News

Nicki Minaj confirms date for rescheduled Manchester gig after Amsterdam arrest chaos

The saga is drawing to a close.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 28th May 2024

Nicki Minaj has now finally confirmed the rescheduled date for her Manchester gig following her arrest in Amsterdam over the weekend.

In case you need bringing up to speed, the Trinidadian-born rapper and singer-songwriter was due to be flying from the Dutch capital over to Manchester this past Saturday (25 May) to perform a handful of sold-out shows at the city’s newest state-of-the-art arena, Co-op Live, as part of her ‘Pink Friday 2’ world tour.

But, in what was a chaotic and rapidly-developing saga, the 41-year-old was arrested at Amsterdam Schipol Airport after allegedly trying to take what was described as “soft drugs” into another country, according to Dutch Police.

Unsurprisingly, despite fans being let inside the arena and waiting several inside the brand-new premises hoping that Minaj would come on stage to perform, the Co-op Live, gig had to be called-off right at the last minute.

A statement from Co-op Live announcing the gig’s postponement on the night said: “Nicki Minaj’s scheduled performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Saturday 25th May has been postponed.

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“Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled performance which will be announced ASAP.

“Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible. We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused. More information will be available at your point of purchase.”

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The ‘Starships’ and ‘Anaconda’ singer was providing a live commentary of her arrest saga on her official social media platforms on Saturday night, and was very vocal on how her situation was being treated and handled by authorities, before eventually issuing a public apology to all fans who had travelled to see her in Manchester on the first night of her shows.

Nicki Minaj has confirmed the date for her rescheduled Manchester gig after Amsterdam arrest chaos / Credit: Nicki Minaj (via Facebook)

“Please please please accept my deepest and most sincere apologies,” Minaj wrote on X.

“[Dutch police] sure did know exactly how to hurt me today, but this too shall pass. They’ve been doing this over and over and over and over and over again, and I’ve tried so hard to not discuss it because you guys deserve to just get the good stuff. I hate involving you in anything that isn’t for entertainment purposes only.

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“We will have another date for [the 25 May] show shortly, and I’ll probably be able to share it tomorrow.

“One July option and one June option is currently being discussed. I’ll find a way to not only make up the date with the performance, but I’m going to create an added bonus for everyone that had a ticket for this show. Promise.”

Minaj also expressed her gratitude to Co-op Live’s willingness to keep the venue’s doors open until past 11:30pm on the night, in the event that she may have been able to perform.

And now, following days of discussion to agree on the plan of action – and following ‘confirmation’ of an incorrect reschedule date, which was already booked for Kings of Leon – Minaj and Co-op Live have now officially confirmed the date for the rescheduled show.

The ill-fated 25 May show has now been rescheduled for next Monday (3 June 2024), it has been confirmed.

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“OK guys, I was JUST RE-ADVISED that we actually CAN NOT do any other date for the make up #gagcityMANCHESTER date besides JUNE 3rd. So JUNE 3rd is the new official date for all ticket holders who originally had tickets to the MAY 25th Manchester show.

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“I apologize for all the inconvenience this has caused. I really hope you can make the #JUNE3rd show. It’ll be really special.

“Ticketmaster will contact you to advise officially. Love you.”

Featured Image – Nicki Minaj / Live Nation / Ticketmaster

News

Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group

Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.

Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.

Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.

Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.

The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.

They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”

In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.

Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.

Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group

CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.

“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”

Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.

One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”

Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”

Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

News

‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data

Danny Jones Danny Jones the average price of a pint in the UK by region

Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.

Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.

The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.

While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.

@the.manc Just trying to walk home and the Northern Quarter keeps tempting me in for a pint. 🙈 #themanc #manchester #mcr #northernquarter #spring ♬ original sound – The Manc

The average price of a pint per region in the UK

  1. Wales – £4.21
  2. North East – £4.28
  3. Northern Ireland – £4.42
  4. Scotland – £4.42
  5. Yorkshire and the Humber – £4.42
  6. North West – £4.42
  7. West Midlands – £4.42
  8. East Midlands – £4.42
  9. East England – £4.56
  10. South West – £4.93
  11. South East – £4.94
  12. London – £5.44

That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.

Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.

Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.

Happy hour Manchester – The best drinks deals in the city centre
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.

London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)

While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.

To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.

CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.

Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

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