Manchester’s AO Arena named better than Wembley and O2 Arena as venue hosts rescheduled Co-op Live gigs

Just days after hosting the first of six rescheduled gigs from Co-op Live, Manchester’s AO Arena has been named as one of the best music venues in the country.

Last week, the £365m music venue Co-op Live, in Eastlands, announced that a string of shows would be rescheduled following ongoing construction delays and ‘technical difficulties’.

The latest in the on-going Co-op Live saga involved a piece of an air conditioning unit falling from the ceiling during a soundcheck last Wednesday (May 1) just moments before attendees hoped to see American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie enter the venue. The show was postponed and later relocated to the AO Arena on Saturday evening.

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Two shows from Olivia Rodrigo were also postponed as a result, with fans still awaiting new dates. Take That’s mammoth run of five shows this week were also relocated to the AO Arena, with the first show taking place on Tuesday night to rave reviews. The band will continue their shows at the AO Arena tonight until Sunday.

A recent study, based on Google and Facebook reviews, has found that the AO Arena has ranked as one of the best-rated music venues in the country. Whilst the top ranking position was given to the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport, with an average score of 4.6 out of 5, the Manchester venue came in joint fourth position out of all 27 UK indoor arenas.

Joint second place was given to the First Direct Arena in Leeds and the Emirates Arena in Glasgow for their 4.5 score. Joining the AO Arena in joint fourth were Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro and the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool with a score of 4.4 out of 5.

The 21,000-capacity AO Arena had close to 21,000 reviews on Google, which had an average score of 4.5. Amongst the reviews, some music fans described the venue as offering a 'great experience' with 'very friendly and helpful' staff. Others also praised the food and drinks on offer, as well as the venue being 'very organised'.

On Wednesday evening (May 8), the venue hosted the Jack Black-fronted band Tenacious D. Other shows lined up for the arena include the return of Peter Kay on May 17 and 18, as well as upcoming shows from Nickelback, Girls Aloud, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Troye Sivan, Heart, and Romesh Ranganathan.

The AO Arena also recently opened its exclusive bar and restaurant The Mezz, which comprises a luxury setting within the venue where people can enjoy the ‘ultimate VIP experience’. The restaurant's menu features dishes curated by acclaimed chefs Simon Rogan and Tom Barnes.

The venue’s ranking on the list, which was compiled by the QR Code Generator website, means it surpasses the likes of the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham (4.3 score, 11th), the OVO Arena Wembley (4.3, joint 12th), and The O2 Arena in London which came in 25th place with a score of 3.75.

Perhaps unfairly, Co-op Live came in last place on the list with a 1.75 score based on 25 Google reviews and 38 Facebook reviews. However, the venue is yet to officially open, so reviews are mostly based on gigs that have not gone ahead as scheduled. It is currently set to open on May 14 with a show from Elbow.