Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena is facing more issues ahead of its launch, with both Peter Kay and The Black Keys being forced to postpone their shows.
- READ MORE: UK grassroots venues “going over a cliff” without urgent government action or investment from arenas
The 23,500-capacity venue, which is now the largest arena in the UK, has faced numerous rows, controversy and teething problems in the run-up to its official launch.
It was supposed to open with performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24, However, following a test gig featuring Rick Astley at the weekend, the shows were moved to April 29 and 30 due to the venue’s power testing falling “a few days” behind schedule.
Now, it has been confirmed that the upcoming gig from The Black Keys – set for tomorrow (April 27) – has also been postponed at the last minute, and the rescheduled shows by Peter Kay will be moved once again.
“Since making the difficult decision to postpone the live shows at Co-op Live due to take place this week, we have been undertaking an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans. To ensure that we can run all shows safely, regretfully we have now had to take the decision to reschedule the planned The Black Keys and Peter Kay shows,” read a new statement from the venue.
It added that The Black Keys will now perform on May 15, and Peter Kay will now perform on May 23 and 24. All tickets remain valid for the new dates, and refunds will be issued to those who are no longer able to attend.
“We deeply appreciate the impact this will have on excited fans, and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause. Rescheduling Peter Kay and The Black Keys will give us the extra time we need to continue testing enhanced emergency communications and measures thoroughly. This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size to ensure that our fans, artists and staff have the safest experience possible.”
Recommended
The performances from Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (May 1) and Olivia Rodrigo (May 3-4) are set to go ahead as planned.
“As we make this very difficult decision, we thank Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service, North West Ambulance Service, our staff and wider stakeholders for their continued dedication to Co-op Live,” the update added, also contributing a statement from Tim Leiweke, the Chairman and CEO of Oak View Group.
“It’s always been very important to me that we only open Co-op Live when it is safe and appropriate to do so, and rescheduling The Black Keys and Peter Kay gives the dedicated team the time and space needed to finalise systems and measures,” he said. “I would like to offer my sincerest apologies to every fan that has been impacted by this decision and others this week, and join the full team in thanking them for their continued patience and support as we prepare to open our doors.”
Finally, the Co-op group closed off the update by sharing: “As the naming rights sponsor for Co-op Live, we are very disappointed in the delayed opening of the venue and fully recognise the disruption this has caused to affected ticket holders, many of whom are Co-op Members.
“Co-op Live is an incredible venue and is a force for good for Manchester, our region and the UK as a whole. We look forward to seeing the venue fully open in accordance with the timescales provided by OVG today.”
Earlier this week, following the initial postponement of Peter Kay’s shows, organisers insisted they were “not embarrassed” by the postponements, saying they were now focused on “ensuring a consistent total power supply”.
That being said, yesterday (April 25) it was confirmed that Gary Roden, the boss of the new Co-Op Live Arena, had resigned following the plethora of issues.
Roden had come under fire in particular for his comments about grassroots music venues, arguing that some smaller venues in the UK are “poorly run” and dismissed calls for a £1 ticket levy on all gigs arena-sized and above.
In response, Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, told NME that he believed Roden’s comments were “disrespectful and disingenuous”, while also highlighting the irony of making such “ill-judged, unnecessary and misleading” remarks on the week that their own venue was forced to postpone their own launch, due to a number of logistical problems.
“Fun facts of the morning: the new @TheCoopLive arena has 46 music events confirmed to take place this year so far,” he wrote. “The average age of the performers is 50 years old. 21.7 per cent of all the shows will be performed by artists over retirement age. 8.6 per cent of all the shows will be performed by artists under the age of 30. 17.3 per cent of all the shows will be performed by artists over the age of 75.”
He continued: “41.3 per cent of all the shows will feature a headline performance by a British artist. The average age of the British artists performing will be 52 years old. No British artist under 30 is confirmed to perform.
“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. No British artist that started their career in the last decade is booked to headline the arena… Final Bonus Fact: Coop Live have publicly stated that they don’t believe there are problems with the UK music talent pipeline.”
Liam Gallagher, Take That, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Keane are among the acts who have been announced to perform at Co-Op Live in the coming months. It’ll also stage the 2024 MTV European Music Awards later this year.
The launch of the venue comes after Co-Op Live and the existing, 21-000 capacity AO Arena in the city came to blows in a licensing row. ASM Global, which operates the latter venue, objected over “public safety” concerns and accused the application for a licence as being “simply unlawful”. Despite the row, the venue officially had its licence granted last month.