The excitement for Coldplay’s upcoming concerts in Mumbai has led to a huge ticketing frenzy, with over 1.3 crore fans trying to grab one of the 1.5 lakh available tickets. When sales started at noon on Sunday, the tickets sold out within just 30 minutes for shows on January 18, 19, and a newly added show on January 21, each at DY Patil Stadium with a capacity of 50,000.
Many fans were left disappointed as they struggled to access BookMyShow’s website, which crashed under the demand. Pune musician Imaad Saraf shared his frustration, saying, “My whole family tried to buy tickets, but we got a message saying there weren’t enough available.” This sentiment was echoed by countless others who felt they had no real chance of getting tickets.
Adding to their anger, resale sites quickly began listing tickets at outrageous prices. While BookMyShow priced tickets between ₹2,000 and ₹35,000, resellers like Viagogo were offering them for as high as ₹10 lakh. For example, a ticket originally priced at ₹12,500 was listed for over ₹3.4 lakh, and standing tickets costing ₹6,450 were reselling for around ₹50,000.
Fans expressed their outrage online. Joshua Fernandes from Bengaluru noted how standing tickets priced at ₹6,500 were going for over ₹50,000. He pointed out that while Coldplay has measures to keep ticket prices fair, they don’t seem to work in India. However, he managed to get his tickets despite the chaos.
Social media was filled with complaints. One fan tweeted that those reselling tickets at inflated prices should have their tickets canceled. Another user remarked that many were buying tickets just to resell them for profit, not to attend the concert.
The skyrocketing prices led to calls for better ticketing systems. One fan suggested using an IPO-style system to allocate tickets fairly.
BookMyShow acknowledged the overwhelming demand and technical issues, explaining that they implemented a queue system to manage traffic and address suspicious activities. To accommodate fans, they added a third show on January 21, but this also sold out quickly.
As tickets disappeared from official sources, the resale market thrived. Viagogo listed tickets for ₹1.05 lakh, over 234 times their original price. Some individuals even took to social media to sell extra tickets at high prices or host giveaways, claiming to have extra tickets for those who liked and shared their posts.
The chaos surrounding ticket sales has drawn comparisons to similar issues at Taylor Swift concerts, where fans faced high demand and rampant resale practices. Coldplay’s popularity in India is clear, but many fans are left feeling frustrated by the ticketing process. They are now calling for stricter regulations to prevent resellers from taking advantage of such events. One fan summed it up: “It’s about the joy of being there. You don’t just listen; you experience it.”
