'If Co-op Live can’t control what they’re doing building-wise, how can they control security?'

“If they can’t control what they’re doing building-wise, how can they control security?” ask worried survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing this morning (May 3).

Manchester Arena attack survivors are urging Co-op Live bosses to postpone concerts until the building is completely ready. The venue's troubled opening is coinciding with the approach of the seventh year anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack on May 22, marking a time of year when many survivors say their anxieties are heightened.

The £365m music venue, located next to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, had been due to officially open at the end of April but has been mired in a number of work-related delays, leading to chaotic cancellations and delays. On Wednesday night (May 1), Co-op Live was due to reopen with a show from rapper A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.

READ MORE: How Co-op Live's big aspirations led venue to be hailed 'total embarrassment' for Manchester

However, the show was postponed with less than an hour to go, just as queues were outside the venue waiting to get inside. What was supposed to be the first official gig was called off after a nozzle from an air conditioning unit falling from the ceiling during a soundcheck.

Two hours after the announcement on Wednesday evening, the venue confirmed Friday and Saturday’s gigs with pop star Olivia Rodrigo would also be cancelled. A series of cancellation announcements followed yesterday, including Take That's run of shows next week being relocated to the rival AO arena.

The confusion has led to outcry from the Manchester Arena Support Network, a group run by those impacted by the May 2017 bombing at Manchester Arena. The network is pleading with Co-op Live venue bosses to postpone any further shows until any more work needed is complete to ensure the safety of gig-goers.

The chair of the network, Ruth Leney, was inside the Manchester Arena with her daughter Ella on the night of the bombing. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “We’ve heard that it’s months off being ready, so saying that they’re going to open in another week’s time is putting more and more people in a state of anxiety. May is not a very good month for the people of Manchester and I know with relief that some people feel that the recent concerts have been postponed.

“But if they just move it and they’re sensible about it, they’ll take away all the disappointment, all the loss of finances for people that have booked hotels and things like that. They just need to get a hold of what they’re doing and close it for the time being."

Ms Leney said that the confusion is making survivors 'relive what happened on the night of the bombing' at Manchester Arena, now called the AO Arena, adding: "When I found out that Take That was moving back to the Arena yesterday, personally I was very upset because I can’t go back to the arena so I’m going to miss out on a massive concert.

“A lot of members have gone back, but a lot of members can’t go back, me being one of them. I think it’s relief that they have made a decision, it was very much ‘is it going to happen, isn’t it going to happen?’ and everybody was just in a state of anxiety really.

“I believe it’s the building not the security in this case. But obviously, in the support network, we talk about safety all the time security-wise.

“If they can’t control what they’re doing building-wise, how can they control security?”

The troubled opening of the Co-op Live venue coincides with the approach to the seventh anniversary of the attack, a time of the year which already brings back painful memories for many who attended the fateful Ariana Grande show that evening and were around Manchester at the time.

“There is grief. In May, everyone that I know in the network, we all start getting anxious, we all start getting really severe nightmares. It’s in your psychology, that’s how it comes out.

“It’s affected a lot more people than people realise," continued Ms Leney.

The M.E.N. has reported how the opening Peter Kay shows were rescheduled to April 29 and 30, after the venue admitted that more work was needed to ensure the venue was safe and complete for visitors. A few days later, a show for American rockers The Black Keys, originally set for April 27, was postponed to May 17 and Peter Kay’s gigs were shifted once again to new dates on May 23 and 24 - exactly a month after they had originally been scheduled for.

What was then going to be an opening show from rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, suddenly cancelled on Wednesday, has now been rescheduled to take place at the rival AO Arena this weekend instead. Keane's show, set for this Sunday, has been cancelled.

It means a total of six acts have now swapped venues, three remain rescheduled, one postponed and one cancelled altogether. As things stand, Bury band Elbow will be the opening act on May 14.

In September 2020, developers Oak View Group (OVG) and the Co-operative announced they would be joining forces on 'the UK's biggest and most exciting new arena in Manchester'. But over a week after it was first set to open, the venue remains closed while ticketholders regard it as an 'absolute shambles'.

A statement from Co-op Live on Thursday (May 2) said: "Following the events that led to the cancelled A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show on 1 May, we have decided to take a short pause to events at Co-op Live to fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists visiting the venue. This time will allow for an independent inspection of all elements of the arena ceiling.

"We are aware our actions have frustrated and angered ticket holders. We know you’ve incurred significant disruption, and are finding a way to help make it right.

"We are taking the pause to think about the best ways to do that. Our naming rights partner, the Co-op Group, has also expressed the importance of ensuring that the significant impact on ticketholders is recognised and addressed, with more detail to follow soon."