Nicki Minaj’s concert at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester was abruptly postponed, disappointing thousands of fans who had gathered to see the star perform. The postponement came after Minaj, 41, was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possessing soft drugs. The American rapper, known for her hits like “Starships” and “Super Bass,” was held by Dutch authorities just hours before her scheduled performance.

Minaj later took to social media to apologize to her fans after finally arriving in Manchester late on Saturday night. On X, she posted, “Thank you to everyone who prayed for me today. May God cover you and all that is connected to you. May you be blessed beyond your imagination. Please please please accept my deepest & most sincere apologies.” Despite the star’s detention, fans were initially let into the indoor venue on Saturday evening. A post on the arena’s X account at around 5:15 pm informed attendees that the general admission and premium doors for Minaj’s show would now open at 7:00 pm.

Minaj was released from custody just before 9 pm, but she faced a fine for “illegally exporting soft drugs from the Netherlands to another country,” according to Dutch police. Even with her release, Minaj could not make it to Manchester in time for the concert. Early on Sunday, she posted a live stream on Instagram from central Manchester, showing a crowd of fans gathered in the street below.

Promoters Live Nation announced that the gig would be rescheduled, assuring fans that their tickets would remain valid for the new date, which would be announced as soon as possible. The statement read, “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.”

Minaj also shared details of her arrest on X and Instagram, claiming that customs officials at Schiphol Airport found drugs in her luggage. “They said they found weed,” she wrote, adding that the authorities “took my luggage without consent” and were trying to prevent her from reaching Manchester. She pointed out the irony of being detained in Amsterdam, a city known for its lenient marijuana laws, stating, “This is Amsterdam btw, where weed is legal.”

The star also posted a video apparently showing an airport official requesting her to have her luggage checked. She expressed frustration with the delay, noting, “It’s a 45 minute to an hour flight. So they’re probably trying to stall for about 4 hours.” She later added, “Now they said I have to go 5 mins away to make a statement about my security to the police precinct.”

Robert van Kapel, a spokesman for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee military police, confirmed the arrest to Sky News’ US partner network NBC News, stating, “We can confirm that we have arrested a 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol Airport because of possession of soft drugs.”

The postponement left many fans disheartened. Charu, a self-described “die-hard Nicki fan” who traveled from Liverpool, expressed her disappointment, saying, “My sister and I had been looking forward to this for months. I’m in the middle of taking my medical school exams and had been working around this day.” She noted that many fans had traveled from various parts of the UK and even Ireland, spending significant amounts on travel and accommodation. “People around us said they’d traveled from Ireland and Scotland, paid for hotels for the night in Manchester, which is not cheap. So the fact that tickets will be refunded or still valid for another concert doesn’t really put into perspective the time and money that we have all spent on this night.”

Charu mentioned that the announcement about the postponement came around 9:30 pm, which felt disrespectful to the fans’ time and efforts. She observed that many concert-goers were “sobbing” after the news broke and expressed skepticism about being able to attend the rescheduled concert due to potential conflicts with work, travel expenses, and other commitments.

Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 World Tour is set to continue with performances in Birmingham on Sunday and at London’s O2 arena next Tuesday. She is also scheduled to perform in Glasgow on Wednesday, followed by another show at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Thursday. The newly opened £365m Co-op Live arena, the UK’s largest indoor entertainment venue, has faced several challenges since its launch. Despite setbacks, the venue finally opened for live music on May 14 with a performance by Manchester rock band Elbow. However, ongoing issues with the building’s ventilation system have caused several delays and cancellations of other scheduled performances.