Toast of Red Red Wine for the O2: Storm hit arena to reopen on Friday with UB40 gig
20 February 2022, 22:56 | Updated: 20 February 2022, 23:50
The O2 arena will reopen with a UB40 gig on Friday after part of the London venue's roof was ripped off by Storm Eunice.
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The venue's white roof covering is undergoing repairs after parts of it were torn away from supporting ribs by high winds during the storm on Friday.
In a statement, the arena said it was "not quite looking our best" after the storm. It added that a number of upcoming concerts would be rescheduled, with UB40 rescheduled to Friday, Simply Red to March 2 and 3, The Lumineers to March 4, and Davido to March 5.
New dates for rapper Dave's postponed concerts will be announced within the next 48 hours.
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Events at The O2's smaller venue, The Indigo, are also expected to resume after February 25.
"The O2 prides itself on being a venue full of entertainment but following Friday's storm, we're not quite looking our best," a statement from the venue said.
"We want to continue to provide a safe and secure best-in-class experience for our visitors, so we have made the decision to remain closed until Friday February 25 to give us time to carry out some necessary works on our roof."
Extent of damage to O2 dome from Storm Eunice winds seen
Dave's gigs were supposed to take place on Monday and Tuesday, but will now take place on an as yet unconfirmed date in the future.
The O2 has said that all tickets will remain valid for the new dates.
In a statement provided by The O2, Dave said he will be "back with a plan" by the end of Monday.
"Devastating news, The O2 have told us Monday and Tuesday's shows can't happen due to what the storm did to the roof of the venue," he said.
"We are doing everything we can to reschedule the shows to play as soon as humanly possible."
He added: "I'll be back with a plan as soon as I have it. By the end of Monday I hope."
The O2 has the second highest capacity of any indoor venue in the UK, surpassed only by the Manchester Arena.
It was originally built as the Millennium Dome, and used to house an exhibition celebrating the turn of the new millennium.
