Take That at AO Arena - seating plan, set times, parking and everything you need to know

Take That return to Manchester this week on their ongoing This Life tour. The band have moved five of their huge homecoming shows at Co-op Live to Manchester's AO Arena amid delays at the opening for the new venue.

It means fans will now be planning a trip to the AO Arena instead of the Co-op Live, which is centrally located in Manchester city centre.

Four of the dates are able to stay the same, while one show has moved from May 8 to May 9, due to the AO Arena already being booked by Tenacious D on that night.

READ MORE: "I didn't buy a Ferrari to get a Punto" Take That fans fury at reallocated tickets at AO Arena gigs

For Take That fans, seeing the band in their hometown is always one of the most special dates on their tours. As such fans will be flying from all over the world to head to these Manchester gigs.

As to what they can expect? Well, the tour kicked off in Sheffield in April and has been winning rave views from both critics and fans alike so far.

This Life on Tour sees the band's Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen perform a host of new tracks as well as a selection of their biggest hits from their three decades in pop.

The show opens as if they are in a retro TV show, with the boys emerging from a a giant TV box on stage to perform newies Keep Your Head Up and Windows. It then takes fans through an epic retrospective of their music career - including classics from their 90s boyband era like Sure, Everything Changes and I Found Heaven.

Unusually for a Take That tour, there is no big dance crew - instead the three singers are allowed to shine across a variety of stages on a split set. But fans can expect plenty of colourful costume changes, as well as rain, fire and plenty of confetti.

Here's more on what to expect at the gigs taking place this week. The tour returns to Manchester again in June, when the original Co-op Live dates are expected to go ahea.

Who is the support act?

Olly Murs is the confirmed support act for the Manchester dates of the This Life tour. The new dad has been wowing fans on the tour so far (except for the one night in Glasgow when his plane got cancelled and he missed the show!).

It's well worth fans getting to the show on time to see Olly perform, as he'll be playing a blistering set of some of his biggest hits. Previous shows have seen him perform the likes of Dance With Me Tonight, Troublemaker, Dear Darlin' and Heart Skips a Beat.

He has even been performing his own version of Take That's It Only Takes A Minute.

Stage times

Stage times are always subject to change and the best advice is always to get in and find your seats as soon as you can. But we've been given this rough guide for the stage times for the show. On opening night in Manchester, the show ran to these times, and Take That's set came to a close at 10.40pm

Doors: 6pm

Olly Murs: 7:20pm

Take That: 8:35pm

Curfew is 11pm

Seating plan at AO Arena

As fans will no doubt be aware, the new seating plan now the gig has switched from Co-op Live to the AO Arena has been causing a fair few issues among fans.

The official layout of seating (once staging is in) has not yet been confirmed by Ticketmaster or the AO Arena.

However, Gigs and Tours have published the above seating plan which shows the full arena bowl set up. This includes the block numbers across the floor seating area and the two tiers.

The B stage and catwalk are being used for the Manchester shows.

Is there food and drink in the AO Arena?

Yes, there are bars around the concourse once you are inside the venue serving a range of drinks. Food options are mostly limited to bar snacks like burgers, chips, tortilla chips and bags of sweets and chocolates in the main public bars.

For drinks, you're looking at paying £8.50 for a pint of beer, £11 for a mini bottle of prosecco and £32 for a full bottle of wine - although there's also an offer of TWO bottles of wine for £50 if you're splashing out (and this would save you £14).

Soft drinks are priced in a medium cup at £5.10 or £6.20 for a large. Bottles of water are £2.70.

If you're wanting a more substantial meal before the show, then the AO Arena is located in the heart of Manchester city centre where you will find a wealth of bars and restaurants. The nearest to the arena would be The Printworks entertainment complex and also The Corn Exchange which offers a range of dining options.

If you are a guest in one of the VIP spaces inside the AO Arena, including the new Mezz, private boxes or hospitality suites, then food is likely to be included - it's best to check your Ts and Cs before arriving.

Is there parking at the AO Arena?

Yes, there is a large multi-storey car park based next to the AO Arena, with access through the car park to the main entrance to the venue on Trinity Way.

Be aware though that after the shows, Trinity Way will be closed southbound between Great Ducie Street and Cheetham Hill Road for up to one hour, to allow concert-goers to safely exit the venue.

If you’re parking at the arena car park, you will still be allowed to exit during this closure but you will have to turn right and follow local diversions.

There are some 7,000 parking spaces at other car parks within a short walk to the arena as well.

What are the public transport options?

The AO Arena is centrally located in the city within the Manchester Victoria Train Station complex, which serves both mainline trains and a tram stop. The next closest tram stops are at either Exchange Square (next to the Arndale Centre) or Shudehill (behind The Printworks and close to the Northern Quarter).

Both stops are a short five minute walk to the arena.

Tram travel is included with event tickets for four hours before and after the following shows:

• Take That - Tuesday 7, Thursday 9, Friday 10, Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 May

Fans need to be aware though of a number of train strikes taking place this week, and the advice is to check with your train service before you travel. Disruption is expected between May 6-11 due to action short of strike called by ASLEF.

Northern has also announced its services will not operate on Thursday. May 9.

Take That setlist

The band have been following a similar setlist on the tour so far, although some nights have also included new fan favourite You and Me. This is the setlist performed at Manchester's AO Arena on May 7.

Keep Your Head Up

Windows

Giants

Days I Hate Myself

Everything Changes

Sure

Shine

A Million Love Songs

I Found Heaven

Pray

Forever Love (Gary Barlow solo)

Clementine (Mark Owen solo)

Speak Without Words (Howard Donald solo)

Patience

The Flood

Get Ready For It

March Of The Hopeful

The Champion

This Life

Greatest Day

These Days

Time & Time Again

Relight My Fire

One More Word

Hold Up A Light

Back For Good

Never Forget

Rule The World