Legendary soul singer Gladys Knight is heading out on her final ever tour – and will be performing in Manchester this month.
The seven-time Grammy-award winner, known as the ‘Empress of Soul’, has included an evening at the O2 Apollo Manchester as part of her tour.
Known as the voice on iconic songs like Midnight Train to Georgia, the 78-year-old star will be performing her final ever shows this summer.
Gladys Knight’s Farewell Tour will be in Manchester on 27 May – one of only two gigs here in the UK.
She’s a bona fide hit-maker who has written more than 40 albums, and scored countless chart successes across genres such as pop, soul and gospel.
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Gladys Knight. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Gladys launched into the world of showbiz when she was just eight years old, and has gone on to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an inclusion in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
She’ll be playing a huge range of songs from her arsenal of hits, such as the standout Motown gem (and The Greatest Songs Of All Time according to Rolling Stone), ‘Midnight Train To Georgia, plus ‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’.
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Her back catalogues also includes the James Bond theme tune ‘Licence To Kill’, ‘Baby Don’t Change Your Mind, and ‘You’re The Best Thing (That Ever Happened to Me)’ all well as all new material from her latest album, Where My Heart Belongs.
Gladys Knight will bring her Farewell Tour to the O2 Apollo Manchester on Saturday 27 May. Tickets are available now through Skiddle and Ticketmaster.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Fans stunned as indie band The Reytons announce Co-op Live gig
Daisy Jackson
The Reytons have just announced their biggest shows to date – and fans can’t quite believe the size of venue they’ve gone for in Manchester.
The indie group will be playing at Co-op Live later this year as part of their very first world tour.
It’s comfortably the biggest indoor music venue in the UK, and will be the largest gig on the entire tour, which also includes shows at Alexandra Palace, plus venues across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The Reytons have most recently been out touring with a headline slot at Tramlines Festival in Sheffield, as well as pulling Gary Neville up to play with them on stage.
The Rotheram-formed group recently announced their fourth studio album ‘A Love Letter To A Broken Town’ – due for release in July.
Frontman Jonny Yerrell said: “I honestly feel like this album is the best we’ve ever done!
“A lot of bands and artists like to change direction later in their careers, but that’s just not us. We absolutely love the style of music we make, the social commentary aspects and the people who turn up to jump around with us. Why would we change?
“Expect more, just bigger and better with a few surprises on the side!”
This latest announcement for The Reytons sees them booking an incredibly ambitious jump in venue size – the 23,500 capacity Co-op Live, compared to last year’s 5,000 capacity Aviva Studios.
And now a load of fans are bickering online about whether they’ll be able to sell it out, with one person writing: “Everyone said they wouldnt sell out sheffield arena, clifton park, tramlines or wembley arena… they sold out all 4. I know 3 are local shows but people will travel to see them as well as proven by the Wembley gig.”
Another said: “People will follow them, doesn’t matter where they go. When it sell out, ill make sure to come let you know.”
Even their own press release described it as an ‘against all odds’ rise to success, describing the band as ‘UK music’s biggest underdogs’.
Tickets for The Reytons world tour, including their Co-op Live gig in Manchester, will go on sale at 10am on Friday 24 April HERE.
Louis Tomlinson at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist, and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson is heading out on a UK tour, visiting Co-op Live for his biggest Manchester solo show to date.
10 years since launching his solo career with debut single ‘Just Hold On’, Tomlinson is hitting the road again for his tour, which shares its title with the name of his latest LP – How Did I Get Here?
Tomlinson’s last visit to Manchester saw him gracing the impressive 21,000 seater AO Arena – a stage he was already familiar with during his UK boyband days.
But now, the Doncaster-born musician is visiting one of Manchester’s biggest indoor live music venues, Co-op Live, and it’s sure to be a jam-packed night of live music.
Are there tickets left for Louis Tomlinson at Co-op Live?
Well if you’ve made it this far through, it’s safe to say the fact you’re after Louis Tomlinson tickets is ‘Written All Over Your Face’.
If you’re wanting to ‘Face The Music’ or ‘Jump the Gun’ you can do so as there’s tickets to his Manchester show at Co-op Live HERE.
Louis Tomlinson is bringing the How Did I Get Here? tour to Manchester on 24 April / Credit: Flickr via Javie Rosh / Wikimedia Commons via Kurt Kulac (Supplied)
Louis Tomlinson setlist for 2026 tour
The How Did I Get Here? Tour officially kicked off in Europe and it prioritises songs from his latest LP.
Here is the set list:
Lemonade
On Fire
Written All Over Your Face
Out Of My System
Bigger Than Me
Saturdays
Angels Fly
Dark to Light
Broken Bones
Defenceless
Just Hold On
Lazy
Sunflowers
Lucid
Jump the Gun
Imposter
Sanity
Kill My Mind
Face the Music
Silver Tounges
The Observer
The Answer
Miss You
Palaces
Stage times
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm meaning you can get home before having to watch the sky turn from ‘Dark to Light’.
Anyone attending this show is in luck as the North has been well and truly represented in the form of Manc-based rock group Pale Waves and Doncaster talent ADMT.
Great to see another one of our own, Alex Spencer, also joining the bill for the EU leg, even if it means Manchester just misses out on getting to him hit the stage.
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 1am 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.
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.
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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 on 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.
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Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on 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 -
11th May 2023 
