Co-op Live  Recenzje 286

We were so excited for this concert – it was the first one my niece had ever been to, and she’s a huge Billie fan. Billie herself was absolutely incredible, no complaints there at all – she gave everything to the crowd. But sadly, the whole experience was let down massively by the state of the venue and the organisation (or lack of it) at Co-op Live.

We arrived before 5:30pm and still ended up queueing for over two hours just to get to the queue outside entrance C. There was barely any communication from staff, no clear guidance, and the whole thing felt completely unmanaged. It was a bit chaotic and stressful, not at all what you expect from a venue of this size.

To make matters worse, while we stood in that enormous queue for hours, we saw people parking in the on-site car park and just walking straight to the front of the queue without any challenge. Staff to be fair were visibly overwhelmed and there seemed to be not enough members of staff to be able to manage the ticket holders, and as a result didn’t have the capacity to manage and stop the queue jumping or help manage the situation. It felt completely unfair on those of us who had followed the rules and waited patiently.

Once we finally made it near the doors for the standing area, things only got worse. The queue snaked through piles of abandoned rubbish, tents, umbrellas, bottles, sleeping bags, clothes, all kinds of rubbish – and the smell of stale urine was genuinely awful.

It was clear people had been camping out for hours with no access to proper toilets, and the lack of basic facilities was just inexcusable. We were literally stepping over mess and rubbish to get in – it felt more like a neglected festival site than a brand-new arena.

Then, after nearly three hours just getting in, we were hit with sky-high bar prices – over £45 for two pints and two Smirnoff Ice cans. I don’t mind paying more at events, but that felt like a joke. Inside, the venue looked unfinished and poorly maintained, quite dirty, badly signposted, and frankly just disappointing for what’s meant to be a top tier arena.

I’m not writing this to have a go or sound like I’m just moaning for the sake of it, but the night was meant to be something really special, and it ended up being stressful, uncomfortable and completely avoidable with better planning and care.

It’s a shame, because Billie was outstanding – but Co-op Live let her and her fans down badly.

I won’t be returning to CoOp Live, and I’ll definitely be warning others to think twice. The one saving grace was the people in the queue with us, they were kind, patient and really helped keep spirits up.

Please, Billie, you were amazing – but don’t come back to Co-op Live. Your fans deserve better

Well I understand venue's have a massive job to do when organising an event.
Took my granddaughter to see Billie eillish on the 22nd July it was a Christmas present and she has so looked forward to this , we were seated block 312 row 8 seats 301 & 302 all going well, a bit tight are the seats but ok.
As soon as Billie came on everyone decide to stand up so now she can't see telling people to sit down and being verbally abused is rong, plus all the stewards had either gone or wasn't interested,the fact is that if someone fell forward it would be like a domino effect and would probably cause serious injuries to children and adults. I won't be going back to this venue it's a dangerous venue if you're sitting with children and people refusing to sit down shame on you
Co op otherwise Billie was amazing 🤩

Unreal Experience – 5-Star Service at the OVO Lounge!

Our visit to the OVO Lounge at Co-op Live was flawless from the moment we arrived. We were personally shown to our seats, which really set the tone for the premium experience. The lounge offers private bar access and restrooms – no queues, no stress, just pure comfort.

Ordering food was super easy with the QR code, and it was delivered straight to our seats – piping hot and delicious. The staff were outstanding throughout: friendly, attentive, and genuinely went out of their way to make the night special.

One standout moment – my phone battery died mid-event, and without even asking, a team member overheard and returned moments later with a charger. That level of thoughtfulness was the cherry on top of an already incredible experience.

Can’t recommend the OVO Lounge enough – if you’re heading to Co-op Live and want to make your night unforgettable, this is the way to do it.

