'When the time arrived, we were logged out': Fans share experience of trying to get Coldplay tickets

How did a large section of India's youth spend their Sunday noon? Glued to their phones, each hoping that they will be among the few lucky ones to grab a ticket to Coldplay's upcoming India concerts slated for January 18 and 19. What followed in the next few minutes was such fan frenzy that the popular British band announced a third concert in Mumbai at the same venue - DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai - on January 21.

Did that help zealous Coldplay fans? Not Mumbai-based Riddhi Chakraborty, at least, who is a fan of frontman Chris Martin. "He is such an incredible showman, and is so good at connecting with the crowd," says Chakraborty, who caught the rock band in action in their last India gig in 2016. "I was lucky to be placed four or five feet away from [the stage]. It was incredible to feel their fabulous energy," she shares, disappointed that she couldn't grab a spot this time.

Coldplay's Chris Martin and Guy Berryman at a previous concert. Pic/AFP

Well before 12 noon, when the ticket sales went live, she was all geared up. "All the members of my family had at least two devices open to book, including my mother, brother, and sister-in-law. But as soon as the time arrived, we were logged out," she says, of her attempt to book via BookMyShow. Chakraborty says she was unable to access her account for 30 minutes due to a spate of technical glitches on the platform. When she managed to log in again, she found herself far behind in the queue. "By then, we were several lakh spots behind in the queue. Everyone I know hasn't managed to get the tickets," she says, asserting that her friends and family have not had a hard time procuring tickets for the band's act on international shores.

Her disappointment is shared by another concert hopeful, Avinash Mahtani, who works in financial services. He tried his luck a second time over when the tickets for the third concert went live at 2 pm. "We logged in on time [yesterday], but we were further behind, this time. Our spot was around the 2,96,000 mark." But Mahtani has a Plan B. He now intends to travel to Abu Dhabi to catch the band in action. "I believe the tickets go [live] on Wednesday," he says. Rishi Aswani's experience was not too different. "I don't know if [the platform] was hacked or there were bots. When we attempted to book for [the newly added show], merely 30 seconds after the tickets went live, we found ourselves in the sixth lakh position. So, we knew there was no chance [to get a ticket]."

(From left) Riddhi Chakraborty and Shrutee Choudhary tried to get tickets in vain

Shrutee Choudhary, an artiste, isn't one to normally attend concerts, but made an exception for the band that she "genuinely loves". While employing her family members for the task was futile, she has not given up hope. "I'll get myself a boyfriend who has extra tickets," she jokes.

As concert tickets sold out within seconds, netizens expressed their disappointment on social media, with many cheekily dubbing it the ‘Soldplay' concert. On Sunday evening, BookMyShow issued a statement claiming they "worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets". "We implemented a queueing system to manage the overwhelming demand and addressed issues caused by suspicious and malicious traffic within minutes. Due to the unprecedented demand, a third Mumbai show was added shortly thereafter, which also received a fantastic response," said the spokesperson, adding that 1.3 crore fans logged in to secure tickets.