Andy Byron

Local business

Coldplay were recognised for driving up local businesses at various tour stops. Hotels that offered a view for Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José became fully booked after ticket sales, as people weighed different approaches to watch the band. El Espectador observed that accommodation occupancy rates exceeded 85% during their stay in Bogotá. Buenos Aires documented its highest percentage in the past 10 years over the residency at Estadio River Plate. Clarín noticed that restaurants and bars across the city triplicated their revenue with the tour. Business owners from Curitiba said that its impact was superior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

During their stay in Rio de Janeiro, the group yielded profits above R$86 million. Furthermore, the President of the Municipal Chamber of Coimbra informed that they generated more than €36 million in direct financial returns for the town. Hotel prices surged by 1,000% after they announced shows there. Equivalent rises were also seen in places such as Dublin, Düsseldorf, Helsinki, and Singapore (where Agoda reported a 556% boost in searches). Marketing agency Hello Monday held a contest to give away tickets for the nights in Barcelona and drew over a million comments on social media, along with 80,000 new clients on their exclusive platform. Diario de Sevilla considered it one of the most viral advertising campaigns of the year in Spain.

In November 2023, the Kaohsiung City Government offered discount coupons to fans attending the shows in the region to boost revenue at night markets. Around 30,000 citizens were drawn to those businesses. Their earnings grew by 30%, while accommodations reached 90% occupancy. Coldplay generated a record NT$550 million in tourism output as a result. The concert at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium secured Rp1.4 trillion in proceeds. It also optimised venue income by 50%, compared to 2019. Searches for hotel rooms in Perth rose by 135% when the group played at Optus Stadium. Minister for Tourism Rita Saffioti estimated that 3,500 locals would take new jobs because of the tour, including areas like security, transport and cleaning. Kuala Lumpur collected RM200 million with the performance at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Profits from Airbnb reservations doubled when Coldplay visited Athens, as they marked an unprecedented 81.5% capacity. About 40,000 attendees were foreigners, which helped the travel sector. The Bucharest City Hall received €112,000 to host the band, making them more lucrative than tournaments such as the Champions League. They drove an economic growth of €63 million in Helsinki. The shows at the Olympiastadion—along with Adele's residency—were associated to Munich's record 2.1 million overnight stays in August 2024. Sydney ($90 million), Auckland ($20 million), Hong Kong (HK$1.2 billion), El Paso ($6 million), and Madison ($13 million) have all registered substantial returns in their respective economies. Hotels near the stadiums where the group performed were nearly sold out in Abu Dhabi, Navi Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

In addition to donating 10% from all of their profits to charity, Coldplay teamed up with Global Citizen and the Love Button Global Movement to gather volunteers in each tour stop and endorse local non-profit institutions on their individual missions, which included distributing food, creating gardens and providing shelter for refugees. In Newark, participants helped with United Community Corporation's Sky Full of Stars Carnival and Distribution, an event where residents earned free groceries, COVID-19 vaccines and access to mortgage assistance. They also organised a warehouse used by Team Ukraine Love in Warsaw. The foundation's main focus is serving those who were displaced from their homes by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In Bogotá, the band donated gifts to the children and health personnel at Hospital Simón Bolívar. During the stop in Buenos Aires, volunteers partnered with TECHO, an institution that mobilises youth to improve infrastructure in Latin American countries.

SP Invisível received support for the humanisation of homeless people in São Paulo, as well as the promotion of individualised care experiences. In Coimbra, the initiatives aimed to curtail elderly social exclusion. Other efforts included setting a free clinic in Copenhagen, planting trees in Gothenburg, and helping the Love & Hope Children's Home in Kaohsiung. Aiming to expand access to mental health care, Coldplay auctioned tickets through the Rare Impact and Sweet Relief Musicians funds. Patients and workers at RSIA Bunda Jakarta Hospital were given presents as well. In September 2024, the band revealed that 10% of the income obtained at Wembley Stadium and Craven Park would be donated to the Music Venue Trust, fostering grassroots venues and artists in the United Kingdom. Far Out's Dale Maplethorpe said they could "unite music lovers everywhere" with the endeavour. Sam Fender and Katy Perry pledged to contribute £1 for each admission sold at their British concerts after the group's announcement.

