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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Martin Belam

‘Turn the building off and on’: social media schadenfreude over Co-op Live arena

op Co (Organization) Liz Truss Manchester Coop Live
People entering Co-op Live for the opening test event on 20 April
People entering Co-op Live for the opening test event on 20 April. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

The repeated failure of the new Co-op live venue to open in Manchester has led to shows being cancelled at the last moment, gigs rescheduled, and has caused huge inconvenience to people who had booked non-refundable travel and hotels to enjoy events they had been looking forward to.

It has, of course, though, allowed the British public to also enjoy one of its greatest pastimes – hilarious schadenfreude on social media. Not least because its general manager, Gary Roden, was forced to resign over the issues, not long after he hadn’t exactly endeared himself to organisations such as the Music Venue Trust by suggesting that many grassroots music venues are often “poorly run” and that was a factor in the new venue not wanting to take part in a levy scheme to help keep smaller venues open.

The fact that people were turned away at the last minute while queuing to see A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie last Wednesday was an opportunity to bring out the BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri’s legendary viral sweary countdown.

Some people questioned who exactly had been in charge of getting the venue ready.

Or who might be in charge.

That wasn’t the only time people made comparisons with Liz Truss, who may not have been prime minister for very long but certainly is one of the most gif-able politicians of recent years.

If it wasn’t Liz Truss behind the disaster, perhaps Donna from Doctor Who had chucked her coffee into yet another complicated bit of machinery.

Or maybe the venue is just sulking.

Co-owner OVG’s chief executive, Tim Leiweke, recently told the Financial Times when asked about construction delays that “Brexit is real, inflation is real, interest rates are real. We have also happened to have the rainiest winter in the history of Manchester,” but it still takes some effort to be one of the worst-rated UK venues on the internet when you haven’t even put on a show yet.

And the suspicion that the root cause might be a Saturday night TV prank by Ant and Dec is never far away.

There had been some questions about whether the city was the right location for this venture, when it already has the Manchester Arena. The fact that cancelled Co-Op Live gigs are being moved there only highlights that.

Perhaps the best way forward now would be to launch something known to have low-budget production values. After all, if Glasgow’s Willy Wonka disaster could be recreated in Los Angeles, why not near the Etihad Stadium?

Or that old IT standby.

And then every now and then someone realises the potential personal impact on them, and the laughter suddenly stops.

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