Manchester’s huge new arena the Co-op Live has assured fans that it will definitely, actually, for sure open this week.
The staggering new music venue beside the Etihad Stadium has been hit by a couple of high-profile delays in the last fortnight.
Although a test event with Rick Astley went ahead on 21 April, giving a small audience a glimpse inside the state-of-the-art arena, the brakes were slammed on soon afterwards.
Co-op Live pushed its opening date back while it ironed out some kinks, namely ‘power supply issues’, and underwent rigorous testing to ‘run all shows safely’.
That meant Peter Kay was rescheduled to 29 and 30 April… but then got postponed again, along with The Black Keys, who were meant to perform last weekend.
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All the delays have left fans panicking that their shows will also be delayed, with some huge shows like Olivia Rodrigo, Take That, and Liam Gallagher lined up in the coming weeks and months.
But Co-op Live has now issued a statement reassuring gig-goers that they are full steam ahead and ready to open as planned this week.
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The first act to perform here officially will now be A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie on 1 May (not quite as local a name as they were gunning for, but we move).
He’ll be followed by Olivia Rodrigo and her Guts Tour, who will perform two sold-out gigs on 3 and 4 May.
Olivia Rodrigo has announced a Manchester gig at Co-op Live. Credit: Nick WalkerKeane – Photography by ALEX LAKE insta @twoshortdays WWW.TWOSHORTDAYS.COMOlivia Rodrigo and Keane will both play Co-op Live in Manchester this week when it finally opens
Then Keane will play the Co-op Live on 5 May to mark 20 years since the release of Hopes and Fears.
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Co-op Live posted: “Let’s do this! Less than 48 hours until we kick off our full opening season.
“Our scheduled shows with @aboogievsartist, @oliviarodrigo and @keaneofficial are going ahead.
“Ticket holders can expect an email with everything they need to know about this week’s events to land in your inboxes tomorrow!”
Fans have breathed a sigh of relief at the news, with one person writing: “YAY THANK GOD OMG THIS IS AMAZING WAS LITERALLY HAVJNG A MENTAL BREAKDOWN BOUT OLIVIA BEING CANCELLED.”
Another commented: “THANK GOD!!! 4th mayyyy.”
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Someone else posted: “IM SO HAPPY AHHHHHH I’VE BEEN NERVOUS ALL WEEK BUT NOW I KNOW ITS GONNA BE FINE AHHH.”
Olivia Rodrigo fans are BIG believers in an all-caps comment, clearly.
Co-op Live will open in Manchester on Wednesday 1 May.
It’s going to be worth the wait, we’re pretty sure…
Rising US star Conan Gray announces huge Manchester arena show as part of UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Conan Gray has just announced a UK leg to his upcoming tour, and he’ll be stopping off in Manchester for a huge arena gig.
In just a few short years, Conan Gray has become a star… and his star is only rising higher.
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter, born in California but raised in Texas, got his start on YouTube, where he began uploading vlogs, covers, and original songs as a teenager, hoping to get his start in the entertainment industry.
He first garnered critical and fan acclaim from the release of his commercially successful singles ‘Maniac’ and ‘Heather’ before he went on to put out his debut studio album, Kid Krow, in 2020 – which placed at number five on the US charts, announcing his talent to the world and making it the biggest US artist debut of the year.
Conan Gray has announced a huge Manchester arena show next year / Credit: Supplied | Angelica Whitney (Wikimedia Commons)
After gaining millions of streams and developing a truly a faithful fanbase, Gray went on to release his second studio album, Superache, in 2022, and his third album, Found Heaven, a couple of years later in 2024.
If three albums in four years wasn’t impressive enough as it is, Gray released his fourth studio album, Wishbone, back in August and it’s catapulted him to a new level of fame, especially with the TikTok success of the single ‘Vodka Cranberry’.
Now Gray is embarking on a major world tour to celebrate his latest album, following the unforgettable Wishbone Pajama Show tour in the US, where he sold out legendary venues like Madison Square Garden, and the Kia Forum.
Manchester! @conangray brings the Wishbone World Tour to the @AOArena – Save the date: Sat 9th May 2026!
The UK arm of the Wishbone World Tour sees Gray pay a visit to us here in Manchester, as he takes to the iconic AO Arena stage next year in May.
Birmingham, Glasgow, and London are the other cities Gray will be stopping off at on his UK tour.
Conan Gray will be playing a huge gig at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 6 May 2026 as part of the Wishbone World Tour, and tickets officially go on sale this week – with both pre-sales and general sale available.
The Three+ presale will begin on Wednesday 22 October at 9am, and the AO Arena presale will start on Thursday 23 October, again at 9am, before general sale launches on Friday 24 October at 9am.
Featured Image – Dillon Matthew Photography (Publicity Picture – Supplied)
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Wu-Tang Clan announce final farewell shows in UK, including a massive Manc arena gig
Danny Jones
The one and only Wu-Tang Clan and their music may be ‘forever’, but they’re coming together for one more global run with their final live gigs here in the UK, including one huge Manchester arena gigthat is sure to sell out.
Arguably the most legendary and influential hip-hop groups ever, Wu-Tang saw their farewell tour across America wrap up this past summer, and now, after having gone from state to state, the Clan will be heading to mainland Europe and beyond for one last ride.
The scenes from the aptly-titled ‘Final Chamber’ have been nothing short of incredible in their home nation, but with a truly worldwide following, you can expect us Mancs and the overseas crowds to provide the same energy.
Narrated by British comedian and renowned lover of rap music, Romesh Ranganathan, the Wu-Tang Clan have announced a handful of additional dates, giving fans one last chance to see them live.
If you haven’t heard about the Final Chamber tour up until now, it’s seen all 10 members of the iconic collective – yes, including Cappadonna – get the show back on the road for what are undoubtedly Wu-Tang‘s biggest shows to date.
After all, if you’re going to call it a day, you might as well go out on the biggest high possible and play to the largest audiences ever.
Following three decades’ worth of music, these farewell shows broke ticket-sale records for the band, selling out 36 shows across North America with Killer Mike and producer El-P’s duo Run The Jewels as the main support act.
Now THAT is some lineup.
Confirmed to play their final ever Manchester show early next year, Wu-Tang Clan will be saying goodbye to their Northern following with a Co-op Live debut.
What makes this even more special is that this is just one of two shows they are currently scheduled to play in the UK – the only other being The O2 in London.
You could keep your fingers crossed for extra dates being added for what we can only imagine will be huge demand, but this could very well be the only other chance you get to see Wu-Tang Clan live in Manchester before they hang up the mic.
Co-op Member presale access for their March 2026 show will be available from 10am on Wednesday, 22 October, with general admission tickets going live at the same time this coming Friday (24 Oct). You can get ready to grab ours HERE.
Until then, you can see more from Wu-Tang’s ‘Final Chamber’ tour so far down below.
Daisy Jackson -
30th April 2024 
