What Is It Like to See a Concert at Etihad Stadium?

The stage goes at the North end for end-stage concerts, with the pitch boarded for standing (eventescapes seating guide, 2026). Seats behind or tight to the side of the stage are reduced, steeply angled, or not sold. The concert seat maps that fans have reviewed on A View From My Seat use three numbering series: a 0-series (blocks 004 to 025), a 100-series and a 300-series. The club's own map runs the lowest tier as blocks 101 to 142, and we couldn't confirm from an official concert map which tier the 0-series sits in, so the notes below go by block number exactly as reviewers logged them.

Front Standing and Pitch Standing

The pitch is sold as two zones, and they're priced very differently. For Take That in 2026, front standing was £137 at face value and pitch standing was £88, so the front pen costs real money and gets you the barrier end. The floor's the only part of the building with no roof over it. On centre-stage tours it changes shape too: Take That ran a second stage in the middle of the pitch, so the back half of the floor ended up close to the action. For local acts, the front of the floor is where the flares and shoulder rides happen.

The 0-Series Blocks (004 to 025)

These are the blocks with the widest spread of reviews, good and bad. Block 004 is the standout: one 2026 reviewer in row 21 had a "Fabulous view of both main stage and satellite stage", and a Spice Girls fan in row 14 said the seats were "Very close" but caught the rain. Blocks 005 and 006 (rows 10 to 24) drew a run of five-star Take That reviews. Block 014 row 17 at a 2018 stadium show was "excellent and uncompromised".

On a B-stage tour, block 009 row 10 was the worst seat anyone logged: "View of the central b stage completely obstructed by the sound/lighting tent. Unable to see the act at all." Block 007 row 20 was sold as restricted but the reviewer "could see everything happening on the B stage." Block 013 row 9 "couldn't see full stage", and block 022 row 29 sat under the tier above, which that reviewer blamed for the sound. If a tour lists a centre stage, ask which side of the mixing tent your block is on before you pay for it.

Block 016 row 23 has a hand rail, which one 2026 reviewer said was "useful for smaller family members or those with accessible needs."

The 100-Series Blocks

The 100-series reviews from the 2026 shows are mostly four and five stars, with one specific trap. A reviewer in block 106, row 7 reported padded seats "right in the middle of the stage", covered if it rains. Block 110 row 10 was praised for "easy access from gate and to bar and loos, under cover." Block 118 row 2 got an "Amazing view."

The trap is the front row near the production towers. In block 111 row 1, a light tower stood in front and the seat "wasnt classed as restricted", and the reviewer couldn't stand up in row 1. In block 112 row 3, a "Sound tower obstructed part of the view." Towers move with each tour's production, so check any front-row 100-series seat for a restricted-view note before you buy. Further round, a 2017 Take That fan in block 134, row 3 said the seats were "ok but you are far away."

Level 2 and Hospitality

The Colin Bell (West) Stand holds most of the hospitality lounges, and the side stands give the square-on view most seating guides recommend for a North-end stage. The Weeknd's 2026 hospitality packages started at £275 and included a three-course buffet and "private balcony padded seats" (Time Out, June 2026). Block 208 at the Spice Girls in 2019 was described as having very clear sound and very clean facilities. If you're paying for hospitality, you're paying for the food, the padded seat and the side-on angle, not for being any closer to the stage.

The 300-Series (Top Tier)

This is where the value is if heights don't bother you. A Weeknd fan in block 303, row 27 said the seat was "definetly worth the money as it was quite cheap and the view was hardly restricted." Block 328 row 9 gave a Take That reviewer "a bit of backstage action", which suggests it's on the side angle near the stage end. Block 307 at the Spice Girls was "Pretty high up. But can still see."

The catch is the climb. Block 326, three rows from the top (row 26), is "Very high and quite a steep stairway", with the roof right overhead, and another reviewer in row 28 summed it up as "Lots of stairs." SeatingPlan.net's users rate blocks 327 and 304 among the best in the bowl, but warn you not to go too far back if you don't have a head for heights. If you've got knee trouble, pick a low row in the 300s or move down a tier.

Behind the Stage and the New North Stand

With the stage at the North end, seats directly behind it are either left empty or sold as restricted view. The North Stand gained a third tier of roughly 8,000 seats that opened on 24 May 2026, and the two 2026 tours were the first concerts with it in place. How much of it gets sold for end-stage shows depends on the production, so if your ticket is in the North Stand, check whether it's flagged as restricted before you buy.

Accessibility Seating

Level 1 has raised wheelchair platforms at the back of all four stands, each with a companion seat next to it. Level 2 has wheelchair spaces in the Colin Bell and East stands, across general admission, premium and hospitality, and Level 3 has spaces in the same two stands with the companion seat in front or alongside. The south-east and south-west corners have a few more platforms. The Colin Bell and East positions are the side stands, which is the better angle for a North-end stage. Step-free entrances are at doors D, H, S and W, and there's a Changing Places room on Level 1 of the South Stand, by block 119 (club access statement, 2025/26). For concerts, accessible tickets go through Ticketmaster; for Oasis 2027 that meant ballot winners only.

Where the Value Is and What to Skip

For the money, low-to-mid rows in the 300-series on the sides, or a side-stand block in the 100-series from row 2 back. For Take That, seated tickets ran £49 to £154 against £88 for pitch standing, so a good seat isn't automatically the expensive option. Skip front-row seats beside production towers, any 0-series seat that lines up behind the mixing tent on a centre-stage tour, and the very top rows of block 326 if stairs are a problem.