Note: This post is over 13 years old. I was 23 when it was originally posted. I stand by my old posts but bear in mind my opinions may well differ now.

I love Coldplay

Posted on: 23 September 2011

I make no delusions of my love for Coldplay, they're definitely up there with my all time favourite bands. Which is why it was such a disappointment when Coldplay announced a meagre 3-date UK tour of their new album Mylo Xyloto. Yes, Coldplay are big; yes, they need no extra help in promotion, but with such an army of fans that they have earned since their inception 15 years ago, it's a big disappointment to know that many, many fans will miss the opportunity to see them live.

Following the announcement of the new Coldplay album, tickets for the 3 shows in Glasgow, Manchester and London went on sale today (23/09/11) at 9.30AM BST. By 9:31AM they were sold out. I don't know the exact details but I'm sure that must've broken some sort of speed record and on the face of it, it's an amazing statistic. Live music is as popular as ever, Coldplay still own the British music scene and their fans are massively dedicated to them. But in reality, half those ticket sales were most likely by ticket touts.

I'm not going to rant on about how touts are destroying the music industry, because that much is obvious. This post is more to express my disappointment that to see a band as established and successful as Coldplay are, you have to fork out a minimum of £60. And not only are you forking out that much dosh, but you're also doing it to watch the band in a impersonal, corporate gargantuan venue like the O2 Arena. And the sad truth is, many will be paying twice, possibly 3 times as much for their tickets due to touts.

Me? I've made my peace with the fact that I wouldn't get tickets. Rather pretentiously due to my refusal to play refresh-wars with greedy ticket touts, but also my reluctance to pay £60+ for a ticket. There is no doubt that they will put on an amazing show, but until things change, I'm actually okay with putting my wallet back in my pocket and awaiting their latest record, which, if this and this are anything to go by, should be a stonker.

Congratulations to all those genuine Coldplay fans who managed to get tickets.