And to think, we once mocked our own cynicism regarding the chances of the new look Wembley Stadium being finished in time for those inaugural Bon Jovi gigs due to take place there in June. Ha, the cynic within CMU is right again. Following the decision of the FA to move its May Cup Final away from Wembley because of fears over when the stadium will be complete, the Football Association will today announce that the new venue will not now open until 2007. In fact, as yet no actual launch date has been proposed at all. This means that Bon Jovi, Take That, Stones and Robbie gigs booked to take place there are off – the first two moved to the Milton Keynes Bowl.
That said, the company doing the rebuild, Multiplex, claim that the stadium will, in fact, be ready to go in September, but the FA don't seem convinced. Relationships between the two organisations seem pretty damn strained, and insiders say a legal dispute is looming. All of which means the cynic is starting to wonder if the place will be ready for the 2012 Olympics, never mind next year's FA Cup and summer concert season.
Confirming the venue move, a statement from Bon Jovi was issued yesterday reading thus: "Having closed the original Wembley Stadium, it would have been a fitting honour to open the new one. However, the most important element was always the live concerts themselves. So while the location may have changed, the celebration will remain the same. Thank you to our fans - for your loyalty and your patience. We'll see you for two great nights of rock 'n' roll at Milton Keynes."
Speaking about shifting venues for the Take That tour, Gary Barlow told reporters: "We're more than happy to hold the shows at Milton Keynes Bowl, it's going to look great. We saw the stage set this week, it's unbelievable. I think it's going to better any of our other tours."