"If they actually open the place"— Peter Kay claps back at Manchester Co-op Live owners through poster after his shows were canceled twice

Peter Kay took a funny dig at Manchester Co-op Live owners through the poster of his new show after being forced to reschedule his shows twice.

On April 26, 2024, Peter took to Instagram to announce that his shows have been rescheduled for the second time as the Manchester Co-op Live venue is not ready to function for a large-scale audience yet. He wrote—

"To everybody with tickets, my apologies once again but unfortunately the Co-op Live still isn’t ready and so, as yet, remains untested for a large-scale audience. Consequently, they are having to reschedule my two shows yet again (I know I can’t believe it either)."

Kay's shows were originally supposed to take place on April 23 and 24, 2024. They were rescheduled the first time to April 29 and 30. Presently, they are scheduled to take place on May 23 and 24, 2024.

In his new poster announcing the rescheduled dates, Kay added a line at the bottom right-hand corner saying "if they actually open the place".

The line connects to an asterisk at the top of the poster which refers to the Manchester Co-op live venue as "Europe's Biggest New Arena".

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Peter Kay is 'disappointed' with the delay in Manchester Co-op live venue's opening

Peter Kay called the delays in launching the Manchester Co-op venue "disappointing" in an Instagram post dated April 26. He also told his fans that those who purchased the tickets would get a refund or a transfer.

The comedian wrote—

"Tickets will be transferred, or refunds given if the new dates aren’t suitable. It’s very disappointing but your safety is important, and I won’t compromise that."

As per Kay's new poster, he is currently the "ninth artist in the world" to perform at Manchester Co-op live. The venue is set to be Europe's biggest indoor arena. Kay was set to perform in the arena's opening, but 'couldn't believe' that his shows were postponed twice.

The venue is now set to open on May 1. Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is set to perform on the day, followed by popstar Olivia Rodrigo on May 3.

Apart from Kay's shows, the US band The Black Key's scheduled performance has also been postponed. They were supposed to perform on April 27, 2024, but are now scheduled to perform on May 15, 2024.

As per the Co-op Live's official statement, the delays are because the venue needs more time to "test its emergency communication systems."

The official Instagram account of the venue announced that they are going through "an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures" to make sure "all areas are ready for fans."

The post mentioned—

"Since making the difficult decision to postpone the live shows at Co-op Live due to take place this week, we have been undertaking an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans."

Speaking of Peter Kay and The Black Keys, the venue confirmed that both parties have "graciously agreed" to reschedule their respective shows—

"Both The Black Keys and Peter Kay have graciously agreed to reschedule their shows. The Black Keys will now perform on 15 May 2024, and Peter Kay will now perform on 23 and 24 May 2024."

After working for a year in the position, the Co-op live manager Gary Roden resigned from his post on Thursday, April 25, amidst multiple delays.

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Manchester Co-op venue owner Tim Leiweke said Peter Kay has a 'good sense of humor'

The CEO of Oak View Group and the owner of the Manchester Co-op venue, Tim Leiweke spoke to Manchester Evening News on April 26 about the rescheduling of Peter Kay and The Black Key's shows. He also elaborated on the problems faced by the venue. He said—

"We continue to work with the city, police, fire, council, life safety and there are still systems that we either are working on or had to test in particular. So in an abundance of extra caution, we're making sure that we can reschedule again."

Leiweke further mentioned that Peter Kay has been "fantastic" and has agreed to push back his shows a second time. The CEO also praised the stand-up comedian's sense of humor. He said—

"Peter Kay has been fantastic. I can vouch, he has a very good sense of humor. God bless him. He's agreed to push back to May 23 and 24. And that gives us a few extra days next week as well."

The CEO confirmed that the venue did not "lose anybody" or "cancel anything" but simply bought themselves another week.