Coldplay Concert: Chetan Bhagat To Akhilesh Yadav, Public Figures Question Hype & Ticket Controversy

Coldplay is returning to India after nine years in January 2025 with its Music of the Spheres World Tour. Tickets for the band's concerts in Mumbai on January 18 and 19 went on sale on September 22, 2024. However, many fans were left disappointed all the tickets were sold out within minutes. Amid high demand, the British rock band treated their fans with an extra show on January 21. Concert ticket prices range from ₹2,500 to ₹35,000, but some resale websites are now listing them for up to ₹3 lakh. This surge in prices has sparked a heated online debate, with many celebrities voicing their concerns.

Simone Khambatta concerned about ticket reselling

Influencer Simone Khambatta posted a reel on her Instagram, raising concerns about ticket sales for a concert appearing on another website while they were also available on the official ticketing partner app.

In the video, she said, “I logged in at 11:45 AM, and was sitting there waiting with multiple devices and kept refreshing until it would say ‘book now’. As soon as I entered, I was at some 1.4 lakh in the queue, and till 12:20 there were no tickets coming up. But as soon as they opened on BookMyShow, they did on Viagogo as well. That’s what has been confusing how did they do this? Whoever these resellers are, how did they get so much access before us? At Viagogo, they were showing 10 seats together with ₹45000 per ticket, in multiple different categories. How have they booked 10 seats together as the BMS limit was 4 per card?”

While she doesn’t have proof of it, Simone suspects that ticketing platforms may be complicit in facilitating ticket scalping. She mentioned that a commenter on her reel, claiming to be a former BookMyShow employee, suggested that some employees would reserve several tickets specifically for reselling.

Chetan Bhagat vs Ashneer Grover: Is Coldplay worth the demand?

Other than her, Chetan Bhagat has weighed in on the debate over Coldplay ticket prices. The 2 States author took to his X account to express frustration over the high demand for tickets, pointing out that the “mania” surrounding concert passes doesn’t align with "Indian salary percentiles." He referred to the rush for tickets as "YOLO logic".

He wrote, “On one hand we get figures of Indian salary percentiles and on the other, there’s near mania for concert tickets. Who’s paying so much and buying all these tickets? What percentage of your monthly salary are people spending on these tickets? Some YOLO logic here? What?"

In contrast, Ashneer Grover, co-founder of BharatPe, defended the demand for Coldplay tickets. Responding to Bhagat’s post, Grover said the high prices were not surprising, noting that many students are now spending more to study abroad.

He commented, "It’s a large country - and there’s a lot of disparity at both ends - why is filling an 80k stadium surprising anyone? 800k students go overseas every year, spending $50K on average. Also, now that most people who can afford it have phones, things will fill up instantly as well."

Akhilesh Yadav expresses concern over fake Coldplay concert tickets in India

Other than influencers and entrepreneurs, politicians also expressed their concern about Coldplay. Talking about the fake and illegal tickets being sold, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav , on September 23, took to his X (formerly Twitter), to write in Hindi how the rush created for the tickets raises concern.

His post, when translated, read “The rush that has been created in the country for advance booking of a musical concert of international repute is a matter of concern. As soon as the booking opens, all the tickets get booked within a short time and then the news of those tickets being sold in black for lakhs, at 20-50 times the price, is a challenge at the level of governance and administration.” He highlighted the importance to stop “ illegal sales and fake ticket racket?”

He stressed that the middlemen gain the most from this frenzy. While artists need to receive fair payment for their work, the current situation allows middlemen to profit significantly. This leads to the violation of artists' rights and results in a loss of tax revenue for the government.