Co-op Live given the Elbow…..After weeks of delays and false starts the Co-op Live venue has opened, It went without a hitch but:
Is Britain’s biggest arenareally over its troubles?
Elbow were meant to play the 15th event in the Co-op Live schedule – but the Manchester band ended up becoming the opening act by default.
Earlier planned shows by Peter Kay, Olivia Rodrigo, Take That and others have fallen by the wayside over the past few weeks because of overrunning works and other problems.
And some ticket-holders had understandable jitters about whether Elbow’s concert on Tuesday would happen.
So there were big sighs of relief and a few whoops of joy when, yes, the doors did actually open, and fans were finally let in.
Earlier in the day, the sight of dozens of busy workmen in high-vis jackets and hard hats in and around the venue suggested there was still more to do.
But by the evening, the construction workers had been replaced by stewards eager to release their pent-up helpfulness, and the arena looked largely ready.
That’s not to say there weren’t teething problems.
A long queue to get in stretched down one side of the venue, over a bridge, around a few corners and almost back to where it started.
There were grumbles about confusion getting into the car park. And inside, lots of the self-service tills in the food and drink outlets had crashed.
But compared with the issues that had gone before, these were quibbles.
The venue’s boss earlier boasted to the BBC that it was the “greatest arena built outside of the United States”.
Elbow frontman Guy Garvey was enthused. “What do we think of this amazing room?” he asked the crowd about the hall where they were playing.
The audience’s muted cheers in response to his question was perhaps a reflection of some lingering wariness, and the fact it’s simply hard to get really excited about an arena.
Co-op Live’s £450m budget has paid for things like top-notch acoustics and various bars, suites and different areas that make it a bit more interesting than your average arena.
In the toilets, the walls (painted pink for ladies and blue for men) carry large song lyrics – including “You’re So Vain” and “Girl on Fire” for the girls, and “Ready Aim Fire” and “Sh-sh-sh-sh-shake it off” for the boys.
Co-op Live given the Elbow.
