AO Arena in talks to take Co-op Live rescheduled gigs - including two major acts

Manchester's AO Arena is preparing to host some of the gigs pulled at the crisis-hit Co-op Live arena this weekend, the MEN can reveal, following a string of delays and rescheduled shows.

Co-op Live, in Eastlands, had been set to open to the public last month with two homecoming shows from Peter Kay. However, the £365m venue has been forced to reschedule a number of shows due to work not yet being complete.

Wednesday night’s show (May 1) with American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was forced to be cancelled just minutes before doors to the arena were set to open. Co-op Live bosses later said this was a 'technical issue' after part of an air conditioning unit fell from the gantry inside the venue during the soundcheck.

READ MORE: Co-op Live latest updates after MORE shows cancelled at crisis-hit new venue

The M.E.N now understands that the AO Arena is currently staffing ahead of TWO shows lined up for Saturday and Sunday night (May 4 and 5).

Two separate sources have said that it is believed that A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s rescheduled show is currently being rearranged for the AO Arena on Saturday. Keane’s Sunday show, originally set for Co-op Live, could also be about to swap venues.

One source told the M.E.N that the AO Arena are currently staffing ‘all aspects’ of the venue for over the weekend, including security officers, members of the box office team and food and beverage staff.

Following the cancellation of last night’s show, Boogie said in a statement: “Something happened with the venue while I was at soundcheck today that caused cancellation of the show. We are working on rescheduling in the next few days I'm heated about the situation too but safety first Manchester I got you just stay tuned for further info."

Co-op Live also was forced to postpone the Friday and Saturday night shows (May 3 and 4) from American singer Olivia Rodrigo. Keane’s show at Co-op Live for Sunday is still currently listed as going ahead on the venue’s website, with no official announcement regarding the show made yet.

Co-op Live was first unveiled to the public with a test event on April 20 with performances from Rick Astley and Danny Jones from McFly. But some attendees at the event were told they could no longer attend due to power supply issues and the show only opened to half capacity.

Following the show, the venue rescheduled two shows from Peter Kay, which were then rescheduled again for May 23 and 24. The Black Keys, originally set for April 27, were also rescheduled to May 15. Co-op Live's general manager Gary Roden then sensationally quit following comments he made about grassroots music venues, which sparked fury from music fans.

No official announcement has yet been made regarding the possibility of this weekend’s shows transferring to the AO Arena. We have approached officials at both venues for a comment and the promoters for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Keane.

Co-op Live said in a statement: "We are working with artist management and promoters to limit the impact on the opening season schedule." They added that further updates would be made on Thursday regarding rescheduled shows.

Shows booked for Co-op Live's opening season were always planned to be at a lower capacity than the venue's full capacity of 23,500. Licensing documents confirmed that the average capacity for opening season will be 15,000.

It means, logistically, swaps to the AO Arena could safely be made where there is a current capacity for up to 21,000 gig-goers.