The first Coldplay performance in Malaysia proceeded without incident, even in the face of opposition from some places.
Around 75,000 people attended the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday night for the British rock group’s The Music Of The Spheres World Tour, and more gathered outside to sing along to songs like Viva La Vida, Yellow, My Universe, and Fix You, among others.
When the performance concluded at 11 p.m., many of people ran straight to the Bukit Jalil LRT station. In order to assist transportation for concertgoers, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd had stated that it will extend its operations at the station till one in the morning.
Fans praised Coldplay on social media for their attempt to communicate in Bahasa Malaysia and for their amazing performance, which avoided any mention of regional sensitivity.
Frontman Chris Martin hoisted a white flag with the word “love” printed on it while singing People Of The Pride.
To the surprise of the audience, Martin also performed a pantun (poem) in Bahasa Malaysia.
A number of religious leaders and PAS members called for the concert to be called off in light of the continuing Israel-Palestine conflict before to Coldplay’s sold-out performance in the city. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has noted that Coldplay is a supporter of Palestine in response to the requests for cancellation.The Grammy-winning group has a history of vocally supporting Palestine; in 2011, they even put the song “Freedom For Palestine” on their official Facebook page.
A number of quarters also expressed concern that the band would undertake a stunt like to The 1975’s at the July 2023 Good Vibes Festival and hence not be permitted to play in Malaysia.
Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil had stated that a “kill switch” will be used during the Coldplay performance in order to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy. Nevertheless, as the band adhered closely to the prescribed guidelines, the deployment was not necessary.Martin commended the government for permitting Coldplay to continue its tour in Malaysia despite the event raising a lot of controversy and said that the nation has “one of the best audiences in the world.”
The 46-year-old singer remarked, “If it’s okay with you, we’d like to come back quite soon.”
In the event that an artist violates official criteria, the concert organisers have the option to “kill switch” the performance. In response to The 1975’s contentious prank, the Communications and Digital Ministry established it in October as a preventative step.
