Yes, whether you only know ‘Africa’ or not, we refuse to let the news that American rock legends Toto are coming back to Manchester for the first time in half a decade pass you by.
The 1970s and 80s pop-rock icons are still one of the most commercially successful and beloved band groups to ever come out of the US, and that’s saying something, so it’s safe to say their return is a pretty big deal in our opinion.
Known for hits like ‘Hold The Line’, ‘Rosanna’, ‘I’ll Be Over You’, oh, and of course ‘Africa’, they’ve always firmly been in that category of bands that you know way more of their songs than you think.
Set to land at the equally legendary AO Arena early next year, the venue is kicking off its 2025 calendar of shows in style.
🎉 TOTO announce their upcoming 2025 tour, which see's the group head to Manchester's AO Arena on Tuesday 4th February 2025. 🎸 The tour also features a Special Guest performance from Christopher Cross! ✨
Now active for nearly half a century (albeit across a total of three spells and numerous different lineups when it comes to live performances) their longevity is up there with some of the very biggest and best names in music.
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With a whopping total of 14 studio albums to their name, well over 40 million albums sold worldwide since 1977 and an estimated 1,253,376 daily streams of ‘Africa’ on Spotify alone, they’ve done it all.
Beyond that, they’re littered all over movie soundtracks, influenced countless acts across the globe that came after them and were probably at least one of your relatives’ favourite bands at one point or another.
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Polishing off their ‘Dogs of Oz’ tour for the remainder of 2024, the LA-formed outfit will be taking a short break before gearing up for a world tour consisting of 20 tour dates and just four here in the UK.
Fortunately, one of them just so happens to be in Manchester on Tuesday, 4 February. Phew.
It may only be guitarist and singer Steve Lukather left when it comes to original members, but it’s still great to see them going strong.
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It’s also been five whole since they last played Manchester at Bridgewater Hall, so to experience the veterans back on an arena stage will be special, to say the least.
Better yet, with fellow contemporary Christopher Cross – best known for ‘Sailing’, ‘Ride Like The Wind’ and ‘Never Be the Same’ – joining them as a special guest, this is set to be a real throwback show that fans are sure to lap right up.
Tickets for Toto at the AO Arena go on sale this Friday, 13 September at 10am. Be ready to ‘Hold The Line’ and grab yours HERE. See what we did there?…
Nelly announces massive Manchester gig on Where The Party At Tour
Daisy Jackson
Hip-hop star Nelly is heading to Manchester on his upcoming Where The Party At Tour, celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut album Country Grammar.
The Hot In Herre singer and rapper has announced a run of shows across the UK and Europe for next year.
Those include a massive gig at the AO Arena in Manchester, where Nelly will perform hits from across his career.
He’s lined up some huge support acts to join him on the UK leg of the Where The Party At Tour too, including Eve, Fabolous, Jermaine Dupri and St. Lunatics.
Expect to hear chart-topping hits like Hot In Herre, Dilemma, and Ride Wit Me, in a show that he promises will be ‘packed with surprises’.
Nelly is a multi-platinum, three-times Grammy Award-winning entertainer and entrepreneur, who very recently landed a gig as a special guest for Janet Jackson’s Together Again Tour.
His newly-announced 54-date tour will take him across New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States, kicking off on 21 March 2025.
Nelly said: “Yo, ‘Where Da Party At Tour’ we are taking this tour worldwide – I got my folks with me Ja Rule, Jermaine Dupri, Eve, the St. Lunatics, and Fabulous — so you know it’s all 2025… LETS GOOOOO..!!! Da Party AT…!!”
Nelly will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 7 June 2025.
General sale tickets are available from 10am on Friday 13 December, with various presales live from Tuesday 10 December.
Lidl are offering a reward for their Liam Gallagher plaque to be safely returned
Danny Jones
Supermarket chain Lidl are desperate and in dire need of our help: they’re offering a reward to whoever safely returns one of their most treasured possessions – a Liam Gallagher plaque.
If you don’t remember the rather silly story from earlier this year, Oasis’ soon-to-return lead singer did plenty of poking fun at the Co-op Live‘s opening date being pushed back and multiple cancellations.
The iconic frontman ultimately ended up playing his four nights at the state-of-the-art arena with no issues, but as a tongue-in-cheek testament to his joke that’d he play a “gig in Lidl” if the venue wasn’t ready in time, the German-founded group erected a plaque in memory of the gag.
However, Lidl’s beloved Liam Gallagher plaque has since gone missing but rather than launch a full-scale manhunt, they’re trying to keep up the festive spirit and instead offering a pretty significant reward to the person that brings it back to them.
Don’t look plaque in anger – we need your help! 🚨
Our Liam Gallagher plaque in Manchester, honouring the gig that almost happened, has gone missing! 📷 Can you help us bring it home in time for Christmas?🎄We've got a £500 Lidl voucher ready and waiting in exchange for its safe… pic.twitter.com/VYr5RygttT
Although leads on the missing bit of royal blue metal are scarce, the plaque that was hung outside their Newton Heath store back in June disappeared this month.
Not only was it an amusing bit of history for the brand but the sign itself actually became a bit of an ironic but nevertheless genuine tourist attraction, with people grabbing snaps next to it and it even featured on the Manchester Taxi Tour itineraries.
This little plaque was actually just the start of a weird love affair between the two; back in October, Lidl also dropped an absolutely perfectly placed advert right in front of a giant poster of Liam Gallagher’s Berghaus ad campaign in the centre of Manchester.
Very good indeed.
All that being said, they really would love to be reunited with the memento of their relationship, so much so that they’re offering a whopping £500 to spend in Lidl vouchers for its safe return.
Credit: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments (supplied via Lidl GB)
Just think of all the nonsense you could buy in the ‘Middle of Lidl’ aisle, a.k.a. the best part of the whole shop.
Those who have any information on the whereabouts of the Liam Gallagher plaque should email the following address: [email protected]. The Burnage brothers aren’t holding grudges anymore and neither are Lidl.
Let’s bring Liam home for Christmas. As you were x
Danny Jones -
10th September 2024 
