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Take That at AO Arena, Manchester – seating plan, stage times and more after gigs shift from Co-op Live arena

THOUSANDS of people will head to the AO Arena for these three this week.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 6th May 2024

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.

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.

What dates are Take That performing in Manchester?

The AO Arena in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Co-op Live WILL open this week, it has assured fans. Credit: The Manc Group
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.

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
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.

: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.

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.

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.

Are there still tickets for Take That?

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.

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.

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Featured image: Publicity picture

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The top 13 biggest gigs in Manchester music history

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

When you think of Manchester one of the first things that comes to mind obviously after ‘best city in the world’ is one word: ‘music’.

Our capital of the North West has birthed some of the world’s greatest singers of all time and welcomed some of the planet’s biggest stars.

Manchester has many live music venues to host impressive gigs including stadiums, arenas, parks and a wide variety of performance spaces.

The real reason these artists keep coming back is because of you, everyone who shows up and shows out to every single tour and performance happening in our culturally rich city.

Ahead of one of the biggest gigs in all of Manchester music history, thanks to Oasis, here’s a rundown of the most attended shows ever recorded in 0161.

The largest live gigs in Manchester music history

13. Kylie Minogue: 75,972 – AO Arena (2008)

Kylie Minogue Manchester A rena, biggest Manchester gig to date.
Although not 2008, here is Kylie in all her grandeur at AO Arena in 2014 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

With a tour titled ‘KylieX2008’, the Aussie sensation made our heads spin around in 2008 as she graced the AO Arena for six nights of pop perfection from 11 July to 18 July.

Minogue has a special connection to Manchester and this arena specifically, performing here over 30 times to a total of 400,000 people.

This marks the venue she’s played at most in the world and she will continue this legacy in 2025 with her ‘Tension’ tour.

12. Taylor Swift: 77,258 – Etihad Stadium (2018)

Taylor Swift Etihad Stadium 2018, her biggest Manchester gig to date.
Taylor Swift performing on the B-Stage at Etihad Stadium in 2018 / Credit: The Manc Group

‘Baby let the games begin!’ Swift opened her ‘Reputation Stadium Tour’ in 2018 while standing behind a backdrop of snakes, scales and reptile-like patterns.

The legendary pop star commanded the stage even walking through the crowd to greet fans with smiles and high fives, making sure to get up close and personal even in a venue this grand.

‘Tay-Tay’s last visit to the North West saw her playing three nights of her monumental ‘The Eras Tour’ just a stone’s throw away at Anfield Stadium and who knows, maybe once the Etihad renovation is complete, she might be keen to make another appearance.

11. Oasis: 80,000 – Maine Road (1996)

Oasis biggest manchester gig to date Maine Road.
In signature Liam style, the tambourine is in hand and ready to accompany both the brother’s vocals.
In signature Liam style, the tambourine is in hand and ready to accompany both the brother’s vocals / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Burnage boys were always destined to be on this list in one way or another due to their incredible impact in pushing Manchester music and bands to the mainstream.

Singing hits from their well-known music catalogue, Oasis attracted 80,000 to Manchester City’s former ground in the mid-90s.

Unlike the tour taking place in 2025, tickets for this gig would’ve only set you back £17.50, you’d have been silly not to grab yourself one!

10. Drake: 94,000 – Co-op Live (2025)

Drake played four non-consecutive gigs at Co-op Live with roars from the crowd each night/ Credit: The Come Up Show (via Flickr) 

Canadian rap heavyweight Drake played four huge Co-op Live dates as recent as last week and with two more on the way, with four nights of smash hits

Also referred to as Champagne Papi, the hip-hop artist has played out four impressive nights at Co-op Live on a similarly impressive 360 stage which sees Drake getting up close and personal with fans.

His 2025 visit to the music capital of the North marks his largest scale gig to date and saw him sharing the bill with fellow Canadian performer PartyNextDoor.

9. Billie Eilish – 94,000 – Co-op Live (2025)

Global superstar Billie Eilish had the crowd hooked all four nights at Co-op Live / Credit: Lars Crommelnick via Wikimedia Commons

Bedroom-pop sensation turned global megastar Billie Eilish has visited Manchester three times through her rise to stardom with her most recent being at Co-op Live.

The American singer-songwriter played four non-consecutive nights of her current ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ tour, where she commanded 23,500 fans.

Eilish has a soft spot for Manchester as she debuted her single ‘TV’ at AO Arena in 2022 and brought out her brother and fellow musician Finneas as a special guest at her most recent city centre dates.

