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“The fact is that we’re building the best arena in Europe that’s been seen for a significant time.”
A little under six months ago, Gary Roden was confidently promising that the new Co-op Live arena in Manchester, backed by pop singer Harry Styles, was going to blow all of its competitors away.
In an interview with i, Mr Roden promised that the £365m venue would feature the largest standing floor in the UK holding up to 9,000 fans, 41 different bars and restaurants and that it would “feel better than any other arena than you’ve been to”.
But last night Mr Roden dramatically resigned less than 48 hours before the opening show.
US rockers The Black Keys were due to launch the venue in front of a reduced capacity of 10,000 people on Saturday after a grand opening with Bolton comedian Peter Kay on Tuesday was cancelled at the last minute due to power supply problems.
Kay’s shows were rescheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday with Co-op Live apologising to those who will be left out of pocket and asssuring fans that the 23,500-capacity will be ready and “at its very best” next week.
However, on Friday, it was confirmed that neither The Black Keys show, nor Peter Kay’s rescheduled dates, are able to go ahead as planned and will have to be pushed back further still.
“Since making the difficult decision to postpone the live shows at Co-op Live due to take place this week, we have been undertaking an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans,” the venue said in a statement.
“To ensure that we can run all shows safely, regretfully we have now had to take the decision to reschedule the planned The Black Keys and Peter Kay shows.
“We deeply appreciate the impact this will have on excited fans, and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause.”
It caps a disastrous week of reputational damage which will have mightly displeased Co-op Live’s co-owners Oak View Group (OVG), the American developer which counts some of the world’s premiere venues in its portfolio including Madison Square Garden in New York and Sphere in Las Vegas.
Warning lights began flashing at a test event held last weekend when Rick Astley fans were told the capacity would have to be reduced from 10,000 to 4,000 people only hours before the show was due to begin.
Once inside, revellers shared stories of wires dangling from the ceiling, limited toilet facilities and having to dodge building equipment.
Clearly it was going to be a frantic finish for the venue to be ready on time, with reports in the Manchester Evening News that it had yet to be signed off by the city council’s building control team and concerns raised by the emergency services.
Morale among workers was at “an all time low”, with some having allegedly walked off site as they “can’t deal with the pressure”, according to the MEN.
Delays and and hiccups are not unusual for new venues – only a few miles down the road, Manchester’s new arts venue Aviva Studios, formerly known as The Factory, finally opened last year after numerous delays and spiralling costs which saw the final £241m price tag more than double the original estimate.
But OVG’s chief executive officer Tim Leiweke is not a man to accept second best.
He famously brought David Beckham to the LA Galaxy football club and i understands Mr Leiweke personally set a challenge to those leading the Co-op Live project to build “the best arena Europe has ever seen”.
“If you want to keep people in your city and your town, you’ve got to have a facility of that quality,” Mr Roden told i last November.
“Also the artist demands it, if you want the artist to stay in your venue for longer you’ve got to give them the best experience and they want to be performing in the spaces where they know their fans are going to be looked after the best.
“Building a brand new arena with all the learnings that have gone from arenas before, and bringing that to what the fan and the consumer needs, is where artists are at.”
Co-op Live’s new interim manager, Rebecca Kane Burton, will be hoping there are no more problems with a huge line-up of acts due to perform over the rest of 2024 including Olivia Rodrigo, Liam Gallagher and Take That.
Millions of pounds are on the line with fans having forked out big money for tickets – analysis shared with i by fan site Twickets suggests average prices could soon surge above £100, inflation driven in part by a spate of new larger venues such as Co-op Live opening.
Mr Roden also attracted criticism over his response to the question of how Co-op Live will give back to the grassroots music venues which develop future artists.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Roden rejected the idea of a £1 levy to help smaller venues, arguing it was “too simplistic” and that some of them are “poorly run”.
The Co-op Live is now having to reassure its own fans that it can deliver its grand ambitions.
Reacting to the news of the latest postponement, Peter Kay wrote on his official account on X (formerly Twitter): “My apologies once again but unfortunately the Co-op Live still isn’t ready and so, as yet, remains untested for a large-scale audience.
“Consequently, they are having to reschedule my two shows yet again (I know I can’t believe it either).”
