Kiss, WWE Cancel Manchester Arena Events

July 2024 · 5 minute read

Legendary rock band Kiss and sports entertainment organisation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) have both canceled planned events at Manchester Arena following the suicide bombing which took place outside the venue Monday night.

A statement for Kiss said the band would be unable to play a planned concert of its “Kissworld” tour on May 30 due to the temporary closure of Manchester Arena, following the tragedy. The band said they were “heartbroken by the atrocity committed against the innocent victims.”

The statement suggested the band was disappointed not to be able to play the show for its local fans but said that “in light of recent events a canceled rock show seems of such little consequence.” The landing page of the official Kiss website currently reads: “Manchester: We stand with you in this time of unspeakable tragedy” in front of the Union Jack flag of the U.K.

Related Stories

concert crowd and stock arrow VIP+

New Live Music Data Suggests Cautious Optimism

Secret Level

'Secret Level' Director Tim Miller and Epic Games Execs Talk Hollywood's Relationship With Unreal Engine as Version 5.5 Launches

WWE has also canceled its live NXT event, which had been scheduled to take place at Manchester Arena on Tuesday June 6, “out of respect for all those affected” by the attack. WWE said its stars would instead spend time that day visiting with victims of the tragedy. WWE will also make an undisclosed donation to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, set up to support victims and their families.

Popular on Variety

Both cancellations were announced on Manchester Arena’s Twitter account Friday afternoon.

NEWS: KISSWORLD Manchester Arena Concert Cancelled.https://t.co/QQac2WRt3N#KISS #Manchester

— AO Arena (@AOArena) May 26, 2017

NEWS: #WWENXT Live at #Manchester Arena Cancelled.https://t.co/gXQTp4QylB

— AO Arena (@AOArena) May 26, 2017

The full statement from Kiss band members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, posted on both the band’s and Manchester Arena’s websites, read: “We are heartbroken by the atrocity committed against the innocent victims of Manchester. We sadly will not to be able to play Manchester Arena on the 30th May. We have always looked forward to these shows and our local fans, but in light of recent events a canceled rock show seems of such little consequence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those affected and all the people of Manchester at this difficult time. We are with you and you are in our prayers.”

An official statement, released Friday on WWE’s website, read: “Out of respect for all those affected by the Manchester tragedy, WWE is cancelling the NXT event on Tuesday, June 6, at the Manchester Arena. Our Superstars will be in Manchester on June 6 visiting with those affected by the tragedy.”

The statement said all fans would be given a full refund and offered an option to receive a free ticket to the following day’s NXT live event in Leeds. It also said WWE looked forward to returning to the Manchester Arena in November for future Raw and SmackDown Live events.

The cancelations follows the postponement of three concerts due to take place this weekend at Manchester Arena by British pop band Take That.

Following the latest cancelations the next, currently scheduled, event at the venue is a concert by U.S. rock band Kings of Leon on June 9. The venue currently remains closed.

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKDjqasrKGTZLStu8Gao2ijmajAbsPWnmScmZ6Ysq15zJqlnKCVqMGmvoyaqZ6mkWKyt7HNrapmaWJlf3WAlHFqa2c%3D