The Co-op Live’s flagship opening event starring Bolton Comic Peter Kay tomorrow night (April 23) has been cancelled at just 24 hours notice.
Kay’s show the following evening, Wednesday April 24, has also been cancelled, with the gigs rescheduled for a week later at the brand new, 23,500-capacity Manchester venue, the UK’s largest indoor arena.
The cancellation comes after thousands of fans were left disappointed when the venue slashed the capacity of an opening test event featuring Rick Astley, Everything Everything and McFly’s Danny Jones from 11,000 to 4,000 on Saturday – 7,000 disgruntled fans were informed they would no longer be attending by email just a couple of hours in advance.
The venue said that Saturday’s hasty rearrangements, as well as tomorrow’s cancellation, were due to problems with the venue’s power supply, completion and testing of which is “a few days behind” schedule.
Co-op Live said in a statement: “Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay. These dates will move from 23 April and 24 Wednesday to Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 April.
“It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind. Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly. This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size.
“Peter Kay has very graciously agreed to perform his record-breaking comedy at Co-op Live on 29 (rescheduled from 23) and 30 (rescheduled from 24) April 2024. All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase. Refunds will be available for those who can no longer attend. We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause for some.
“We can’t wait to welcome fans to Co-op Live for our official grand opening events with Peter Kay, and to showcase Co-op Live at its very best. We will still be hosting The Black Keys on 27 April in the lower bowl with 10K fans as planned, and will continue to test the resilience of the venue and its operations.”
Comic Kay added: “I’m truly gutted as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets, but obviously it’s a brand-new venue and it’s important that everything is finished and safe for full capacity audiences.”
“Fortunately, we’ve been able to reschedule the shows to next week, (I’ll have to miss my Bums & Tums class) but hopefully I’ll see you then.”
