KUALA LUMPUR – British rock band Coldplay’s first concert in Malaysia safely concluded despite much brouhaha over whether or not the event should be allowed to take place amid concerns over morality and the Israel-Palestine war.
Concluding at around 11pm last night, the group’s final stop for the year as part of its Music of the Spheres World Tour saw tens of thousands of fans gather at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium to witness firsthand the band’s show, with many more standing outside the stadium and singing along.
With the 85,000-seating capacity stadium packed to the brim, concertgoers took to social media to share the situation on the ground at the event venue, as public transport commuters moved en masse to the Bukit Jalil LRT station.
While LRT operator Prasarana Malaysia Bhd had previously announced an extension to its operational hours to accommodate concert attendees, one X (formerly Twitter) user known as @yushairieyusoff pointed out that KTM services are running as usual without any changes.
“For those who use (KTM) to go (for the Coldplay concert), sorry to inform that the last train for Seremban from Bandar Tasik Selatan is 11:07pm, while for KL Sentral/Batu Caves from Bandar Tasik Selatan is 10:25pm. No extensions.”
Evidently packed train stations last night could be seen as yet another indicator of the public’s infatuation with the Grammy-winning band, whose show tickets were sold out within hours of being put up for sale earlier this year at a price range of between RM228 and RM3,088.
While some people were willing to travel for hours and brave serious injuries to see the band perform, the fact remains that Coldplay’s show here was preceded by strong criticism from certain quarters, including religious leaders and PAS figures.
Claiming that the band should not be allowed to perform as it is a renowned supporter of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, PAS lawmakers had urged the government to call off the concert to guard local sensitivities.
They also cited the ongoing war in Palestine, asserting that it would be in bad faith to promote the holding of entertainment events while Gaza residents continue to face harrowing threats to their life due to Israeli attacks.
The concert was a chance for the opposition to keep sniping at the government, using morality issues in its attempt to get the performance cancelled.
All the fuss over how concerts here are to be held comes after the shock antics of The 1975 band at their July performance during the Good Vibes Festival, when frontman Matty Healy kissed his male bandmate and slammed Malaysia’s anti-homosexuality laws.
The Central Agency for Application of Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal) then moved to tighten concert rules, instituting a “kill switch” for future performances in the event things go awry.
The organiser of the Coldplay concert here, Live Nation Malaysia, issued a string of rules for attendees, which included a ban on banners carrying political messages or those related to the LGBT movement.
Yesterday morning, ahead of the Coldplay concert, PAS MPs in Parliament were still urging the government to axe it, prompting the Communications and Digital Ministry to issue a statement that the show will go on, while its minister Fahmi Fadzil gave assurances that the “kill switch” is in effect.
Prior to the concert, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also pointed out in Parliament that Coldplay is in support of the Palestinian cause, following a statement by the Federal Territories mufti to call off the concert as it was against societal values. – November 23, 2023