Thousands of fans are patiently waiting for hours in a virtual queue in hopes of obtaining tickets for Coldplay’s upcoming events in Mumbai, where the excitement for the band has reached frenzy. The Grammy-winning band will play three events in January 2025 as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour, following a third show on January 21.
Despite the addition of the third concert date, many Coldplay fans were left disappointed, unable to secure tickets through the official ticketing platform, BookMyShow. Although all tickets sold out on the platform, tickets quickly appeared on re-selling sites like Viagogo, with prices reaching exorbitant levels.
While tickets for the “Lounge” section at DY Patil Stadium, where Coldplay will perform, were originally priced at ₹35,000 on BookMyShow, the same tickets are now being resold for as much as ₹3 lakh on Viagogo. In some extreme cases, Level 1 tickets were listed at an astonishing ₹7.7 lakh.
How does @viagogo get Coldplay tickets at the same time as @bookmyshow but at black market prices several times higher? Clearly there's a nexus and BMS is selling them to Viagogo. This is screaming scam! pic.twitter.com/ZgHmE8JMpp
— Vijaynarain (@Vijaynarain) September 22, 2024
This comes despite warnings from BookMyShow that tickets bought from unauthorised platforms would be considered invalid. “It has come to our attention that unauthorised platforms are listing tickets for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India… These tickets are invalid,” BookMyShow posted on social media platform X, advising fans to avoid potential scams. They also reminded fans that ticket scalping is illegal in India and punishable by law.
Despite the warnings, many Coldplay fans expressed frustration, not only with the resellers but with BookMyShow itself. Fans accused the platform of creating a system that indirectly benefits illegal scalpers, as tickets were not tied to booking IDs. This allowed anyone to purchase tickets and later resell them at inflated prices.
A user raised suspicions about how Viagogo obtained tickets at the same time as BookMyShow but at much higher prices, calling it a “scam.” Fans also criticized BookMyShow for creating a virtual queue based on session ID rather than customer ID, making it easier for scalpers to game the system.
Numerous fans are fighting for tickets to Coldplay’s January 2025 performances, demonstrating the band’s undeniable appeal in India. The group attracted large audiences to their previous performances in the nation, such as their 2016 appearance at the Global Citizen Festival. Coldplay’s performances have become the most anticipated events of the year due to the high demand, near-instant ticket sales, and skyrocketing black market pricing.
While many fans eagerly await the concerts in Mumbai, the resale issue has left them hopeful for a solution to the ticket scalping issue.
