As Co-op Live Celebrates First Year, Tops UK/European Arena Rankings

When Oak View Group (Pollstar parent company) first announced plans to build the biggest and most sustainable arena in Europe, many thought the same thing: how long will it take for this building with a maximum capacity of 23,500 (for an in-the-round stage configuration) to top Pollstar’s European arenas ranking? Just under a year, is the answer.

Since opening in May 2024, and including reports submitted up until April 29, 2025, Co-op Live sold 1,102,104 tickets and grossed $115,557,164, according to Pollstar Boxoffice Reports. In terms of gross revenues generated through ticket sales, this puts Manchester’s new arena ahead of Madrid’s Movistar Arena and London’s O2.

“Our ambition was to bring the world’s best music arena to one of the world’s greatest music cities, and we are thrilled with the reaction from fans and artists alike over this past year,” OVG chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke told Pollstar, “Co-op Live’s revolutionary acoustics investment has already attracted some of the world’s biggest artists and events to Manchester, with many more to come. And our sustainability commitment will ensure we remain responsible contributors to Manchester and the planet for years to come. We believe that amazing venues can transform cities for the better, and Co-op Live has done just that.”

Indeed, Co-op Live will have hosted 105 shows in its opening year with a list that includes UK arena exclusives by Paul McCartney, Burna Boy, Pearl Jam and Eagles. McCartney, promoted by Marshall Arts and AEG Presents, sold 30,832 tickets across two nights, Dec. 14-15, grossing an impressive $5,496,485. Pearl Jam sold out their June 25, 2024 show, promoted by Live Nation, moving 15,131 tickets at a $2,408,823 gross. Live Nation also presented Sabrina Carpenter on March 14 and 16 this year (35,318, $3,530,377). Other highlights from the past year include two sold-out Courteeners concerts, Nov. 14-15, (35,718 tickets, $2,288,356 grossed); and Charli XCX selling out 18,194 tickets, and grossing $1,003,801, Nov. 27, both promoted by SJM Concerts.

The one-millionth visitor entered through Co-op Live’s doors in March of this year, during the first of two nights of Teddy Swims: one of 18,178 guests, who bought a ticket for the March 10 show, which grossed $1,195,293 at the box office (the second performance on March 16 moved 18,281 tickets for $1,287,378). The lucky fan received a surprise giveaway consisting of a pair of complementary tickets to a future show, a £50 gift card courtesy of Ticketmaster, a signed Teddy Swims poster, Co-op Backstage Club upgrades and £40 to spend in a local Co-op courtesy of the building’s naming rights partner.

See: Co-op Live Inside And Outside

Co-op Live has redefined what a modern live entertainment arena can look and sound like. The music-first approach envisioned by m and made possible by the absence of an anchor sports tenant, opened up design options not available inside other arenas.

Declan Sharkey, senior principal & director at Populous architects told Pollstar during a deep dive into Co-op Live’s genesis back in 2024: not having to factor in an ice rink meant the design team was able to bring the seats closer to the stage by a substantial amount; there’s no advertising inside the bowl, so nothing distracts the fan from what happens on stage. There’s virtually no light bleed from the premium spaces, so nothing distracts the artist from connecting with their audience. And the architects’ design didn’t just create visual, but acoustic intimacy as well.

The lack of advertising in the bowl “meant we could provide acoustic treatment to any areas that were causing reflection issues,” sound designer Olly Creedy, associate director at acoustic experts Vanguardia, told Pollstar. Detailed acoustic modeling was carried out to accurately determine the acoustics of the space. As the length of the arena is relatively short compared to other arenas, it improves direct sound coverage and reduces the time arrival from late reflections, Creedy explained.

Co-op Live’s permanently installed system is a combination of d&b’s Vi-Series and ALi-Series loudspeakers, with custom rigging hardware. “The standard versions of these loudspeaker systems are a mainstay of technical riders for many of the top touring artists all over the world and were chosen to provide the high performance and production sound quality expected by the audiences, as well as integrating seamlessly into the systems that touring productions will deploy in the venue,” explained Steve Jones, head of education & application support for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at speaker supplier d&b audiotechnik. Jones found OVG’s music-first approach refreshing, as it “enabled us to collaborate closely with Vanguardia and [AV company] Diversified to ensure that the sound systems support the requirements of the touring productions.”

The list of artists, who have commented on the crystal clear sound at Co-op Live during their performances at the venue includes Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, Take That’s Gary Barlow, Eagles’ Don Henley and Trivium’s Matt Heafy.

Co-op Live’s premier year has been characterized by a unwavering commitment to sustainability. As Europe’s first all-electric arena, it has celebrated net-zero-building status since opening, and is aiming to become one of the first certified carbon neutral venues outside of the United State. Investments into carbon reduction technology include solar panels, heat pumps, and rainwater harvesting; a partnership with Manchester’s public transport system that gets fans to the venue with their gig ticket; and a scenic walking route from the city center all the way up to the entrance.

