Peter Kay jokingly told fellow comedian Jason Manford that he might end up being the first comic to play at the Manchester Co-Op Live venue due to its continued delays. Kay was initially expected to perform the opening shows at the new 23,500-capacity venue, which is set to be the largest in the UK when it opens. However, the opening has been postponed several times due to teething issues. Rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s performance at the venue was also cancelled last minute due to a “venue-related technical issue”. Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Guts’ world tour gigs have also been cancelled at the same venue.
During Manford’s recent appearance on Lorraine, he shared that he would be performing at the venue next October as part of his 2025 ‘A Manford All Seasons’ comedy tour. Guest host Christine Lampard joked about the Co-Op Live venue finally being operational. In response, Manford revealed that he spoke to Kay recently and told him he would be performing at the venue. Kay responded by jokingly stating that by the time Manford performs at the venue, he might end up being the first comic to play due to all the delays.
The venue has faced much criticism and controversy from event cancellations and its operational issues, leading to the resignation of Gary Roden, the boss of the new arena. He reportedly claimed that grassroots music venues were “poorly run”. Despite this, the Co-Op Live Arena has confirmed that Elbow’s show on May 14 will now be the venue’s much-postponed opening night
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