I flew from Japan to see Olivia Rodrigo at Co-op Live in Manchester and just can't believe it

Manchester’s Co-op Live arena has been in the spotlight all for the wrong reasons this week after their opening show was cancelled for the third time, leaving fans outraged. 

The UK’s largest arena, which will eventually house 23,500 people, is still having the finishing touches put to it after a disastrous opening fortnight. 

Gigs have been postponed and some, including Take That, will now be hosted at their rival venue, the AO Arena.  We went down to speak to the people of Manchester to hear their thoughts about the situation.

Diana Go-Slowe, 22, said: ”I think it should’ve never been built. The whole thing with cancelling gigs and people quitting doesn't look good on Co-op. I went to Co-op school so I’ve had this good image of them, and I feel like this is just ruining it for everyone and it doesn't look great. 

“It’s not a great situation, they should have done better for something that they've planned for so long. They don’t look reliable anymore, it's not somewhere I’d want to go in future.”

Fans of the US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie were queuing outside when they were told there was a ‘technical issue’ with the building which led to the cancellation of the show. It was later revealed to be part of an air conditioning unit had fallen from the gantry inside the venue. 

Mark Durman, 63, believes although it wasn’t ideal, the safety of people comes first.

He said: “It shouldn’t be happening, but safety matters so if it's not safe (the postponements) have got to be done. It's not fair on the people but we can't take the risk of any harm being done to people. They should’ve held back and postponed it by a couple of months to be sure it was complete and safe.”

There was further outrage when fans learnt that Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out Manchester gigs for her UK tour were cancelled. Yuta, 28, flew all the way from Japan to see the pop superstar. He said: “I bought the ticket in January before I booked flights. I was so excited to see the show in Manchester in the brand new concert hall – it was the object of the trip.”

Millie Woods, 28, was expecting her housemate’s sister to fly over from Ireland to visit the venue. She said: “It's been a bit bizarre. I walked past it the day before they were opening it and saw loads of construction going on outside and you can still see cranes and people doing work to it. I think it’s a shame for people, especially when they’ve spent a lot of money. I think they should’ve pushed (the opening) back, they weren’t ready to open.”

The £365million arena began construction in 2020 and is managed by Oak View Group, who issued a fulsome apology to fans on Thursday. The latest opening date is now set for May 14 where Bury rock greats Elbow will play their homecoming gig.