“We’ve been in queues for Taylor Swift tickets. This should be easier,” a friend said the night before. Yet, little did anyone expect the extraordinary frenzy that would accompany ticket sales for Coldplay’s ‘Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025’ concert in India. While India has seen a rise in music festivals and international acts in recent years, a Coldplay concert remains a rare and cherished event. The British band’s last visit was in 2016, a memorable occasion for many older millennials.
A day has passed since what is now being called ‘Coldplay ticketing Sunday,’ and the internet remains divided. Some fans are celebrating their successful ticket purchases, their disbelief evident, while others are resigned to their bad luck. Many are in denial, scrolling through social media, wondering if anyone they know managed to secure tickets.
Amid the buzz, some fans are considering alternative yet costly ways to experience the event. Debates have arisen about booking rooms at the Marriott in Navi Mumbai near the DY Patil Stadium, hoping for a unique concert experience. Meanwhile, scalpers are out in force, reselling tickets at exorbitant prices, leading some fans to question the financial wisdom of attending the concert in India versus traveling abroad for a show.
In the days leading up to Sunday’s ticket release, fans meticulously prepared. They memorized seating charts, analyzed social media posts about the best views, and coordinated group bookings. Questions swirled in friend groups about how to maintain communication if they logged in on separate devices. Some even considered hosting Zoom calls to strategize together. Many were also left deciding who among their group would be left out if only a limited number of tickets could be bought.
Despite these preparations, many found the ticketing process to be a challenge in itself. Although ticket sales were scheduled to start at noon, the ticketing portal BookMyShow crashed almost immediately as millions attempted to log in. Memes flooded the internet, with many referencing Coldplay’s hit song “Fix You” as a plea to fix the ticketing issue.
. When the portal finally stabilized, fans entering the virtual queue found themselves waitlisted, often with thousands or even hundreds of thousands of others ahead of them. The unexpected demand led to the addition of a third concert date, offering fans another opportunity to secure tickets.
Ashwin Radhakrishnan from Chennai, who successfully booked a ticket for a friend, attributed his success to his experience with India’s train ticketing system. “I have a great strike rate and have gotten used to the system,” he said. “A friend challenged me to book a ticket for her, and I managed to secure a standing ticket for the second day of the concert.”
However, plans were disrupted right before the sales began when the limit on the number of tickets per person was reduced from eight to four. For Pooja Hemalatha from Chennai, this concert was part of a larger friendship pact involving a group of friends. “When I got into the queue for tickets, there were lakhs of people ahead of me. An extra show being announced was a stroke of luck,” she said. Hemalatha managed to secure standing tickets for the third concert day, employing a strategy of logging in on multiple devices, having friends do the same, and quickly arranging payment options.
According to a BookMyShow spokesperson, nearly 13 million fans logged in to try for tickets. “Today is a landmark moment in India’s live entertainment history as we saw true fandom, overwhelming love, and incredible excitement on BookMyShow for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India,” they said on Sunday.
The spokesperson added that BookMyShow and BookMyShow Live worked diligently to ensure fairness. They provided step-by-step booking guides and maintained transparency through all official channels. “We implemented a queueing system to manage the overwhelming demand and addressed issues caused by suspicious and malicious traffic within minutes, causing a brief delay but ensuring minimal disruption for genuine fans. Due to the unprecedented demand, a third Mumbai show was added, which also received a fantastic response,” they stated.
As the dust settles, discussions about what promises to be India’s biggest musical event in the coming months continue unabated. For many, the journey to the concert is just beginning, with plans for transportation and accommodations now taking center stage.
Published – September 23, 2024, 05:15 pm IST
Entertainment (General) / Music / The Hindu MetroPlus