8. Harry Styles: 99,526 – Old Trafford Cricket Ground (2022)

The former One Direction star Harry Styles spent two nights in June spreading the love with his mega ‘Love On Tour’ and the feeling was definitely mutual.

On 15 and 16 June the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer had nearly 100,000 devotees in the palm of his hand as he belted out some of his best solo numbers.

The Cheshire-born superstar even paused his show to find his primary school teacher who he’d been informed was in the crowd, thanking her for all her help and hard work while he was in education. Adorable.

@the.manc So wholesome #harrystyles #manchester #oldtrafford ♬ original sound – The Manc

7. Foo Fighters: 100,000 – Old Trafford Cricket Ground (2024)

The Washington-formed band put on two impressive nights where Mancs witnessed ‘music royalty’ on their ‘Everything or Nothing at All Tour’ in June.

As well as ‘The Pretender’ hitmakers, the sold-out shows were spoilt with not one but four support acts split across the two dates, including Wet Leg.

On 13 June the rock champions even previewed an unreleased track ‘Unconditional’ for the first time, adding it to the setlist for the 15 June show too!

Foo Fighters tickets Manchester Old Trafford cricket ground
Foo Fighters tickets Manchester Old Trafford cricket ground
Foo Fighters played out to 100,000 people at Old Trafford Cricket Ground / Credit: The Manc Group / Publicity Picture (Supplied)

6. Spice Girls: 150,955 – Etihad Stadium (2019)

Etihad Stadium and Spice Girls spiced up our lives three times in 2019 with three non-consecutive performances from 29 May to 1 June.

This tour was missing one key ingredient, ‘Posh Spice’, who missed out on this string of shows for the first time in her career.

In addition to these four fierce ladies, another UK household act Jess Glynne joined them on the bill as a support act. The girls were met with raptures as they made their entrance to Manchester after 11 years since their last visit.

Spice Girls biggest Manchester show at Etihad Stadium in 2019.
Just look at those iconic fits! Spice Girls performing at Wembley Stadium on the same tour that visited Manchester / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

5. Coldplay: 195,874 – Etihad Stadium (2023)

Chris Martin and co. have a lot of love for the North West with their ‘Fix You’ music video even filmed at Bolton Wanderers football club, Toughsheet Community Stadium.

In 2023 they brought their Music Of The Spheres world tour to Manchester from 31 May to 4 June for four nights of dazzling lights, wowed fans and of course incredible live arrangements.

Altogether, these shows brought together almost 200,000 attendees who had the opportunity to get involved with the show’s production themselves by cycling electric bikes and kinetic dancefloor which both helped power the stage.

Coldplay biggest Manchester gig Etihad Stadium.
The Coldplay lads in all their glory.
Coldplay biggest Manchester gig Etihad Stadium.
An awe-inspiring crowd lighting up the already phenomenal Etihad Stadium.
Coldplay performed four nights at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in 2023 / Credit: Wikicommons / The Manc Group

4. Ed Sheeran: 218,639 – Etihad Stadium (2022)

Starting his musical career just over the hill busking in Hebden Bridge before becoming one of the UK’s most prominent and successful artists of all time.

In 2022, the ‘Galway Girl’ singer took to Manchester City‘s awesome stadium to play hits from his full discography titled ‘The Mathematics Tour’ in honour of his equation-themed album titles.

The one-man, one-guitar show attracted almost 55,000 people across four nights who watched the singing red-head belt out his bangers on a 360 circular stage.

Ed Sheeran biggest Manchester concert ever.
Ed Sheeran at V Festival in 2014, already a star in his own right / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

3. The Stone Roses: 225,000 – Heaton Park (2012)

The Manchester rock pioneers played a three-night hometown residency as part of their reunion tour following a 17-year concert hiatus.

Fans came in abundance to pack out to Heaton Park, a notorious music-hosting site which has hosted a plethora of acts as well as this formidable band.

Spanning from 29 June to 1 July, The Stone Roses played to a whopping 75,000 fans every night across the three sold-out Manchester shows at Heaton Park in 2012.

The Stone Roses played three nights at Heaton Park.
The Stone Roses performing at Fuji Rock Festival in 2012, the same year as their Heaton Park residency / Credit: Wikicommons Media

2. Oasis – 400,000 – Heaton Park (2025)

This year has seen some cracking live music events but none will ever be as monumental as the five nights the two Burnage boys and their troupe hosted this summer.

