Just this morning, Mid-Day broke the news confirming that Coldplay will indeed be playing in Mumbai this November, as part of the Global Citizen Festival, alongside Jay Z, while Bollywood celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, A.R. Rahman, Deepika Padukone alongside other celebrities would also be present at the show. Such was the impact of the news that almost every portal out there (including us) broke the news to their reader base as soon as they could.
However, a lot of people were surprised, and angered at the quoted ticket prices by the Mumbai daily, with the tickets starting at Rs. 25,000 to a whopping Rs. 5 lakhs. Now, we don’t have to tell you, but that is a lot of money, and spending such exorbitant amounts to see their favourite band live did put off a lot of fans. But “don’t let it break your heart“. We happened to come across a series of tweets by OML’s CEO, Vijay Nair, who pointed out that the tickets for the show wouldn’t be expensive, but would be free instead, noting the concept of the Global Citizen Festival.
As a thumb rule, let A tabloid not be your source of information on any concerts, ticket prices or life in general.
— Vijay Nair (@vijay_nair) September 9, 2016
Not many artists I have met care as much about their fans as Coldplay does. So rest assured, keep your kidney with you.
— Vijay Nair (@vijay_nair) September 9, 2016
Global Citizen has a global format that takes a Google search to find out. 90% tickets are free and 'earned'. That's 25 k less than 25 k.
— Vijay Nair (@vijay_nair) September 9, 2016
Seeing this, we decided to check out the concept for the festival and what they did in 2015, which saw Beyonce, Coldplay, Pearl Jam and Ed Sheeran play in Central Park in New York. The festival calls upon all attendees to take “social action” in order to receive an admission ticket, with the actions ranging from a number of issues such as improving sanitation, getting kids into school, increasing international support for the financial mechanisms needed to fund global development, ending polio and much more. The video below will explain in a much simpler way how to get this done.
The festival, which has been going on since 2012, is a continued effort to end extreme poverty by 2030, and has followed the concept since its inception. Their effort to involve the attendees to be more socially aware is indeed a great gesture, and is in line with their target of “taking action, changing the world and getting to party”. What remains to be seen is what their target actions for India would be.
Global Citizen Festival is due to take place at Central Park, New York on the 24th September, with Major Lazer, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Metallica and Demi Lovato on the lineup. Talking about the festival, Global Citizen‘s Madge Thomas said:
We want people to use their voice, not their money. We want everyone to be able to access this concert. We want people to see their favorite stars. It’s through doing something that you can capture it and share it on social media. For example, one of the actions this year is take a photo of a book that has changed your life and tell world leaders why kids everywhere should read it.
So there you go. Save that kidney for the new iPhone instead, and don’t fret about the tickets for the festival. You can check out Global Citizen‘s website, and keep a tab for yourself.
H/T: Fox5
Disclaimer: This information is on the basis of the fact that Coldplay might be playing in India. We’d still suggest you to wait for an official announcement, before making any assumptions.
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