It’s been a year since the Live from Wythenshawe Park kicked off its first-ever event and now the new gig series returns for its sophomore edition and the return of true Manc music royalty in the form of New Order.
Set to play the massive Greater Manchester park, which boasts a max capacity of roughly 30,000, this weekend, New Order will be just the second headliners to ever grace the outdoor venue.
Fellow Manchester icon Noel Gallagher smashed Wythenshawe’s opening day festival in August 2023, proving to be one of the biggest local music events in decades as tens of thousands of natives descended upon the fields, so they’ve got a tough act to follow.
That being said, when you’ve got the people behind not one but two of this city’s greatest-ever groups in New Order and Joy Division before them, we’re pretty confident it’ll be a walk in the… well, you get it. Here’s everything you need to know about New Order Live from Wythenshawe Park this Saturday.
First things first, do you still have a chance of grabbing tickets for New Order at Wythenshawe Park this weekend or are you just going to have to cling on to ‘True Faith’ of picking up a spare?
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Not to worry, the big bonus about huge open-air gigs like this is the capacity is just as enormous as the name, so there are still plenty of ticket options.
General admission is priced at £61.60 plus booking fees and VIP tickets – which grant you faster entry, a dedicated bar for drinks and additional food traders, plus a chill-out area – will set you back £137.50.
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Oh, and in case you hadn’t just heard, just a day later Stockport iconic Blossoms will also be playing their biggest-ever headline show in the very same field, so you can even opt for a full weekend pass at £89.60 if you’re hoping to head to both. Whatever your tier, you can grab yours HERE.
Who is supporting New Order at Wythenshawe Park?
It’s going to be a jam-packed 24 hours of live music too, in case you weren’t aware; the whole thing kicks off in the early afternoon and is more of a day festival than it is your typical gig.
Taking the stage first for the weekend will be local alternative outlet Kyris, Tyneside’s finest Nadine Shah still fresh off her latest album back in February, as well as the incomparable Irish songstress Róisín Murphy and, of course, The Smiths guitarist turned solo star Johnny Marr.
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I mean, come on, how good a set of openers is that? You’ll be plenty warmed up come time for New Order to close out the show.
As for when you can expect these wonderful artists to perform, stage times are always subject to change but this is the current schedule you’re looking for the Live from Wythenshawe Park 2024.
3:50pm — Kyris
4:50pm — Nadine Shah
6pm — Roisin Murphy
7:30pm — Johnny Marr
9pm-10:50pm — New Order
The venue’s curfew is 11pm, so you can expect to be exiting the fields not long after New Order wrap up and with plenty of time to catch the last raft of public transport services.
Setlist
We’ll have a clearer idea of New Order’s full running order when they play the first date on the current set of summer shows in Cardiff as part of The Bay Series on Thursday, 22 August, but you can always turn to trusty old Setlist.fm to get a decent idea of the average track selection.
Have a look below to see what they played at a gig in California back in November, but you can also see a more recent festival slot HERE.
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Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod (Richard Wagner song)
Touched by the Hand of God (God Biff & Memphis remix)
Crystal
Regret
Age of Consent
Ceremony
Restless
Isolation (Joy Division cover)
Your Silent Face
The Perfect Kiss
Be a Rebel
Sub-Culture
Bizarre Love Triangle
Vanishing Point
Plastic
True Faith
Blue Monday
Temptation
Encore:
Atmosphere (Joy Division cover)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover) — obviously…
Last but not least, there’s just the small matter of getting there. While we’d always recommend travelling as green as possible/using public transport where you can, there are still some car park tickets that you can pre-book online from 10am this Thursday.
As for those of you catching a ride, there is yellow signage to the north of the site which will lead you to the pick-up/drop-off point on Wythenshawe Road, M23 0AB.
There are also three tram stops to choose from: Wythenshawe Park, Moor Road and Baguley. However, it’s worth noting that both the Park stop and Baguley will be closed from 10pm so you won’t be able to get back home this way.
