Manchester’s Co-op Live arena has confirmed its opening will go ahead this week following a host of delays and cancellations.
The £365m venue had postponed its opening twice, resulting in the rescheduling of comedian Peter Kay’s opening shows and the resignation of the venue’s manager Gary Roden.
The UK’s biggest indoor arena said it would now open on 1 May with a show from American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, adding: “Let’s do this.”
Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo’s shows will also go ahead on 3 and 4 May, it said, followed by Keane on 5 May.
Co-op Live confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that this week’s shows would go ahead as planned.
It said ticketholders should “expect an email with everything they need to know about this week’s events to arrive by Tuesday”.
Following the earlier cancellation of Kay’s shows, the venue had said it needed more time to test emergency communications systems.
His shows will now happen next month, as will a gig by US rock band The Black Keys that had been scheduled for 27 April originally.
