Inside disastrous 24 hours at Manchester's £365m 'Co-Flop' Live arena
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The workers at the troubled Co-op Live arena in Manchester have described the disastrous 24 hours leading up to the bungled opening of the venue.
They have revealed how staff were reduced to tears, the building was unsafe with ‘wires everywhere’ and how the VIP rooms were still ‘full of cardboard boxes’ only hours before the first gig was due to start.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity to the BBC, the workers revealed how construction staff at the venue warned back in February that works were 35 weeks behind schedule.
In the leadup to the grand opening, the arena had been billed as the greatest indoor arena for music, comedy and sport ever built outside the United States.
Costing £365million, it is the most expensive and largest purpose-built concert venue in Britain and the jewel in the crown for an American-based firm that owns 300 venues around the world.
The workers at the troubled Co-op Live arena in Manchester have described the disastrous 24 hours leading up to the bungled opening of the venue. Pictured: Fans leaving after the debut gig was cancelled
The £365m venue, the biggest indoor arena in the UK, has postponed its opening numerous times after rescheduling performances from Peter Kay, The Black Keys, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, as well as shows by Olivia Rodrigo
Venue mogul Tim Leiweke, co-founder of its owner Oak View Group, also claimed it is ‘acoustically the most perfect ever built in the UK’ ahead of some of the biggest music and comedy gigs of 2024. He also said it would be a springboard to building a new arena in London to finally rival the 02 in Greenwich.
But promises soon began to unravel, with the venue forced to cancel the debut performance by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie just over an hour before he was due to begin on Wednesday.
Many fans had already arrived at the venue and were left puzzled at what had gone wrong.
Officially the show was cancelled after part of an air conditioning unit fell from the gantry inside the venue prior to the start of the gig.
But a staff member who was hired as a ‘premium host’ in the venue’s VIP rooms has now revealed the truth about the state of the building fewer than 24 hours before A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was due to begin.
She told the BBC the venue ‘did not look ready at all’, describing the scenes as ‘chaotic’.
The rooms were full of cardboard boxes and the building was filled with workmen doing ‘random checks’, she claimed.
Fans were left stunned after the Co-op Live arena cancelled its opening gig with some ticket-holders left queuing outside on Wednesday
Fans were handed these notes asking them to ‘kindly…leave the area’ as they stood in the queue
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, real name Julius Dubose, told fans ‘something happened with the venue during a soundcheck’
Hundreds of contractors were pictured working at the the Co-op Live arena in Manchester on Thursday, the day after the debut performance was due to take place
Workmen on site at the Co-op Live Arena on Thursday as efforts are made to finally get the beleaguered venue open
She said ‘there were loads of wires hanging down’ with exposed lighting on the floor which looked ‘very messy’.
READ MORE: Disastrous opening of £365m ‘Co-Flop’ arena is mocked online as ‘Manchester’s Wonka experience’ as furious Take That and Keane fans hit out at moved and axed gigs
The woman, who has been employed on a casual contract, said staff members were still paid part of their wage if their shift was cancelled at short notice.
A spokesperson for the venue said staff who are on site when a shift is cancelled are paid in full.
Another staff member who was working in an operations role at the venue said the root cause of all the problems came from the building, not the operations.
They said there was relief among her colleagues thousands of fans would not be coming to the venue after the piece of ventilation equipment fell from the ceiling on Wednesday night during a sound check.
They said: ‘Yesterday I went home and couldn’t stop crying. It’s not just me, it’s the same for a lot of the team, we’ve put in so much effort.’
Although most public-facing areas of the building are complete, the staff member revealed some offices on the top floor and some premium areas remain unfinished.
At a visit to the site in February, an employee for Co-op Group – the naming rights partner for the arena – said they were told by construction workers the project was running 35 weeks behind schedule, due to delays with crane equipment.
Fans were sent away 10 minutes after doors were due to open for the gig after a piece of aircon equipment came loose
Stranded A Boogie Wit da Hoodie fans speak to police in Manchester after his Co-op Live show was cancelled at the last minute
The employee told the BBC that Co-op was ‘really disappointed with OVG’s constant delays.
OVG [the Oak View Group] own the venue, whereas Co-op just have a deal over the naming rights.
READ MORE: A falling air con unit, broken lights and no backstage toilets: Behind the chaos at massive £365m ‘Co-Flop’ arena – as builders say they warned bosses it is still ‘nowhere near ready’ but ‘it’s all about the money’
A spokesperson for Co-op Live said events at the arena have been paused ‘to ensure the safety and security of fans and artists visiting the venue’.
Tim Leiweke, Chairman and CEO of the Oak View Group, said: ‘On behalf of all of us at Oak View Group, I’d like to express my sincere apologies to all those that have been affected.’
A spokesperson for the Co-op Group said: ‘Co-op is a sponsor and does not own or run the venue, and we have made it clear to Oak View Group, who are responsible for the building, that the impact on ticket-holders must be addressed as a priority.’
They added: ‘Co-op members and other ticket holders can be reassured that the venue has the very highest levels of security and safety measures.’
BAM Construction has been contacted for comment.
Discussing the impact of the troubled arena, Stuart Galbraith, the vice chair of the Concert Promoters Association, told the PA news agency: ‘I think everyone is frustrated and disappointed, but I don’t think anybody is saying that it’s necessarily anybody’s “fault”.
‘And to be quite frank, after what the live industry and society went through generally during Covid, we can cope with anything.
