Motown legend Diana Ross will be performing at the AO Arena tonight, fresh off the back of her landmark performance at the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.
The music icon is visiting Manchester on her UK Thank You Tour on 14 June before heading on to gigs in Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, and London.
She’ll also be taking the headline slot, known as the Legends slot, at Glastonbury Festival.
Diana Ross rose to fame in the 1960s as part of The Supremes, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time.
They dominated the charts with songs such as Baby Love, Stop!, In the Name of Love, and You Keep Me Hangin’ On, before Diana launched her solo career and released well-known songs such as I’m Still Waiting, Touch Me in the Morning, Endless Love, and, of course, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, and the UK number one single Chain Reaction.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of her concert at the AO Arena tonight.
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Tickets for Diana Ross
Diana Ross performing at the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Credit: BBC
There’s still quite good availability for the gig tonight at the AO Arena.
Tickets are priced from £85.75 and go all the way up to £436.35 if you want to sit front row, as close as possible to the action.
For hospitality packages at the AO Arena, you can email [email protected] or call 0161 9501069.
Stage times
The Supremes. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Doors for the AO Arena will open at 6pm.
The show is set to start at 7.30pm, though times are always subject to change.
Support act
As things stand, no support act has been announced for Diana Ross at the AO Arena.
That means we’ll have hours of pure Diamond Diana delights, with the star likely to take straight to the stage at around 7.30pm.
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The setlist
Manchester is the first night on the Thank You Tour, so we can’t be sure what songs Diana will play yet.
But the below is her setlist from her gig at Cardiff Castle, which gives you an idea.
I’m Coming Out
More Today Than Yesterday (Spiral Starecase cover)
Where Did Our Love Go (The Supremes song)
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Baby Love (The Supremes song)
Stop! In the Name of Love (The Supremes song)
You Can’t Hurry Love (The Supremes song)
Love Child (Diana Ross & The Supremes cover)
Chain Reaction
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I’m Still Waiting
Upside Down
Love Hangover / Take Me Higher / Ease on Down the Road
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers cover)
If We Hold on Together
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If the World Just Danced
Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) / Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover)
Encore
Thank You
Featured image: Publicity Picture
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Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics is returning to Manchester later this year
Thomas Melia
DJ and radio presenter Pete Tong MBE is making his way back to Manchester with a whole host of guests ready to help you dance the night away.
Known for his live radio shows such as the ‘Essential Mix’ on BBC Radio 1, Tong is bringing back his widely successful Ibiza Classics club night to Manchester with an equally impressive roster of guests.
The ‘Ibiza Classics’ concept originated and debuted back in 2015 with Tong and co. taking on Royal Albert Hall as part of BBC Radio 1’s Proms schedule, paying homage to the island’s infectious anthems.
Since then, the English DJ has built a music event bigger than he could have ever imagined, and this year it’s celebrating a milestone 10-year anniversary tour heading out across the country.
Pete Tong, Jules Buckley and The Essential Orchestra are bringing Ibiza Classics to AO Arena in Manchester.
Some of Tong’s notable releases include ‘Where’s The Music Gone’ and ‘Apocolypse’, alongside some very respectable dance music artists. He delighted the crowd with this event back in 2023 when he brought Ibiza to Aintree Racecourse.
Other tracks to his name include ‘You Got The Love’ and ‘Time’, both collaborations with Jules Buckley, one of the famous faces you’ll get to see on this special Ibiza Classics tour.
Alongside being a frequent feature on Tong’s hits, Buckley is a well-renowned composer who has worked with the likes of Florence and The Machine, Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys and more.
Pete Tong and Jules Buckley won’t be fronting AO Arena alone either, as they’re also bringing along another familiar group who are often credited alongside the duo, The Essential Orchestra.
This night is expected to be filled with pure dance hits, and based on recent shows, there might even be appearances from even more musical talents and special guests.
He even invited American-English vocalist Vula, known for hits like ‘Turn Me On (Dr. Love)’, onto the stage, who performed a rendition of Tong’s classic track ‘Good Life’.
Pete Tong, Jules Buckley and The Essential Orchestra are bringing Ibiza Classics to AO Arena on Saturday 6 December with tickets already on sale HERE.
Featured Images – Ash Youd/Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)/BBC/radio1interactive (via Flickr)
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Robbie Williams at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
The self-proclaimed entertainer, Robbie Williams, is making his way to Manchester for not one but two nights of golden hits.
Mr. Williams last touched down in Manchester back in 2022 when he brought his ‘XXV Tour’ to our lovely city for three nights, so it’s no surprise this new tour features a double bill right here.
This time, Robbie has opted for Co-op Live, and we’re sure that the 23,500 fans in the crowd both nights will be ready to belt out ‘Angels’ word for word – it’s already ingrained into our brains after all.
Never out of the spotlight, he has seen a lot of media attention lately surrounding his biopic, Better Man, which famously shows the pop star’s Life thru a different* Lens by portraying him as a monkey.
Robbie Williams Manchester gig guide – all the important info
Robbie Williams is bringing his latest UK tour to Co-op Live in Manchester.
Robbie has always been a big fan of the music capital of the North, especially during the long period he spent up here as part of Take That, who themselves have performed at Manchester’s AO Arena 46 times – a record they still hold to this day.
He’s done a fair few as a solo act himself, and now his debut at Europe’s largest indoor entertainment venue is next on the list.
Tickets, as you can expect, are far and few between as everyone wants a chance of watching the ‘Better Man’ sing out to the crowds of Manchester.
If you do manage to bag yourself some last-minute tickets to see this music legend, make sure you’re not paying ‘Somethin’ Stupid’… to be fair, like millions of others, we’d still pay plenty to see Robbie.
You can find your tickets HERE, with an extra batch of allocation just added.
Robbie Williams setlist
Rocket
Let Me Entertain You
All My Life / Song 2 / Seven Nation Army / Rim Tim Tagi Dim / Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song) / Livin’ On a Prayer
Monsoon
Old Before I Die
Rock DJ
Love My Life
Keep On Movin’
Strong
The Road to Mandalay
Let Love Be Your Energy
Sexed Up
Candy
Relight My Fire
Something Beautiful
Milennium
Theme From New York, New York
Come Undone
Kids
I Could Be So Good for You
She’s the One
My Way
Feel
Angels
This setlist is based on his recent show at Emirates Stadium in London, where he surprised the audience by bringing out boyband Five to sing their smash hit ‘Keep On Movin’.
Five are also heading out on the road later this year, choosing AO Arena to host the Manc date of their comeback tour, which is set to make ‘Everybody Get Up’.
We recently had the pleasure of interviewing them, and they really were a joy/
What are the stage times for Robbie Williams in Manchester?
Robbie starring in his music video for ‘Lost’, as part of his album XXV.Same energy as always.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning everyone can soar like a ‘Rocket’ while also making sure they’re nice and tucked up under the covers before the clock strikes twelve.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm with a kick-off time of 7:30pm and support from local talent The Lottery Winners, get in!
In fact, frontman Thom Rylance has already got to live out a real boyhood dream of his on this tour, joining Robbie Williams on stage for a very special moment – here’s hoping for something similar in Manchester.
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Daisy Jackson -
14th June 2022 
