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| Nicki Minaj said she spent between five and six hours in jail in Amsterdam |
Nicki Minaj fans were left furious after the American rapper's concert at Manchester's Co-op Live arena was canceled at the last minute following her arrest at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
Minaj was detained on suspicion of exporting soft drugs, fined, and then allowed to continue her journey, according to Dutch police. However, she did not make it to Manchester in time for her Saturday concert, resulting in its postponement as about 20,000 fans waited in the arena.
Among the disappointed fans was Imogen Pope, 18, from Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside, who expressed her frustration. "I spent £150 on my ticket and took a day off work for this. We sat there for about three hours before being told it’s not happening," she said. "I’m gutted."
Ellis Day, 17, from Cheshire, shared a similar sentiment, saying he was "absolutely devastated." "We spent all day getting ready, only to have this happen. It’s really disappointing to get our hopes up, spend the money, and then be told at the last minute that she’s not going to show up."
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| Some fans had been queueing since Saturday morning |
Fans were let into the arena at 19:00 BST, and were hopeful that the gig would go ahead right up until the announcement about the postponement, which came just after 21:30 BST - around the time she had been expected to come on stage.
There were some boos in the Manchester arena, before everyone filed out.
According to videos on social media and flight data, the plane thought to be transporting Minaj was still in Amsterdam when the Manchester show was postponed.
"I'm disappointed because I saw this afternoon that Nicki Minaj got arrested in Amsterdam,” said Kian Young, 23, who had travelled from Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire.
The arrest was beyond the arena's control, but Mr Young was one of many to question why no official statement was made 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?
"Everyone's come - my missus is crying. Why not tell us it's cancelled before bringing us in?"
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| Kian Young (left) said the concert should have been called off earlier |
This is the latest issue for the new £450m Co-op Live arena, which has recently had to postpone or relocate concerts by Olivia Rodrigo, Take That, and Peter Kay due to delays and technical problems.
Some fans placed the blame squarely on the superstar rapper. Olivia Gibson, 21, from Newcastle, said she is now an "ex-fan," criticizing Minaj for her history of running late and not allowing more travel time.
"I feel appalled, but also, in a way, I'm not shocked," she said. "And it's not Co-op Live’s fault. It's Nicki Minaj’s fault. She’s just let all her fans down."
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| Olivia Gibson, left, was left disappointed after the last-minute postponement |
Another ticket-holder, Anna, travelled from Poland with her boyfriend, and said they had spent about £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."
Other die-hard fans refused to blame Minaj.
Shaz Shah, 23, from Manchester, said: "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.
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