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US musician Olivia Rodrigo said she was “bummed” that her sold-out concerts, scheduled to be held in Manchester’s troubled Co-op Live arena, were called off.
Two hours after the venue announced that American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie would not be performing, it confirmed that Rodrigo’s concerts, part of her Guts world tour scheduled for 3 and 4 May, had also been cancelled.
Rodrigo said she was “disappointed that we’re unable to perform in Manchester due to on-going venue-related technical issues” on her Instagram story.
She added that she was doing her best with her team to reschedule the concerts.
Wednesday’s A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show was meant to be its first official event for the 23,500-capacity Manchester venue after a series of events had to be cancelled or postponed over the last two weeks.
However, the rapper said “something happened” during the soundcheck that resulted in the show being cancelled.
“I’m heated about the situation too, but safety first Manchester, I got you, just stay tuned for further info,” he said.
The venue is part of the Oak View Group, which confirmed that there was a problem with a component of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
The performance was cancelled at 6:40pm – 10 minutes after doors were supposed to open – with fans queuing up outside the venue already.
The £365m venue, the largest indoor arena in the UK, was supposed to be opened by comedian Peter Kay last week but was postponed twice. His shows have now been rescheduled to 23 and 24 May.
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Musician Rick Astley performed on 20 April to about 11,000 arena workers, VIPs and press for the free test event, but nearly 4,000 tickets were cancelled.
The venue apologised and said “testing critical procedures” meant they had to reduce capacity for the event. Ticket holders were told they could attend a show by US rock duo The Black Keys the following week, but that show too was postponed until 15 May.
General manager Gary Roden quit last week over a series of issues that led to opening delays, and over criticism when he said some small music venues were “poorly run”.
Tim Leiweke, chairman and chief executive of the Oak View Group, said: “The safety and security of all visiting and working on Co-op Live is our utmost priority, and we could not and will not run any event until it is absolutely safe to do so.
“Today was a very unexpected situation but without a doubt the right decision. I deeply apologise for the impact that this has had on ticket holders and fans.”
Meanwhile, the Co-operative Group said it was “disappointed” by the announcement and will seek a “full explanation” from the Oak View Group.
“As the naming rights sponsor for Co-op Live, we are shocked at the incident which has led to late cancellation of tonight’s show at the arena,” a Co-op Group spokesperson said.
“We are relieved that no-one has been injured, but we share the disappointment and frustration of ticket holders, many of whom are Co-op members, with the continuing delay to the opening of Co-op Live and the disruption that this is causing to everyone who has been looking forward to attending events.
“We will be seeking a full explanation from Oak View Group (OVG), who are responsible for the building, to the obvious questions arising from this, together with a clear plan from the Co-op Live venue management team at OVG for opening the venue and postponed and future events.
“Safety is, of course, the number one priority and it is critical that Co-op members and other ticket holders can enjoy events in a venue with the very highest levels of security and safety measures in place.”
Three-time Grammy winner Rodrigo’s Guts tour went across North America in March and April. Her recent performance was in Dublin and is next expected in London from 14-18 May.
At her Missouri show on 12 March, concertgoers received free emergency contraception and condoms from the Missouri Abortion Fund and Right By You – a text hotline that connects young people to abortion care, birth control, and information about reproductive rights.