The review is not for the concert we attended but organisation and staff. General information said entrance C , we queued when got there were told to queue elsewhere to D , some people were let through and could use stairs!!! Disgraceful. Lack of clear communication regarding entrances end exits. I dont know Manchester and was forced to leave a different way . Absolute mess everywhere. Worst was that I was lied to regarding my umbrella!!! I was told that we leave same way and just collect it on way out where I left it. No, we were pushed to the opposite side door and bouncers just looked at me and said -oh well one way exit.... if you pay nearly 800 pounds for 2 tickets youexpect a bit more respect. Hope a dog charity gets money from the sale of my brolly

They made me throw my umbrella in the bin rip - really not clear what you can bring in and don't have anywhere to leave stuff to collect on way out. Loved that umbrella. RIP brolly 2015-2025 🙏🏼

This is the 2nd time we have been to the Coop Live. First time last September, where i did email to complain (no response) This was due to paying for Backstage Club and then not being let in for over an hour from the time slot giving.

This time was to see Billie Elish. The gig itself was amazing which is why I have put 2 stars. The sound,production and staging was great and Billie made sure it was fantastic.

It's the venue itself and the event management that let it down. (Not all)
I echo people's concerns with the seating. The rows are small and getting past people is tight. My worry is this is where under 16s have to sit with adults and can be scary close to the edge of barriers.

The other issue is the system to get in. Queues around the Ethihad. We were door D and had to queue with F to then eventually end up in F door. Considering doors opened at 6 and there was still people queuing around the stadium at half 7 and Billie was on at 8.15 I imagine a few people missed the start. Which seems to be an issue at every gig and no one seems to be doing anything about it Considering people are paying a lot of money for tickets, and I felt really sad for the young people who were there to see their idol and were let down by the event.
The woman who was holding the D sign down at the ethihad entrance was awful - when asked why this 1 queue system which made no sense, her response 'we have 20000 ppl to get in' we said other venues don't have this issue and she wasn't having any of it. Was just rude. Everyone echoed the same thing, it was ridiculous and unnecessary considering there are entrances around the whole building. They need to come up with a better system. If doors open at 6 and ppl are still queuing at 8 something is seriously wrong.
There are plenty of coop staff who are lovely and the guys on the door doing bag checks were good, a shout out to their manager who kept up positive reinforcement and told them they were doing a great job!!!

We don't want to come back to coop again, my daughter however does like the venue but something needs to change!! I imagine lots of people going away disappointed!!

My tickets are on the co op live app, which does not work, I get a blank screen at login. No support to contact, no tickets. Very poor.

Went to see Iron Maiden in June massive queues to get in doors didn't open until around 18:10 - don't know whey they couldn't open earlier - we'd been stood outside in pouring rain for 2 hours so extremely bad start to the evening. We were in the standing area so went into the main concourse area where there were no seats at all which in my opinion is ridiculous. It's the only arena I've been to where there isn't a seating area near the food. Not much choice of food to be honest expensive burgers, hot dogs, chips. You have to buy drinks in cans from the shops then pour them into paper cups for some unknown reason. You can't buy just a short at the bar you have to have it with a mixer! Ladies toilets were fab no queuing at all which was a bonus and they were clean. Staff were good but overall a disappointing arena when it could have been so much better if more thought had gone into it! Can't comment on seats as we were standing. Iron Maiden were fantastic though!

The venue, staff, parking.. everything was great.. so on all of that id give 5 stars.. BUT what ruined the night for me was the end of the gig. I went to watch Nine Inch Nails.. They are famous for ending their show on one song, its not a long song (hurt) but its a very emotional one and one of the highlights if not the best highlight. The performance from the singer and band 10/10 but the venue ruined the last song because a large line of high vis vested staff with brooms (I saw 20 of them at least) came into the venue as the song started! Bright lights were switched on presumably to allow them to see where they were walking safely and stood there untill the end of the show! WHY?! What was the point.. just wait till the song has ended to bring them in! Instead a lot of people and myself had the ending of the show ruined by this. It took the attention away from the band, it ruined the shows lighting, it ruined te atmosphere.. i would imagine that the singer and band also saw this and was very annoyed! So for this reason I give the venue 1 star! Make sure this doesnt happen again Co-op live. Really bad practice!

