening act just a few days later than planned.”
Meanwhile, Kay said: “I’m truly gutted as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets, but obviously it’s a brand-new venue and it’s important that everything is finished and safe for full capacity audiences. Fortunately, we’ve been able to reschedule the shows to next week, (I’ll have to miss my Bums & Tums class) but hopefully I’ll see you then.”
Although The Black Keys are due to bring their new album, Ohio Players, to the arena on April 27th, the full venue will not be open for the concert. Instead, only the lower bowl, which has a 10,000 capacity, will be filled by fans as the Co-op Live “continue to test the resilience of the venue and its operations.”
Other artists who are scheduled to perform at the new arena include Stevie Nicks, Eagles, Liam Gallagher, Kings of Leon, The Killers, Pearl Jam, Eric Clapton, and Noah Kahan.
See the Co-op Live’s full statement below.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.