Coldplay’s cross-generational appeal lies in innovation

Mumbai: If we saw a 50-plus Sachin Tendulkar swinging to the music, a 40-something Shreya Ghoshal was crooning and dancing to the numbers being belted out and a 20-something Suhana Khan with Navya Naveli Nanda were grooving to the same beats as Coldplay captured Mumbai city on Sunday. Groups of teenagers were in a celebratory mood, donning bands and colourful tees as they boarded the special suburban trains that were booked by the organisers to ferry fans to the venue in Navi Mumbai. The excitement was palpable and it felt like a festive wave had swept over the entire city.

Coldplay, the British band’s star appeal and pull was such that tickets were sold out almost on day one and were being resold in black, at multiple times the original price, through WhatsApp groups. A ‘balcony ticket’ gave the owners bragging rights like nothing else. A 75-year-old advertising professional from Cuffe Parade has been parading his expensive ticket for the past 45 days, much to the envy of those who didn’t bag it in time.

Coldplay’s first concert in the Music of the Spheres series saw more than 75000 fans gather at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai. Two more concerts till January 21 will wrap up their Mumbai tour before they head to Ahmedabad where there are no tickets left.

The British rock band, led by pianist and vocalist Chris Martin, was formed in 1997, a few years before most of the fans, crowding the stadium, were even born. But the Gen Z, growing up on a heavy dose of Taylor Swift and K-pop music, jostled for space with the millennials and Gen X and even older music fans when Coldplay announced their concert.

Their cross-generational appeal is fascinating. When Bryan Adams came to India last month, the crowd was largely a 35-plus audience who were there to soak in some nostalgia of listening to his rock songs on loop on their cassettes and the Walkman. Backstreet Boys, a rage in the 1990s, is a band that’s probably relegated to an inner corner of the human memory. But Coldplay, a band that is 27 years old, continues to wow people. What’s the secret for The Scientist, Yellow and a Sky Full of Stars to be on the playlist of most?

Music lover Kabir Khaitan explains that Coldplay has innovated and moved with the times. They originated at a time when rock and roll ruled the music scene but belted out pop along the way. Along with their timeless classics, they’ve dished out chart-topping hits that have a broad appeal. Not staying confined to their original fan base, Coldplay collaborated with young heart-throbs like Beyonce, Avicii and The Chainsmokers and recently, even with K-pop bands whose appeal about the Gen Z is unrivalled. So, if a 40-year-old will get nostalgic with The Scientist, the young ones will jump and swing to Yellow.