Manchester's crisis-hit £365 million Co-op Live venue cancels another debut show AGAIN minutes before gig due to start

1 May 2024, 19:25 | Updated: 2 May 2024, 00:44

Manchester's new £365 million Co-op Live venue has cancelled another gig minutes before it was due to start - due to a 'technical issue'.

The troubled venue, the biggest indoor arena in the UK, had already postponed its opening twice last week because it was not ready.

American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie's show was meant to be the first official event in its schedule.

Doors were due to open at 6.30pm however the venue posted at 6.40pm to say the show would no longer go ahead leaving fans queueing outside bitterly disappointed.

The arena tweeted: "We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many."

They added ticket holders will receive further information in due course.

Disappointed ticket holders have taken to social media to complain of the last minute cancellation and shared images and videos of the queues outside.

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Bolton-born comedian Kay was scheduled to be the first performer, but his show had to be postponed with less than 48 hours' notice following a test event.

Tim Leiweke, chairman and chief executive of the Oak View Group, said: "The safety and security of all visiting and working on Co-op Live is our utmost priority, and we could not and will not run any event until it is absolutely safe to do so.

"Today was a very unexpected situation but without a doubt the right decision. I deeply apologise for the impact that this has had on ticket holders and fans."

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie tweeted to his fans following the cancellation saying he was "heated" about the situation.

"Something happened with the venue while I was at soundcheck today that caused cancellation of the show we are working on rescheduling in the next few days I'm heated about the situation too but safety first Manchester I got you just stay tuned for further info" he said on Wednesday night.

Olivia Rodrigo is due to perform on Friday 3 May and Saturday 4 May. It is currently not yet known if those concerts will go ahead.

Other artists set to perform at the arena include Liam Gallagher, Take That and Eric Clapton.

The MTV Europe Awards will also be held this year at the arena on 10 November.

Read more: Peter Kay forced to cancel second show at Manchester's new £350m arena as venue boss quits amid opening delay chaos

Last week, Peter Kay was forced to postpone two of his shows set to be held at the venue due to it not being ready.

The comedian was due to perform in the arena’s first official events this Tuesday and Wednesday but the venue said the power supply “was a few days behind” schedule.

This comes after the venue had to reduce the capacity for a Rick Astley concert on Saturday which was its first test event.

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.

The arena’s capacity will be 23,500, making it the largest indoor arena in the UK.

General manager Gary Roden has quit following a string of issues that have pushed back the opening.

Roden, who also served as executive director of the arena, stepped down from his position on Thursday after a series of problems with its long-awaited launch.