News

Transport for Greater Manchester issues travel advice ahead of Man City and Co-op Live gig clash

A night filled with guitars and goals, hopefully - but it's going to be a busy one, to say the least.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 25th November 2024

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued a travel warning ahead of Tuesday night ahead of a huge night of sport and music over at the Etihad Campus.

As well as tomorrow night’s football action, with Manchester City‘s next Champions League match kicking off at 8pm, a big gig is taking place at Co-op Live just next door.

While Man City are taking on Dutch side Feyenoord in what is now an even more important fixture following Pep Guardiola having now lost five in a row for the first time in his career, over the road one of the hottest bands in the rock world right now.

Set to headline Manchester’s state-of-the-art music venue for the first time, alternative metal group Sleep Token‘s landmark Northern show will be going on simultaneously, with doors to the venue due to open from 7pm. With that in mind, TfGM has urged those attending both to plan ahead.

With both events overlapping and fans of both the band and the Blues descending upon the Etihad Stadium and the arena, respectively, the local transport authority has shared details of how to best plan journeys, be they on the tram, by car or otherwise, as well as how to avoid the crowds before and after.

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It’s estimated that around 2,000 Feyenoord fans will do the usual walk up to the Etihad from Shambles Square, which will obviously cause significant disruption in the city centre, not to mention congestion when it comes to roads, buses and the Metrolink.

As per an official update from TfGM, they stated: “Those making their way home or elsewhere should re-route their journeys away from the area, consider leaving earlier to avoid the traffic or work from home on the day if it is an option for them.  

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“The transport network will be busiest between 4pm and 5:30pm on Saturday and between 5:30pm and 8pm on Tuesday.  Tram travel will be the best option for most City fans and concertgoers”

Double the amount of services are set to run throughout the day along the Eccles and Ashton-under-Lyne lines and the Altrincham and Piccadilly routes will also be extended operations to serve the added footfall heading towards the Etihad Campus.  

You can expect a tram approximately every six minutes from the city centre but they will obviously be very busy, so they have also suggested people consider the recently redeveloped walking route to the Etihad Campus, which is well-lit, stewarded and takes around 25 minutes from Piccadilly.  

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Manchester City matchday bus service will also be operating as usual, with 15 different routes operating across Greater Manchester and beyond, covering a total of 64 stops, not to mention other bus companies and the wider Bee Network.

Driving is being warned against due to the increased traffic flow but for those who must, park and ride is recommended, though Ashton Moss and Ashton West Park and Ride are expected to be the busiest, so gig-goers may want to try Hollinwood, Radcliffe or Whitefield.  

So, whether you’re heading to the concert or the game and however you choose to get there, be safe, look after each other and, most of all, have a great time.

You can read the full update for more details HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — G-13114 (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group

News

Latest wave of ‘Evening 4’ Ricky Hatton lineup in memory of the legendary Manc boxer announced

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Manchester is set to host a night of remembrance and celebration in honour of the late, great, local boxer, Ricky Hatton, and now a superb second wave of names has been added to AO Arena’s lineup.

Coming this summer, the legendary Manchester arena – where Hatton enjoyed so many of his iconic moments – will be holding the first-ever ‘Evening4Ricky’ later this year.

Held at the legendary sports and live entertainment venue just in time for summer, we still only know bits and pieces about what’s in store, but a whole host of familiar Manc faces, famous British names, and figures from the world of sport have now been announced.

One thing’s for sure, this will be special.

Sharing the news on social media, AO Arena said: “Join us for an unforgettable night of entertainment as Manchester comes together for Evening4Ricky.

“This will be a spectacular, unique celebration of the life, spirit and legacy of one of the city’s most beloved icons – Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton.”

With seats priced at £25, fans are being encouraged to join the early bird sign-up to secure access to discounted tickets.

As you can see, now confirmed for the evening are the likes of Man United legend, Paul Scholes, darts icon Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, as well as fellow former boxers like Frank Bruno, Tony Bellew and more.

Local band, The K’s, were already confirmed as part of the in-person performances, but now the likes of Manc grime artists Bugzy Malone, fellow UK rapper Tinie Tempah, and The Lottery Winners are joining in, too, alongside loads more live music and entertainment set to be revealed in the coming weeks.

They go on to add: “Hosted at the legendary AO Arena, home to so many of Ricky’s big fights, featuring a superstar cast of legends from the worlds of boxing, music, comedy and entertainment.”

So, we do at least know there’ll be some famous faces coming along to help make it a memorable Manc moment, just a few months on from the city and beyond uniting for his public funeral procession.

Ricky was beloved not only by the Greater Manchester community but was a popular figure and friend to many in the sporting and showbiz industries.

The homegrown ‘Pride of Hyde‘ tragically left us on 14 September 2025 at the age of just 46, but his passing has once again helped reassert the importance of having more conversations around wellbeing, suicide prevention, and most specifically, men’s mental health.

You can find more information and see how to grab tickets right HERE.

This isn’t the only charitable in memoriam event happening across the region in the coming weeks, either, as Mancs will be gathering to pay tribute to another fellow inspiring sportsman.

A ‘legacy walk’ in memory of Joe Thompson is taking place across Greater Manchester

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Featured Images — Sdcjeff (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Rare picture of David Bowie’s legendary one-off gig in Stockport unearthed

Danny Jones Danny Jones David Bowie picture after sleeping on train station platform after Stockport gig 1970

A rare picture taken from the night of the late, great David Bowie’s legendary one-off gig in Stockport has been unearthed by a local whilst digging through his loft.

Imagine having that kind of history just squirrelled away in an attic…

As revealed by Stockport Music Story, after being supplied with the image by David Maynard, the snap was shared more than half a century on from the much-mythologised moment in Greater Manchester music history.

In fact, it was put on display and posted on social media quite literally 56 years to the day since Bowie played his only Stopfordian set on 27 April, 1970.

Maynard himself is featured in the newly discovered photograph (second from the left) and was one of the select and lucky few who were in the room for that very special show.

Organised by a group of teens on behalf of the Stockport Schools’ Students’ Union, the performance took place at the long-gone Poco a Poco music venue and club over in Heaton Chapel.

The storied space hosted many big names over the years – Gerry Marsden, Freddie Starr, Hank Marvin and more – but sadly closed in May of 1987 following a fire.

It went on to become the popular Hinds Head pub, which still serves punters to this day, but once had the honour of hosting a true artistic great and British icon.

For anyone wondering, this is indeed the same night on which David Robert Jones (yes, that’s Bowie‘s full birth name) missed his train home and had to sleep on the railway platform.

Here’s a BBC segment covering the tale back on its 55th anniversary in April 2025.

It may be a small and somewhat curious claim to fame, but native love the legend of it all nonetheless.

As for the other individuals pictured alongside him, Stockport Music Story (SMS) said: “The names of the people we know are David Maynard (2nd left), Roz Wood (3rd left), David Bowie, Bill Frost (2nd right), Stewart Rigby (right).”

They go on to add: “It would be amazing to find out who the other people in the photograph are and what they remember from that night.” We sincerely hope they do.

You can now see the plaque up close and personal at Stockport Station for yourselves and as for SMS’s growing archive of the region’s creative culture, you can find out tonnes more about other pieces of SK heritage right HERE.

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Featured Images — David Maynard via Stockport Music Story/Stockport Council

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