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Co-op Live

Not to be confused with the Manchester Arena in Manchester city centre.

Co-op Live is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, United Kingdom, sited in the Etihad Campus next to the City of Manchester Stadium. It opened on 14 May 2024.[2][3]

Co-op Live
Map
AddressEtihad Campus, 1 Sportcity Way, Manchester M11 3DL
LocationManchester, England
Coordinates53°29′11″N 2°11′59″W / 53.48639°N 2.19972°W / 53.48639; -2.19972
Public transitManchester Metrolink Etihad Campus
Owner
OperatorOak View Group
Capacity20,500 (all-seated)
23,500 (with standing)
Construction
Broke groundMay 2021 (2021-05)
Opened14 May 2024 (2024-05-14)
Construction cost£365–450 million[2][3]
ArchitectPopulous
Main contractorsBAM Construct UK
Website
www.cooplive.com

The venue has 32 bars, restaurants and lounges and has the largest floor space of any indoor venue in the city.[4] Oak View Group is developing the scheme in partnership with City Football Group.[5]

History

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In 2020, the Co-operative Group announced it would be a significant investor in the arena, which would be named after it, and that Co-operative members will receive exclusive benefits regarding use of the arena.[6]

Construction, undertaken by BAM Construct UK,[7] started in 2021.[8] As of 2022, the estimated cost of the scheme was £365 million.[4] In July 2024, Royal BAM reported its UK construction business had suffered a £19.5m loss due to problems at the arena, and would be cutting jobs.[9]

Opening events and delays

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The arena was officially due to open on 23 April with a headline act by comedian Peter Kay; however, due to power supply issues at a test event featuring Rick Astley on 20 April, which resulted in 4,000 tickets being cancelled, the venue announced that Kay's performance was to be postponed until 29 and 30 April. The Black Keys were scheduled to perform on 27 April, but this was later rescheduled to 15 May.[10][11] On-going technical issues saw Kay's performances rescheduled for a second time to 23 and 24 May, along with the resignation of the general manager Gary Roden on 25 April.[8][12] The venue was due to be opened on 1 May with A Boogie wit da Hoodie, but this was also postponed, as well as Olivia Rodrigo and Keane who were scheduled for the following weekend.[8][13][14] In the wake of the delayed opening and cancellations, Take That opted to move their five concert dates from Co-op Live to rival venue the AO Arena.[15] It finally opened on 14 May 2024, with the band Elbow being the opening act.[16]

Liam Gallagher, Arijit Singh, Janet Jackson and Pearl Jam are scheduled to separately perform at the arena.[17][18] The Eagles also announced a five night residency at the venue as part of their farewell "Long Goodbye" tour, set to take place in May and June.[19] In February 2024, it was announced that the arena would host the MTV Europe Music Awards in November.[20] On 24 April 2024, the UFC announced it would hold UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 at the venue on 27 July.[21][22] Billie Eilish confirmed the venue would host four nights of her Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour in July 2025.[23]

On 25 May a performance by Nicki Minaj was cancelled, after most attendees had been admitted into the venue, after an arrest for drug possession at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol;[24] the concert, which was part of the Pink Friday 2 World Tour, was eventually rescheduled to 3 June.[25]

Arena design

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Another perspective on the construction site (August 2023)

The arena is planning to host live music, sports, comedy acts, and family entertainment events. It will have an all-seated maximum capacity of 20,500 (for a centre-stage concert, extending the retractable seating in the lower tier); but with an enhanced maximum capacity of 23,500, of whom 7,500 would be standing, when lower tier seating is retracted.[26][27][28]

The audience bowl will be approximately square with retractable seating on level 0 and level 1, premium seating on level 2, upper tier seating on level 3, and hospitality lounges overlooking the stage at level 4 from the North and South sides; while the configuration of the auditorium is intended to be optimised for larger-scale touring music performances with a relatively low ceiling (to enhance the acoustic experience), an extensive potential flat floor area at Level 0 for standing, and minimised distances from the upper tiers to the stage. Compared to a more conventional arena bowl of equivalent size, the tiered seats on the Western side of the Co-op Arena are claimed to be around 20 metres (70 ft) closer to the performance stage. The promoters state that the interior of the bowl "has been designed to feel like the UK's largest nightclub".[29]

