BookMyShow on Sunday issued a warning against ticket scalping for Coldplay's India concerts, requesting fans to avoid buying ‘fake’ tickets from unauthorised platforms.
“It has come to our attention that unauthorised platforms are listing tickets for Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India, both before and after the official sale. These tickets are invalid. Ticket scalping is illegal in India and punishable by law. Please don't fall prey to this because you will be buying fake tickets,” the official X handle of the ticket-booking platform posted.
The announcement came shortly after the highly anticipated Coldplay concert in India, part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour, faced a major snag on September 22, 2024 when BookMyShow, the exclusive ticketing platform for the event, experienced a system crash. Fans eager to buy tickets for the British band’s Mumbai shows found both the app and website unresponsive just before sales began, with the waitlist soaring to 11 lakh.
Even though a third show was added to accommodate demand, only a few lucky people managed to buy tickets on the site.
Following the sale, many social media users pointed out that tickets were available on websites like Viagogo at significantly inflated prices.
“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,” reads one post on X.
Several users also indulged in engagement farming, promising free ticket giveaways in exchange for likes and retweets.
“Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the Coldplay concert, but I’ve got 4 tickets up for grabs. If this post reaches 100 retweets, I’ll give them away to some lucky fans. Good luck,” wrote one user on X.
Before the sale, BookMyShow had assured fans of a smooth process. "We heard you and want every fan to have a fair chance of getting tickets to experience the show! One user can book a maximum of 4 TICKETS across all shows," they wrote on X.
Nine years after their 2016 performance at the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai, Coldplay is returning to India, with performances in Mumbai on January 18, 91 and 21 next year. Ticket prices ranged from Rs 2,500 to Rs 35,000 on BookMyShow. Fans were limited to purchasing four tickets per transaction.
As per media reports, the Grammy-winning band —comprising Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion— will perform hits from their latest album Music of the Spheres along with fan favourites like Yellow, Fix You and Viva La Vida during their India concert.
Fans who missed out on tickets on 22 September will have another chance when the second round of sales opens on November 22. The band will also offer a limited number of "Infinity Tickets" priced at Rs 2000 per pair, giving more fans the chance to experience the concert.
