KUALA LUMPUR – The organiser of British megastar Coldplay’s record-breaking concert in Malaysia last year has downplayed speculation about the band’s return to the country.
The anticipation is building among Malaysian fans as rumours circulate about the critically-acclaimed band’s next appearance here.
In a brief message, Para Rajagopal, founder of entertainment promoter PR Worldwide Sdn Bhd, told Scoop that the rumours were untrue.
“(There are) no such plans at this point, maybe it’s (the rumours) just to keep fans excited about the concert scene in Malaysia,” Para said.
A teaser, reportedly posted by ticketing platform GoLive Asia’s Instagram account, had set social media abuzz with excitement.
On social media platform X, the Coldplay Malaysia account, the band’s official local fan site, shared a screenshot of a poster from the band’s upcoming “World Tour”, which was purportedly posted on GoLive’s Instagram stories.
The image featured Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin’s iconic onstage leap against the backdrop of a packed stadium, accompanied by the words “THEY’RE COMING BACK??” and a shushing face emoji.
The official fansite’s post read, “Wow, this is breaking news from @GoLiveAsia. Will Coldplay grace Kuala Lumpur again?”
A check by Scoop on GoLive Asia’s Instagram account today did not reveal any posts about Coldplay.
The speculation also comes as the band is scheduled to perform eight shows in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, between October 30 and November 10 this year.
Coldplay’s Kuala Lumpur leg of their Music of the Spheres World Tour garnered a whopping 81,812 concertgoers, despite only performing for a single night last November.
The performance also became the band’s most-attended concert in their history – with an impressive RM51 million in estimated profit – beating its 2017 show in Croke Park, Ireland, which had 80,389 attendees.
The Kuala Lumpur leg managed to collect about 91% of Xyloband wristbands after the concert, which is one of the highest percentages.
Earlier today, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh told the Dewan Rakyat that Coldplay’s and K-pop group Blackpink’s mega concerts at Bukit Jalil National Stadium contributed RM201 million to the country’s economy.
“Organising concerts not only benefits the Malaysia Stadium Corporation but also other sectors such as e-hailing, tourism, hospitality, transport and logistics, and small businesses.
The government also benefited from tax collection – RM2.7 million from Blackpink’s concert and RM8 million from Coldplay’s gig,” she said.
While there were reports suggesting offers for Malaysia to host Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Yeoh clarified that these reports were inaccurate.
“I want it to be on record, as has been answered by Sportswork Group Sdn Bhd, that the reports of the offer (of Swift performing in Malaysia) are simply not true,” she said. – March 13, 2024