Manchester’s Co-Op Live expecting Elbow opening gig to go ahead after spate of delays

nme.com:

Elbow’s upcoming show will now serve as the venue’s much-postponed opening night.Guy Garvey and co. are scheduled to play the arena, which is set to be the UK’s largest indoor venue with a capacity of 23,500, on May 14 as part of their current UK tour.The arena have had a disastrous few weeks, after a series of events prevented it from being able to open its doors on time.But the venue have now confirmed to Manchester Evening News that, “At this time, we do not expect further impact on our opening season.”The same report suggests that Co-Op Live are also still working on rescheduling Olivia Rodrigo’s postponed shows, with an announcement expected in due course.The BBC also note that the arena has completed an inspection which found that the fault that forced the A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie delay on May 1 was “isolated” and that the venue is now “satisfied” that the opening can go ahead on May 14.The inspection is said to have been carried out by the same subcontractor, SES, that was also responsible for installing the arena’s air handling units.

It was a piece of the ventilation system falling from the ceiling that caused the A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie gig to be pulled at the last minute.“In consultation with Manchester City Council, responsible authorities, and wider stakeholders, we are satisfied with the process and outcome of the investigation identifying the HVAC nozzle as an isolated manufacturing default,” read a statement from Co-Op Live.“This is a standard process of review in any venue when such an incident occurs.

We now look forward to welcoming fans to Elbow’s opening performance on 14 May 2024.”Co-Op Live was supposed to debut with comedian Peter Kay on April 23 and 24.