O2 Ritz Manchester — Local services in Manchester

Tonight, 15th May 2024, I attended the most amazing tour ‘Nostalgia for a Time That Never Existed’ by the one and only Luke Hemmings, frontman of 5 Seconds Of Summer, for it to be the biggest shambles and disaster I have ever experienced - so much so it should’ve been rebranded ‘nostalgia for a basement we never got out of.’

The show itself was incredible, but the organisation and venue was a complete mess and I was disgusted - it was one of the worst health and safety issues I have ever seen. We had VIP tickets which required us to have early entry, but upon arrival we initially noticed that there was only one queue with both general admission and VIP included. This was our first sign of chaos.

We were supposed to be let in at 4:30 but nobody had any idea who did have VIP so this took much longer than expected and when we did eventually get inside, we were cramped in the darkest and sweatiest basement you have ever seen. There was absolutely no air coming in, one member of staff recognising this and proceeding to open a door for us that only lead to another narrow corridor and we were packed inside this room for more than 2 hours.

We could have died in that room, specifically when people began to push together in order to get to the stage which only resulted in arguments and panic attacks as a result of poor organisation skills, and absolutely no communication whatsoever. What was particularly alarming was the fact that it was almost time for general admission to start coming in by the time we got to the stage itself which was disgusting considering the amount of money we had all paid for these tickets. All it would have taken was for the man who was in charge to tell us the plan to take everybody in groups of 20 early on so that we could have all been informed but instead we were given no information.

The panic was unbelievable and I genuinely feared for my life in that basement along with many others, but to top all things off, when we did arrive to where we were standing, (after being genuinely laughed at by members of staff may I add), we realised it would in fact be better to take the view from the balcony as we were basically in the general admission area - a horrible decision to have to make considering how long we had been waiting all day.

I have attended many 5SOS concerts at a range of different venues and early access has always been handled amazingly, with an organised fashion and a great atmosphere but this genuinely had people wanting to go home. The concert was incredible but we were all so defeated by the fact that we had experienced such horrendous conditions.

I would advise everybody not to attend this venue as it seems that they can’t plan ahead for concerts that they know would need extra support for different ticket holders - what a...

Michael Schenker The O2 Ritz Manchester May 2025

As a testament to the enduring legacy of rock, I'd like to share my personal experience as a fan of UFO since the late '70s. It was truly a pleasure to revisit their incredible music of the virtuoso guitarist Michael Schenker during a current tour. This event highlighted the celebrated UFO years, and if you’re not already familiar with their iconic sound, I highly encourage you to look them up—you won't be disappointed!

Throughout his illustrious career, Michael Schenker has navigated through both significant highs and lows; however, he has undoubtedly emerged as the premier "Flying V guitarist in the world." As expected, the setlist featured all the iconic tracks from UFO, delighting fans with classics such as "Rock Bottom," "Lights Out," and the breathtaking "Love To Love." While the current singer, Erik Grönwall, formerly of the Swedish band Heat, seemed a bit out of place—at least in my opinion, maybe because the sound Heat is a little more raunchy although the UFO sound is more classic rock nature) however the overall experience was truly outstanding.

It was indeed a fantastic night in a packed venue, brimming with energy and the atmosphere was electric, and what also stood out was the excellent customer service provided by the venue staff. They ensured that everyone had a memorable experience,( it was a hot night, they handled out water making the night even more enjoyable.  Dont miss out on this gig!!!! by TC...

This was my first visit in years in fact the last time I was there it was a nightclub. Anyway it is now a vendor live acts. This was my first gig since the global pandemic hit and quite possibly 90% of the attendees also. We where all there to see "The Pineapple Thief" and support band "Alex Henry Foster and the Long Shadows" and we were not disappointed. I arrived early so much so there was only a couple in front of me, the doors opened at 7.00pm but prior to that the security team asked us to have our vaccine proof and tickets ready to make our entry as smooth as possible which was very reassuring. The venue was clean and all the staff included the security floor and bar where welcoming and pleasant. They all had face masks which was again reassuring. The bands came on we had a amazing night you could tell they were happy to be there and playing live music again, at the end of the evening exiting was smooth and quick. Some people stayed to finish drink to be far I could tell you what time they closed I had booked a parking place at the NCP Palace which was a couple of minutes walk away I would also recommend that if your driving. All in all a fantastic evening at the O2 Ritz Manchester 5* and can't wait for my next...