Nicki Minaj Apologizes to Fans as Manchester Gig Gets Canceled After Arrest
Looking for more details about Nicki Minaj’s arrest this weekend? We got you.
The 41-year-old rapper and singer was arrested on Saturday afternoon after she was suspected of exporting drugs from the Schiphol Airport to another country. According to Dutch authorities, the pop star was later released after paying a €350 fine.
This happened just hours before her gig at the Manchester venue, Co-op Live, was expected to start. Naturally, the unexpected delay rendered the “Super Freaky” songstress unable to perform in her historic Pink Friday 2 World Tour concert.
Live Nation announced that the gig was axed over 2.5 hours after fans entered the arena.
“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,” Co-op Live shared on X.
Continuing, a spokesperson from the venue explained, “Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible.”
Fans waiting for the “Super Bass” icon were “absolutely devastated.”
“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,” 17-year-old Ellis Day said.
Another Nicki fan, Shaz Shah, placed the blame on the arena, stating, “What’s happened tonight is definitely not the artist’s fault. Co-op Live should have been a bit more transparent… People have booked days off work, they’ve bought tickets, just for it to be canceled. The matter should have been escalated sooner.”
Eileen Allardyce, another die-hard Nicki fan echoed the sentiment with, “I just feel like the way they [the venue] handled it was just absolutely ridiculous. They have no clue, absolutely no clue. I don’t think they were prepared for anything, to be honest.”
“They were actively telling fans that she had arrived and that everyone was going to dance tonight,” Alvin Christie told the PA Media news agency.
Meanwhile, the superstar offered her “deepest and most sincere apologies” on social media. “They succeeded at their plan to not let me get on that stage tonight,” she wrote.
“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 you guys deserve to just get the good stuff. I hate involving you in anything that isn’t for entertainment purposes only,” she shared.
The “Night Is Still Young” rapper also vented on Instagram, captioning her video with, “They’ve been trying to stop me from coming to every show… This is what it looks like when ppl are paid big money to try to sabotage a tour after all else failed.”
The Trinidadian rapper shared they “will have another date for tonight’s show shortly” and promised “an added bonus for everyone that had a tkt for this show.”
Despite the setback, Minaj met her fans outside the Stock Exchange Hotel and thanked them for their support. For now, it looks like the “Barbie World” singer plans to stick around as she intends to perform on the 30th.
