Comedian Peter Kay was ‘bundled off stage’ after his gig at a Birmingham arena was abruptly halted 45 minutes in, as his fans were evacuated.
A 19-year-old man was taken into custody after a ‘suspicious’ bag was found, as crowds anxiously waited outside with police cars outside the venue.
Peter Kay was performing at Utilita Arena in Birmingham yesterday as part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour.
Shortly after the 8pm show began, the crowd was abruptly asked to leave with the comedian was taken off stage.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: ‘We are assisting with an evacuation at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham after a potential suspicious bag was found.
‘A 19-year-old man is in custody and as a precaution the site is currently subject of a search. We will provide further updates when we can.’
Steve Aspinall, from Bideford, Devon, went to the gig with his wife, said he initially believed the evacuation was ‘part of the show at first’.
‘Two guys came on, one with a mic and headphones, one guy whispered to Peter Kay, and then he and Peter Kay shot off down the side,’ he said.
He said the audience was told to look for security guards and listen out for any announcements.
‘To be honest, I thought it was part of the show at first,’ he added. ‘It was a strange atmosphere, eerie, just confused really (about) what was happening.
Police vans were parked outside the arena tonight as a search was carried out, following the discovery of a ‘suspicious bag’
Pictured: the crowd evacuating at Peter Kay’s show tonight in Birmingham’s Utilita Arena
An announcer took to the stage after 8pm to ask everyone in the audience to leave due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’
The comedian was only 45 minutes into the performance, part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour, when he was bundled off stage
Police are stationed outside as a search is being carried out
Police units lined up outside the arena in Birmingham. The Force said in a statement: ‘We are assisting with an evacuation at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham after a potential suspicious bag was found’
Emily Wilson, 34, explained she and her mother, Rayner Wilson, 69, were left with ‘anxiety, panic and tears’ after being evacuated out of the arena tonight.
‘I was at the Peter Kay event tonight in Birmingham with my mother,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘We were watching the show for about 40 minutes, everyone was laughing and suddenly Peter gets escorted off stage and a stage hand comes on to tell us to evacuate the premises immediately and to follow orders from the arena staff.
‘Everyone fell quiet and confused. My mother, a retired police officer, was immediately scanning and looking for an exit point. Unfortunately, we were at the top, so we knew it would take a while to leave.
She continued: ‘As we got out, I immediately started to panic when I saw road closures outside the arena steps and emergency vehicles.
‘I then heard an emergency worker say bomb scare at that point my mother and I looked for a road where there were no large crowds, and I started running.
‘After five minutes, when we got to what felt like a safer area, even though we could hear sirens and see a lot of emergency vehicles, I burst into tears and felt very sick, my heart racing.
‘We decided not to get the train from New Street but waiting for a taxi to take us to Birmingham international where we left our car to return home to Stratford upon Avon.’
She added: ‘An evening we so looked forward to. With tickets raising money to cancer. A charity close to our hearts. Instead, an evening supposed to be full of laughter was filled with anxiety, panic and tears.’
A photo taken by a member of the audience of a packed crowd before the show began on Friday night
Crowd members reported that shortly after the show began they were asked to follow the instructions of stewards, security and staff
Outside, roads were reportedly gridlocked as police assisted with a search inside the arena
The household name had been performing on Friday night as part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour
Photos at the scene yesterday show police vehicles parked outside the arena and crowds of people gathered outside.
A video shared to social media showed the moment an announcer went on stage and asked people to leave.
The man said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, due to unforeseen circumstances, we are going to have to stop the show.
‘So, we’re going to put the house lights up, and can you please follow the instructions given to you from the house staff, stewards and security. Thank you.’
Members of the audience can then be heard saying: ‘What? Is this a joke?’, in the confusion that follows.
Richard Warner, who was in the audience with his wife Jo, who uses a wheelchair, said: ‘We were at the Peter Kay gig tonight. My wife Jo, is wheelchair bound, so we sat in the disabled area.
‘Just before the show started, a member of staff came over to us. She informed my wife where the toilets were and if she needed any help with anything etc.
‘She also said that when you think the show has finished, stay where you are, because it’s not the end of the performance. So when everything stopped, the audience thought it was a stunt. I genuinely thought it was.
Extra officers were stationed outside the Birmingham arena tonight
‘It became apparent that they were evacuating the building. I still thought it was a stunt. We decided to leave, the staff only knew the basics. Thousands leaving not in panic but some apprehension.
‘To compound the issue, my wife’s worry, we did not know what exits had steps and what didn’t. We eventually found the lifts we came up, so took them to the lower level and walked away.
‘It wasn’t until we arrive back at our hotel did people talk about what had happened, what they had seen in the press. I’m still confused as to what happened.’
A spokesperson for the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) said: ‘Utilita Arena Birmingham has been evacuated as a precaution on the advice of West Midlands Police after a potential suspicious bag was found nearby.
‘The safety and security of our customers and colleagues is our highest priority. We can confirm everyone was safely evacuated and that the venue is secure.
‘Ticket holders will be contacted directly in due course.’
The Birmingham arena is one of the UK’s largest indoor arenas and has a capacity of 15,800 spectators.
Audience members have shared their shock on social media, with one person writing: ‘Being evacuated from the Peter Kay gig in Birmingham. No information as to why.’
Police sniffer dogs arrived at the scene too as the search of the arena continued
Members of the public stood outside alongside officers after being forced to leave
Another wrote: ‘Waited years to see Peter Kay. Half hour in and evacuated. Wonderful.’
One audience member posted on X that the comedian had been ‘dragged off stage abruptly and we’ve all been hurried out’.
Others posted on social media that nearby roads were gridlocked and that security staff wouldn’t tell them what happened.
Miranda Richardson, 52, a pub landlady from Northampton, attended Peter Kay’s gig and said the comedian was on stage for 45 minutes before two members of staff came on – one of whom spoke into his ear.
She said: ‘It was very swift. One minute (Peter Kay’s) on stage and the gig is great, then two of the event team walk on stage straight to him, quick word and he’s ushered off.
‘The staff tells us due to unforeseen circumstances we all have to evacuate the arena straight away.
‘Staff helped get people out and it was calm and swift. We heard very quickly someone had claimed a bag had been left somewhere.
‘No messing, it was just all out.’
