Nicki Minaj fans were left angry after the American rapper's gig at Manchester's Co-op Live arena was called off at the last minute, following her arrest at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
Minaj was apprehended on suspicion of exporting soft drugs before being fined and permitted to continue her journey, according to Dutch police.
However, she failed to make it to Manchester in time for her scheduled concert on Saturday, resulting in its postponement, leaving approximately 20,000 fans waiting in the arena for her performance.
Among them was Imogen Pope, 18, from Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside, who expressed her frustration, stating, "I spent £150 for my ticket and booked a day off work for it, and we sat there for about three hours waiting and we got told it’s not happening. I’m gutted."
Ellis Day, 17, from Cheshire, echoed the sentiment, saying he was "absolutely devastated." He added, "We’ve come here, we spent all day getting ready, to see this happen. It’s just really disappointing when we’ve got our hopes up and spent the money, and we get told at the very last minute that she’s not going to show up."
Fans entered the arena at 19:00 BST with hopes high for the concert to proceed, eagerly anticipating Nicki Minaj's appearance on stage around 21:30 BST as scheduled. However, their anticipation turned to disappointment when the announcement of the postponement came just after that time.
As the news spread, some boos resonated within the Manchester arena before the disappointed crowd began to file out. Social media videos and flight data indicated that the plane carrying Minaj was still in Amsterdam at the time of the scheduled show.
Kian Young, 23, who traveled from Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire, expressed his disappointment: "I'm disappointed because I saw this afternoon that Nicki Minaj got arrested in Amsterdam." Like many others, he questioned why the arena management did not provide an official statement earlier.
"I'm confused as to why the Co-op arena hasn’t spoken to its fans. Why didn’t they cancel it at 17:00?" he questioned. "Everyone's come - my missus is crying. Why not tell us it's cancelled before bringing us in?"
The latest setback adds to the challenges faced by the new £450m arena, which has experienced a series of delays and technical issues, resulting in the postponement or relocation of concerts by artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Take That, and Peter Kay in recent weeks.
Some fans placed the blame squarely on the superstar rapper.
Olivia Gibson, 21, from Newcastle, expressed her disappointment, stating that she was now an “ex fan” of Minaj. She pointed out Minaj's history of tardiness and suggested that the rapper should have allotted more time for travel.
"I feel appalled. But also, in a way, I'm not shocked," Gibson said. "And it's not the Co-op Live’s fault. It's Nicki Minaj’s fault. She’s just let all her fans down."
Another ticket-holder, Anna, traveled from Poland with her boyfriend and expressed frustration over the situation, stating that they had spent approximately £1,000 on the trip in total.
"I’m very angry because my boyfriend gave me a ticket for the concert for Valentine’s Day," she said. "We flew from Poland for this concert. She knows it is sold out here. It’s a lot of money."
However, not all fans were quick to blame Minaj for the cancellation.
Shaz Shah, 23, from Manchester, defended the artist, saying, "What’s happened tonight is definitely not the artist’s fault – it’s an issue that’s happened in another country and it shouldn’t be taken out on her. Co-op Live should have been a bit more transparent and told us a bit sooner. People have booked days off work, they’ve bought tickets, just for it to be cancelled. The matter should have been escalated sooner."
On social media, Minaj revealed that she spent between five and six hours in a jail cell before finally arriving at her hotel in Manchester around midnight.
"They succeeded at their plan to not let me get on that stage tonight," she wrote on X, without specifying who she was referring to.
"Please please please accept my deepest & most sincere apologies. They sure did know exactly how to hurt me today but this too, shall pass. They’ve been doing this over & over & over & over & over again & I’ve tried so hard to not discuss it b/c [because] you guys deserve to just get the good stuff. I hate involving you in anything that isn’t for entertainment purposes only."
Minaj expressed hope to announce a rescheduled date on Sunday, promising an "added bonus" for those with a ticket.
Earlier, Minaj documented part of her arrest, sharing it on social media on Saturday afternoon. In the video, a police officer could seemingly be heard telling her: "You are under arrest." The music star posted a series of messages on X. "They took my luggage without consent," she wrote in one. In another she added: "This is Amsterdam btw [by the way], where weed is legal." While it is technically against the law to possess, sell, or produce drugs in the Netherlands, the country operates a policy of toleration towards the sale or possession of small amounts of some drugs. In a statement, promoters Live Nation said: "Nicki Minaj’s scheduled performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Saturday 25 May has been postponed." "Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled performance which will be announced as soon as possible. "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." Co-op Live posted the same statement. Minaj is due to continue her tour in Birmingham on Sunday, then visit London and Glasgow, before a second scheduled date in Manchester on Thursday.
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