Fans push back against calls to cancel Coldplay concert

AMID calls for the upcoming Coldplay concert to be called off, fans were up in arms on social media, with many asking about reimbursements.

Three days ago, PAS Youth and Malaysian Muslim Solidarity (Isma) said it would be insensitive for the British rock band to carry on with its November 22 concert here in view of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

PAS Youth deputy president Muhammad Hanif Jamaluddin said the government should learn from the “disgusting” performance by The 1975 during Good Vibes Festival in August, where the lead singer kissed his male bandmate onstage after criticising Malaysia’s laws.

Hanif asked why the government was providing space for singers that support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and atheist ideologies.

Isma urged authorities to reconsider the concert.

“Holding this concert at a time when our Muslim brothers and sisters in Palestine are suffering immense hardship is insensitive and disrespectful,” Isma’s ulama council chairman Datuk Zamri Hashim said.

Zamri called on Muslims not to attend the concert and to redirect their support towards those affected by the crisis in Palestine.

Yesterday, Federal Territories mufti Datuk Luqman Abdullah joined in calls to cancel the concert.

Luqman also urged the public not to support the concert, saying it would not benefit society.

“The band is linked to immoral groups promoting LGBT practices.

“We advise organisers not to proceed and for the public not to support the event, which is clearly against the values of this country.

“For the Muslim community, there are boundaries that must be adhered to, and forms of entertainment outside them are against Islamic law,” Luqman said.

Fans undeterred

One user online said: “Some of us are coming from outstation and have booked hotels and flight tickets. It is not that we are not sympathetic to the Palestinians, but our tourism and economy needs to survive also.”

Another user urged those calling for the concert to be cancelled to come up with the money to refund concertgoers’ tickets and travel/accommodation expenses.

“It is easy for you to say things because it is not your money. But many of us are looking forward to the concert and have spent a lot on it,” one user said.

Coldplay is set to perform at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium as part of its Music of the Spheres World Tour.

The group’s significant Malaysian fanbase is eagerly anticipating the event. – The Vibes, November 19, 2023