The Greater Manchester public is being thanked for their part in making sure Oasis’ homecoming gigs passed by ‘safely and successfully’.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that at least 44 arrests were made during the duration of the Oasis’ five nostalgia-drenched dates at Heaton Park, which saw more than 300,000 fans flock to witness the Manchester band’s massive return to our city. – with the overall event passing by with ‘no major issues’.
Just five arrests were made last night (Sunday 20 July) on Oasis‘ final stop off in the city, before the Gallaghers head on down to London and take to the Wembley Stadium stage.
GMP said officers ‘took action where needed’ to arrest four men and a woman on suspicion of a range of offences – including the racially-aggravated assault of a steward.
The police have thanked the Manchester public after Oasis’ homecoming gigs pass by with ‘no major issues’ / Credit: GMP
Over the duration of the five concerts, a total of 10 unauthorised drones were seized after restrictions were put in place, including one which was spotted at the Sunday gig.
There was also an isolated incident at ‘Gallagher Hill’, where some disruption occurred – including bottles being thrown – but police say this was ‘quickly resolved’ and did not escalate into anything major.
“These concerts have been months in the making for us and our partners to ensure that hundreds of thousands of fans who have come to Manchester can safely enjoy these iconic homecoming shows,” commented Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle, who was the Lead Police Commander for the Oasis event.
The final shows of Oasis’ iconic homecoming in Manchester have passed safely and successfully with no major issues and just five arrests on Sunday (20 July) night. Officers have engaged with concert goers, and minimised disruption for local community.https://t.co/iXkUjuXW8Kpic.twitter.com/V2TdhcIBRH
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 20, 2025
“We’ve now seen all five Oasis events pass without any major issues and I’m pleased that the overwhelming majority of people attending have enjoyed themselves and behaved sensibly and responsibly.
“I want to thank all security staff and partners who have done a fine job in making this a memorable experience for all.
“This has been a huge event, with 300,000 fans coming to Heaton Park and many others visiting Manchester to experience the atmosphere.
“So I’d [also] like to thank the public for their cooperation and patience as we maintained a safe and steady flow of people entering and leaving the event with minimal disruption over the last few weeks.”
Featured Image – GMP
Audio
Drake at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, support acts, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Rap champion Drake is touching down in Manchester at Co-op Live for four nights of electric energy with some very “special shows 4 u”.
The Canadian hitmaker has just come off the back of three very impressive nights at one of the biggest music events of the year, Wireless Festival, and now he’s ready to tour the UK and Europe.
Drake has solidified his position in the rap field, dropping bangers from 2006 and since then, he’s gone on to have some of the most streamed tracks of all time with ‘One Dance’ and ‘God’s Plan’.
He’s also become a mainstay in online music discussions, earning a place in ‘The Big Three’ where the Toronto-born rapper shares this honour with fellow respected rap nobles J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
Now, Drake has teamed up with fellow Canadian artist PartyNextDoor to release their joint album ‘Some Sexy Songs 4 U’
Drake UK tour dates
Sun 20 July – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 21 July – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Wed 23 July – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Fri 25 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Sat 26 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 28 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 4 August – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Drake tickets for Co-op Live gig
Mr ‘Hotline Bling’ is making his way to Manchester not just for one night but for four, and it seems we Mancs couldn’t be more in our feelings as tickets for ‘Some Special Shows 4 UK’ are limited.
If you don’t want to be left saying ‘What Did I Miss?’, you can still get your hands on a couple of tickets to the upcoming Drake gigs in Manchester HERE.
And anyone after getting the best ‘Views’ and a premium seat for the Champagne Papi’s special Manchester tour dates can find all available dates and tickets HERE.
Drake ‘Some Special Shows 4 U’ setlist
Drake last touched down in the UK on his 2019 Assassination Vaction Tour.Now, the rap royalty is taking on 23,500 venue, Co-op Live.Credit: The Come Up Show (via Flickr)
After almost two decades racking up an impressive collection of hits, it’s no surprise that this setlist is quite a lengthy one.
Drake is known to tweak and fine-tune his setlists depending on each city, like his recent three-day headline slot at Wireless Festival, which saw a new roster of hits each night.
The Canadian rapper recently played a huge headline gig in Birmingham, and these were the tracks that played out. Hopefully, a lot of these will get a performance in Manchester when he visits Co-op Live.
Gimme a Hug
Marvin’s Room
Teenage Fever
Passionfruit
Jungle
What Did I Miss?
