There aren’t many bands who can sell out SEVEN arena shows in Manchester – but Take That is clearly one of them.
Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald were set to perform a staggering run of shows across May and June at the Co-op Live – but we all know what happened there.
Their first five gigs have now been moved to the AO Arena instead, and will officially kick off on Tuesday 7 May.
It’s a huge homecoming gig for the trio, who’ll be performing hits from their whopping nine studio albums.
Ever since their comeback in 2006 they’ve become one of the biggest and best-selling pop groups on the planet, with almost every album topping the charts and reaching Platinum status.
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But change of venue for Take That has meant thousands of tickets have been reallocated, and there is a date change in the mix too.
If you’re one of the lucky ones to bag tickets for Take That’s This Life On Tour tour in Manchester, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know.
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What dates are Take That performing in Manchester?
Take That’s first batch of Manchester gigs have moved from the Co-op Live (right) to the AO Arena. Credit: The Manc Group
At AO Arena
Tuesday 7 May
Thursday 9 May (rescheduled from Wednesday 8 May)
Friday 10 May
Saturday 11 May
Sunday 12 May
At Co-op Live
Tuesday 11 June
Wednesday 12 June
How to get your new tickets after venue change from Co-op Live
If you had tickets for the group’s original planned shows at the new Co-op Live arena, you’re probably wondering how the venue change will work.
Any tickets that were purchased through Ticketmaster will automatically change in your account in the next few days (if they haven’t already).
If you have any queries about your ticket, contact your point of purchase.
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What if your new seats for Take That are worse than your original booking?
Take That will bring their huge 2024 tour to Manchester this week. Credit: Publicity picture
Ooh yeah, this has been a bit of a sore subject for Take That fans, some of whom have found themselves in much worse seats than they initially paid for.
That’s down to the different layouts of the two arenas, and the fact that the AO Arena is slightly smaller than Co-op Live.
The AO Arena has asked ticketing providers to reallocate seats as fairly as possible, keeping seats as close to the original booking as they can.
The arena said in a statement to one disgruntled fan: “We appreciate your frustration and advise you contact your provider to discuss further.”
On their FAQ page, it states: “The transfer process takes into account the position of previous tickets, and the number of tickets in the individual booking.
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:However, each venue is different in their block row and seat configuration, which will undoubtedly mean that some fans won’t get exactly what they had for the original show.”
If you’re one of the affected people who’s not happy with your new seat, you need to contact your ticket provider directly for help and advice.
What to do if you can’t make the rescheduled date
Most of the Take That shows have remained on their original dates, simply switching from Co-op Live arena to the AO Arena.
But the show originally scheduled for Wednesday 8 May has unfortunately had to be rearranged to Thursday 9 May.
If the new date doesn’t work for you, refunds are available from your point of purchase.
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Seating plan at the AO Arena for Take That’s Manchester gigs
The exact venue layout for Take That at the AO Arena hasn’t actually been released by Ticketmaster at the time of writing.
But after decades hosting some of the biggest acts in the world, the venue is pretty familiar to most of us at this point.
The below chart is the one for Girls Aloud, which is also being staged as a fully seated concert.
Take That have been making use of a B Stage in the heart of the floor audience too, which will likely be added to their Manchester gig.
Who is supporting Take That at their Manchester shows?
In an effort to create the most chart-friendly, crowd-pleasing, middle-of-the-road pop night of all time, Take That have recruited Olly Murs as their support act.
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The former X Factor alumni headlined arenas across the UK in 2023 with his Marry Me tour, and now he’s back to warm up the crowds for Take That.
You can expect to hear some of the 39-year-old’s biggest hits, including Please Don’t Let Me Go, Heart Skips a Beat, and Dear Darlin.
What is Take That’s expected setlist?
Take That have already performed multiple dates on this tour, so we’ve got a good idea of what their setlist in Manchester will look like.
Keep Your Head Up
Windows
Giants
Days I Hate Myself
Everything Changes
Sure
Shine
A Million Love Songs
I Found Heaven
Pray
Forever Love (Gary Barlow song)
Clementine (Mark Owen song)
Speak Without Words (unreleased Howard Donald song)
Patience
The Flood
Get Ready for It
March of the Hopeful
The Champion
This Life
Greatest Day
These Days
Time and Time Again
Relight My Fire
One More Word
Hold Up a Light
Back for Good
Never Forget
Rule the World
What will the stage times be for Take That at the AO Arena Manchester?
