For music lovers there's nothing better than seeing your favourite act live. For some though, this is an extreme sport, requiring days of dedication, a patient disposition and unwavering passion.
Fortunately, at Co-op Live today there was no short supply of this as Bruce Springsteen fans queued up for the first of The Boss' three huge shows at the multi-million pound venue. He'll also play on Saturday night and Tuesday evening too.
Rather fittingly, today is exactly one year to the day that the £450m concert venue first opened its doors.
It was Bury band Elbow who had the honour of opening the building last year following weeks of setbacks and delays which resulted in many cancelled or rescheduled gigs, and left many fans fuming.
Now, a year on, the tale is very different.
Over the last 12 months, Co-op Live has played host to 105 live shows, playing to some 1.5m people in the process with artists like Liam Gallagher, Eagles, Paul McCartney, Sabrina Carpenter and Burna Boy all playing sold out gigs.
Economically, its impact has been huge too. Independent economic analysis released today reports that the arena has delivered a £785.5M boost to the UK economy, with a total turnover of £1.3 billion since first breaking ground next to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester in 2021.
Arguably one of the biggest global acts to take to the stage here, tonight Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play a three-hour set to fans, many of whom have queued for days on end. The show will be the first 360-degree staging experience for the venue too.
The queuing system here is one of the most sophisticated we have seen. Having spoken to people who have been down since Friday and Saturday, it's clear that fans of The Boss are some of the most committed.
One fan who arrived on Saturday explained that after arriving he was given a number and since then he has been required to be at the venue for a roll call three times a day since in order to keep his spot.
Many are in good spirits and there's an organised and jovial atmosphere as many of those first 200 in the queue are well acquainted having followed the star around the globe for years.
Some in the queue have seen him play hundreds of time, others have travelled thousands of miles, and many have queued for days on end for their latest Bruce fix.
"Every time, it's like he's playing just for you," Rene ven Diemen, 69, said. The die-hard fan from Amsterdam has seen The Boss perform a whopping 225 times since 1981. Sporting merch from a 2017 Australia and New Zealand performance, he says he’s followed the star ‘all around the world’ and is attending 12 of the 16 shows on this tour.
“But I’m really looking forward to this one because it’s the only indoor show,” Rene ven Diemen, 69, said. “The others are in big arenas so in comparison this one is really small – it’s really special.”
And John Paulus, 54, echoes this feeling further down the queue: "Every night feels like it’s THE special one," the Dutch fan said. He's been to more than 50 shows and travelled eight hours to get into the queue outside Co-op Live today.
Aine Carvill, 54, from Ireland, has been queueing for the show since Friday. It will be her 102nd show and she says it's the fan community as much as the star himself who keeps her coming back.
"You meet up once a year in different cities and it’s the same for so many people here," she explained. "It’s just a lovely community and friendships all across the world – quite literally."
But today is also a particularly exciting performance for her.
"It’s a bit of an unknown tonight," she said. "It’s the start of a new tour, it’s the first night. There’s so much anticipation about what he’s going to play, what will be there, and what’s on the setlist. There's been some leaks, but were just not sure!"
And Aine isn't the only fan who can feel the excitement building. Beth, 22, believes she and her dad, Mark, 50, are in for something 'different' tonight.
"I think we might see a different set list, a couple different songs this year," she said, excitedly "In an ideal world we'd see Jungleland, but that might be a little bit ambitious."
It's clear the fans here are passionate. Danny Dwyer, 67, travelled 26 hours from Tasmania, Australia, to see the opening show. And Steve, a local fan, spent Monday camped outside the Stock Exchange Hotel in the hopes The Boss would sign his arm.
He's now turned the signature into a tattoo.
People are also excited to watch the show at Co-op Live, with many visiting the venue for the first time. The excitement around the venue is already palpable, as adoring fans pour into the main entrance ahead of the show's kick-off at 7.45pm.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.