Nicki Minaj‘s Co-op Live Arena show in Manchester was cancelled at the last minute on Saturday night after she was arrested in Amsterdam.
Thousands of fans were allowed into the troubled venue despite the 41-year-old star being detained on suspicion of possessing soft drugs at Schiphol Airport. She was released from custody a few hours later.
Footage emerged of supporters queuing up in the hours before the scheduled gig, chanting ‘Free Nicki Minaj’ as they held onto hope that the star would be allowed to fly to the UK in time to perform.
Minaj, who live-streamed her arrest on social media, was fined and eventually allowed to go free by police shortly before 9pm – hours after she was originally due to take to the stage.
Footage from inside Co-op Live, which is the UK’s biggest indoor arena with a capacity of 23,500, showed fans waiting patiently for the star to arrive – despite seemingly receiving no updates on her whereabouts.
When an announcement was finally made, fans were heard booing and shouting in disbelief, with organisers saying they were ‘deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused’.
Fans leave the Manchester Co-op Live venue after the Nicki Minaj show was postponed
Disappointed fans are seen leaving the arena after being told that tonight’s show was called off
Nicki Minaj filmed herself seemingly getting arrested for allegedly ‘carrying drugs’ while traveling from Amsterdam to Manchester for her next show
Hundreds of fans queueing outside Manchester’s Co-op Live arena ahead of the scheduled show were filmed this evening chanting ‘Free Nicki Minaj’
Footage from inside the venue, which has a capacity of 23,500, showed fans waiting patiently for the star to arrive
Nicki Minaj fans left the Manchester arena after waiting hours to see their favourite artist perform
A private plane, believed to belong to Nicki Minaj, departs from Schiphol East airport after the rapper was released by police
The American singer, known for the songs Starships, Super Bass and Anaconda, had been due to take to the stage at 6.30pm, but this was initially pushed back to 7pm.
Ticketholders were told to head into the arena and footage showed thousands of people in their seats before news eventually emerged that the show had been called off.
It is the latest complication to hit the problem-plagued Co-Op Live Arena, which suffered a string of cancellations when it was due to open last month.
A statement from Amsterdam’s Royal Military Constabulary read: ‘We have just released a 41-year-old American woman who we arrested this afternoon at Schiphol on suspicion of exporting soft drugs.
‘After consultation with the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect was fined and can continue her journey.’
Speaking to Sky News at around 9.15pm, Major Robert van Kapel of the military police said that she had been released from their custody around 20 minutes earlier.
He added that he believed she had set off on her onward journey, though would not disclose further details.
MailOnline has contacted a representative for Minaj for comment.
Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena has been plagued by issues from its testing to eventual opening earlier this month
Members of Minaj’s fanbase, known as the ‘Barbz’, wore her trademark pink to the concert
Despite vehemently denying that she was carrying any drugs, the 41-year-old rapper was told that she needed to go to the police station in footage captured during an Instagram Live
Super fan Connor Wynne told Sky that he had been queueing since before 8am this morning to get a front row position for the show.
He said he and his friends were holding out hope of seeing the star after they ‘heard a helicopter go over’.
But soon after, fans’ hopes of seeing their favourite singer were dashed when organisers announced the show was being postponed.
‘Nicki Minaj’s scheduled performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Saturday 25th May has been postponed,’ a statement online said.
‘Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled performance which will be announced ASAP.
‘Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible.’
It added: ‘We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused. More information will be available at your point of purchase.’
Minaj went silent on social media at around 4pm this evening following a series of social media posts on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram.
In them, she said that police had told her they found drugs in her luggage after items were checked by customs.
She wrote that ‘they found weed’ and her security ‘already advised them’ that items belong to them, and not her.
Minaj also claimed that her bags had been taken by ‘customs’, with someone who looked like he worked for Schiphol Airport saying that the fact she filmed security checks prompted her luggage to be searched again, in a video shared on Instagram.
She also alleged: ‘They’ve been trying to stop me from coming to every show. They took my bags before I could see them. Put it on the plane. Now saying they’re waiting on customs.’
Minaj also live-streamed what appeared to be a conversation with an officer, who asked her to get into a van so she could go to a police station.
‘I’m not carrying drugs, I’m not going in there,’ she says in the clip.
She then asks the officer if she is ‘under arrest’ to which the the Dutch policeman replies ‘yes’.
Minaj is told by another policeman that she will get a ‘lawyer’ and to stop filming, and then gets inside the van.
Promoters Live Nation and the venue Co-op Live have been contacted for comment.
Co-op Live was plagued by issues before opening earlier this month.
The venue postponed its first official show several times after safety concerns with the performer, US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, moving his gig to rival AO Arena over the delays.
However, the UK’s biggest arena had live music on May 14, when British rock band Elbow took to the stage.
Nicki Minaj has been arrested in the Netherlands hours before she was due to fly to the UK to perform a concert.
The 41-year-old American singer, known for the songs Starships, Super Bass and Anaconda, was due to perform at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on Saturday evening as part of her Pink Friday World Tour.
A statement to the PA news agency from the National Police Corps said a woman, 41, was arrested after allegedly trying to take soft drugs from Schiphol Airport to another country.
They confirmed at around 7.30pm that she remains under arrest and the force is still investigating.
Minaj’s show at Co-op Live was originally set to have doors open at 6.30pm but this was changed to 7pm.
In a series of social media posts on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram, Minaj claimed that police said they found drugs in her luggage after items were checked by customs.
She wrote that ‘they found weed’ and her security ‘already advised them’ that items belong to them, and not her.
Minaj also claimed that her bags had been taken by ‘customs’, with someone who looked like he worked for Schiphol Airport saying that the fact she filmed security checks prompted her luggage to be searched again, in a video shared on Instagram.
She also alleged: ‘They’ve been trying to stop me from coming to every show. They took my bags before I could see them. Put it on the plane. Now saying they’re waiting on customs.’
Minaj also live-streamed what appeared to be a conversation with an officer, who asked her to get into a van so she could go to a police station.
‘I’m not carrying drugs, I’m not going in there,’ she says in the clip.
She then asks the officer if she is ‘under arrest’ to which the the Dutch policeman replies ‘yes’.
Minaj is told by another policeman that she will get a ‘lawyer’ and to stop filming, and then gets inside the van.
Promoters Live Nation and the venue Co-op Live have been contacted for comment.
Co-op Live was plagued by issues before opening earlier this month.
The venue postponed its first official show several times after safety concerns with the performer, US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, moving his gig to rival AO Arena over the delays.
However, the UK’s biggest arena had live music on May 14, when British rock band Elbow took to the stage.
Before the alleged arrest, Minaj shared a series of posts on X (previously known as Twitter ), about her bags getting pulled for a thorough search at the airport
‘They’ve been trying everything they possibly can to TRY to stop this tour,’ she wrote in one tweet, before theorizing that they were trying to ‘plant things’ in her luggage
Minaj also tweeted that her ‘filming every single thing made’ airline employees and police ‘mad’