In another sustainability-driven move, Co-op Live recently announced a partnership with OVO, a UK energy provider committed to the transition to clean energy. Since March, the OVO Lounge at Co-op Live offers space for 150 guests as part of the venues varied premium offering.

Plant Plans: How Co-op Live Aims To Become The Most Sustainable Building In Europe & UK

When thinking sustainability in live entertainment, the health of the grassroots sector cannot be forgotten. It is that part of the circuit, where most of the superstars gracing Co-op Live’s stage today made their humble beginnings. Elbow, who performed the official Co-op Live opening concert on May 14, 2024, are one of them. The band teamed up with Co-op Live in March, to gift a combination of sound equipment to a selection of iconic grassroots music venues in the city’s renowned Northern Quarter. The building donated funds to purchase a combination of new PA equipment, instruments, backline technology and more to venues that included Manchester’s Night & Day Café, Matt and Phreds, Aatma, SOUP, Peer Hat, and The Castle Hotel.

These donations are in addition to the venue’s pledge of at least £1 million annually to the Co-op Foundation, Co-op Live’s official charity partner and the charitable arm of naming rights partner, Co-op. Other artist-led initiatives Co-op Live has been donating to include Happy Doggo as selected by Liam Gallagher and Eric Clapton’s addiction recovery centre, Crossroads.

Finally, sustainability includes involving local businesses. Part of the vision for Co-op Live was that the building, despite its international appeal, chiefly benefited the local community of Greater Manchester. As Leiweke put it during the topping out ceremony back in July of 2023: “This is for Manchester by Manchester and of Manchester. We are made up of Manchester companies, small and large. 90% of what you will ultimately eat and drink in this building will come from people that grow and produce within this region.”

The construction itself was done by BAM, whose executive director James Wimpenny also spoke at the topping out. He said, “about 80% of the construction work has been done by local businesses from Manchester, and from the Northwest, and the majority of that from the Greater Manchester area. Almost 200 million of the funding that’s been put into this arena has been spent in the local community. Alongside our team at BAM, we welcomed 386 local suppliers, 40% of which have been based within 5 miles of this development, and a further 36% from the Greater Manchester area. We’re actually proud to demonstrate the value that we provide as a construction business, and I know I’m speaking on behalf of our team here, we often don’t get the recognition in construction for what we do, but we’re pretty proud of what we do, and what we add back to the local community and how we do that.”

Back then, standing inside Co-op Live’s bowl, which looks so intimate when seated in the tiers, but feels like a vast stadium floor when positioned in its center, it was hard to imagine it all coming together. Back then, the seats had been taken up by the skilled construction workers responsible for erecting this engineering and design masterpiece, who had taken a break to allow a bunch of journalists catch their first glimpse at Co-op Live. It was those workers, who Leiweke mentioned first, when he took the mic to address the crowd that day. Without them this impressive structure couldn’t have been realized, particularly given the years of economic and political adversity during which it was built. “Thank you to the construction team, and to the workers for building the greatest arena ever built in Europe and the UK,” he said.

For Leiweke, this project, which ended up far exceeding the originally estimated £365 million ($464 million) in private investment, marked an auspicious return to the UK, where, almost 20 years ago, he opened another building that went on to become the world’s busiest arena, The O2, London. Even then, Manchester’s main arena would be neck and neck with The O2 on tickets sold in Pollstar’s quarterly rankings.

“Then I started spending time in Manchester and began to understand: Manchester is the cultural capital and a central capital of the northern UK. If you look at arenas, and the north of the UK, from Dublin to Liverpool to Newcastle, they don’t have a big arena. They all gravitated to the AO, back in the day, The MEN [Manchester Evening News Arena] as I knew it,” Leiweke told Pollstar in April 2024, as the arena fast approached its original opening date. A date that had to be postponed a few times, to ensure the building’s and patrons’ safety.

Sound & Vision: Q’s With Tim Leiweke On Co-op Live’s Opening

Since then, more than 1.1 million visitors – and counting – have enjoyed award shows, comedy, UFC and, of course, music, Co-op Live’s heart and soul. Looking ahead, the building already has more than 150 events announced, including more UK arena exclusives from Chris Brown and Morrissey, as well as multi-night performances by Billie Eilish, and Tyler The Creator. And, to celebrate its official one-year anniversary, Bruce Springsteen will play an exclusive UK arena run there on May 14, 17 & 20.

The building also just unveiled a proposal for a brand-new canalside development designed to further turn Etihad Campus, which Co-op Live shares with OVG’s joint venture partner City Football Group, into a destination worth visiting even when there are no concerts. The proposed space will sit on the venue’s south terrace and feature a café, bar and kitchen, alongside a merchandise store. Designed to complement the arena’s iconic exterior, the development will serve both the local community and event goers, with the capacity to host around 600 people and function as a standalone event space.

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