Finally, you can always catch one of the shuttle buses back into the city centre, which will set you back just £3.50 on the day. The service will be operating in a loop from Sale and the city centre, running from 1pm-8pm on the way to Wythenshawe Park and then from 8pm-1:30am when heading home.
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For more information, you can find all the up-to-date travel stuff HERE or check out (TfGM) Transport for Greater Manchester’s guidance and even use their interactive map below.
Featured Images — Warren Jackson (supplied)/Audio North
Audio
Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena show
Danny Jones
Manchester is getting ready to welcome a global icon of hip-hop, soul, pop and R’n’B as Mary J Blige is set to put on a massive arena show.
With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Mary J Blige is an absolute legend of the American music scene, with nine GRAMMY Awards and nearly 40 nominations, along with a plethora of BET, Billboard, and AMA nods over the years.
Currently on ‘The For My Fans Tour’, jetting quite literally all over and recently adding on even more dates, not only has London been given some love, but so has Greater Manchester – and rightly so.
Announcing the special one-off show and Co-op Live debut this Wednesday, 16 April, Mary J Blige won’t have to wait too long to be part of the ‘Family Affair’.
The 54-year-old from New York will be coming to the state-of-the-art, one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, in just a few months’ time.
On top of the already well-established AO Arena, this is the pedigree of truly worldwide artists that Co-op Live was built to further attract – and it looks to be working.
It’s been the best part of a decade since she was last in these parts, so she’s sure to get a huge reception.
While most audiences in the likes of North America have been treated to fellow R’n’B favourite Ne-Yo, those watching Ms Blige will be keeping things domestic as long-standing London collective and producers, Soul II Soul, will be joining her for the show.
‘Back to life, back to reality…’
So there you have it! Mary J Blige will be coming to Manchester on Friday, 4 July 2025, with her own pre-sale going live at 10am on Thursday, 24 April, but Co-op members can get there even earlier, with the venue’s early access available from the same time the day before.
As for general admission, you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE from 10am on Friday, 25 April.
Fri 18 April – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley (Sean Paul, Ashanti and Big Joe)
Sat 19 April – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Sun 20 April – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
22 April – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
23 April – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre (Sean Paul ONLY)
24 April – Bournemouth, UK – BIC (Sean Paul ONLY)
Sean Paul and Ashanti tickets for AO Arena gig
Just like Ashanti’s 2002 hit, you’d have been ‘Foolish’ not to get tickets when they first came out, however, there’s still a chance for you to ‘Get Busy’ like Sean Paul’s ‘02 throwback.
There’s a limited run of tickets left throughout the venue, including standing, seated and even an option to watch the show from ‘The Mezz’ if you’re after a VIP experience – AllHERE.
There’s no official setlist yet, however, if you consider the past selection of hits from their previous separate gigs, fans are in for a jam-packed night.
Sean Paul:
So Fine
Get Busy
Ever Blazin’
Cheap Thrills
Baby Boy
Bailando
Hot Gyal Today
Infiltrate
Breathe/ Make It Clap
Give It Up To Me
Got 2 Luv U
Mad Love
No Lie
Boasty
Love Me Ladies
Tip Pon It
Volcano
Bring It
Greatest
I’m Still In Love
Light My Fire
Punkie
Rockabye
Like Glue
Deport Them
Trumpets
She Doesn’t Mind
Temperature
Ashanti:
Happy
Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
Mesmerise
Only U
Baby
Southside
Down 4 U
Body On Me
What’s Luv?
Ain’t It Funny
Always On Time
Foolish
What are the stage times for Sean Paul and Ashanti in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm; anyone attending this link-up of a lifetime can enjoy their night knowing they’ll be ‘Ever Blazin” after a full night’s sleep.
Doors for the ‘Bring It Tour’ are scheduled for 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm, with no confirmed or mentioned support acts as of yet.
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.
Getting there by car and parking
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.
Danny Jones -
20th August 2024 
