Global stars eye India, but show needs fine-tuning

MUMBAI – With Coldplay and Ed Sheeran among the superstars who have played to packed crowds in India recently, there is increasing talk that the world’s most populous nation could soon become a mainstay of the global touring schedule.

However, a lack of world-class venues to host big-name events has left fans wanting, with complaints ranging from filthy conditions to poor security to technical problems among the issues causing headaches for organisers.

Booming demand from young, affluent Indians looking to splurge on new entertainment experiences is drawing international acts, as well as hugely popular home-grown stars.

Big-name stars have in the past overlooked the country, given the historically low spending power of its consumers.

But while per capita income remains low at US$2,500 (S$3,350), investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates that the number of Indians with annual earnings of more than US$10,000 jumped from 24 million in 2015 to 60 million in 2023.

This has helped attract the sort of talent not thought of just a decade ago, with English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa playing to packed crowds in 2024 and United States chart-topper Maroon 5 playing their first gig in the country that same year.

British-Canadian crooner Bryan Adams played a number of sold-out venues across the country in 2024, while other artistes such as American rock band Green Day and Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes will perform later in 2025.

“A decade ago, India was not on their radar,” said Mr Deepak Choudhary, entrepreneur and founder of event and festival company EVA Live.

“It’s a hungry audience sitting across the country,” he said, adding that he believes India’s music event industry is on track to catch up with markets such as Britain, Japan and Germany within three to five years. “You give them good content and they are happy to explore.”

The number of live events in India rose almost a fifth in 2024, according to the country’s largest ticketing platform BookMyShow, which called music tourism a “defining trend”.

‘Biggest-ever show’

British rock band Coldplay in January performed what they called their “biggest-ever show” at a huge cricket stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad.

Their tour prompted a wild scramble for tickets, which were priced from around US$30 to US$420.

“As soon as they announced the concert dates, I booked my flight ticket, I booked my stay because I wanted to get there first,” said Ms Monica Sawant, 36, who travelled from Bengaluru to see the band in Mumbai.

But demand was so high, she was forced to purchase from ticket touts. “I caved in. I thought I would not make it,” she said, on having to pay US$125 for a US$55 ticket.

After the Coldplay show, Mr Modi praised what he dubbed the “concert economy”, saying “India has a massive scope for live concerts”.

However, not all cities have the infrastructure needed to host massive live events, with BookMyShow chief executive Ashish Hemrajani likening the experience economy boom in an interview to “starting an airline but not having an airport”.

Fans complain that makeshift venues have poor sanitation, non-existent crowd-control measures and few parking spaces, as well as terrible traffic to reach them.

“It was awful,” said Ms Ruchi Shukla, 27, describing her experience at a show in 2024 in Gurgaon, a satellite city of New Delhi.

“You had to fight to get into the venue, fight to get out and even during the concert, you had to fight to hear the singer.”

Other performers – ranging from Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh to South African comedian Trevor Noah – have publicly complained about Indian venues.

In 2023, Noah performed to sold-out crowds in New Delhi and Mumbai, but scrapped shows in tech capital Bengaluru as the audience could not hear him.

In January, US band Cigarettes After Sex also cancelled a concert in Bengaluru owing to “technical difficulties” blamed on “local production”.

Teething issues

Avid concertgoer Sheldon Aranjo grabbed public attention in December by writing a public post after peeing his pants at a Bryan Adams show, saying there was a lack of toilets.

“We are bringing international acts, we are paying on a par with people abroad,” he told AFP. “Why can’t I expect an international-quality event?”

But organisers such as Mr Tej Brar, who oversees one of India’s biggest music festivals, NH7, said these were teething issues.

“These are just growing pains as we come into our own as an industry,” he added.

EVA Live’s Mr Choudhary is confident that success will bring investment and help India move past infrastructure challenges.

Economists at Bank of Baroda estimate that the spate of shows could translate into annual spending of up to US$918 million, as organisers pump money into local economies and consumers shell out on everything from hotels to flights.

It is a bright spot in an otherwise sluggish economy.

“We are opening a door for something that is new,” said Bank of Baroda economist Jahnavi Prabhakar. “This is a big boost, something we’ve never seen before. It’s a boom for us.” AFP