Emirates Old Trafford's place in Manchester's music scene with Co-op Live ready to make a splash when it opens

Emirates Old Trafford is one of Manchester’s premier sporting venues. Each year, it hosts dozens of domestic and international cricket matches, showcasing the city as one rich in sporting interest. 

Yet for many people, it is more than a cricket ground. The venue has become a spot for some of the biggest acts in music to use as their Manchester tour date, and this is set to continue in the coming years. 

Last summer, Sheffield’s finest Arctic Monkeys were the headline name at Emirates Old Trafford. The next biggest event at the ground was an Ashes Test match between England and Australia which was hampered by the weather to say the least. 

The venue gets packed, seating and standing, to welcome bands such as Arctic Monkeys. Next summer is already looking equally as big, if not more so. Tour announcements for 2024 mean that American rock giants Foo Fighters and Green Day will be playing at the cricket ground. For Green Day, it will be their first appearance at Emirates Old Trafford in 14 years and for Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters, it will be nine years. 

Getting the big name acts is a pull not just to the city, but to the venue itself. How this changes next year onwards will be interesting to see, however. From April 2024, Co-op Live will become the latest (and biggest) addition to the Manchester music venue scene. 

The new arena at Etihad Campus will be up alongside the AO Arena and Emirates Old Trafford for status of premier Manchester venue. All three will go on to have huge acts next summer, and will help to maintain Manchester’s reputation as a go to venue for some of the biggest names in music. 

Co-op Live has burst onto the scene months before its grand opening. Its new reputation as the biggest indoor music venue in the UK will see it as a big attraction, and the vast list of acts already confirmed for the opening season will only add to this. 

Along with the AO Arena and Co-op Live, Emirates Old Trafford will be part of a trinity of top class music venues in the city. Add in the Etihad Stadium and the multitude of smaller venues, and you have a city which is ready to welcome bands and musicians of all sizes for years to come.