Queens of the Stone Age are heading out on a huge arena tour of the UK and Europe later this year, and they’ll be paying us a visit here in Manchester.
Ahead of their headlining slot on the Other Stage at this year’s Glastonbury, and a string of accompanying sold-out UK shows throughout the summer, Queens Of The Stone Age have today announced that they’re set to perform at some of the biggest arenas across Europe this autumn, and fans will soon be able to grab tickets.
The Seattle-formed US rock band – which is fronted by Joshua Homme, with Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and Jon Theodore – are inviting music lovers to “celebrate the end of the world” with them on their The End Is Nero tour.
They’ll be taking to the stage at the AO Arena here in Manchester for one night only this November.
London’s O2 Arena, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena, and Dublin’s 3Arena are just a few of the other major arenas the five-piece band are set to entertain crowds at later this year.
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The End Is Nero tour will support the band’s upcoming eighth studio album In Times New Roman…, which is set to be released on 16 June.
The lads say they’re encouraging “the obscene and the clean, the outcasts and the weirdos, and anyone and everyone in between” to all come together and celebrate the album release with them and thousands of other fans on tour as “this is where you belong”.
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“Leave your judgement at the door, bring anything and everything else,” the band added.
Queens of the Stone Age to play massive Manchester gig on UK arena tour / Credit: Queens of the Stone Age (via Facebook)
The End Is Nero tour kicks-off at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on 4 November, and will see the band head to Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Belgium, all before arriving in the UK and taking to the AO Arena stage here in Manchester on 14 November.
The Chats and deep tan are both lined-up to support on all upcoming UK and Europe tour dates.
Kylie Minogue in Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for ‘Tension’ tour
Thomas Melia
The unofficial Queen of Australia and Britain’s adopted pop princess, Kylie Minogue, is bringing her dance tracks to Manchester, taking up residence in AO Arena for two nights of pop perfection.
Whether you first got to know Kylie from her stint on Neighbours, her delicious range of branded wines or her marvellous discography, it’s safe to say this star has built quite a legacy.
She loves coming across the pond to the UK and Manchester, specifically, playing the legendary AO Arena over 30 times, and we’re grateful for every single one, especially these two upcoming shows.
Kylie has played at AO Arena, Manchester over 30 times and we’re certainly not complaining.
Now Kylie is returning with her long-awaited ‘Tension Tour’ which features the huge phenomenon that is ‘Padam Padam’ as well as her newest single ‘Lights Camera Action’.
Kylie Minogue UK tour dates
Fri 16 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Sat 17 May – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 19 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Tue 20 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Thu 22 May – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
Fri 23 May – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 26 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena
Are there tickets left for Kylie at AO Arena?
If you’re ready to get into the ‘Real Groove’ with this Aussie act, there are two Manchester dates you can get tickets for, and if we didn’t know any better, we’d say she did this ‘Especially for You’.
Fancy spending a night like this with Minogue and her crew on Monday, 19 May? You’ll be able to find tickets HERE.
Better still, if you fancy seeing her back to back or can’t make the first date for whatever reason, she’ll be playing again just 24 hours later.
Kylie Minogue ‘Tension’ tour setlist
According to her most recent gig recorded on the ever-trusty Setlist.fm, anyway…
Lights Camera Action
In Your Eyes
Get Outta My Way
What Do I Have to Do?
Come Into My World
Good As Gone
Spinning Around
Taboo
On a Night Like This
last night i dreamt i fell in love
Better the Devil You Know
Shocked
Things We Do for Love
Dancing
The Loco-Motion
Hold On to Now
Cupid Boy
Kiss Bang Bang
Chocolate
2 Hearts
The One
Where the Wild Roses Grow
Say Something
Supernova / Real Groove / Magic / Where Does the DJ Go?
Confide in Me
Slow
Timebomb
Edge of Saturday Night
Tension
Can’t Get You Out of My Head
All the Lovers
Padam Padam
Love at First Sight
What are the stage times for Kylie in Manchester?
Kylie is heading to AO Arena, Manchester for two nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.
If you’re head is ‘Spinning Around’ trying to work out your plans ahead of the big night, fear not as doors open from 6pm with the show commencing at 7:30pm.
Support comes in the form of Jodie Harsh, a London-based drag queen and music producer, who’ll be tailoring a DJ set especially for both nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can watch this pop princess in action and don’t have to wait ‘A Second to Midnight’ to hear all her timeless hits. Last pun, we promise…
How to get to AO Arena
Tram
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through 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.
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About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Smash-hit musical Legally Blonde is returning to the stage in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Oh my god, you guys… one of the most popular stage musicals is heading out on a UK tour next year, and will be stopping off in Manchester.
Based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Browning, and the iconic 2001 film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge, the multi-award winning Legally Blonde The Musical will be touring the UK and Ireland in 2026, and of course the cast’ll be taking to one of Manchester‘s most famous stages.
Producers ROYO and Curve have confirmed that this is brand-new production of the West End and Broadway hit musical comedy that we all know and love.
If you weren’t familiar with the fact Legally Blonde had even been turned into a musical at all, then this ultimate feel-good rom-com, based on the award-winning film, follows Elle Woods on her transformation from ‘It Girl’ fashionista to legal ace at Harvard Law School, all in the name of love.
🩷 ANNOUNCEMENT! 🩷
The iconic international West End and Broadway smash hit musical comedy Legally Blonde The Musical is back in fashion with a huge new production!
📅 Tue 3 – Sat 14 Nov 2026 🩷 ATG+ On Sale: Mon 19 May, 10am 🩷 General On Sale: Wed 21 May, 10am pic.twitter.com/tbO6oE8vcv
— Palace & Opera Mcr (@PalaceAndOpera) May 13, 2025
Elle must prove she is more than blonde ambition, swap the changing rooms for the courtroom, and learn that ‘being true to yourself never goes out of style.’
This new take on the beloved stage show features the same original music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster – who is best known for directing previous productions of Kinky Boots, The Wizard of Oz, and A Chorus Line.
Casting for the production heading to Manchester Opera House in November 2026, along with further creatives, are set to be announced in due course.
Smash-hit musical Legally Blonde is returning to the stage in Manchester next year / Credit: Supplied
“Legally Blonde is firmly established in the musical theatre repertoire as a contemporary classic, commented Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster.
“We have assembled a ‘mad props’ creative team and together we are looking forward to creating a fresh, fun and sunny SoCal production of this great musical… we can’t wait to share the show with audiences across the UK and Europe.”
Legally Blonde The Musical will be taking to the Manchester Opera House stage from 3 – 14 November 2026, and tickets go on sale next Wednesday (21 May) at 10am.
Grab yourself some tickets when they go live here.
Emily Sergeant -
13th June 2023 
