Nicki Minaj has rescheduled her gig at Manchester’s Co-Op Live following an arrest in Amsterdam for alleged drug possession over the weekend.
The 41-year-old rapper was scheduled to perform at the newly-opened Manchester venue on Saturday, May 25, however, on her way to the show, she was arrested in Amsterdam. In an Instagram Live video on Minaj’s account, officers are heard telling Minaj that she was being taken into custody for “carrying drugs.” According to TMZ, a spokesperson for Royal Netherlands Marechaussee military police said an American woman was arrested for possessing “soft drugs,” though they did not name the individual nor the specific type of alleged drugs in question.
The Associated Press reported that police found marijuana in her bags. In the Netherlands, cannabis is illegal, though it is tolerated for recreational use.
Promoter Live Nation announced that the performance would be rescheduled and all tickets will be honored at a new show date.
“Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible,” said Live Nation. “We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.”
After tossing around a couple of dates, Minaj announced her rescheduled gig will officially take place on June 3.
“I apologize for all the inconvenience this has caused,” she said. “I really hope you can make the #JUNE3rd show. It’ll be really special. Ticketmaster will contact you to advise officially.”
Manchester’s newest state-of-the art arena, a joint venture between Oak View Group (OVG) and City Football Group, just recently opened following several setbacks including technical issues, power supply problems, and HVAC system malfunctions. During its first year, there are 120 shows booked at the venue.