Fans of Take That, made up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen, also postponed their show at the venue
Pictured is the rock band Keane, which includes Tom Chaplin, Tim Rice-Oxley, Richard Hughes, and Jesse Quin. The were due to play at the arena on Sunday
Peter Kay took a swipe at the bosses of Manchester CO-OP Live venue on Friday after his live show was cancelled twice
‘On March 16 2020, our entire industry, not just one venue, our entire industry was closed down with 24 hours’ notice for two years, so everybody is very used to rescheduling concerts.’
READ MORE: US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie moves to ‘Co-Flop’ rival AO Arena after his show was cancelled at crisis-hit £365m Manchester venue
He explained that buildings, promoters and ticket agents were now ‘very experienced’ at moving shows, with his company rescheduling 350 concerts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fans due to attend the affected Co-op Live events, which also included shows by comedian Peter Kay, The Black Keys and Take That, have expressed their frustration at the last-minute changes, as many had already paid for accommodation and made arrangements.
Galbraith said the ‘inconvenience and stress’ on customers had been ‘awful’, but also noted that the building’s operating team would have felt a great deal of pressure.
‘I’m sure that nobody would have wanted the events to be postponed in a way they have been postponed’, he added.
But he said that he felt that in a few months’ time ‘these few weeks of stress will be long forgotten once they’ve got up and running’.
Asked how he could be sure opinions would change, he explained that this was not the first time he had dealt with venues being delayed in opening.
‘Wembley Stadium was a year late opening, I think everyone would agree it’s probably one of our best stadiums in the country’, he said.
The concert promoter was also among those in attendance at the Co-op Live test event with Rick Astley and raved about the experience.
American singer Olivia Rodrigo (seen here on Tuesday in Dublin) was scheduled to perform at the Co-op Live before aircon defects delayed her shows
Olivia said in a statement on her Instagram she was ‘sooooo disappointed’ to have to reschedule the shows
He said: ‘I think the building is actually going to be brilliant once it gets up and running properly.
‘The sound was fantastic and the look and feel inside the auditorium was brilliant, the best of any arena that I’ve been in in recent times.’
On Saturday, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie delivered a high-energy show to thousands at Manchester AO Arena after his gig at the Co-Op Live on Wednesday was cancelled at the last minute during soundcheck.
His show was later rescheduled and moved to the AO Arena, with Take That later following suit as the boy band moved five shows planned for next week at Co-op Live to the rival Manchester venue.
Meanwhile, Barry Manilow was also considering moving his Manchester performance scheduled for May 19 over to the AO Arena following the cancellations.
On Thursday, British pop rock group Keane, who have been celebrating 20 years of their debut album Hopes And Fears, said they were ‘really disappointed’ as they also revealed the postponement of their gig which had been scheduled for Sunday.
Vampire singer Olivia Rodrigo had been due to perform at the venue on Friday and Saturday as part of her Guts world tour, but the shows were also postponed.
The new music venue has said it will be taking ‘a short pause to events’ before welcoming members of the public to the arena from May 14, when Elbow are due to play.
Tim Leiweke with Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Bernadette
Tim Leiweke with Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Bernadette
Tim Leiweke then put his arm around a BBC Breakfast reporter and promised ‘we’re never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down’ – a nod to Rick Astley who was playing in the first gig that night, which later turned sour
The statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday said this was to ‘fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists’ and allow for an ‘independent inspection of all elements of the arena ceiling’ following an issue with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
It added: ‘At this time, we do not expect further impact on our opening season.
‘We are aware our actions have frustrated and angered ticket holders.
‘We know you’ve incurred significant disruption, and are finding a way to help make it right.’
The venue, built by developer the Oak View Group, was given planning permission in 2020 and boasted an investment from popstar Harry Styles. Harry even helped with some elements of the design.
Discussing Co-op Live previously, Leiweke said: ‘It’s the largest single investment in the history of our industry internationally. It’s the most expensive arena ever built outside of North America.’
American businessman Tim Leiweke is one of the biggest names in the entertainment business in the US.
Until around ten years ago he was boss of AEG Worldwide, the biggest owner of venues, sport teams, and entertainment businesses.
Leiweke is married to wife Bernadette and have one daughter. Francesca, who is married to a former hockey star and works for her father, made headlines in 2009 when she sat with David Beckham at a LA Lakers game as the England footballer moved to the use.
Investor Harry Styles sent a message of good luck and spoke of his pride ahead of the opening, before the problems emerged
Tim Leiweke’s daughter Francesca, pictured with David Beckham at a Lakers game in LA in around 2009, works with her father, whose business Oak View Group own the arena
Becks was playing for LA Galaxy, which was owned by AEG.
Leiweke also described turning his attention to a new super-venue in London – and an arena in Cardiff.
The general manager of Manchester’s troubled new Co-op Live, Gary Roden, dramatically quit two weeks ago
After leaving AEG, Leiweke co-founded Oak View Group with Irving Azoff, ex-boss of Ticketmaster, with the view of ‘disrupting’ the market – especially his former employer.
OVG owns and operates more than 300 venues worldwide, mostly in the US but with projects planned across Europe, Africa and Asia – bankrolled by investors including private equity firms.
It has big plans for venues in London and Las Vegas – but until then the jewel in the crown is the Co-op Arena in Manchester – the most expensive venue of its kind outside the US.
However, its opening has been marred by a failure to safely complete it on time.
The arena’s general manager, Gary Roden, announced his resignation last week following the slew of issues that led to the delays in the venue opening.
Mr Roden was thanked by his former employer for his ‘help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans and wish him the best for the future’.
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