Entertainment

Nicki Minaj’s second Amsterdam show cancelled after arrest in city

The US rapper and singer had been due to return to Amsterdam to play at the Ziggo Dome on June 2.

Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj (Doug Peters/PA)

Nicki Minaj’s upcoming Amsterdam show has been cancelled after the US rapper was arrested in the Netherlands last weekend, the concert promoter has said.

The 41-year-old was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport last Saturday for hours on suspicion of trying to take “soft drugs” out of the country.

The delay forced her to postpone her show at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena that was due to take place that evening, with the concert later being rescheduled to June 3.

Minaj had been due to return to Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on June 2, but concert promoter Mojo has said the concert will no longer take place “due to the events of last week”.

“Due to the events of last week, the Nicki Minaj show on Sunday, 2nd June at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam will no longer be taking place,” a statement on the promoter’s website said.

“Tickets will be refunded at the point of sale.”

On Monday, Minaj wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that she had been told the only date her cancelled Manchester show could be moved to was June 3 and apologised for “all the inconvenience” caused to fans.

She added: “I really hope you can make the #JUNE3rd show. It’ll be really special.”

The US rapper said she spent around six hours in custody at Schiphol Airport last Saturday before being able to fly to the UK.

Fans were let into the newly-opened Manchester venue at around 7pm ahead of show, before promoter Live Nation announced at around 9.40pm that it was to be postponed.

Dutch police said a woman aged 41 was arrested on Saturday after allegedly trying to take what it described as “soft drugs” from Schiphol Airport to another country.

A later update from the force said it had released the “suspect and she can now move on” after paying a fine.

After the delay, Minaj praised fans for being a “class act” during the last-minute postponement, and invited them to her hotel in the centre of Manchester before speaking to the crowds outside.

The music star, who is known for the songs Starships, Super Bass and Anaconda, livestreamed her arrest on social media and claimed drugs found in her luggage did not belong to her.

She performed at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena on Sunday, London’s O2 on Tuesday and Glasgow’s Ovo Hydro on Wednesday.

Minaj recently announced a second America leg of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour which will kick off in September.