Arctic Monkeys' biggest UK and Irish tour to date finally lands in Manchester this weekend as the four-piece head to Emirates Old Trafford for two massive gigs.
The Sheffield rockers will be performing at the cricket ground on Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3. The tour got underway on in Bristol on Monday, marking the first of 15 live dates the band have lined up, which will also stop off in Dublin, Glasgow and Sheffield.
Kicking off at Bristol's Ashton Gate Stadium on Monday night, the band performed 21 tracks from across their impressive repertoire, including several from their latest album and opened with fan favourite 'Mardy Bum' - their first live performance of the 2006 track in a decade.
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Formed in Sheffield, Arctic Monkeys consists of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O'Malley, and Matt Helders, their debut album, 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not', became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history in 2006, and quickly earned them a loyal fan base, who have been with them ever since.
Rumours of a new tour had been building amongst fans following the announcement of their new album and their appearance at Leeds and Reading Festival in summer 2022. The Arctic Monkeys last played at Emirates Old Trafford in 2007 and will be supported by The Hives, and Liverpudlian four-piece, The Mysterines.
With a planned national train strike on both show dates (on Friday 2 June and Saturday June 3), Manchester is currently bracing for what is expected to be the 'busiest days of the year so far' with thousands travelling in and out of the city for Arctic Monkeys as well as Elton John's farewell tour and Coldplay's four-night stint at the Etihad Stadium.
With rail strikes and many major events all happening on the same day, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have warned that June 3 will be the 'busiest day this year so far' on the network, with congestion on trains, trams, buses and roads expected. With that in mind, we've put together some information on getting to the Emirates Old Trafford - from travel advice to set times, plus stage times, the expected setlist and support acts.
Who is the support?
The Mysterines are an alternative, four-piece rock band from Liverpool and the Wirral composed of Lia Metcalfe, George Favager, Callum Thompson, and Paul Crilly. They formed in 2015 and Their debut album 'Reeling' was released in March last year via Fiction Records and charted at number 9 on the UK album charts.
First formed in 1993, Swedish rockers, The Hives, rose to prominence in the early 00s during the garage rock revival. Their breakthrough came with the release of album Veni Vidi Vicious in 2000, which contained the single 'Hate to Say I Told You So', and was followed by the successful Tyrannosaurus Hives in 2004. The band are due to release their sixth album 'The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons' - their first in 11 years - in August 2023.
Stage times
Doors will open at 4.30 and the concert will end no later than 10.30pm.
4.30pm - doors open
6.40pm The Mysterines
7.30pm - The Hives
8.50pm Arctic Monkeys
Setlist
Arctic Monkeys are currently touring the UK, and this setlist is taken from their May 29 gig at Bristol Ashton Gates Stadium. Setlists are always subject to change at each gig.
- Mardy Bum
- Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
- Brianstorm
- Snap Out of It
- Crying Lightning
- Teddy Picker
- The View From the Afternoon
- Four Out of Five
- Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
- Arabella (With Pretty Visitors instrumental interlude)
- My Propeller (First time live since 2014)
- Fluorescent Adolescent
- Suck It and See
- Do I Wanna Know?
- There'd Better Be a Mirrorball
- I Wanna Be Yours
- 505
- Body Paint
Encore:
- Sculptures of Anything Goes
- I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
- R U Mine?
How to get there
Metrolink:
Fans are advised to travel to the show via public transport as there is no car parking available at Old Trafford Cricket Ground - except for accessibility parking which can be booked via the Emirates Old Trafford website. Those travelling by tram can reach the Old Trafford tram stop, connected to the Bury and Altrincham lines, which is located next to the ground.
Stretford, Old Trafford, A56 Chester Road and Altrincham Metrolink Line stops are all set to be busier as a result of the concert, the train strikes and other events happening around Manchester on Saturday - including Elton John at the AO Arena and Coldplay at Etihad Stadium.
After the concert, fans can use the Old Trafford station for journeys back into the city centre and Trafford Bar for southbound journeys on the East Didsbury or Airport lines. The gig will conclude by 10.30pm and the last tram from Old Trafford to the city centre will depart at 1.08am and towards Altrincham at 12.29am. The last tram from Trafford Bar to East Didsbury will depart at 11.46pm and to the Airport at 11.31pm.
Car:
If driving to the concert, TfGM have warned the Mancunian Way and Bridgewater Way towards Emirates Old Trafford will be extremely busy due the aforementioned events taking place in the city. When travelling from 3pm, If travelling on the Mancunian Way or Bridgewater Way towards Emirates Old Trafford, plan an extra 20 minutes into any journeys by road.
And after the show, Chester Road towards the M60 and routes including Wharfside Way, Village Way and Parkway towards the M60 will also be heavily congested with delays expected. Fans can park for free at Parkway or Sale Water Park and use Park and Ride services to board the tram to Trafford Bar/Wharfside. Fans can also park at Old Trafford Football ground, but parking is not free.
Shuttle buses and taxis:
There will be free shuttle buses available on the Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3. Inbound services will take place from 3.30pm - 6.30pm from Fairfield St to Talbot Road. The outbound service departs at 10.30pm from Talbot Road, and the drop off is at Fairfield St. Big Green Coach are operating numerous pick up and drop off locations, which can be found on the website.
Taxi drop off and pick up will be Chorley Street - for Northbound destinations - or Tesco Superstore on Chester Road for Southbound Destinations.
Will there be road closures?
The roads around the stadium (Brian Statham Way, Great Stone Road, Warwick Road and Talbot Road at the front of the ground) will have closures in place during the concert.
Brian Statham Way will be closed between 00.01am on Friday, June 2 until 11.50pm on Saturday, June 3. Talbot Road will be closed from 5pm to 11.59pm on both days. Great Stone Road (from Talbot Road to The Quadrant) will be closed 9.30pm to 11.59pm on both days. Warwick Road will be closed from 5pm to 11.59pm on both days.
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