[UPDATED] Fans fume at organiser after scalpers seize Coldplay tickets

KUALA LUMPUR – Although the concert’s promoter cautioned the public to refrain from buying Coldplay tickets from resellers, scalpers are openly offering their seats on social media and reselling platforms such as Viagogo.

Entertainment promoter PR Worldwide Sdn Bhd took to Facebook today to announce that the pop band’s concert at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on November 22 had already sold out.

However, they warned fans against purchasing tickets from unauthorised sellers and third-party sites, adding that buyers are taking a risk as the validity of the tickets cannot be guaranteed.

Nevertheless, checks by The Vibes on Viagogo at 3.47pm revealed that 110 tickets were available for purchase.

In fact, tickets for the CAT6 category which went on sale on Live Nation Malaysia’s platform for RM398 were being resold on Viagogo for a whopping RM1,750.

Meanwhile, a simple Twitter search of the phrase “Coldplay Kuala Lumpur” reveals users openly selling their already purchased tickets.

One user, @iam_cayantine_4 is offering three tickets for RM650 each.

Based on a screen grab shared, the tickets are understood to be for seats in section 102 – which is under CAT4 initially advertised by Live Nation Malaysia for RM598.

Twitter user @ahhjoee placed a CAT2 ticket at section 129 for sale at a negotiable price of RM1,100, although it was initially priced by organisers at RM758.

Other accounts, such as @GusFaith1, offered three CAT1 tickets for their original price, inviting other users to message privately for further details.

As of press time, it appeared many tweets from scalpers had been deleted owing to potential complaints from concert organisers.

However, for Coldplay fans hoping to buy from resellers, they also take the risk of being a victim of fraud.

One user was offered a CAT6 ticket by another Twitter user, and after transferring the money was immediately blocked.

It should be noted that those who were successful in purchasing tickets were required to include their IC number, and it would be displayed on the ticket as well.

One seasoned concertgoer who chose to remain anonymous slammed Live Nation Malaysia and ticketing platform GoLive Asia for the poor management of ticket sales, which he said allows scalpers to take advantage and make a quick buck.

“If the tickets include the IC numbers of the initial purchasers, how are the Coldplay concert tickets being resold on Viagogo for double the price?

“These requirements at the original point of purchase seem troublesome and redundant if at the gates on concert day, the identity of the ticket holder is not verified.

“The whole point of this cumbersome process was meant to deter scalpers,” he said when contacted.

Commenting further, he demanded Live Nation Malaysia, GoLive Asia, and Coldplay answer for the fiasco.

“It is a sign of disrespect to the millions of fans who have made the band into one of the biggest musical artists of our time,” he added.

On its Twitter page, after announcing that the concert had sold out, Live Nation Malaysia received a slew of complaints from netizens over the poor functioning of their ticketing purchasing platform.

However, moments later netizens took it upon themselves to demand an additional show by Coldplay.

Twitter user @ColdplayMsia pointed out that Coldplay included a second show for their concerts in Perth, Australia, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, suggesting the same should be done for Malaysia.

Meanwhile, @asrulmm pointed out that Malaysia’s demand for Coldplay was higher than the sales in Perth.

“Would be great if @coldplay could announce a second show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The online queue for tickets here is even more massive than those queuing for the Perth shows,” @asrulmm tweeted.

“@Coldplay looks like you need a second show in Kuala Lumpur. The ticketing website basically crashed one minute after the queue opened. Your juice in Malaysia is unmatched. Please consider,” @calvinjoseph__ tweeted.

So far, ticketing platform Go Live Asia has urged the public to refrain from getting tickets sold by scalpers, adding that the problem will only stop if there is a lack of demand.

It also cautioned that tickets purchased from unauthorised sellers or third parties would not have their validity guaranteed nor refunds.

“The only way this problem will end is if we stop giving into our temptations and wait until after the event has taken place before buying tickets from resale sites.

“If everyone does this, then it won’t be worth it for ticket resellers anymore because their profit margins will be too small for them to continue,” Go Live Asia said in its Instagram story. – The Vibes, May 17, 2023