Liam and Noel Gallagher decided to get the band back together for a series of groundbreaking shows titled ‘Oasis Live ’25’.

Each night drew in 80,000 avid bucket-hat wearing Oasis fans and the support acts were just as legendary with The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft and Liverpool lads Cast helping make history.

Oasis was one of the biggest dates in Manchester’s music calendar ever/ Credit: The Manc Group

1. Take That: 443,223 – Etihad Stadium (2011)

Boyband and pop music giants Take That took on the Etihad Stadium in full force with all members present including everyone’s favourite entertainer, Robbie Williams, who’s returning to the city next year for two huge tour dates.

In 2011, ‘The Flood’ boys put on a remarkable eight nights for nearly half a million lucky Mancs from 3 June till 12 June, making for a summer everyone could ‘Never Forget’.

However, they weren’t the only boyband gracing the Manchester City stadium as dance duo Pet Shop Boys supported them on their ‘Progress Live’ tour across the UK.

Take That - Manchester's biggest attendance ever across eight nights at Etihad Stadium.
A fan-captured moment of Take That reunited amidst their eight show run at Etihad Stadium in Manchester/ Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Honourable mention:

One Love Manchester, 55,000 – Old Trafford Cricket Ground (2017)

Even though this event may not be topping the attendance records, this concert was a special and remarkable moment in Manchester’s history.

Fronted by Ariana Grande, just two weeks after the Manchester Arena attack, Old Trafford Cricket Ground saw a multitude of artists coming together to celebrate the importance of music while paying respect to those affected by the events in the month prior.

BBC reported the ‘One Love Manchester’ live show had 14.5 million viewers at its peak with an average of 10.9 million worldwide and this benefit concert has since raised more than £10 million for the ‘We Love Manchester Emergency Fund’.

Grande may be reaching height after unthinkable height as a musical artist, but she has always had a special place for Manchester in her heart, donating toys to children in Manchester hospitals at Christmastime.

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Featured Image – Eva Rinaldi (via Wikicommons)/The Manc Group/Lily Redman (via Wikicommons)

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Revenue from Manchester’s ‘big gigs’ to go towards supporting local grassroots music venues

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester City Council is set to earmark almost £250,000 to support grassroots music venues in the city.

Following on from the success of the city’s huge summer of music, which in recent weeks has seen hundreds of thousands of fans converge in the city to see massive names like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Charlie XCX, Elbow, and Robbie Williams, as well as other talents like Fontaines D.C. and Sam Fender still yet to come.

Oh yeah, and there was also that small matter of Oasis reuniting for five nostalgia-drenched gigs in Manchester’s Heaton Park earlier last month.

Over the course of the summer, it has been estimated that Manchester will have attracted a whopping 1.3 million music tourists, which is being described as a ‘tremendous’ boost for the city’s economy as a whole, especially the hospitality industry.

Concert crowd
Revenue made from Manchester’s ‘big gigs’ this summer is to go towards supporting local grassroots music venues / Credit: Eldhose Kuriyan | Joshua Hanson (via Unsplash)

These huge events are also generating income for the Council too, either by being hosted in the city’s largest parks with commercial arrangements for their use, or through the business rates paid by major venues – and it’s this income that has been earmarked to go towards supporting grassroots music venues throughout the city.

As well as reinvesting part of this revenue into parks and greenspaces, the Council is planning to set aside £245,000 to be made available in financial support for Manchester’s grassroots venues.

While exact details are in the process of being finalised, the intention is that the scheme will be administered by the Music Venue Trust to ensure that the money gets to where it is needed as ‘quickly and effectively’ as possible.

It’s estimated that Manchester will have welcomed 1.3 million music tourists before summer’s out / Credit: Nathan Mullet (via Unsplash)

“Manchester is a big noise in the music world,” commented Councillor Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, “and this summer, all eyes have been on the city as we’ve hosted some huge concerts and seen unprecedented success in our large venues.

“But while the biggest gigs might dominate the headlines, we know they are only possible because they are part of a wider ecosystem, with grassroots venues providing the launchpads for acts to develop and grow.

“We know that across the country, grassroots venues are struggling. That’s why we want to ensure that our grassroots venues can share some of the benefit from the success of those big events.

“We’re blessed in Manchester with an array of great smaller venues.

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“They are there to be enjoyed and I’d encouraged anyone who values them to get out and support them.”

Featured Image – Rahul Kukreja (via Unsplash)

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