Angry concertgoers have demanded compensation from the troubled Co-op Live arena after it cancelled its opening concert for the third time, leaving thousands of young fans stranded in Manchester.
The venue announced minutes after the doors opened on Wednesday night that US star A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie would no longer be performing due to a “technical issue”.
A spokesperson for the £365m venue later said that part of an air conditioning unit had fallen from a gantry during the soundcheck. No one was hurt but it meant organisers also had to pull the plug on Olivia Rodrigo’s two sell-out shows this weekend.
It is the latest humiliating setback for the UK’s biggest indoor arena, whose bosses have blamed Brexit, Covid and even the Manchester weather for a series of missteps that led to the cancellation of shows by Peter Kay, the Black Keys and a significantly reduced-capacity test event by Rick Astley on 20 April.
Jo Lunn, 51, said her 16-year-old daughter had travelled more than 200 miles from Hampshire to see A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie with her 18-year-old sister on Wednesday, only to be let down at the last minute.
Some fans had already been allowed into the venue and thousands more were queueing outside when Co-op Live posted on X at 6.40pm that the concert had been cancelled.
“It’s just really unforgivable,” said Lunn. “I had a lot of faith in [the venue] and really wanted it to succeed but it’s just so disappointing. They’re going to be the laughing stock of the industry.”
Lunn’s family have twice been left disappointed because they had tickets to one of the cancelled Peter Kay gigs last month. In total, she said, they had spent almost £1,000 on travel and hotel rooms for the two events, including £300 on train tickets.
She added: “Am I going to get lots of compensation? Probably not, but a gesture would be nice. Unless you live a stone’s throw away I just wouldn’t take the risk of going. It’s crazy. The communications have been either arrogant or naive, thinking people will just show up the following week.”
The venue’s recent setbacks have ranged from power supply issues to faulty building works and a PR gaffe that prompted its general manager, Gary Roden, to resign a fortnight ago when he told the BBC that grassroots venues were often “poorly run”.
However, the troubles date back long before Rick Astley’s test show.
The venue’s manager admitted earlier this week that Co-op Live may still not be completed for another year.
Tim Leiweke, chief executive of the venue’s manager, the US-based Oak View Group (OVG), told the Manchester Evening News that the operators were still working through a “600-point” list of issues to resolve. He added: “Finding skilled labour is a lot harder to do right now in the UK than it was before Brexit.”
It is understood that one of the most pressing issues is the installation of a communications system for the emergency services, after concerns were raised by Greater Manchester police (GMP) and the fire service.
Other internal security systems and fire safety measures were still being resolved as recently as last week.
The bumpy launch was forecasted two months ago when GMP and others expressed reservations about Co-op Live’s readiness during a two-day licensing hearing.
GMP said it had been unable to examine the venue’s plans for a major incident or terror attack because there was no framework “available to scrutinise”.
The police and others also shared concerns about the ability to get tens of thousands of ticket holders to and from Co-op Live – 4 miles from Manchester city centre – with limited public transport at 5am, its originally proposed closing time.
The venue was eventually granted a licence on 1 March after councillors said it would be a “significant benefit” to the region.
However, there are now doubts about its ability to host upcoming concerts.
On Thursday evening Take That said they will be moving their May shows from the Co-op Live to the rival AO Arena. Keane had already announced their Sunday gig at the venue had been postponed due to issues which they said are “entirely beyond our control”.
In an Instagram post Take That said: “Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of Co-op Live we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena where we have enjoyed many great nights over the years.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible.”
Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester’s night-time economy adviser, earlier said he was “monitoring the situation closely”. He added: “As with all event venues, the safety of staff and customers is the highest priority even if that means there are delays.”
Amanda Mather, 46, whose 17-year-old daughter was one of thousands left disappointed on Wednesday night, said the venue’s owners had potentially put young people at risk by immediately ordering them away from the site instead of allowing them to be collected.
Mather said: “It was just: ‘Go – get away from the area and leave.’ It showed a disregard for their immediate safety.”
The fiasco is also embarrassing for the Co-op Group, which has the naming rights for the venue. The company said it was “shocked” at the latest cancellation and would be demanding answers from OVG.
But the biggest humiliation may yet transpire for Co-op Live as the rival AO Arena – which fiercely opposed plans for the new venue – was on Thursday reportedly exploring plans to host the cancelled concert by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
That would fail to ease the disappointment for Liam Hadway, 27, who bought tickets to Olivia Rodrigo’s cancelled gig for his 16-year-old sister’s birthday.
The pair were due to drive up from Milton Keynes for the concert on Saturday but had been left dejected: “The communication has been terrible for the last couple of weeks. Is it happening? Isn’t it happening?”
He added: “It still doesn’t seem like it’s ready. I feel like some sort of accountability needs to be taken. They definitely need to do something, whether it’s reimburse people for hotels – which are expensive on a Saturday night in Manchester. It’s not great.”