OUTSTANDING
Amazing service throughout this venue.
I've been to hundreds of concerts and shows and visited a lot of venues but this has to be one of the very best.
Stewards and all the other staff on site have obviously been trained to an exceptional level.
Amazing 👏

Watch the bar staff! I was overcharged £60 for a drink. When I challenged it I was told to right my email on a bit of paper!!! Not heard a thing since despite complaining. You can’t call anyone!!

Putting profits before people prices terrible for drinks. After a cancelled gig it was almost like the coop arena made sure they had a full capacity of people buying merchandise and drinks before telling us it was cancelled. Organisation going in fine coming out horrendous and unsafe.

Cancelled ELO gig @ Manchester Co-op 10.7.25. Badly handled by ELO management. Only announced once everyone was seated. Terrible way to treat fans, especially those who had travelled long distances. Half hearted apology & told to contact ticket providers for refund. Really hope that the Co-op did the decent thing and paid the stewarding staff for the full evening. They were brilliant.

I can't fault staff, they were so helpful. Issues were £300 per ticket for ELO, that is fine, however the plan on the website for choosing seats shows an aisle, and we had chosen the seats by aisle due to disability (no accessible seating was left when purchasing). When we got there, there is no aisle. Very cramped and uncomfortable as a result. Food is top notch, though you can't buy spirits without mixers, makes no sense when you can buy double pints. Getting taxis is a nightmare, walk for ages down unlit streets to be in a maze of people in the same predicament, and this at almost midnight. Disappointing.

All arenas/venues are expensive these days but this place takes it to another level.
Bizarrely if you buy any cans you are forced to open them before leaving the shop, allegedly to stop them being used at weapons, what utter nonsense.
The seating is truly awful, too narrow with poorly positioned cup holder that force people to sit awkwardly with their arms dangling in front of them.
Walking along the rows to get to your seat can also be a scary experience as the seat back are very low and therefore a real trip hazard, this will cause serious injury in the future, mark my words.
Overall the arena seating is a case of venue income over customer safety and comfort.
Whoever designed this place needs to go back to their previous job of aircraft hanger design

We had an excellent first visit to this new arena on 9/7/25 to see ELO. Arrived early, there was a queue to get in but doors were opened early than scheduled & we got through security etc quickly and efficiently by friendly staff. Drinks & food are expensive, but this is nothing new at a music venue! Free water filling points are available. No queues in the loos which were spotless. We were sat in the floor area in B1 & found the seats comfortable and not a problem. The show was fantastic despite Jeff Lynn having a broken hand & struggling physically a bit towards the end of the show. The sound/ acoustics in particular are brilliant in this new arena.
We decided to drive to the venue. Paid to park on a private drive about 10 mins walk away, which worked out brilliantly. Had no problem getting out of the arena at the end of the show & we were soon on our way home.
We found the Co-op Arena an impressive, clean new music venue & will happily return again!

Not very well designed. No stewards guiding cars out.
Worst thing was the speakers covering the main screens so you couldn't see anything!
When you spend £450 on tickets you expect to see them.
Plus side - ELO were superb :)

Went to see the legend Stevie Wonder and had a great experience. Paid extra for the backstage club and doors opened at 5 30pm and no problem getting in and seated. We got a free drink but drinks are pricey and you need to get there early to get seats! Overall a good experience

I went to see Mary J Blige on the 4th of July. Mary was great and did her thing but I will never go to another concert at coop live. I waited so long to see Mary again. Get to this place and I’m on floor seats and couldn’t see her!! I was shocked. They had this huge screen behind Mary that they did not use to record her performing. They used it for screen saver and a video or two. That stadium is so big so many people and they didn’t use the screen!! That was the worst thing I’ve seen in a long time. I was very disappointed. Seats were tight and cramped too. Was not a great experience.

Dreadful experience at Stevie Wonder concert on 5/7/25, queued over an hour to get in, only just caught the start of the show-many didn't.
Overpriced drinks and food.
No legroom, packed too tightly in, very cramped and uncomfortable.
Will never return!!