The Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester has been hit by ongoing “technical difficulties” which has affected shows by Keane and Take That in the past week. Keane’s scheduled show as part of their tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album ‘Hopes and Fears’ on 5 May was cancelled, with the band writing on Twitter that “ongoing technical issues at the venue” was entirely beyond their control. Meanwhile, Take That have confirmed that they will be moving their shows to the AO Arena after cancelling their five gigs from 7-12 May at Co-Op Live.
The 23,500-capacity arena, which is located opposite the Etihad Stadium, has encountered a host of problems since it was supposed to open last month. A Peter Kay concert scheduled for 23 and 24 April was moved to April 29 and 30 due to the venue’s power testing falling “a few days” behind schedule. Later, a show from The Black Keys that was scheduled for 27 April had to be moved to 15 May, while the Kay concerts were moved again to 23 and 24 May. These issues come after controversy in which ASM Global, which operates the nearby 21,000-capacity AO Arena, objected over “public safety” concerns to the Co-Op venue’s licence application.
Despite Keane’s “disappointment,” they confirmed they would do all they could to re-schedule their cancelled show. Take That said they made the “difficult decision” to move their gigs “to minimise inconvenience to as many people as possible.” Fans who have attended the launches noted the issues at the venue, with one stating, “We travelled like two hours… it’s just poor, if you’re gonna cancel it, cancel beforehand, so we don’t spend money on getting here.” Last week, it was confirmed that Gary Roden, Co-Op Live Arena’s boss, had resigned following the venue’s numerous issues.
Read the full article on NME here: Read More