KUALA LUMPUR – Despite receiving an inimical welcome from certain quarters following news of their upcoming performance here, Grammy-winning band Coldplay opted to look at the bright side of things.
In an interview with Anne Jacyntha and Arnold Loh of the Hitz FM morning crew, the band’s frontman Chris Martin expressed how Malaysians evoke a “sense of love and warmth” each time he meets them.
As such, he said the band loves all people – including the individuals unhappy with their presence.
This was likely in response to admonishments by several politicians and religious heads, who called for the government to cancel the band’s concert.
“Anyone who is not happy we are coming, we’re sorry, but we love you too,” Martin said.
In the interview, Martin also welcomed everyone to attend the concert and be their genuine selves.
“Everybody is welcome to our show. We love all people, all kinds of people, all religions.
“All leaders, all followers – nobody is excluded. We really want you to come to our show and feel free to be yourself and to let everybody be themselves,” he said.
Coldplay received much love from fans who are eager to see their favourite band, as tickets to their concert were sold out in mere hours, even crashing the ticketing website due to high demand.
PAS central committee member Nasrudin Hassan, however, called for its cancellation as it could promote hedonistic values and deviant beliefs.
His sentiment was seconded by Pahang Mufti Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Osman, who cautioned Muslims against attending the concert if it promotes the LGBT agenda, as it would contradict religious beliefs.
Similarly, Kelantan PAS Youth chief Mohamad Kamal Mohamed wrote an open letter to Kelantanese culinary influencer Khairul Aming, criticising the latter for buying tickets to the concert. – The Vibes, May 19, 2023
