Now Take That strikes its present from troubled ‘Co-Flop’ Live

Take That has moved its upcoming shows from the troubled Co-op Live after the £365 million venue sparked fury by cancelling a string of gigs. 

Indie band Keane, Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo, and US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie have all seen their shows axed this week because of ongoing ‘technical issues’. 

The nearby rival AO Arena will now host Take That’s five upcoming dates after the band made the ‘difficult decision’ to ‘give our fans as much notice as possible’. 

The Co-op Live said tonight it had decided to ‘take a short pause to events’ to give itself time for an ‘independent inspection’ of the arena’s ceiling.  

Fans of A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie were queuing outside the beleaguered arena last night when they were told ‘to leave the area’. 

Keane, the band behind 2004 hit song Somewhere Only We Know, were due to perform on Sunday evening as part of its Hopes And Fears 20th anniversary tour. 

The band said they were ‘gutted’ but that it was ‘entirely beyond our control’, while Rodrigo said she was ‘so bummed’ her two shows this week had been pulled. 

In an Instagram post Take That said: ‘Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of Co-op Live we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena where we have enjoyed many great nights over the years.

‘This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible.’

The band were scheduled to perform at the Co-op Live on May 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12. Its June dates at the venue are currently unaffected.

In what appeared to be dig at the venue, Jen Mitchell, general manager at rival AO Arena, said it was great they were welcoming Take That back to the city.

‘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,’ she said.

The Co-op Live released a statement shortly after Take That’s announcement to say it had decided to ‘take a short pause’ to ‘fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists visiting the venue’. 

A spokesperson said: ‘We are aware our actions have frustrated and angered ticket holders. We know you’ve incurred significant disruption, and are finding a way to help make it right. 

‘We are taking the pause to think about the best way to do that.’  

Tim Leiweke, chairman of the venue’s developer, the Oak View Group, conceded it had not been the smoothest starts for the venue. 

He said: ‘As many of you will know, it’s not been the smooth start we had planned for, and I know that has caused a huge amount of disruption and frustration to thousands of people. 

‘On behalf of all of us at Oak View Group, I’d like to express my sincere apologies to all those that have been affected. We understand that there is work to be done to rebuild your trust in us. 

‘This starts now and at the request of the naming rights partner, The Co-op Group, we will be addressing impact on affected ticket holders, details of which will be shared soon.’ 

The arena is now set to open on May 14 when rock band Elbow are due to perform.

Keane wrote on Instagram: ‘We’re absolutely gutted not to be able to celebrate 20 years of Hopes and Fears with you at the Co-op Live on Sunday. 

‘This is due to on-going technical issues at the venue and is entirely beyond our control.

‘We’ve tried extremely hard to find a solution as we know so many of you have made travel plans, but it’s just not been possible. We are really disappointed that this has happened and are doing all we can to re-schedule the show.

‘Love Tom, Tim, Richard and Jesse x.’

Last night three-time Grammy winner Rodrigo said she was ‘so bummed’ that her shows had been cancelled on Friday and Saturday with just 48 hours notice. 

In a statement on Instagram, the 21-year-old said: ‘Hello! I’ve been having such a great time in Europe so far and I’m sooooo disappointed that we’re unable to perform in Manchester due to on-going venue-related technical issues.

‘We’re doing our best to schedule the show. You can hold onto your tickets for further info or request a refund at your point of purchase. More info will be sent directly to ticket holders.

‘I’m so bummed and I really hope to see you all soon.’

The cancellation of her Friday and Saturday shows, meanwhile, has left children in tears – with parents angrily berating arena bosses for letting them book expensive travel and accommodation unlikely to be refunded.

Even The Co-op, which paid an undisclosed amount to become a ‘major’ investor in the project in 2020, has taken to social media to express its disappointment in the disastrous development – as fans turned their ire on the arena’s title sponsor.

While hundreds of fans of A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie were left furious when they were told last night the gig wouldn’t be going ahead, just 10 minutes after doors were scheduled to open. 

The US rapper’s show has now been rescheduled to take place this Saturday at the nearby AO Arena. 

The American rapper, full name Artist Julius Dubose, said it was ‘crazy’ that his Co-op show was cancelled with no notice whatsoever – to the fury of fans, some of whom had spent hundreds of pounds on travel and accommodation. 

He said, in remarks reported by Good Morning Britain, he had never heard of a show being cancelled on the day it was due to go ahead.

The platinum-selling rapper’s Manchester show had already been postponed twice and fans were lining up outside to get in when arena bosses issued a message telling them the show was off and to leave the area.

‘I just grabbed a glass of wine and started drinking like, damn,’ the star said of learning the show had been canned at the last minute.

‘(I’ve heard of) cancelling a show a week or two weeks, a month ahead of time, but never the day of.

‘This is crazy. (I’ve got) a lot of fans in my DMs (direct messages) going off.’

Two of his concerts had already been pulled but it was axed again at the last minute due to a ‘ventilation defect’. 

Footage filmed outside the arena just hours before showed the area looking like a construction site, with a digger and dumper parked up outside among building materials. 

The Oak View Group, later told the PA news agency there had been a ventilation defect.

During a soundcheck, a component of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system used to direct air separated from the ductwork, they said.

The organisation believe it to be an ‘isolated incident caused by a factory defect’ but it was not able to verify that all similar nozzles were free of similar defects.

Nobody was injured in the incident and the installer, contractor and third-party inspector will now test each nozzle to confirm they are free of defect, it said.

The Co-op Group, who has naming rights for the venue, issued a statement to MailOnline in which it said it was left ‘shocked’ by the late cancellation of the rapper’s show.

A Co-op Group spokesperson said: ‘We are relieved that no-one has been injured, but we share the disappointment and frustration of ticket holders, many of whom are Co-op members, with the continuing delay to the opening of Co-op Live and the disruption that this is causing to everyone who has been looking forward to attending events.

‘We will be seeking a full explanation from Oak View Group (OVG), who are responsible for the building, to the obvious questions arising from this, together with a clear plan from the Co-op Live venue management team at OVG for opening the venue and postponed and future events.

‘Safety is of course the number one priority and it is critical that Co-op members and other ticket holders can enjoy events in a venue with the very highest levels of security and safety measures in place.

‘We are very grateful for Manchester City Council’s and the emergency services’ continued engagement with OVG to ensure that Co-op Live opens as soon as possible.’

The new venue has been hit by a wave of cancelled shows, including by Peter Kay, amid a chaotic opening as general manager Gary Roden quit just 12 months into the job after criticising smaller grassroots venues.

Co-op Live Arena had been due to open on April 23 and is expected to compete with the 02 Arena for the some of the world’s biggest sporting and music events. 

Rebecca Kane Burton, an ex-boss of London‘s O2 Arena, has stepped in as interim general manager.