Photo by AFP used for illustrative purposes
Coldplay's 'Infinity' tickets went on sale for Dh77 at 12pm: This was the final opportunity to secure a spot at the band's Abu Dhabi concerts. While it sparked a last glimmer of hope, it also rekindled old emotional scars for some UAE residents who found themselves back in the queue with thousands of others on Friday afternoon. These special tickets are available for each show of Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 and cost only €20 per ticket (Dh76.31). It was an incredible bargain, but for fans, the frenzy was all too familiar. In less than an hour, tickets for all dates were sold out.
Isabel Ramos, a Dubai resident, logged into the Ticketmaster page precisely at 12pm. There were already 14,930 people ahead of her in the online queue. Ramos was already disheartened but she waited — and she almost succeeded. "When the website told me it was my turn to pay, I got so excited. I've never gotten this close to getting a ticket since the pre-sale," she said. "However, the website notified me that there are no more available tickets. I'm heartbroken again. The trauma is real. But at least, this time, I didn't have to wait in line for hours," said the 34-year-old fan, recalling her hours-long queues during the pre-sale and general sale of the concert tickets.
Eager fans encountered lengthy virtual queues, reminiscent of the chaotic pre-sale on September 25 and 26, as well as the general sale on September 27. Like Ramos, many spent hours waiting, only to relive the frustration of seeing tickets slip through their fingers. Dubai resident Joanna S. tried a different approach, opting for Thursday’s show, assuming it might be less competitive than the weekend dates. Yet, she was already 7,803rd when she logged in.
"I guess, I'll just have to accept that I won't be able to see Coldplay," said the Filipino expat. These special tickets are randomly allocated in the venue. Those who got them can be placed at the back row or the floor. However, those who are lucky could be at the best VIP seat of the venue. For many Coldplay fans in the country, the pre-sale and general sale were stressful and exhausting; an experience filled with technical glitches, long wait times, and high prices. Some tickets, originally priced at Dh995 for the Premium category, were being resold for nearly Dh20,000 on unauthorized websites like Viagogo.
Neil P., a long-time Coldplay fan, said, "I was hopeful that I'd get the Infinity Tickets, but I'm not as devastated as I was during the pre-sale and general sale. I just waited in the queue but with not much expectation and stress." Coldplay was originally set to perform on a one-night only show in Abu Dhabi on January 11, 2025, but added more dates due to overwhelming demand. They announced the extra shows while fans were scrambling to secure tickets for the only show that was initially announced. The band will captivate fans in the capital on the following dates: Thursday, January 9, 2025; Saturday, January 11; Sunday, January 12; and Tuesday, January 14. All four shows will take place at the 44,600-capacity Zayed Sports City Stadium, as part of the band's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025.
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