Nicki Minaj fans were left frustrated and disappointed after the US rapper’s gig in Manchester was postponed at the last minute due to her arrest at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Minaj, 41, was detained on suspicion of exporting soft drugs. Following a fine, she was permitted to continue her journey, the Dutch police confirmed.
In a video livestreamed to her followers, Minaj disclosed that the pre-rolled joints found in her bag belonged to someone else. “Keep in mind they took my bags without consent. My security has already advised them those pre-rolls belong to him,” she explained on X. “Oh yea and the pilot wants me to take my [Instagram] post down.”
The “Anaconda” star’s arrest prevented her from arriving in Manchester in time for her concert at the newly opened Co-op Live arena, where 20,000 fans eagerly awaited her performance. Attendees were allowed into the venue at 7 pm BST, maintaining hope until 9:30 p.m., when boos filled the arena as the postponement was announced.
“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,” said Imogen Pope, 18, to the BBC.
Anna, another ticket-holder, traveled from Poland with her boyfriend, spending around £1,000 on the trip. “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.”
Despite the frustration, some fans refused to blame Minaj. Shaz Shah, 23, from Manchester, expressed, “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.”
Minaj detailed her ordeal on social media, stating she was held in a jail cell for between five and six hours and arrived at her Manchester hotel around midnight. “They succeeded at their plan to not let me get on that stage tonight,” she wrote on X. “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.”
Nicki Minaj reassured fans that a rescheduled date would be announced on Sunday, promising an “added bonus” for ticket holders. “One July option and one June option is currently being discussed. I’ll find a way to not only make up the date with the performance but I’m going to create an added bonus for everyone that had a (ticket) for this show. Promise.”
She confirmed that she would continue with her other scheduled shows, including a performance in Birmingham on Sunday and a second night at the Co-op Live Arena on Thursday.
Live Nation released a statement on Saturday: “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.”
Nicki Minaj’s arrest and the subsequent postponement are the latest issues to trouble the Co-op Live arena, which only opened last week after more than a month of delays.
