daniel chigunwe
MUMBAI. – Demand for tickets for British rock band Coldplay’s five shows in India, which get underway in Mumbai tomorrow, was so high that fans found themselves on a waiting list which, at times, had 70 000 people.
It will be Coldplay’s biggest shows ever and Zimbabwean hip-hop artist Shone will be part of the supporting crew of musicians.
The mega shows will be held from tomorrow in Mumbai and end in Ahmedabad on January 26.
The shows are part of Coldplay’s “Music Of The Spheres World Tour.”
“The band will play their biggest ever show at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India on 25 January, 2025,” the organisers said.
Last year, fans were shocked to find tickets being resold online for as much as US$11,000, prompting police to seek a statement from the CEO of the shows’ vendor over allegations of fraud.
When fans were able to get into the virtual queue to buy tickets priced from US$30 to US$417, they said they were behind hundreds of thousands of users.
Within minutes, the tickets were sold out and reappeared on other platforms for as much as US$11,458, sparking anger over the purchase process and the suspected use of bots to scoop up seats.
Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has an official capacity of 132,000, making it the largest cricket stadium in the world.
The venue holds a Guinness World Record for hosting 101,566 spectators for the IPL 2022 final between the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans.
Coldplay’s agent Josh Javor, co-head of WME UK, confirmed that more than 100,000 people would attend the concerts each night.
As was to be expected, tickets for both concerts sold out within minutes, leaving many fans disappointed.
BookMyShow, the exclusive primary ticket seller for the shows, has shared some fascinating stats on the onsale, one of which is that both shows sold out within two hours.
The Coldplay shows drew fans from over 500 cities across 28 states and five union territories, counting only those successful in getting a ticket.
“This not only highlights Coldplay’s incredible appeal but also underscores the growing reach of live entertainment in India,” BookMyShow said.
The bustling metros such as Mumbai contributed to 21% of total tickets booked, Ahmedabad contributed 14%, Bengaluru 13%, and Delhi-NCR 11% while non-metro cities like Surat contributed 3%, Vadodara, and Jaipur were at 2% each, according to BookMyShow’s stats.
But fans also hailed from some of “the farthest corners of India, including Jammu and Kashmir, along with towns like Panipat, Guntur, Warangal, Bareilly, Mathura, Bikaner, Bhatinda, Mysore, Udupi, Sagar, Satna, Alleppey and Yavatmal.” – Pollstar/CNN/H-Metro Reporter
