Olivia Rodrigo’s concerts at Manchester Co-op Live canceled as venue faces further chaos

The UK’s largest indoor venue has been hit by fresh problems even before it opened – with scheduled concerts including performances by American singer Olivia Rodrigo – canceled at short notice.

Manchester’s new Co-op Live venue was due to welcome fans at 6.30pm last night. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was scheduled to perform at 8 p.m., according to the venue’s website.

But a “technical problem with the venue” informed fans – via a post on the venue’s social media at 6:40 p.m. – that the concert had been canceled.

Fans had already started to gather to enter the £365 million arena, leaving many furious.

Following last night’s cancellation, those planning to go to RodrigueThose in attendance at the arena this weekend immediately shared their concerns about whether they would move forward, and within hours their fears were confirmed.

“Due to an ongoing technical issue with the venue, Olivia Rodrigo’s scheduled Guts World Tour performances on May 3 and 4 are postponed,” the venue said in a statement on X.

“Ticket holders can either keep their tickets or get a refund at the point of purchase.”

His Co-op Live concerts were two of 10 UK dates on his European and American tour. The new dates have not yet been announced.

The three-time Grammy winner said in an Instagram story that she was upset that two of her shows were postponed.

“I’ve had a great time in Europe so far and I’m so disappointed that we won’t be able to play in Manchester due to ongoing technical issues with the venue,” she said.

“We are doing our best to reschedule the show.”

In an Instagram post following the last-minute cancellation of A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, the American rapper said the problems were due to “something (that) happened with the venue while I was at the balance”.

“We are working on rescheduling in the coming days,” he added. “I too am moved by the situation, but safety comes first.

“Manchester, I got you. Stay tuned for more information.”

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Venue officials said the problem arose during a sound check when a component of the venue’s heating and ventilation system separated from the ducts.

“No one was injured. Although we believe this to be an isolated incident caused by a factory defect, we have not been able to verify that all similar nozzles are free of such defects,” Oak View Group said in a statement.

“Together with wider stakeholders, Oak View Group has made the necessary appeal to ensure the complete safety of all visitors to the venue and postpone the performance.”

They said independent inspectors would now test all similar nozzles and organizers would work with music directors and promoters to “limit the impact on the season opening schedule”.

“If necessary, we will identify alternative dates and continually re-evaluate to provide fans with sufficient notice of impending concerts.

“If shows are canceled or rescheduled, fans will be contacted through their point of purchase and offered a full refund if they wish.”

Tim Leiweke, chief executive officer of Oak View Group which developed Co-Op Live in partnership with the City Football Group, said they could not hold any events until it was “absolutely safe to do so “.

“This was a very unexpected situation but it was undoubtedly the right decision. I deeply apologize for the impact this has had on ticket holders and fans,” Mr Leiweke said.

Bosses at Co-Op Live had sought to reassure fans that last night’s show would go ahead and shared instructions for attendees just hours before the cancellation.

With a capacity of 23,500, Co-op Live will be the UK’s largest indoor arena when fully opened.

Problems for the venue became evident last month when capacity for a test event was reduced with just hours’ notice.

Rick Astley was scheduled to perform in front of 11,000 arena employees and VIPs on April 21, but at the last minute thousands had their tickets canceled.

The venue was scheduled to open fully with Peter Kay’s stand-up shows on April 23 and 24, but those dates were also pushed back due to late testing and safety concerns.

Kay’s fans were first told the concerts would take place a few days later – but they were then postponed againfor a month.

American rock duo The Black Keys were among the artists set to take the stage during Co-op Live’s opening week. Their concert had been postponed to May 15.

Co-op Live chief executive Gary Roden announced his resignation last week following initial setbacks.