Co-op Live opens successfully with Elbow - Access All Areas

The Co-op Live arena by Oak View Group, which can accommodate up to 23,500 spectators, has been inaugurated in Manchester without any issues. The first concert held at the arena was by local group, Elbow, on the evening of 14 May.

Several performances by Peter Kay, Olivia Rodrigo, and Take That were cancelled, delayed, or relocated, which made Elbow the official opening act of the venue. Guy Garvey, the lead vocalist, initiated the event by addressing the crowd with, "Greetings, Manchester. Let's commence the proper launch of this venue, shall we?"

The launch of the largest arena in the United Kingdom faced multiple delays. Initially, Peter Kay was supposed to kick off the arena's first show with a full-capacity audience on April 23. However, his performance has been pushed back to May 23. The Black Keys were also scheduled to play a 10,000-person concert at Co-op Live on April 27 but had to be rescheduled for tonight. Meanwhile, no new dates have been announced yet for Olivia Rodrigo's cancelled gigs on May 3 and 4.

Rodrigo had to cancel his performances because a part of the HVAC system, which controls the air, fell down from the ceiling. Tim Leiweke, the CEO of OVG, said to the BBC that if the incident had happened just a few minutes later, it could have been very dangerous. He also said that the arena has been checked many times and is now the most secure building in the world.

Rebecca Kane Burton, who was previously Vice President and General Manager of The O2 arena, temporarily took on the role of GM at Co-Op Live after Gary Roden resigned. Prior to the Elbow concert yesterday, Burton expressed her enthusiasm on social media, motivating her team to showcase their full potential.

Upcoming performances at the location consist of musical presentations featuring Eric Clapton and Barry Manilow.