United by music: Coldplay’s anti-poverty concert in India

British rock band playing first-ever show across the border

NEW YORK: Rock band Coldplay will play their first-ever show in India in a free performance as the anti-poverty Global Citizen Festival on Friday announced an expansion. The festival, which distributes tickets in return for individual actions to fight extreme poverty, said it would release further details soon.

But it confirmed Coldplay’s participation and said the November 19 show in Mumbai will be free after the Indian media reported that the concert would be exorbitantly expensive. “Just like our annual festival in Central Park, tickets to the Indian festival will be free. Fans will earn them through taking actions in support of education, equality and sanitation campaigns,” the festival’s website said.

It noted that the Mumbai concert would take place on World Toilet Day, which draws attention to sanitation problems. While most Coldplay fans likely have indoor plumbing, around half of Indians do not have regular access to modern toilets, presenting a major public health hazard.

The Global Citizen Festival, established in 2012, takes place each year in New York’s Central Park, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to push world leaders to put anti-poverty efforts high on the agenda. Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin serves as the creative director of the Global Citizen Festival.

India is not a new interest for Coldplay, whose recent video Hymn for the Weekend, was shot in the country, although critics said it presented stereotypical images. The latest New York edition of the Global Citizen Festival, to take place on September 24, will feature R&B superstar Rihanna, metal greats Metallica and leading rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2016.

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