Noel Gallagher and his mighty High Flying Birds are back in Manchester this week with a massive outdoor show at the wonderful Wythenshawe Park and it’s set to be a night to remember.
With 0161 set for a massive weekend as people travel into the city for the likes of Festa Italiana and ManiFest, over to Stockport for Moovin Festival and to Bolton for the annual food fest — not to mention that little thing called Pride 2023 — there is A LOT going on this weekend.
However, for those of you revellers who’ll be heading over to M23 for the older Gallagher brother’s huge homecoming gig, we’ve got you sorted.
It’ll be no surprise whatsoever to hear that this thing is going to be absolutely massive with an estimated capacity of around 25,000 people.
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That being said, with such a large expectancy, those of you who still haven’t grabbed a ticket are in luck: there are still a fair few ticket options available for now but we wouldn’t advise waiting around much longer. After all, he is a Manc music legend and one of the biggest names on the planet.
You can still grab general admission tickets for £60.50 upwards and even a few resales from £46 on Ticketmaster, as well as VIP packages if you fancy treating yourself.
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If you do end up scrambling for one, as always, we advise being very cautious whenever buying from reseller sites and we beg you to stay well and truly away from ticket touts. No gig is worth being stung over and making the problem even worse.
Credit: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (via Instagram)
Support acts
When it comes to the support acts on the night, you really are getting proper value for money with this one as not only are you seeing Noel and his High Flying Birds, but you’ll also be graced with the presence of fellow British rock legends, Primal Scream.
As if that wasn’t good enough, you’ll also be getting alternative American band and synth-pop icons Future Islands (a real Manc Audio favourite) as your second support. But it doesn’t stop there; you also have locally-formed rockers, Picture Parlour, as well as Leicester singer-songwriter, Billy Nomates.
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Some lineup that.
We’re just praying they all join each other on stage at some point for one big supergroup moment. Come on, you lot, make it happen.
Stage times for Noel Gallagher’s at Wythenshawe Park
As for at what time you’ll get to see who, doors to the event are due to open from 2pm and although all timings are subject to change, here’s your rough running order and each artist’s expected set times:
We often turn to Setlist.fm when looking for what artists are going to play ahead of a big gig and while you can definitely find that info for the High Flying Birds’ most recent gigs on there, on this occasion we also have the added assurance of the man himself confirming it for us.
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Obviously, setlists change on the fly all the time due to various circumstances, especially when you’re talking about someone with a catalogue as huge as Gallagher’s, but we think this is a fairly safe bet — here’s what he’s been playing most recently.
Old, new, a cover and some Oasis – you’re getting a bit of everything.
How to get there
Last but not least, there’s just the small matter of getting there. While we’d always recommend travelling as green as possible/using public transport where you can, there are still some car park tickets that you can buy online from the Live From Wythenshawe website for £16.91.
As for those of you catching a ride, there is yellow signage to the north of the site which will lead you to the pick-up/drop-off point on Wythenshawe Road, M23 0AB.
There are also three tram stops to choose from: Wythenshawe Park, Moor Road and Baguley. However, it’s worth noting that both Wythenshawe Park and Baguley will be closed from 9pm so you won’t be able to get back home this way.
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Finally, you can always catch one of the shuttle buses back into the city centre, which will set you back just £3.50 on the day. The service will be operating in a loop from Sale and the city centre, running from 1pm-8pm on the way to Wythenshawe Park and then from 8pm-1:30am when heading home.
For more information, you can find all the up-to-date travel stuff HERE or check out (TfGM) Transport for Greater Manchester’s guidance and even use their interactive map below.
Featured Image — @themighti/Sharon Latham/Ignition (via Instagram)/Wikimedia Commons
Audio
Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena show
Danny Jones
Manchester is getting ready to welcome a global icon of hip-hop, soul, pop and R’n’B as Mary J Blige is set to put on a massive arena show.
With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Mary J Blige is an absolute legend of the American music scene, with nine GRAMMY Awards and nearly 40 nominations, along with a plethora of BET, Billboard, and AMA nods over the years.
Currently on ‘The For My Fans Tour’, jetting quite literally all over and recently adding on even more dates, not only has London been given some love, but so has Greater Manchester – and rightly so.
Announcing the special one-off show and Co-op Live debut this Wednesday, 16 April, Mary J Blige won’t have to wait too long to be part of the ‘Family Affair’.
The 54-year-old from New York will be coming to the state-of-the-art, one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, in just a few months’ time.
On top of the already well-established AO Arena, this is the pedigree of truly worldwide artists that Co-op Live was built to further attract – and it looks to be working.
It’s been the best part of a decade since she was last in these parts, so she’s sure to get a huge reception.
While most audiences in the likes of North America have been treated to fellow R’n’B favourite Ne-Yo, those watching Ms Blige will be keeping things domestic as long-standing London collective and producers, Soul II Soul, will be joining her for the show.
‘Back to life, back to reality…’
So there you have it! Mary J Blige will be coming to Manchester on Friday, 4 July 2025, with her own pre-sale going live at 10am on Thursday, 24 April, but Co-op members can get there even earlier, with the venue’s early access available from the same time the day before.
As for general admission, you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE from 10am on Friday, 25 April.
Fri 18 April – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley (Sean Paul, Ashanti and Big Joe)
Sat 19 April – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Sun 20 April – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
22 April – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
23 April – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre (Sean Paul ONLY)
24 April – Bournemouth, UK – BIC (Sean Paul ONLY)
Sean Paul and Ashanti tickets for AO Arena gig
Just like Ashanti’s 2002 hit, you’d have been ‘Foolish’ not to get tickets when they first came out, however, there’s still a chance for you to ‘Get Busy’ like Sean Paul’s ‘02 throwback.
There’s a limited run of tickets left throughout the venue, including standing, seated and even an option to watch the show from ‘The Mezz’ if you’re after a VIP experience – AllHERE.
There’s no official setlist yet, however, if you consider the past selection of hits from their previous separate gigs, fans are in for a jam-packed night.
Sean Paul:
So Fine
Get Busy
Ever Blazin’
Cheap Thrills
Baby Boy
Bailando
Hot Gyal Today
Infiltrate
Breathe/ Make It Clap
Give It Up To Me
Got 2 Luv U
Mad Love
No Lie
Boasty
Love Me Ladies
Tip Pon It
Volcano
Bring It
Greatest
I’m Still In Love
Light My Fire
Punkie
Rockabye
Like Glue
Deport Them
Trumpets
She Doesn’t Mind
Temperature
Ashanti:
Happy
Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
Mesmerise
Only U
Baby
Southside
Down 4 U
Body On Me
What’s Luv?
Ain’t It Funny
Always On Time
Foolish
What are the stage times for Sean Paul and Ashanti in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm; anyone attending this link-up of a lifetime can enjoy their night knowing they’ll be ‘Ever Blazin” after a full night’s sleep.
Doors for the ‘Bring It Tour’ are scheduled for 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm, with no confirmed or mentioned support acts as of yet.
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through 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.
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About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Danny Jones -
22nd August 2023 