Headlines
Know Yourself
Nonstop
Sicko Mode
No Face
Circadian Rhythm
Laugh Now Cry Later
God’s Plan
In My Feelings
Nice for What
Controlla
Find Your Love
Hold On, We’re Going Home
One Dance
Blue Green Red
Who Told You
CN Tower
Something About You
Spider-man Superman
Die Trying
Somebody Loves Me
OMW
Girls Want Girls
Fancy
Love Me
Hours in Silence
Rich Baby Daddy
You Broke My Heart
Knife Talk
Rich Flex
IDGAF
Hotline Bling
Nokia
Yebba’s Heartbreak
Who is supporting Drake at Co-op Live?
With so many songs to get through, it’s no real surprise that there’s just one support act for ‘Drizzy’s Co-op Live debut, and it’s a pretty popular compatriot of his.
Teaming up with Drake for their first-ever joint album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U – which lends its name to this tour – you can
His name is often stylised in all caps, but we feel that’s almost like internet shouting, so we’ll just share one of those aforementioned features instead.
They’ve been working together in some capacity for more than a decade now.
Don’t worry, if you haven’t heard much of him before, there’s very little shouting – though you will likely recognise his soft R’n’B vocals.
What are the stage times for Drake in Manchester?
Doors for each of Drake’s ‘Some Special Songs 4 UK’ tour with PartyNextDoor will open from 6:30pm with no official start time listed yet.
That being said, you can expect the pair to spend a fair amount of time together on the stage.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can hear all 40 songs on the Canadian performer’s setlist without having to say ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’.
Drake is bringing the ‘Some Special Songs 4 UK’ tour for four nights in Manchester.PARTYNEXTDOOR a.k.a. Jahron Anthony BrathwaiteCredit: Supplied
How to get to Co-op Live concerts
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, luckily, 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 until 01:00 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. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time; there are also 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 come 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 via 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.
Oasis 25: Heaton Park send off Oasis like only Manchester could – with biblical rain
Clementine Hall
Oasis are well and truly back on top as they performed for the final night at Heaton Park and what could still be the very last time in Manchester.
There are countless moments every night that show how uniting this full-on cultural moment has been.
The guy in the wheelchair being lifted overhead by a group of strangers for a better view. The couple getting engaged before being enveloped in a sea of bucket hats. The thousands of people gathering on ‘Gallagher Hill’ every night just to be close to this historic music event.
Then the celeb-spotting too: Jack Grealish, Shaun Ryder and Andy Whyment off Corrie in the same frame of a video; Orlando Bloom waving at fans. Liam and Noel’s kids all together on a big cousins’ night out. It’s had it all.
For a lot of Mancs, the Oasis reunion has felt like Christmas morning ever since it was announced last year following a number of post-gig teasers like that Blossoms headliner at Wythenshawe Park.
And it certainly felt like that as we braved the soggy ground over at Heaton Park for their fifth and final live show in Manchester.
The atmosphere in the crowd was almost surreal, a mass of Britpop-loving super fans who have been waiting for this exact moment for almost twenty years – and you could tell.
As the brothers strutted on stage, hand in hand, a feeling of euphoric joy surged from the crowd of 80,000.
For two hours, they deliver anthem after anthem, each song transcending generations as the older lot look back to their ‘Live Forever’ days and the youth can’t quite wrap their head around the band in front of them being here and now.
Oasis’ final night at Heaton Park was everything we dreamed it would be. (Credit: Audio North)
Oasis are just as good as ever; Liam’s gritty vocals and Noel‘s ripping guitar slot together perfectly as though they were made for one another.
They’re loud and they’re unapologetic, they are the sound of the people, and we were absolutely lapping it up.
Every song was a hit, from bangers like ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ to fan favourite ‘Live Forever’, and of course ‘Wonderwall’, the brothers gave the people exactly what they wanted.
Liam, maracas in hand and parka zipped to the top, not only might be the coolest man to walk the planet, but was undoubtedly born to be a frontman of a band. The head nods, the frowning eyebrows, the fists clenched behind his back – we were fully gripped by his sheer stage presence.
Images: The Manc Group
There was a moment where he put the tambourine in his mouth, closed his eyes and lifted his head to the sky, taking it all in and getting lost in the music – an icon.
And of course, in true Manc fashion, the heavens opened an hour into their set as the grey cloud everyone had an eye on took centre stage.
Did we care? No, we did not. It only made the moment that more special as we united as one unit, singing as loud as we could to combat the elements.
It’s clear to see how much Oasis means to so many; their music is embedded into the national psyche with a presence that simply defines generations.
Who knows when they’ll be performing back in Manchester again, and if this was their last time, then they can rest assured that by returning, they’ve made themselves the biggest band in the world again. And that’s an accolade they truly deserve.
Emily Sergeant -
21st July 2025 
