
Coldplay’s Magic: Why Gen Z is hooked on a millennial band’s nostalgia tour

Summary
- The British band, led by Chris Martin, is performing in Mumbai and Ahmedabad this month. Tickets to the shows are being sold at exorbitant prices in the black market. Many of those attending weren’t even born when the band was formed in 1997. So, why is Gen Z willing to spend so much?
Mumbai: Nothing exemplifies Coldplay for Sandesh Shetty like their 2002 heartbreak ballad The Scientist, although the 23-year-old Mumbai-based chartered accountancy student first heard it more than a decade later. “After I got the internet, I sort of went down a rabbit hole and downloaded all of Coldplay’s songs on my laptop," he told Mint. “I used to hear them repeatedly while doing my homework—2016 was also the year Coldplay visited India and Mumbai for the first time. It was the first time such an event was happening, at least in my lifetime."
The British rock-pop band, led by 47-year-old frontman Chris Martin—most fans would be hard put to name the other members—is performing in Mumbai and Ahmedabad this month as part of their Music of The Spheres world tour. Barring a few in the ₹25,000 slab in Ahmedabad, there are no tickets to be had. Indeed, tickets are being resold online and in private groups at double and even 10 times their original price.
Hotel rates are soaring in both cities on the days Coldplay will be performing. Fans have been forking out tens of thousands of rupees on tickets, travel and stay in Mumbai to watch the concert live. And they’re not just thirty-somethings keen to relive the music of their Y2K teen years.
Indeed, many of those attending weren’t even born when the band was formed in 1997. So, why is Gen Z willing to spend so much on what is arguably a Millennial band, one that came into being at a time when rock & roll was still the dominant music genre globally? And what does the surge in live concerts here tell us about the longevity of music and the changing nature of fandom?

Something for everyone
“We witnessed a strong interest from Gen Z fans with Coldplay’s music resonating across various age groups," Anil Makhija, chief operating officer for live entertainment and venues at events and ticketing firm BookMyShow, toldMintin an email. BookMyShow is co-producing the India leg of Coldplay’s ongoing tour. “Their timeless classics and chart-topping hits have a broad appeal, captivating both younger audiences and those who have grown up with their iconic sound."
India does not figure in the live music circuit of most top international acts at the height of their fame. Singers Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, for instance, haven’t performed in India. The duo drew so much business with their tours they may have temporarily boosted the consumer economy in smaller US cities and added to inflation in international destinations such as Sweden, prompting phrases like ‘Swiftonomics’ and the ‘Beyoncé Blip’.
In the last few years, major international acts have finally begun touring India, including pop stars Dua Lipa and Ed Sheeran. But, apart from Coldplay, international acts performing in India have tended to be older—such as U2, Backstreet Boys and Bryan Adams—or relatively niche—such as Cigarettes After Sex or Diplo. So, how do international stars, best known for their music from 30 years ago or more, find enough fans to justify a big show in the country?
“Internationally, there are two types of musical acts," says Hamza Kazi, head of music at talent management firm Dharma Cornerstone Agency. “The first are artistes who have stuck to their legacy and sound and don’t deviate from that. The other type is the artiste who has acquired the current Gen-Z sound and seamlessly integrated it with what they originally did."
The music of Coldplay, for instance, was firmly of the rock & roll genre in the late-90s and the 2000s, when it first tasted success in the UK. Maroon 5, fronted by singer Adam Levine, has similar origins. “But in their latest albums, they have almost moved to mainstream pop music," Kazi explains, making their new songs more palatable to a new generation.
Over time, Coldplay’s music has moved from the gospel choir influence on their 2000s albumsX&YandA Rush of Blood To The Headto more hip-hop and pop music influences. The band has collaborated with R&B artistes such as Beyoncé and Rihanna, electronic music acts (late) Avicii and The Chainsmokers, and more recently, with Korean boy-band BTS, known for their appeal with Gen-Z audiences.
“Many people in my age bracket will take their kids to Coldplay to listen to Yellow and Fix You and The Scientist," Kazi says. “But there will be younger fans who are there to listen to A Sky Full of Stars."
Some of that appeal may also be the result of how universal Coldplay’s music is. For instance, one founder in the Indian music industry described Coldplay as “lullabies for adults". “Unlike the rock and roll bands they drew inspiration from, Coldplay’s music is very easily consumed," he said, requesting anonymity. “The progressions they use are simple, easy on the ears, and that’s why their music is quite uplifting. If you ask a true rock and roll fan, they’ll tell you Coldplay is comforting but bland, like a nice bowl of porridge."
For Gen-Z fan Akanksha Gaikwad, Coldplay is synonymous with the happy, hopeful music that exemplifies their albums from the mid-to late-2010s. The 23-year-old HR executive said she first discovered the band when Spotify introduced their songs to her playlist of feelgood music comprising tracks by Imagine Dragons and One Republic. “I came across two songs that have stuck with me," she says. “One is Up & Up (2015), which is really inspirational and really motivates me to keep going in bad times. The other is Miracles (Someone Special), released in 2017. [Artiste] Big Sean’s rap in the song is something that I really liked and enjoyed."
Musicians’ dependence on social media to get discovered and ‘go viral’ has also helped popular acts find inter generational appeal. As older songs find virality on Instagram Reels, for instance, younger listeners discover other classics for the first time, helping artistes cultivate a brand new set of fans.
To cite an example, while Shetty, the CA student quoted earlier, knows Coldplay’s 2010s music best, he recently rediscovered Yellow, its breakout hit from 2000. “It could be a recency bias because lately this song has been all over my timeline," he says.
Generational hold
In 2022, British radio manufacturer Roberts found in a survey of 2,000 listeners across generations that older folks found it hard to relate to new music. However, more than two thirds of surveyed millennials and Gen-Z listeners were still aware of older artistes such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The latter even had a No. 1 hit in Now And Then, released late in 2023, more than 50 years after their breakup. More importantly, the survey found that only a few contemporary stars had the power to endure across generations. Some (Olivia Rodrigo and Nicki Minaj) had barely any older fans while others (Ed Sheeran) appealed widely across ages.

