There was fanfare at the Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday evening as Coldplay kicked off the first of four concerts in Hong Kong on its current world tour.

The show marked the British pop band’s return to the SAR after a 16-year hiatus, and the first concert held at the new stadium.

Zoe, a longtime Coldplay fan, said she's attending the band’s concert for the first time.

“Because it might be the last concert they have in their career, so we're expecting just a very good concert tonight,” she said.

Another fan, Judy, got the standing ticket that puts her right next to the stage.

“I hope there will be fireworks tonight,” she said. “We already know the routine playlist, but I still want to hear if somebody's gonna order a song. My favourite song is ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.’”

She was upset about missing Coldplay’s previous world tour and said this time is a dream come true.

“Actually, I used to study in London, but I think it's 2018, 2019, that’s the time they stopped the world tour. So it's such a shame that I didn't get a chance to see the tour. This time is like my dream comes true,” she said.

Organisers allowed people to bring empty reusable plastic or silicone bottles that can hold up to 600 millilitres of liquid into the stadium.

There were restrictions to bag size while a list of items, including professional cameras and handheld signs, are prohibited.

Most fans whom RTHK spoke to, including Bertha, found the rules reasonable.

“I'm aware of this and I think it's quite normal to have such restrictions. Because when I was in Taiwan and New Zealand, they didn't allow people to bring water bottles inside as well,” she said.

Once the concert got underway, the atmosphere was electric.

It started with the band's vocalist, Chris Martin, greeting fans in Cantonese.

He said Coldplay were delighted to be in Hong Kong.

Fans reached another frenzy when local singer Marf, from the girl group Collar, was invited as a guest to perform with the band.

The band also handed out LED wristbands that lit up in different colours for each song.

Police, meanwhile, said five people were arrested on suspicion of reselling tickets at inflated prices.

Coldplay will put on three more sold-out shows at Kai Tak Stadium on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
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Last updated: 2025-04-08 HKT 22:51