Rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, has announced that he will perform at a rival venue after his gig at the troubled Co-op Live arena was axed.
Hundreds of fans turned up at Manchester's new £365m venue on Wednesday evening only to be handed letters stating the show had been cancelled due to "technical reasons". It was the latest in a series of cancellations as the UK's largest arena's opening schedule was hit by various problems.
Posting on X, the American artist, real name Julius Dubose said: "Yesterday's cancelled Manchester show has been rescheduled for this Saturday at AO Arena! We won't give up that easy let's go!"
The AO Arena also posted to confirm the news: "It’s going to be a brilliant night and we can’t wait to see you all here." So far gigs by comedian Peter Kay, rock band the Black Keys and popstar Olivia Rodrigo have been cancelled at the Co-op Live Arena, owned by Oak View Group (OVG).
A poster promoting the new gig, posted online by AO Arena, said tickets from the cancelled show would remain valid for Saturday. A spokesperson for the arena said further information would be released by Ticketmaster in due course.
Fans were left disappointed after the chaotic last-minute cancellation on Wednesday, with one describing it as "unprofessional", while others criticised the "bad organisation". OVG apologised to fans, explaining the gig had been cancelled after a nozzle used in the building's ventilation system became detached during a sound-check.
Co-op Group, which own the naming rights to the arena, released a statement expressing their shock at the cancellation and said that it would be seeking a full explanation from OVG. The arena said any fans who had paid for parking would also be refunded, external.
The cancellation was the latest in a series of problems, starting when Co-op Live announced it would not be ready to host Kay's gigs last week. That was followed by the announcement that the arena's chief executive, Gary Roden, was resigning.
OVG chair, Tim Leiweke, 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."