The sight of stars kissing the skies, a chorus of emotional voices, and the pinnacle of querencia are a few of the multiple phrases one can use to describe a Coldplay concert. Making music that resonated with everyone's hearts, as if every note and melody were laced with threads of comfort, the band has fans spread across different generations. Their music acts as a source of comfort for millions of people, regardless of whether they are fans or casual listeners.

The 4-member rock-alt rock band, with hit releases such as “Viva La Vida," “Fix You”, “Hymn of the Weekend”, “My Universe”, and more, began their career in 1997 and revolutionized the Britpop era of the mid-90s. Their concerts are among those experiences that every music listener wishes to attend at least once in their lives. Known for its prioritization of being environmentally friendly, the captivating fireworks show, and, of course, the lighting up of the stadium during the "Yellow" and “A Sky Full of Stars”, attending their concert is on everyone's bucket list.

And when such a loved and adored artist with critically acclaimed and widely loved shows announced their arrival in India, it had fans ecstatic. What would have been a memorable experience would turn into a landslide of disappointment and frustration for a majority of the fans.

Image Credit: Raph_PH on Wikipedia

From left to right: Jonny Buckland, Chris Martin, Guy Berryman and Will Champion.

On 19 September, Indian social media went wild with the announcement of the band's arrival on BookMyShow's Instagram page. The two-day show will be held in Mumbai at DY Patil Stadium on January 18 and 19, 2025.

Social Media Frenzy

While the country is not one that hosts concerts for international acts due to it often being overlooked, the backwardness of the Indian audience is another factor contributing to the indifference. And so, hosting international acts like Alan Walker, Cigarettes After S*x, Suho, Hyolyn, etc. Were rare—only now increasing in frequency and possibilities due to the noise and demand of the Indian youth.

On noon on 22 September, Coldplay fans had all possible gadgets open on the BookMyShow page, ready for the warzone that would be ticket booking. With about 3.3 crore (33 million) fans waiting in que, all vying for the limited number of only 1.5 lakh (150 thousand), tickets were sold out within the first 30 minutes. With posts like 'My que number is bigger than my IPO number' and 'Que number is greater than my JEE ranking' floating around on X, fans were tensed, anxious, and stressed about the possibility of getting a ticket.

Although some lucky few did manage to bag a ticket after the long wait, not all were happy.

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Bandwagoning and Capitalism

That brings us to the crux of this article: the issue with the ones who managed to get a ticket and if they really deserved it or not.

While there were thousands of actual fans who had been following the British band before they announced their tour in India, others wanted to only join in on the hype. As mentioned before, international acts holding tour dates in India are rare, and with a band as big as Coldplay with a large following and widely known music, some people wanted to join in either because of the hype or to look aware of what happening. What infuriated Indian Coldplay fans was the fact that most of the people getting a ticket weren't even aware of their albums, let alone the names of the members.

And another major point of frustration and sense of foulness fans faced was that another major chunk of people who bought tickets began reselling them at astronomically higher prices. Tickets that were sold by BookMyShow for a range of Rs 2,000 ($23.77) to Rs 35,000 ($416.00) were being resold on resale platforms like Viagogo.

Standing tickets, originally priced at Rs 6,450 ($77), were being sold at Rs 50,000 ($594), an almost eightfold markup. Tickets originally priced as low as Rs 4,500 ($53) were being resold for Rs 1.05 lakh ($1,248), and lounge tickets that were initially being sold for Rs 35,000 ($416) were listed for a whopping Rs 10 lakh ($11,885). What also didn't quell fans' frustrations was the fact that the website of BookMyShow crashed and glitched 45 minutes into the ticket sales bookings. Preventing users from making payments, selecting seats, going up the que list, etc.

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Anemoia and Genuity

It's true that one may not necessarily need to be a fan or need to know every song from their discography to be qualified to experience the concert for any artist. Sure, artists hold concerts to showcase their music and interact with fans. But concerts are also an Experience—the dancing, the music, the adrenaline, the sore throats and muscles the next day.

And as hinted at before, Coldplay concerts are one of a kind. And with a discography where every song on the tracklist feels like a progressively tighter hug, a lot could be said about the experience of a Coldplay concert.

Anemoia—the yearning for a time or place that you have never experienced—is probably the best word to describe the feelings of those who aren't Coldplay fans but rather just casual listeners. Those who genuinely want to attend the concert to witness the performance and not for the Instagram stories and the attention.

Image Credit: Marcos Felipe from Pexels

Concert culture and music festivals are finally and gradually gaining traction in the Indian social sphere, and this is also catching the attention of music executives and artists of various languages. The K-Wave music festivals in Mumbai and Bangalore, Lollapalooza, tour date announcements for Maroon 5, Cigarettes After S*x, and now Coldplay are testaments to the seething market here in India.

With increasing demand and interest of the youth—and hopeful acceptance by the Indian society—the potential and possibility of concerts are on the cusp of being higher than ever before.