How can musicians cultivate an inter generational appeal like this? Singer Bryan Adams and Irish rock band U2, for instance, have not produced much new music after the early 2000s, but continue to tour successfully across the world, including in India.
“At the Bryan Adams concert in Mumbai [last year], there were 14-15-year-olds rocking out to his performance," says DCA’s Kazi, who is also a professional drummer and was among the opening acts for the Canadian star’s performance. “The marketing of such artistes is targeted at older generations but they bring their kids along and introduce them to their music at live events like these," he added.
“Parents are the number one source of cultural influence on kids until they hit their teens," says Mairu Gupta, founder of climate-focused digital marketing agency Antkind Collective. He formerly led the content and distribution business of the US’ National Basketball Association (NBA) and later headed the digital business for Sony Music’s South Asia arm. “Even when we were promoting basketball and the NBA in India, the key to making it big here was to make sure parents are watching basketball games on their TV and supporting a team."
Although live music in the popular imagination is often associated with young, enthusiastic concertgoers having the time of their life, organizers in India have realized that many attendees see it as a family outing complete with their kids. For instance, Zomato sold a special tier of tickets to its Feeding India concert in 2024, headlined by Dua Lipa, that included access to a play area for children. “The response to this initiative was overwhelmingly positive…this feature added value to the premium ticket experience and contributed to a more inclusive and family-friendly event," a Zomato spokesperson told Mint.

A few Indian performers have also built an intergenerational fan base. BookMyShow’s Makhija says A.R. Rahman and Arijit Singh have been the most successful at it.
Fanning money
Constantly cultivating a newer, younger fan base is extremely important for musicians who want to make money for years on end. Worldwide, much of the music industry today relies on streaming revenues to make money. This has squeezed margins for everyone, from artistes to labels to the streaming platforms themselves. Besides, music streaming is dominated by Big Tech and only a tiny minority of listeners in India pay for music. Performance rights—fees and royalties on live performances of recorded music—is one way to counter this.
But, performance rights are still a very small part of music labels’ revenue in India—in 2023, this segment was estimated at 8%, as per consulting firm EY, the same as the previous year, but doubling from 2021, as live events boomed post-pandemic. This is in line with global growth rates. In 2023, performance rights revenue grew by 9.5% globally to be worth $2.7 billion.
What makes a listener different from a ‘fan’? Gen-Z fans of Coldplay may vibe with the band’s latest music, and also find old Millennial favourites as they trend again on Instagram. Many may add Coldplay to their Spotify playlists, listening to their hits while studying or commuting. But is that good enough?
“Back when you had to pay for music, buy a cassette or a CD, you wouldn’t spend for just one song," DCA’s Kazi says. “You would consume an entire album and become a hardcore fan. Now, you can be a fan for free. All you need to do is listen to one song." The contemporary ‘fan’, he argues, is someone willing to spend money on their favourite artiste. “A fan is someone so invested in you that they will buy your music, buy your merchandise, and spend on your live performances," he says.
But while cultivating fans for a breakout hit may be easy, sustaining a fan base over time is much harder. “The nature of this fandom has changed pre- and post-internet," explains Antkind Collective’s Gupta. “The previous generation of artistes had ‘die-hard’ fans but today’s artistes have sub-niches. There is no superstardom that sustains over a long period of time. Instead, most artistes start with a short period of intense popularity as a song goes viral."
International artistes are now cultivating a fanbase in India, ensuring a steady supply of ticket buyers for future shows. “Many of them are niche musicians, such as Cigarettes After Sex, who perform routinely in India, multiple times a year," says Ravdeep Anand, founder of music tech firm Fairplay. “Another good example is Ed Sheeran who has spent years reaching out to Indian fans and doing collabs with big Indian musicians like Diljit Dosanjh."
All this makes the Indian fans’ craze for Coldplay’s concerts even more impressive, especially the enthusiasm of Gen-Z fans. To a minor extent, some believe the younger generation’s embrace of the British band might be driven by the fear of missing out and the need for a social media flex. But that alone isn’t enough to drive ticket sales or explain the unbridled black marketing of tickets. Chances are, as more artistes tour India and invest in nurturing younger fans, many more will actually fork out big money to watch musicians play live, sans the nostalgia.
As Gaikwad put it: “Back in 2016 when Coldplay had first performed in India, I was very young. All I remember hearing is that the tickets were very very expensive—more than ₹20,000. I couldn’t understand the hype then. But I really want to go now!"