Nicki Minaj finally took to the stage in Manchester after her fans started queuing outside the Co-op Live area from 4am – but thousands more have been left disappointed as the star’s Amsterdam show is cancelled following her drug arrest.
The rapper, 41, was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport just hours before she was supposed to take to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena on Saturday.
The gig was eventually axed hours after it was due to start – sending some Minaj fans, who go by the collective name Barbz, home in tears.
Although the performance has since been rescheduled to June 3, Nicki’s show in Amsterdam has been cancelled.
‘Due to the events of last week, the Nicki Minaj show on Sunday, 2nd June at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam will no longer be taking place,’ concert promotors MOJO said.
‘Tickets will be refunded at the point of sale,’ it added on its website, but did not give further details.
Minaj on Saturday posted on social media platform X that authorities ‘said they found weed’ in her luggage shortly before takeoff.
The rap artist said the ‘pre-rolls’ belonged to her security guard and that her bags had been searched ‘without consent’.
The delay saw Minaj miss her performance in Manchester, but she said she would return for a second concert in the city on May 30, her next performance.
Minaj suggested in a series of social media posts that the arrest in Amsterdam was ‘part of a plot to sabotage her tour’.
A common misconception outside the Netherlands is that cannabis is legal in the country, home to world-famous coffee shops selling the drug that are a draw for many tourists.
The consumption of cannabis is technically illegal but police choose not to enforce the law for small quantities as part of a ‘tolerance’ policy in place since the 1970s.
Transporting any drugs to another country is illegal.
Known for her neon costumes and wigs, Minaj – whose hits include ‘Starships,’ ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘Anaconda’ – is considered one of rap’s most influential female artists.
Before her concert in Manchester the Co-op Live arena lit itself up with pictures of Nicki as fans arrived.
The venue, which has been plagued by a series of set backs, issued advice for those coming to the concert on X, formerly Twitter.
They advised that car parking would open at 2:30pm while the doors would open four hours later.
Lines of Nicki fans dressed in pink, the singer’s signature colour, grew throughout the day.
A list of prohibited items were also posted on the venue’s social media accounts.
Such items include food, glass, bottles, large umbrellas and disposable vapes.
Nicki was initially scheduled to perform to packed audiences in Manchester on May 25 and May 30, making her the first female rapper to sell out two shows at the venue.
Her rescheduled performance will take place on June 3.
Sharing the news on X, formerly Twitter, Nicki said: ‘OK guys, I was JUST RE-ADVISED that we actually CAN NOT do any other date for the make up #gagcityMANCHESTER date besides JUNE 3rd.
‘So JUNE 3rd is the new official date for all ticket holders who originally had tickets to the MAY 25th #Manchester show.
‘I apologise for all the inconvenience this has caused. I really hope you can make the #JUNE3rd show. It’ll be really special. Ticketmaster will contact you to advise officially. Love you.’
Nicki said she spent around six hours in custody at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Saturday before being able to fly to the UK.
The American singer, known for the songs Starships, Super Bass and Anaconda, had live-streamed her arrest in the Netherlands at around 4pm after police detained her on suspicion of exporting soft drugs as she prepared to fly to Britain after ‘weed’ was allegedly found in her luggage.
An hour and a half later Co-op Live tweeted that doors for her Manchester show would open at 7pm and fans entered, despite the R&B star not being released from custody until around 8.55pm.
She was later seen arriving at Manchester late on Saturday night after devastated fans were sent home.
Furious fans at the Co-Op Live arena were told by security guards that the singer was in the building when she was actually in police custody in the Netherlands.
The late decision by bosses at the newly-built arena sparked a backlash as fans questioned why the ‘cursed’ venue let them go inside and spend money despite the show not going ahead.
But representatives for the beleaguered £365million arena, which belatedly opened this month after being plagued by setbacks, said they allowed people to enter to ‘ensure the safety and welfare of fans while awaiting updates’.
Alvin Christie, 29, from Liverpool, said he waited from 9am to attend the concert and criticised the mixed messages from staff at the venue.
He said: ‘I would say it was very poorly managed.
‘When we arrived into the event, they were actively telling fans that she had arrived and that everyone was going to dance tonight.
‘For a lot of people that were asking those questions, that’s obviously (keeping) people’s hopes up. I understand that maybe they wanted to get people into the arena for health and safety risks to stop people being outside.
‘But I think most importantly, they maybe could have advised people as soon as they’ve known that the show was postponed and we should be turned away when we’re outside the arena, rather than holding loads of people in the arena.’
Eileen Allardyce, 32, a hotel manager from Edinburgh, spent around £2,500 on tickets, travel and hotel costs and says she will not be able to make a rescheduled date.
