Coldplay fans have expressed anger and criticised Ticketmaster after a glitch caused a last-minute scramble for tour tickets.
The British band recently announced six Wembley shows for next summer as part of their record-breaking Music Of The Spheres World Tour, but added another four due to “phenomenal demand”.
However, when tickets went on sale at 9am on Friday, many fans were left frustrated as Ticketmaster required customers to authenticate their accounts but failed to send out the necessary verification codes.
This is the latest controversy for Ticketmaster, following backlash over the site's "dynamic pricing system," which saw Oasis tour tickets skyrocket to as much as £355.
Just moments before Coldplay tickets went on sale, frustrated fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to report they hadn't received their verification codes, leaving them unable to make any purchases.
One fan wrote: “Not again Ticketmaster, tried to log in for 8:30 only to be met with ‘change your password first’ then ‘authenticate your account’ and now I’m still waiting for a code that hasn’t come through and therefore I can’t join the waiting room! #coldplay #ticketmaster.”
“ticketmaster saying I need a code to verify my account and then just not sending the code??? make it make SENSE #coldplay,” another commented.
A third added: “Trying to enter the waiting room and it wants to verify it's me....no validation code coming through.”
Minutes after the ticket sale went live, fans who managed to join the queue were stunned to receive notifications stating that only "limited tickets" were available.
“I spent all day in presale queues yesterday; I joined the waiting room at 8:30 today,” another penned. “I’m already getting this message at 9:05 for the general sale gutted! #Coldplay #Ticketmaster.”
A second shared: “would be good to know why all ticket types are already extremely limited 2 mins before general sale has even started #coldplay #ticketmaster”.
Not again Ticketmaster, tried to log in for 8:30 only to be met with “change your password first” then “authenticate your account” and now I’m still waiting for a code that hasn’t come through and therefore I can’t join the waiting room! #coldplay #ticketmaster
— claire bryant (@ClaireBryantNHS) September 27, 2024
#coldplay
— Julian Fuller (@JulianFuller) September 27, 2024
Trying to enter the waiting room and it wants to verify it's me....no validation code coming through
ticketmaster has sold 90% of its tickets to resellers, axs queue has been frozen for an hour, see tickets and gigs and tours sites have completely crashed, and everything is sold out even though no one seems to actually have tickets?? how is this the norm now #Coldplay
— 🤠chloe🤠 (@thenightwindovv) September 27, 2024
I paid for a presale code and got stuck in several queues of 170k+ people so got nothing
— Freya ✨🇵🇸 (@freyathegeek) September 27, 2024
I woke up at 7am today to log into 4 different ticket sites for the general sale and I’m told at 9am as the sale goes live that there’s nothing left?!
Why is this impossible#Coldplay2025 pic.twitter.com/F3P85QoAAc
“ticketmaster has sold 90% of its tickets to resellers, axs queue has been frozen for an hour, see tickets and gigs and tours sites have completely crashed, and everything is sold out even though no one seems to actually have tickets?? how is this the norm now #Coldplay,” another claimed.
“I paid for a presale code and got stuck in several queues of 170k+ people so got nothing, I woke up at 7am today to log into 4 different ticket sites for the general sale and I’m told at 9am as the sale goes live that there’s nothing left?! Why is this impossible,” a fan wrote.
In response to the outrage, a Ticketmaster spokesperson told The Standard: “As anticipated, millions of fans are accessing our site today for Coldplay's record-breaking tour so have been placed in a queue. The queue is moving along as fans buy tickets. We always advise fans sign up and verify their account in advance. More advice can be found here”.
However, for concert-goers eager to secure tickets for the upcoming Wembley dates without the hassle of ticket platforms, several hospitality packages are available directly from Wembley. Starting at £499, these packages guarantee premium seating, VIP access, gourmet dining, and dedicated service.
General sale for the band’s tour comes after it was announced they will become the first music act to play 10 nights at Wembley Stadium in a single tour, breaking a record jointly held by Taylor Swift and Take That.
On Thursday, the London venue said in a post on X that the group will set “a new Wembley record” after the band announced additional shows had been added to their 2025 world tour.
The post added: “Coldplay make Wembley history as they perform a record ten nights under the arch as part of the #MusicOfTheSpheresWorldTour. It could only happen here.”
The band, comprised of frontman Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman, had initially announced a six-night run at Wembley next year but added four more shows due to “phenomenal demand”.
A new Wembley record.@coldplay make Wembley history as they perform a record ten nights under the arch as part of the #MusicOfTheSpheresWorldTour 💫
— Wembley Stadium (@wembleystadium) September 26, 2024
It could only happen here. pic.twitter.com/Z5xJufcysp
Grammy-award winner Swift, who kicked off her juggernaut Eras Tour in 2023, this year became the first solo artist to play the venue eight times in a single tour, with the stadium gifting her a bespoke guitar to mark her achievement.
Pop group Take That, known for hits including Patience and Greatest Day, performed eight shows at the stadium in 2011.
The pop band, known for songs including Clocks, Yellow and Fix You, will also play at Craven Park in Hull in August next year alongside a special guest, yet to be announced.
This year the band headlined Glastonbury Festival on the Saturday night where they were joined by artists including Little Simz and Nigerian music legend Femi Kuti, as well as Back To The Future star Michael J Fox.
The group are to play dates in Australia from October as part of their ongoing Music Of The Spheres world tour which is named after their 2021 album of the same name.
Their forthcoming studio album, Moon Music, will be released in October.
