Coldplay's Singapore Shows Spark Outrage in Malaysia

Coldplay, a British rock band, will play six nights in a row at Singapore's National Stadium for the first time ever as a result of organizers being forced to add two more dates due to the enormous demand for tickets for the shows in January.

The day after presales began, concert promoter Live Nation reported that all six events, including two that were last-minute additions, had sold out of tickets. For the first four concerts between January 23 and 27, almost 200,000 tickets were sold.

(Photo: by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images) British singer Chris Martin of British band Coldplay performs on the main stage during Rock in Rio music festival at Rio 2016 Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 11, 2022.

Following the decision to add two concerts on January 30 and 31, the organizers did not immediately reveal the exact number of tickets sold, but they did make a suggestion that more ticket releases might be forthcoming.

The extra time is a huge boost for SG's 55,000-seat National Stadium, which was taken over by the government from private ownership last year after complaints that it was a white elephant that couldn't draw in important events.

A mix of complaints from fans who didn't purchase tickets, jokes about Coldplay's "permanent residency" in the nation, and postings of delight from those who will see the band perform live in January made the event the topic of conversation on social media in Singapore.

One million virtual queue numbers were given out, and some people posted step-by-step instructions on how to successfully secure tickets online on TikTok and Reddit.

Malaysia is Upset

Despite overwhelming fan demand for additional dates, Coldplay will only play one event in the neighboring country of Malaysia. On social media, users bemoaned Islamic hardline agitation over the hosting of concerts, which they said may have turned off the band, as reported by The South China Morning Post.

Malaysia, a neighboring country, did not react to the Coldplay bonanza in Singapore with the same levity. On May 16, tickets for the only show scheduled for November 22 were sold out in three hours.

Hostility toward the likes of Coldplay has been attributed to the government's desire to "nurture a culture of hedonism and perversion," according to the hardline Islamist Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, one of the ruling administration's more formidable opponents.

The nation's Arts, Life Events and Festivals Association stated on Tuesday that this sentiment was most likely the cause of the single performance in Malaysia.

The head of the Muda party, which focuses on young people, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, bemoaned the difficulties involved in holding even one concert in Malaysia.

The Asia-Pacific leg of Coldplay's continuing Music of the Spheres World Tour also features performances in Perth, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and Malaysia in addition to Singapore and Malaysia.