Lewis Capaldi had to pause his huge Manchester gig last night after a few audience members started fighting.
The beloved Scottish singer, who was performing to a sold-out crowd at the AO Arena, halted his bandmates after spotting a brawl in the crowd.
And even he had to acknowledge that it was ‘bizarre’ to see people throwing punches to the soundtrack of his love songs and ballads.
Videos have surfaced from inside the venue that captured the fight that broke out during Hold Me While You Wait.
In clips shared on social media, Lewis holds his hands up to his band to stop them and says: “There’s a scrap in the middle of the crowd there. Erm, we’re gonna have to get them out.”
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The star then switches to a sing-song voice and says: “You can’t be fighting at the gigs.”
Then as security work their way through the audience to the source of the commotion, the huge audience all collectively start to boo the disruptive fighters – egged on by Lewis himself.
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He then says: “What a weird song to fight to. Bizarre. Bizarre.”
In the videos, Lewis is seen miming a fight, throwing his fists into mid-air while singing lyrics from the song, which which include ‘Won’t you stay a while’ and ‘my love’.
On Twitter, one person wrote: “Only in Manchester do you need to stop the gig because there’s a fight during a ballad.”
Another said: “How someone managed to start a fight at a @LewisCapaldi concert is beyond me, even more so whilst listening to ‘Hold Me While You Wait’.”
Someone else posted: “People fainting, people being sick, and people starting fights. @LewisCapaldi has to be the most ‘rock’n’roll’ concert I have ever been to.”
At his other shows so far in Leeds and Sheffield, there have been much more wholesome scenes.
In Leeds, one excited gig-goer threw a bra on stage – which Lewis then proudly modelled.
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And then in Sheffield, it was a pair of knickers that were lobbed at the singer.
Manchester’s AO Arena scoop up Take That and Keane’s Co-op Live gigs in ongoing venue saga
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s existing arena, the AO Arena, has stepped in to host several concerts that have been postponed by Co-op Live.
First it was A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, announced earlier today, now Keane and, in perhaps the most damning twist of fate for the brand-new venue, Take That’s entire five-night run that was set for the Co-op has now been moved to the AO Arena too.
The Co-op Live‘s official opening has been hit with several delays, with events like Peter Kay’s double bill, Olivia Rodrigo and The Black Keys all already postponed over the last week or so.
Noughties favourite Keane announced the news on their social pages on Thursday evening, admitting that they were “absolutely gutted” but that the decision was “entirely out of the control”.
As for the AO Arena, the legendary venue has naturally welcomed the sudden flood of extra names being added to its already strong lineup for 2024.
Issuing a statement after Take That’s mini-residency was officially relocated, AO Arena general manager Jen Mitchell, said: “It wouldn’t be a Take That tour without a stop-off in Manchester, so it’s great to welcome the band and their fans back to AO Arena for five nights, in the heart of this wonderful city.”
As for the group themselves, they also responded to their tens of thousands of fans expecting to see them from this weekend onwards, confessing that they’ve had to make “the difficult decision” to switch venues and although “it’s not one [they’ve taken lightly], they wanted to give fans as much notice as possible.
They also went on to add, “We thank you for your understanding and we’ll see you all soon”.
Notably, the huge new venue by the Etihad Stadium had to turn away fans who were already queueing for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie on Monday 1 May, after part of an air conditioning unit fell from the ceiling onto a (thankfully) empty arena floor.
Question marks had already been hanging over whether some upcoming gigs would be able to go ahead and now it seems that they will be taking place – just not at the Co-op Live…
Manchester’s decades-old AO Arena, the largest indoor venue in the UK (until the Co-op Live opens), will be welcoming Keane to its stage instead.
With so many people having been pitting the two venues against one another over the last weeks and months, let’s just say it’s quite clear who’s come out looking better at the minute…
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie moves Manchester gig to AO Arena following Co-op Live cancellation
Danny Jones
Rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie has confirmed that his cancelled Co-op Live gig has now been moved to Manchester’s AO Arena this weekend.
After suddenly being lined up as the venue’s first official gig after the postponement of both Peter Kay and The Black Keys, the American hip-hop artists’ show ended up going the same as the others previously scheduled for the new arena and being pulled at the last minute.
With guests being turned away from the still-yet-to-open Co-op Live Arena just hours before the show was set to start, and Olivia Rodrigo fans being given the same unfortunate news ahead of her gig this Saturday, ABWDH has taken matters into his own hands.
Announcing the rescheduling of his concert on X, the 28-year-old artist confirmed that Wednesday night’s gig has now been relocated to Co-op’s main rival, the AO Arena.
Set to take place on Saturday, the artist – which just so happens to be his first name (yes, seriously) – had a simple message for his fans: “We won’t give up that easy, let’s go!”.
Nevertheless, it hasn’t stopped the venue – which is set to become the UK’s biggest indoor entertainment venue and one of the largest in Europe when it finally does open – from announcing more events over the coming months and well into 2025.
Confirming the show on their social pages, the AO simply promised, “It’s going to be a brilliant night and we can’t wait to see you all here.”
The AO Arena has hosted some of the biggest names in the entire world in the course of its existence and recently underwent a £50m refurbishment that included the launch of The Mezz.
Safe to say this presents an interesting twist in events when so many people have been pitting the two venues against one another.
Question marks have been hanging over whether more upcoming gigs, like Keane on Sunday 5 May, and then a five-night run of gigs from Take That will still be able to go ahead.
It remains to be seen whether other artists will follow suit in moving their shows should more cancellations/postponements be announced.
You can recap everything that’s happened so far down below: