UAE: Dh77 Coldplay tickets sold out in an hour; some fans relive 'trauma' of waiting for nothing

Coldplay's 'Infinity' tickets went up on sale for Dh77 at 12pm: It was the final chance to grab a spot in the band's Abu Dhabi shows. While it lit up one last hope, it also reopened old trauma wounds for some UAE residents who found themselves back in queue with thousands of others on Friday afternoon.

These special tickets are available for each show for Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 and cost only €20 per ticket (Dh76.31). It was an incredible deal but for fans, the frenzy was all too familiar.

In less than an hour, tickets for all dates are gone.

Isabel Ramos, a Dubai resident, logged in on the Ticketmaster page at exactly 12pm. There were already 14,930 others before her in the online queue.

Ramos was already disheartened but she waited — and she almost got it. "When the website told me it was my turn to pay, I got so excited. I've never gotten this close to getting a ticket since the pre-sale," she said.

"However, the website notified me that there are no more available tickets. I'm heartbroken again. The trauma is real. But at least, this time, I didn't have to wait in line for hours," said the 34-year-old fan, sharing that she queued for hours during the pre-sale and general sale of the concert tickets.

Eager fans were met with long virtual queues, reminiscent of the chaotic pre-sale on September 25 and 26, as well as the general sale on September 27. Like Ramos, many spent hours waiting, only to relive the frustration of seeing tickets slip through their fingers.

Dubai resident Joanna S. attempted a different strategy, opting for Thursday’s show, assuming it might be less competitive than the weekend dates. Yet, she was already 7,803rd when she logged in.

"I guess, I'll just have to accept that I won't be able to see Coldplay," said the Filipino expat.

These special tickets are randomly allocated in the venue. Those who got them can be placed at the back row or the floor. However, those who are lucky could be at the best VIP seat of the venue.

For many Coldplay fans in the country, the pre-sale and general sale were stressful and exhausting; an experience filled with technical glitches, long wait times, and high prices. Some tickets, originally priced at Dh995 for the Premium category, were being resold for nearly Dh20,000 on unauthorised websites like Viagogo.

• UAE: Coldplay tickets being resold for nearly 2,000% more on illegal websites; organisers issue warning