Beth Ray Writes

Last night I went to see the AMAZING/UNREAL/EXCELLENT Billie Eilish at Co-Op Live in Manchester with my mum and it was everything and more.
It was my second time at the venue and due to the size of the place and the amount of people who had standing tickets, I thought it would be good to write about what tips I’d use in the future next time I go to a gig there.

So I hope this helps any of you going to see Billie the next three nights she’s there or if you’re going to Co-Op Live soon and want to know some tips if you also have standing tickets.

Parking
Last time I visited Co-Op Live I parked at the Q Parking in the city centre because I hate after concert traffic, so I’d rather walk and get to my car if it means not spending hours in a car park. However due to getting last minute tickets the day before the concert I hadn’t realise most of the car parks were full in the city centre as it was also Oasis playing this weekend.
So I reluctantly booked Co-Op Live Parking at their Orange Car Park. It was £25 but it was easy to drive to and it has a traffic light system getting out of the car park which made it much quicker than previous after concert experiences.
It took around 30 minutes to get out of the car park, there are two lanes when exiting that both go left and right out onto the main road. So I was delightfully surprised I wasn’t stuck in a car park for 2 hours trying to leave.

Toilets
The essential information we all want to know (am I right?)
When we arrived at the parking me and my mum both needed a wee before we queued to get into the arena. You can find outside toilets at the orange car parking, near the Etihad arena (they are sign posted).
TOP TIP – TAKE TISSUES. Quite a few cubicles had ran out and so people were having to wait longer for a wee. If you bring your own tissues then it is problem solved.

When you get into the arena, if you are at entrance C (standing), you will see to your right the merchandise stand and a big sign for the women’s toilets (& men’s) as you walk down the stairs. Word of advice – walk past these toilets. There are always queues as people don’t realise there are soooooo many toilets past these ones. If you carry on past those, the mens, the disabled toilets then there are more women’s and men’s toilets. If these toilets have queues if you carry on further to the very back of the arena (this is a two minute walk by the way, you’re not off on a hike) there are even MORE toilets. Three sets of toilets! Never a queue. At the beginning, middle and end of the concert (I like to stay hydrated ok?) I never once had to queue for a wee if I went to the very back toilets as people just aren’t aware they exist!

Merchandise
When you walk down the stairs you will see to your right the main Merchandise stand, this will have the posters, t-shirts, hoodies, necklaces, belts etc etc.
If you’re only wanting t-shirts or hoodies, if you head to the very back of the hall (where there is the bar and another Co-Op Shop) you might notice in the left-hand corner another Merchandise stand that is usually always empty as people don’t notice it’s there.
It’s a great way to skip the queue for your merch and then to head into the arena to get your spot on the floor.

Queueing
So this part surprised me the most. I knew I had to queue a little but this was the biggest queue I’ve ever seen. So I arrived at Co-Op Live at 16:00 (me and my mum had some food at this time as we were oblivious to the big queue or else we would have joined it sooner) but we joined the actual queue at 16:30.
It was across the road from Entrance C as many fans had camped the previous few days and over the night so we joined in a car park. There were lots of stewards showing you where to go and at different points of the queue, overseeing no-one cut in or jumped the line.
Surprisingly I didn’t see any of that, everyone was very polite and simply followed the loooong snake of people. Many fans had brought bin bags to sit on/ uno cards to play/ food and drinks to keep them occupied whilst they waited.

From the doors opening at 18:00 we got into the arena at 19:00, which I’d advise either getting there early to queue like we did – as when we got in we could of got a really good view close to the stage or go later so you’re not having to queue outside for so long.
Please see below my lovely map of the queuing system (the yellow blob is the standing Entrance and the purple mark is where everyone for Entrance C waits)

I would add when I last went to Co-Op Live I didn’t have to queue nearly this much so it could have been because everyone decided to queue early so they could get a good spot for the show or maybe I turned up late last time I arrived – either way be prepared for a queue.

Co-Op Live App
You need to download the Co-Op Live app to access your tickets into the venue, but it also has some other great features. When you’re at the gig, it notifies you of any food vendors or exclusive merch and competitions within the arena.
It also allows you to upgrade to the Backstage Club if there is availability.

I also would recommend following the arena on instagram as it shows you this information on their page too, along with stage times, merchandise and food that is available inside the arena.

Food
There are food options in and out of the arena.
Starting with outside, if you head to the Canalside (where fan services and access to the Backstage Club are) you will find a bar selling drinks and food options here.
We had the ‘Billie Burrito’ which was plant based and we also had chips too. They were selling alcohol along with soft drinks. Note – anything bought here though cannot be taken into the arena.

Whilst we were queueing we saw lots of people walk to McDonalds for mid queue snacks, it’s across the road from the Etihad stadium, and I’d say was about a 10 minute walk from entrance C.

Inside the arena there are the Co-Op shops, along with different food vendors. I’d seen on the Co-Op Live app there was pizza on the first floor so we took the escalator and made the trip up. On the first floor there is a place to refill any empty water bottles (you can bring your own collapsible empty bottles into the arena) and places to stand and eat your food. There are plenty of staff in and out of the arena too, who were happy to help direct you to where you needed to be or to give you any further information.

Overall it was a great experience, even if I did spend a few hours queuing, it was all worth it for the gig. I hope my advice saves you time queueing for the loo, planning on what you’re going to eat, where to park or just to know staff are on hand to ask questions!
As always let me know your comments below if you have any more tips,

Beth x