Doors – 6pm
Olly Murs – 7.20pm
Take That – 8.35pm
Curfew – 11pm
*Stage times are often subject to change so allow plenty of time to get into the arena.
At the minute, tickets have been taken off sale for Take That, presumably while the AO Arena and Ticketmaster deal with transferring tickets from one arena to the other.
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But given that Co-op Live was completely sold out, and the AO Arena is smaller, there are unlikely to be any tickets remaining.
Your one remaining chance may be some re-released tickets from those who can no longer make the rearranged date, or reliable re-sale sites.
Is tram travel included with your gig ticket?
As part of Co-op Live’s huge opening season, they announced free tram travel for gig-goers in a partnership with TfGM.
Thankfully, this is being honoured for the shows that have switched to the AO Arena.
Tram travel around Greater Manchester is included with event tickets for four hours before and after Take That on Tuesday 7, Thursday 9, Friday 10, Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 May.
Oasis announce extra 2027 tour dates – including TWO MORE Knebworth shows
Emily Sergeant
Oasis have announced a run of additional tour dates for 2027, including two more Knebworth shows.
In case you need bringing up to speed a little, it was announced last week, following the unprecedented success of the reunion tour, Oasis Live ’25, last year – including five nostalgia-drenched gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park – Oasis would be hitting the road once again in 2027, and this time around, they’re going BIG.
We’re talking 11 nights at the Etihad Stadium and a return to the iconic grounds of Knebworth for four special shows there too, kind of ‘big’.
The iconic Manchester band will also be taking to a range of other world-famous stages across the globe, including five nights at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, and major cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Las Vegas.
And now they’ve added some extra dates into the mix due to popular demand.
While there’s no additional Manchester dates on the lineup this time (11 is quite a lot to begin with, after all), they have doubled up on Knebworth instead.
That’s right – the Gallagher brothers and co have now announced two further Knebworth shows on 25 and 26 September, on top of the already-announced dates of 11, 12, 18 and 19 September.
Tickets are being sold through a strict fan registration process this year, with no general onsale and only successful registrants even invited to try and buy them.
Prices will be fixed, however, meaning fans will be able to snap up a ticket for as little as £74.60 for seated tickets, with seats then costing up to £266.60, including fees.
Standing tickets will be priced at either £173.60 or £206.60, and there are also hotel packages, coach packages, and VIP packages available.
Everything you need to know about buying tickets for Oasis Live ’27 is here.
Featured Image – Joshua Halling (Press Image – Supplied)
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Niall Horan at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Former One Direction member now-soloist Niall Horan is making his return to Co-op Live as part of his UK shows: ‘Dinner Party Live On Tour’.
Known for his work alongside One Direction bandmates Harry, Louis, Liam and Zayn, Horan has since started a solo career and continued to have a large fanbase.
His singles include ‘Nice To Meet Ya’, ‘Heaven’, ‘Drive Safe’ and ‘This Town’ with the latter amassing over 1 billion streams since its release in 2017.
Collaborating with the likes of pop artist Anne-Marie, Myles Smith, Maren Morris, the Irish-born musician’s style fuses both acoustic and country sounds.
Niall’s most recent LP Dinner Party dropped earlier this summer with the album title inspired by his initial encounter with his long-time girlfriend.
Gig guide – Niall Horan at Co-op Live, Manchester
Niall Horan UK tour dates
Tue 22 September – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Wed 23 September – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
Fri 25 September – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 28 September – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tue 29 September – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
Fri 2 October – London, UK – The O2
Sat 3 October – London, UK – The O2
Are there any tickets left for Niall Horan at Co-op Live in Manchester?
If you’ve got ‘Slow Hands’ then you better get booking tickets to Niall Horan’s upcoming concert at Co-op Live in Manchester now as they’re selling pretty quickly.
You can find tickets for both seated and standing options starting from £50.75 HERE.
Although the official setlist for Niall Horan’s upcoming Dinner Party Live On Tour is yet to be revealed, here’s the tracklist for his most recent LP of the same name:
Tastes So Good
Dinner Party
Monochromatic
She Gets It From Her Mother
Better Man
Little More Time
Flowers
Boys Are Fun
Fighting Over Nothing
Pretty
Die If I Don’t
End of an Era
What are the stage times for Niall Horan in Manchester?
Doors for Niall Horan open from 6.30pm and expect to fall in love with singer-songwriter flowerovlove who will take to the stage just before.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm meaning you have a ‘Little More Time’ to lie in before the clock hits twelve.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
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.
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.
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.
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 -
6th May 2024 