The arena is planned to host around 120 events per year, 100 of which are planned music events. The design of the arena is primarily focused on hosting live music with Tim Leiweke, the CEO of the Oak View Group, stating that the design "made it about music and started there" as other arena projects had been "compromised by trying to please everyone".[4]

In addition to live music and entertainment, the developers propose basketball, netball, tennis, esports and gymnastics as sports that could be hosted within the dimensions of the arena floor, and for which there was not, at the time, an appropriate larger venue in Manchester capable of hosting championship events. With lower-tier seating retracted, the floor would accommodate a standard ice hockey rink. For events configured with a centre stage or using the arena floor, there will be additional upper-tier seating on the East side; above and behind the normal end-stage position.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (2 May 2024). "Falling debris, broken hand dryers and Harry Styles: inside the Co-op Live arena's nightmare launch". The Independent. London. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b Youngs, Ian (14 May 2024). "Co-op Live arena finally opens doors after delays". BBC News. London. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b Halliday, Josh (14 May 2024). "Co-op Live finally hosts first gig after spate of cancellations". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Chris Slater (28 June 2022). "'It'll be the greatest music arena ever built': Manchester's Co-op Live boss gives exciting update on £365m venue - and how Harry Styles and Bruce Springsteen helped". Manchester Evening News.
  5. ^ Robinson, Jon (21 February 2023). "The investors behind Manchester's £365m Co-op Live - including Harry Styles and Manchester City group". Manchester Evening News. Reach plc. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  6. ^ "New Arena in Manchester to be Called Co-Op Live Following Major Investment". Co-operative Group. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Crisis-hit Manchester Co-op Live Arena 'monitored closely' after embarrassing delays". ITV News. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Vinter, Robyn (26 April 2024). "More gigs postponed amid opening week chaos at Manchester Co-op Live arena". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  9. ^ Morby, Aaron (25 July 2024). "BAM plans wave of job cuts at UK Construction arm". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  10. ^ Vinter, Robyn (21 April 2024). "Thousands 'fuming' after tickets cancelled for Co-op Live arena show in Manchester". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Co-op Live: New Manchester arena postpones Peter Kay's opening shows". BBC News. Manchester. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  12. ^ Wilkes, Emma (25 April 2024). "Manchester Co-Op Live Arena boss resigns after rows, controversy and venue problems". NME. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  13. ^ Wootton-Cane, Nicole; Campbell, Jenna (1 May 2024). "Co-op Live first gig cancelled again after weeks of chaos". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Keane announce Co-op Live show cancelled after week of chaos for troubled arena". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Take That move Co-op Live shows to rival arena after chaos". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Manchester's Co-op Live arena finally opens after weeks of cancellations and setbacks". Sky News. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Peter Kay to perform at opening of UK's largest indoor arena". BBC News. Manchester. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  18. ^ Maidment, Adam (15 February 2024). "Bollywood singer Arijit Singh UK tour confirmed including Co-op Live date". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  19. ^ Tyler Kelly (22 January 2024). "The Eagles announce residency at Co-op Live arena in Manchester". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Manchester's new Co-op Live arena to host MTV's Europe Music Awards". BBC News. Manchester. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  21. ^ "UFC 304 confirmed for Manchester in July". BBC Sport. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Fans' dismay as Co-op Live Arena cancels show again". BBC News. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Billie Eilish announces Hit Me Hard And Soft tour UK dates". news.sky.com. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  24. ^ Walker, Amy (25 May 2024). "Full statement as Nicki Minaj Co-op Live gig cancelled hours after star's arrest". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  25. ^ Peters, Mitchell (27 May 2024). "Nicki Minaj Announces Rescheduled Manchester Concert Following Amsterdam Arrest". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Design and Access Statement". Manchester City Council. 31 March 2020. pp. 39 and 115.
  27. ^ a b "Erection of a multi-use arena" (PDF). Manchester City Council. 31 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Manchester plans revealed for UK's largest indoor arena". BBC News. Manchester. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Bosses of huge new arena next to the Etihad issue update ahead of grand opening". NME. 26 April 2022.
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