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Tickets for Coldplay’s three Hong Kong shows, scheduled in 2025, sold out within an hour of going online, with fans decrying resellers offering tickets on third-party websites at jacked-up prices.
The band announced the dates for the Asia leg of their Music of the Spheres world tour, with shows in Hong Kong scheduled for 9, 11 and 12 April 2025 at the Kai Tak Stadium.
Presale tickets went live on 7 October and general tickets on 10 October. The tickets were sold by Live Nation in Hong Kong, with prices ranging from HK$399 (£39) at the back to HK$6,599 (£649) for the most expensive option called the “Ultimate Spheres Experience”.
Local media reported that the “Ultimate Spheres Experience” tickets were the first to go, with none available after 10 minutes. Customers reported being shown other options as “limited” in availability or “no ticket available”.
After 10 minutes, fans said the only options available were single seats scattered all over the venue in various price ranges.
On 8 October, fans had the option to buy a special package ticket on travel website Klook—this included tickets bought in pairs, along with hotel stays for one or two nights.
According to the South China Morning Post, tickets for this package went live at 10am, and by 10.08am every hotel option was shown as having been sold out.
Many fans have complained that a majority of the tickets for the Hong Kong shows were bought by overseas fans who were unable to buy tickets in their own cities. The Klook package is likely geared at foreign fans with the hotel stay options.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board also released a statement offering tourists “a unique opportunity to witness the electrifying ‘Music of the Spheres’ World Tour while also exploring an exciting destination that has something to offer for everyone”.
Indian fans saw a similar situation when tickets went on sale there on 22 September. The ticketing site crashed, unable to handle the overwhelming traffic, and fans waited in digital queues that reportedly went up to 11 million.
Tickets then went on sale on other websites at several times the price, leaving fans aghast at the suspected price gouging.
Hong Kong fans saw the same situation playing out, as they found tickets on reselling websites almost immediately, but at extremely inflated prices.
Online marketplace Carousell, which spotted several tickets, said it was taking down any listings that came to their notice.
“We take a serious view on the sale of prohibited items, which includes the reselling of recreational tickets above face value,” Carousell told SCMP.
“We have been taking down such concert ticket listings and sweeping the platform for new listings. We understand that Hongkongers are excited about the coming concert, and we would like to urge the community to remain vigilant when buying tickets on the platform.”
Local media outlets said they spotted tickets that were originally listed for HK$999 (£98) being resold for HK$2,500 (£246). One listing offered four tickets originally priced at HK$1,299 (£127) each for a total of HK$12,000 (£1,180). Some resellers had listed the tickets for HK$0 or the original price, but asked potential buyers to quote their best price, essentially auctioning the tickets off to the highest bidders.
In addition to India and Kong Hong, Coldplay will be performing in Abu Dhabi and Seoul. They last performed in Abu Dhabi in 2016 and Seoul in 2017, and will be returning to Hong Kong for the first time since 2009.
