The Co-op Live Arena opened successfully last night with a Greater Manchester band – after weeks of setbacks and postponements.
Bury band Elbow opened the £365million venue last night with the general consensus of the evening being “amazing”.
Fans were quick to take to social media to give their verdict about the opening, with a lot of them giving the arena a thumbs up.
@sarahrothel_23 commented on Elbow’s Instagram and said: “What a fantastic venue and amazing gig! Loved it!!”
In the caption to a Tik Tok video of the bands hit song One Day Like This, @athomewithem said: “Blown away by this incredible venue last night. The design of the place is so impressive! Acoustics and lighting were brilliant!
“After all the bad press, I hope the Co-op live gets the recognition it deserves.”
On X, formally known as Twitter, @NikCotter_ praised the venue for their quick bar service, sound quality and visuals, labelling the event a “cracking gig”.
Amazing night at @TheCoopLive watching @Elbow officially open the venue, super helpful staff, well organised, loads of loos (v important) speedy bar service, great sound, gorgeous visuals & a cracking gig! #cooplive #elbow #Manchester pic.twitter.com/JYLFEVPNYg
— Nikki Cotter (@NikCotter_) May 14, 2024
And @hilarye65314139 on X even reported there were vouchers for free drinks on entry to the arena with an option for either water or Peroni.
However it wasn’t all positive, as one attendee posted a picture of the drinks prices, stating
that a pint was £7.95, a cocktail £12 and a small glass of wine £8.80.
Some of the food and drink prices here at the AMP Club at Co-op Live. Slightly lower drinks prices than we first reported…£7.95 for a pint, £12 for a cocktail and £8.80 for a small glass of wine @CityLifeManc @MENnewsdesk pic.twitter.com/YqxbmdBRMT
— Jenna Campbell (@jennacampbell93) May 14, 2024
The queues were also complained about by many on social media, some going as far as calling them “horrendous”.
The toilets, though, did not disappoint the attendees of the concert with many tweets being put out about the numerous amounts of them available in the arena.
Co-op Live was initially set to open in April but since then, scheduled gigs with Peter Kay, Take That, Olivia Rodrigo and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie were scrapped, postponed or relocated.
The A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie concert was cancelled earlier this month with minutes to go after a part of the arena’s air conditioning system fell from the ceiling.
@4ØkSteve took to X to say: “Fate meant that it had to be a Mancunian band opening the new shiny arena that is Coop Live and Elbow did not disappoint. The sound was the best I’ve heard at a concert in this scale, it was worth the wait.”
The arena themselves put out a TikTok saying: “This is the opening we’ve been waiting for. Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate last night.”
Featured image: Milly Harrison
