Nicki Minaj apologises for postponed Manchester show
7 minutes agoAndré Rhoden-Paul,BBC NewsGetty Images
Nicki Minaj has apologised to fans after postponing a concert in Manchester following her arrest in the Netherlands.
The Trinidadian rapper, 41, was due to play the city’s Co-op Live arena on Saturday, but had to cancel at the last minute after she was held on suspicion of exporting drugs.
She was fined €350 (£300; $380) by Dutch police and allowed to continue her journey.
Announcing that she would now play the Manchester venue next Monday, she posted on social media: “I apologise for all the inconvenience this has caused. I really hope you can make the June 3rd show. It’ll be really special.”
She added Ticketmaster will be in contact with fans who were at Saturday’s cancelled show, who she described as a “class act”.
Minaj said she spent around six hours in custody at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport before being allowed to fly to the UK.
Dutch prosecutors told local media she was carrying 30 to 100 grams of cannabis – but Minaj said “the pre-rolls” belonged to her security guard.
It is technically against the law to possess, sell or produce drugs in the Netherlands. But the country operates a policy of tolerance towards the sale or possession of small amounts of some drugs.
About 20,000 fans had been in the Co-op arena waiting for her show to start on Saturday, before promoter Live Nation announced at around 21:40 BST that the gig would be postponed.
Many of her fans, known as the Barbz, had been left upset after waiting for hours and having travelled from other parts of the country.
On Sunday night, a defiant Minaj took her Pink Friday 2 world tour to Birmingham.
“The most important thing was to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here tonight,” she told fans at Resorts World Arena.