When a second event was announced for January 12 later that day, some supporters’ hopes were restored.
On Wednesday, the pre-sale for Coldplay’s highly awaited concert in Abu Dhabi on January 11, 2025 began. Many citizens of the UAE checked in early at 12pm, anxious to get their tickets.
Thousands of people, some with over 200,000 people ahead of them, were stuck in virtual queues instead of a seamless process.After hours of waiting, fans were disappointed.
“This is too taxing,” remarked Namira R., a 35-year-old Dubai resident who had pre-registered and checked in early at 11am on ticketmaster.ae.
“I got logged out after hours of waiting and had to start the queue over. In the end, I gave up.Many others expressed similar frustrations to hers.
Dubai resident Naushad Dhun, 26, stated, “I eventually made it to the front of the queue after 2.5 hours of waiting.” Anxiety increased as there was just one person ahead of me and rumors of individuals logging out before they could purchase tickets began to circulate among friends and coworkers.
“I saw the Ruby (Category 2) seats were empty when it was my turn. Likewise, the alternatives for Gold (Category 3) and Silver (Category 4) were. The remaining options were Side View, Reserved Seating, and General Admission Standing.
Naushad attempted to buy four tickets after choosing Side View. When I selected “find tickets,” the computer indicated that none were available. I gave side view and reserved seating another go, but to no avail. I was blocked for “unusual surfing behavior” after multiple attempts.He got back in line, frustrated to discover he was now at position 233,446. “The tickets for the ‘improved experience’ had been distributed by this point, but they cost over Dh1,200, which was significantly more than I had anticipated.”
Some fans had optimism restored when a second event on January 12 was announced later on September 25. Still, the ticketing process was just as difficult.
The pre-sale was a taxing and frustrating experience for a lot of Coldplay fans, full of expensive tickets, lengthy waits, and technological difficulties.
After waiting for almost four hours and coming away empty-handed, Sara Saify, a 32-year-old Dubai resident, remarked, “Securing a ticket felt more like winning a lottery than a routine internet buy.”
On Friday, September 27, at 12 p.m., general ticket sales for the show on January 11 will commence on the band’s official website, Live Nation, and Ticketmaster.