Ms Allardyce said that since Co-op Live announced a delay in April to its opening event, where comedian Peter Kay was due to perform, she has been ‘on eggshells’ along with her friends who also had tickets for Minaj.
The rapper was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Saturday and says she spent six hours in custody before being allowed to go.
‘Obviously, it’s not Co-op’s fault what happened in Amsterdam, and it’s not Nicki’s fault either, like, obviously, no blame for her at all,’ she said.
‘But as I say, I just feel like the way they (the venue) handled it was just absolutely ridiculous. They have no clue, like absolutely no clue. I don’t think they were prepared for anything, to be honest.’
Ms Allardyce claimed that there were ‘no toilets’ at the Co-Op Live arena on Saturday while she queued outside the venue from 4pm.
Hope Brown, from Blackburn, revealed that last night’s concert was the second one that’s been cancelled on her this month at the Co-op Live arena.
‘I was meant to go to the Olivia Rodrigo concert earlier this month but that didn’t go ahead because the Co-op arena wasn’t ready,’ the 20-year-old said.
‘I’m beginning to think I’m jinked! We’d booked a hotel so made the best of a bad situation.
‘When she was still in Amsterdam in the early evening, the concert should have been cancelled then. It was never the ideal preparation for a concert going straight from a police station to a concert venue!’
Sophie Pearce, who had also been at the venue on Saturday night, said the organisation had been a ‘shambles’.
‘I’m so disappointed because I’ve been looking forward to the concert for so long,’ the 19-year-old said.
‘How it was handled was a bit of a shambles because all the fans were hanging around for hours when there was very little chance it would go ahead.
‘People have spent a lot of money to get here and it’s been for nothing.’
Olivia Wilkinson, 22, said: ‘It has been an expensive trip for nothing.
‘I’m really disappointed. The concert should have been cancelled sooner as it must have been obvious she was never going to get to Manchester on time.
‘I’ve spent around £200 on tickets and accommodation and am hoping to salvage something from it by seeing her today.’
Laura Williams, 24, who travelled down from Lancaster, added: ‘It’s obvious that Nicki really wanted to perform last night because she still came to Manchester even though the concert had been cancelled.
‘I’m not sure whose fault it is but I don’t blame Nicki Minaj. I just hope the concert can be rescheduled soon.’
Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena has been plagued by issues from its testing to eventual opening earlier this month.
Here is a timeline of what has happened:
April 20
Headaches for Co-op Arena emerged after capacity for a test event was reduced with just hours’ notice.
Rick Astley did perform at the arena, however, and there were reports on social media that the event was a success.
April 22
Yet more issues came when comedian Peter Kay’s performances were postponed with less than 48 hours’ notice.
His original dates were shifted to April 29 and 30, with Kay writing on social media that he was ‘truly gutted’ for his fans.
A spokesman for the arena said that ‘consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue’ was two days behind and there needed to be more time to test it ‘thoroughly’.
April 25
Following a slew of issues, general manager Gary Roden resigned.
April 26
Peter Kay and The Black Keys both had to reschedule dates because of the venue not being ‘ready’.
Kay’s gigs were moved to May 23 and May 24, and he said it was ‘very disappointing but your safety is important, and I won’t compromise that’ on X, formerly Twitter.
The new date for the US rock band The Black Keys became May 15.
In a statement, Co-op Live also said that there is ‘reassurance’ for fans that dates for US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, real name Julius Dubose, on May 1, and American singer Olivia Rodrigo’s performances on May 3 and 4 would be going ahead.
May 1
Both A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Olivia Rodrigo dates are postponed.
This was just over an hour before A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was set to perform, with the venue saying that there was a problem during the soundcheck.
A component of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system used to direct air had separated from the ductwork, and the installer, contractor and third-party inspector would now have to test each nozzle to confirm they are free from the defect, the Oak View Group said.
Two hours after cancelling A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, the venue then said that Rodrigo’s gigs would not go ahead on May 3 and 4.
May 2
Take That said they would be moving their May shows from the Co-op Live to the AO Arena because of ‘ongoing technical issues’.
Earlier that day another band, Keane, announced their May 5 gig at the venue had been postponed thanks to issues that were ‘entirely beyond our control’.
The venue said it would be taking ‘a short pause to events at Co-op Live to fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists visiting the venue’.
May 14
Live music finally got under way at the Co-op Live arena after Manchester band Elbow opened the new venue as its first headliners.
May 25
Nicki Minaj is arrested in the Netherlands hours before she is due to fly to the UK to perform at the Co-op Live Arena.
Dutch police said at around 9pm that they released their ‘suspect and she can now move on’, but Live Nation announced soon after that the show, originally set to have doors open at 6.30pm, had been postponed.