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A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was supposed to perform at Manchester’s new Co-op Live arena today for the venue’s opening night. Thousands of fans were queueing outside to be let in at 6:30PM, but at 6:40PM the event was canceled due to a technical issue. The £365 million venue is also postponing Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour dates.
The rapper addressed the situation on an Instagram Story, writing, “Something happened with the venue while I was at soundcheck today that caused cancellation of the show we are working on rescheduling in the next few days I’m heated about the situation too but safety first Manchester I got you just stay tuned for further info.”
“Due to an ongoing venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour on May 3 and 4 May are being postponed,” the venue explained on X. “Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund at point of purchase.”
On April 21, the 23,500-cap venue — the largest arena in the UK — had planned a Rick Astley concert for 11,000 arena workers and VIPs as a test event. That had been canceled last-minute as well. Peter Kay was slated to open the venue on April 23 and 24, but that had been postponed, due to behind-schedule tests and safety concerns. The same happened with a Black Keys gig meant to take place on April 27.