Nicki Minaj’s Co-op Live Arena show has been postponed following her arrest in the Netherlands, the promoter has said.
Fans were let into the Manchester venue on Saturday evening (May 25) despite the 41-year-old US singer and rapper being detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on accusations of carrying marijuana.
An announcement was then made inside the venue and ticket holders were told to make their way to the exits.
Fans were instructed to keep hold of their tickets for the rescheduled performance, as Live Nation has confirmed the gig will be moved to a later date.
A statement also said: ‘Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible.
‘We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.’
Speaking to the PA news agency following the announcement, fans said they were unsure if they would be able to make the next gig.
Frankie Harper, 20, from Andover, Hampshire, said: ‘(I’m) distraught, to say the least. It definitely hurts more that it was on my birthday. Not sure what happens with the £100s that you spend on a train and hotel.’
Nord Herida, 23, who lives in Barnsley and travelled an hour to attend the concert, said he had felt before the postponement that his time was ‘being wasted’ inside the arena.
He added that his friend had travelled four hours from Ipswich to get to the gig and that they had been waiting since 1pm at the arena.
‘(I’m) p***ed not (going to) lie, they have taken this long to tell us,’ he said.
‘Like, I work. I can’t just take a day off.’
Major Robert van Kapel, from the Royal Netherlands military police, told Sky News at around 9.15pm that the detained woman had been released around 20 minutes ago from the Royal Marshal’s Office at Schiphol Airport.
‘I don’t know which plane she will take, which destination, of course, privacy. It’s not our concern,’ he also said.
‘But I can say that 20 minutes ago, she left. So probably she’s on her way to her next destination.’
When asked if they knew the woman was a rap artist, he responded: ‘Of course, we never confirm the identity of people we have in custody, suspects.
‘But we have seen, of course, social media, and the only thing we have to do is do a thorough investigation.
‘And that’s what we did and there’s no reason to (have her) any longer in custody. She can go wherever she has to go.’
Earlier today, Dutch police said a woman of Nicki’s age was arrested after allegedly trying to take soft drugs from Schiphol Airport to another country.
An update from the force at around 9pm stated that it had released the ‘suspect and she can now move on.’
The force added that she will have to pay ‘a fine’, which will be determined by the Public Prosecution Service.
Meanwhile, Nicki live-streamed the chaotic events on her social media, garnering thousands of viewers as she locked horns with authorities.
She accused them of taking her bags from her and trying to ‘sabotage’ her tour.
In clips, she is heard asking why a ‘random check’ was performed on her, later taking to X to vent that they were ‘trying to keep [her] from Manchester.’
Nicki’s postponed concert isn’t the only show to be thrown up in the air since the launch of the Co-op Live arena, in which Harry Styles invested.
Artists including Both A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Olivia Rodrigo postponed shows there, as did Take That, Peter Kay, and The Black Keys, due to the venue not being ‘ready’.
Live music finally got underway at the arena after Manchester-based band Elbow opened the new venue as its first headliners.
Frontman Guy Garvey told the audience those who had been working on the building had been ‘so excited today, so nervous and so excited’, in a video shared online
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Home Alone actor reveals unlikely feud with U2 rock legend Bono
MORE : Doctor Who fans praise Millie Gibson’s ‘powerhouse performance’ in ‘best episode yet’
