Pitbull has finally announced that he’s bringing his party to Manchester, days after he set London alight with a concert that has taken the internet by storm.
If you’re as chronically online as I am, you’ll have spent the last few days completely immersing yourself in Pitbull’s show at The O2, which looked, if I’m being completely honest, life-changing.
From the hordes of fans dressed like Pitbull (bald caps and goatees) to the backing dancers to the pyrotechnics to the inspirational speeches, this is a man who knows how to bring a party.
And now he’s bringing it to Manchester at last, with Pitbull announcing a massive gig at Co-op Live as well as a second London gig.
Tickets will be in demand, despite the price – it’ll cost £104.50 to go general admission standing.
The global superstar, who’s behind hits like Fireball, Hotel Room Service and Give Me Everything, will be heading to town with his Party After Dark Tour.
The last time Pitbull graced the Manchester crowds was all the way back in 2018, so we’re well overdue the chance to yell TIMBERRRRR!! in the same room as him.
As if his Latin charm wasn’t enough to have us weak in the knees, he’s bringing a special guest to select shows too, including Manchester.
And he’ll be joined by the equally legendary Shaggy, a multi-Grammy-award-winning dancehall and reggae icon.
Pitbull has announced a massive Manchester gig. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Eva Rinaldi
Mr Worldwide himself is promising a high-energy show (again, the London one saw the entire arena boogying all the way into the nosebleeds) with pure party energy.
Expect stunning visuals (and we don’t just mean Pitbull himself), explosive pyrotechnics, and an amazing performance from his band, The Agents, and dancers, The Most Bad Ones.
The expanded 14-city tour will kick off on 5 June in Dublin before heading to cities including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, and Berlin.
Pitbull will perform at the Co-op Live Manchester on Sunday 8 June.
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 26 February at 9am with artist presale, before general sale begins on Friday 28 February at 9am – you can get your tickets HERE.
So go on, whack on your best bald cap, grab a pair of sunnies and get memorising all the states mentioned in ‘International Love’.
A bring-your-own booze music venue is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new nightlife concept offering bring-your-own-booze is coming to Manchester this month.
XLR will be the very first BYOB licensed music venue in Manchester, and it’s set to open on Wilmslow Road later in September.
Club-goers will pay for a ticket, then can bring their own beers and alcohol inside the club.
They say they want people to be able to make ‘the night as expensive as you want it to be’.
XLR owner Chris said that clubbing has lost its way from the early 2000s heyday and become ‘very corporate’, so it’s hoped that this new concept will break down those money barriers.
Tickets will be priced between £10 and £20, with lockers provided inside so that you can safely store your booze.
XLR will open on 24 September with appearances from Yung Singh and Bushbaby.
Owner Chris said in a teaser snippet today: “We’re bringing a really new and exciting concept to the venue this year, where customers can bring their own alcohol into the venue.
“Clubbing has come so very far away from what it used to be, sort of back in the early 2000s, and the early 90s as well.
“Clubs were meant to be about the music, whereas now it’s become very corporate, very money grab.
“The clubs used to be cheap and the bars used to be expensive.
“Clubs now, they’re just run very commercially.
“We don’t want people feeling like they’re being priced out of venues anymore.
“It’s very important that anyone can come to a club. We all know the crisis that’s going on with clubs and hospitality this year.
“When you pay for your ticket, you know you’re paying for the DJ, you pay for the promoter, you’re helping the venue to survive, you’re contributing to the culture.
“So the tickets will be £10 to £20, you can bring your own beers in, bring your own alcohol in, we’ve got lockers in place so that you don’t have to leave everything out on the dance floor.
“That’s the way that we’re gonna go this year. We hope that you get on board with the concept.
“We hope that you drink responsibly, because that’s really important as well.
“We’ll see you in September.”
See the latest from XLR Manchester on their Instagram HERE.
Soft rock heroes Foreigner announce UK tour including big Manchester gig
Thomas Melia
Foreigner are bringing their soft rock classics over the waters and to the UK as they embark on a new tour which features a Manchester stop.
Formed in the 70’s, Foreigner are a British-American rock band known for their catalogue of soft rock, including hits like ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ and ‘Cold As Ice.’
These rockers have gained a newfound following of late thanks to their music making an appearance in an array of yet more contemporary TV shows like Stranger Things, Euphoria, Wednesday and more, having been heard in plenty of films over the years.
This UK tour marks the band’s return to Manchester after four years – and no, you’ve not got ‘Double Vision’: they are in fact revisiting the same iconic arena they played back in 2022, AO Arena.
The band may look a little different on their next visit as Kelly Hansen, former vocalist of Foreigner, has stepped down after 20 years and has handed the reins over to the equally impressive Luis Maldonado.
This newest gig announcement, set for 2026, will celebrate a landmark 50 years since the band formed back in 1976, and you can expect to hear all their greatest hits.
Foreigner are no strangers to the charts with a chart-topping album and single as well as five Top 40 hits and five Top 40 albums – I guess you could call them the ultimate ‘Juke Box Hero’.
The band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2024, and to celebrate, they played their timeless classic ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ with pop singer Kelly Clarkson performing alongside.
Whether you’re there for ‘Urgent’, ‘Double Vision’ or ‘Waiting For a Girl Like You’, the New York-formed rockers will be smashing out their variety of anthems at AO Arena next year.
Now, Foreigner are coming back to Manchester and the AO Arena on Thursday, 18 June, with tickets for the gig going on presale this Wednesday, 3 September at 10am GMT.
As for general admission tickets, they will be available from the same time on Friday, 5 September – you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
They’re not the only rock legends booking big Manc arena gigs recently, either.
Thomas Melia -
25th February 2025 