Demand and politics

Sales for the tour caused public debate due to unprecedented demand in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania. Coldplay initially announced only two dates in Perth for latter continent through a partnership with the government of Western Australia, leading to criticism from fans who resided elsewhere. Conversely, Live Nation's Bruce Moran applauded the band for mapping "the most spectacular run through Latin America ever", since their performances broke records in nearly all countries in the region. Interviewed by Billboard, Bruno Del Granado from CAA noted that Coldplay's success and the establishment of new arenas proved there was no longer an excuse to avoid the territory.

Interest in the concerts led ticket speculation to rise in Portugal, with 32 offenders being detained. Álvaro Covões, the director of events promoter Everything Is New, affirmed that they are "a global phenomenon which only happens once every 30 years" and compared the public frenzy to when the Beatles were active. The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) submitted an appeal to prevent resales with abusive prices and faulty warranties at the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs. In Italy, the Authority for Communications Guarantees (AGCOM) launched an operation against touts focused on the shows that Coldplay scheduled and arrested 26 lawbreakers.

Fahmi Fadzil revealed that the government of Malaysia would enact legislation to monitor and control transactions in the secondary market after tickets for Kuala Lumpur were traded at disproportionately high values. Reviewing such cases helped them write the first drafts. Bloomberg News stated that the government of Indonesia decided to simplify their event permits because the band had numerous extra dates in neighbouring capitals, but not in Jakarta. Sales for Navi Mumbai drew 13 million users, leading a public interest litigation to be filed at the Bombay High Court. The Enforcement Directorate raided five states to investigate illegal conduct. Erik Hoffman from Live Nation remarked that the idea for Rogers Stadium came up when they failed to arrange a Toronto venue that could properly host Coldplay. The group stirred discussion on entry prices as well, maintaining affordability despite the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Acts like Olivia Rodrigo and Adele launched their own version of the Infinity Ticket program.

Criticism on partnerships

Carlos Calvo Ambel from Transport & Environment declared that Coldplay were "no doubt well-intentioned" but reprimanded their cooperation with Neste. He accused the company of "cynically using [the band] to greenwash its reputation", since biofuels were supplied to the tour while they had links to deforestation; therefore, the partnership should be discontinued to give priority to better solutions. SumOfUs' Eoin Dubsky criticised the ties with BMW and concluded the group needed to take greater care while doing their diligences, as the multinational was lobbying to prevent the European Union from establishing a deadline for vehicles to become carbon neutral.

On the same day, Coldplay published a statement reiterating that their plan was a work in progress and they "genuinely welcome suggestions as to how to do it better". The band also emphasised having no connection to BMW's corporate policies, adding that various car manufacturers were approached in order to provide the required expertise and the company was the one that helped. Neste separately mentioned that investigations regarding their palm oil vendors were launched, but no evidence of violations or links to deforestation was found. Their response crew said that the concert run only received fuels with frying and animal fat waste as well. The coalition was formally terminated in January 2023.

Southeast Asia

Coldplay were criticised by several groups of conservative Muslims for performing in Indonesia and Malaysia. Novel Bamukmin, the Deputy Secretary-General of PA 212, declared the tour should be cancelled in Jakarta because the band endorsed the LGBT community, while Nasrudin Hassan from the Malaysian Islamic Party condemned them for promoting a culture of "hedonism" and "deviance". Conversely, Minister for Tourism Sandiaga Uno argued that the tour would enhance Indonesia's reputation as a destination for international artists. Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman likewise regarded it as a chance to generate economic surplus for Kuala Lumpur. On 10 November 2023, dozens of people marched outside Jakarta's British Embassy calling for the cancellation of the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium show. They defended that Indonesian Muslims should be mourning the war crimes Israel committed against Palestine instead of watching Coldplay live. Extremist groups threatened to burn down their stage set-up, while others only asked the police to ensure the venue did not include "LGBT propaganda". In Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that boycott requests were overblown because the band supported Palestine, but authorities would be alert. Martin replaced his pride flag with one that read "Love" and both concerts went on as usual.