Nicki Minaj has expressed her "deepest and most sincere apologies" after her concert in Manchester was abruptly cancelled following her arrest in Amsterdam. The renowned US rapper was detained for several hours at Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possessing soft drugs. After being fined by Dutch authorities, she was permitted to continue her journey.

The anticipated show at Co-op Live, the UK's largest indoor arena, was cancelled at 9:30 PM, just as Minaj was scheduled to perform. Around 20,000 fans were present when the announcement was made, leading to disappointment and frustration among the attendees.

"I feel appalled. But also, in a way, I’m not shocked," said Olivia Gibson, 21, who had travelled from Newcastle for the event. "And it’s not Co-op Live’s fault. She’s just let all her fans down."

Other fans reported that the venue staff had assured them that Minaj was in the building and would be performing. Alvin Christie, 29, who had been waiting since 9 AM, described the situation as "very poorly managed." He stated, "When we arrived, they were actively telling fans that she had arrived and that everyone was going to dance tonight. For a lot of people that were asking those questions, that’s obviously [keeping] people’s hopes up."

Eileen Allardyce, 32, a hotel manager from Edinburgh, spent about £2,500 on tickets, travel, and hotel expenses, only to be unable to attend a rescheduled date. She also noted the lack of facilities for fans queuing outside the newly opened £450 million venue. "Obviously, it’s not Co-op’s fault what happened in Amsterdam, and it’s not Nicki’s fault either. I just feel like the way they handled it was just absolutely ridiculous."

Minaj explained on social media that she had been held in a prison cell for five to six hours and arrived at her Manchester hotel around midnight. She wrote on X, "They succeeded at their plan to not let me get on that stage tonight. Please please please accept my deepest & most sincere apologies. They sure did know exactly how to hurt me today but this too, shall pass."

She expressed her frustration, hinting at recurring issues but refrained from elaborating, stating, "They’ve been doing this over & over & over & over & over again & I’ve tried so hard to not discuss it b/c [because] you guys deserve to just get the good stuff."

Minaj reassured fans that she hoped to announce a rescheduled date soon and promised an "added bonus" for those who had purchased tickets. Early Sunday morning, she met with fans, known as Barbz, outside her hotel in Manchester, apologizing in person and expressing her love for them.

Co-op Live, which has faced multiple challenges since its opening in April, expressed their "deeply disappointed" at the inconvenience caused by the cancellation, which was announced two-and-a-half hours after ticket-holders had entered the arena.