Today's Edition
TAARIQ HALIM (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi is in the grip of Coldplay mania, as the UAE capital gears up for a four-day rock fan fest this week.
The English band will be playing sold-out shows at the 45,000-seater Zayed Sports City Stadium on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.
Tickets for the UAE leg of Coldplay's "Music of The Spheres World Tour" went on sale in three phases between September 25 and 27 – ranging from Dh195 for standard seating to Dh395 for general admission and standing, and Dh1,495 for deluxe tickets.
Such was the demand to see the "Paradise" hitmakers live on stage, that a fourth performance date had been added – and each batch sold out within one hour of going on sale online.
Frontman Chris Martin and co., however, are not the only ones rocking and rolling in the dirhams. With an estimated 180,000 concertgoers expected to descend on Abu Dhabi, the local hospitality and tourism sector is capitalising on the Coldplay fan frenzy.
Enterprising operators have sought to cash in on the massive demand by offering premium packages to well-heeled music lovers.
Hotels
Yas Island offered "vacation packages" which included a two-night stay at one of the world-class hotels on the island and city hotels, plus general admission standing tickets. These packages also sold out completely within one week of promotion, according to Miral, the leading creator of immersive destinations and expereinces in Abu Dhabi.
Aletihad checked out the prices at popular hotels in the vicinity of the concert venue on booking.com. Rooms were either unavailable or limited – but at double the normal rates.
This weekend, one night at the Park Rotana Abu Dhabi will set you back up to Dh1,300 for a guest room – most other days you would get a booking for Dh625.
One Presidential Suite was available at the ERTH Abu Dhabi Hotel (at the time of writing), going for up to Dh4,800 this Saturday; any other day and you would be billed Dh1,100.
A Guest room at the Aloft Abu Dhabi costs Dh2,500 this weekend, book next weekend and you'll be paying around Dh600.
Both the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal and Millennium Al Rawda were fully booked for this Saturday.
Airfare
The cost of flights to Abu Dhabi has spiked for "Coldplay week". Concertgoers travelling from India – apparently a large fanbase – have had to fork out at least 30% more for airfare.
Passengers flying in from Mumbai have had to pay a steep Dh1500 this week; after January 14, fares dip back to below Dh1,000.
Those travelling from Bengaluru parted with up to Dh1,400, up from an average fare of Dh1,000 for a round trip.
Fares from Hyderabad jumped from Dh1,050 to nearly Dh1,500 in the second week of January.
GIG GUIDE
How to get there
There will be no parking at the event, fans who are driving must use the free park-and-ride buses to reach the stadium.
For fans travelling from Dubai, shuttle buses will depart from Expo City Dubai starting at 12.50pm.
In Abu Dhabi, buses will depart from Al Shahama, Sas Al Nakhl, Al Raha, and Nation Towers starting at 2pm. Bus seats from Expo City Dubai and Al Shahama will be available via Ticketmaster.
Return shuttles to all departure points will operate after the concert. Full details on bus schedules and departure times will be available at livenation.me/coldplay.
For those coming by taxi, the dedicated taxi pick-up and drop-off area will be announced on the Live Nation website.
When will the doors open?
Fan zones surrounding the stadium will open from 3pm.
General entry to the stadium will open at 5pm, last entry at 8.30pm.
When will Coldplay come on?
The first supporting act, French hip-hop star Shone will begin at 6pm, then Palestinian singer-songwriter Elyanna will grace the stage at 6.30pm. Coldplay will start at 7.45pm.
What you can and can't bring
As the concert will be cashless, fans should have mobile payment or bring credit or debit cards to pay for food, drink or merchandise in the venue.
How to access your tickets
You must download and save your tickets to your phone via Ticketmaster. Scannable tickets will be available through Ticketmaster 72 hours before the event, with each ticket containing a unique QR code.
Age Restrictions
Children under the age of 5 will not be permitted at the event, and anyone under 14 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older. Under-14s will not be allowed in the pitch standing area.
