Take That gigs moved to AO Arena as Co-op Live opening delayed again

Take That have announced they are MOVING their five Co-op Live Arena gigs to the AO Arena next week amid yet more delays for the crisis-hit new venue.

A major announcement was made on Take That's social media pages on Thursday night amid the ongoing troubles at Co-op Live which had to cancel its planned opening gig on Wednesday night amid "technical issues". Take That were due to play the new venue across five dates next week.

They will now shift all five to the AO Arena in Manchester city centre - with just one date having to change due to a gig already scheduled at the arena on May 8. Their planned June dates at Co Op Live are unaffected at this stage.

READ MORE: All the updates on a day of turmoil from Co-op Live

The statement from Take That said: "Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of the Co-Op Live Arena we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena where we have enjoyed many great nights over the years. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible.

"We’re mindful many of you will already have travel and accommodation plans in place, so we have chosen this option to minimise inconvenience to as many people as possible.

They added:: "Our dates in June in Manchester remain unaffected."

The AO Arena added in a social media post: "This May we welcome Take That to the AO Arena for 5 massive shows!

"The band have stated that: "We wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible. We’re mindful many of you will already have travel and accommodation plans in place, so we have chosen this option to minimise inconvenience to as many people as possible.

"All bookings will be transferred to the new venue as below and, except for Wednesday 8th May, we are pleased to say that all the dates remain the same."

They say ticket providers will be in touch directly to manage ticket changes and queries.

Jen Mitchell, General Manager at AO Arena said: "It wouldn’t be a Take That tour without a stop-off in Manchester, so it’s great to welcome the band and their fans back to AO Arena for five nights, in the heart of this wonderful city."

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 shows in the opening season will be 15,000.

It means, logistically, swaps to the AO Arena can safely be made as there is a maximum capacity for up to 21,000 gig-goers there which will reduce depending on stage layouts.

All the new dates and venues

Tuesday 7th May now at AO Arena

Wednesday 8th May date change to Thursday 9th May AO Arena

Friday 10th May now at AO Arena

Saturday 11th May now at AO Arena

Sunday 12th May now at AO Arena