Watch Coldplay, or face the Fomo

Welcome to the era of the Fomo show. In 2024 Singapore, going to a major concert, along with queueing for the latest Instagrammable food craze, has become something we do because of the fear of missing out (Fomo).

Coldplay have sold out six nights at the National Stadium in January

– that is an estimated capacity of 55,000 people, multiplied by six.

This is roughly 9 per cent of the population of 3.6 million Singapore citizens. To put it another way, each night, a crowd the same size as 0.9 per cent of the island’s total 5.9 million population will see the British rock band play.

It is a staggering statistic when you consider that the band will also be performing in Bangkok and Manila, thus reducing the need for fans in neighbouring countries to fly into Singapore.

Compare these numbers with those of another act. The world’s biggest pop star, Taylor Swift, is bringing her Eras Tour to the National Stadium over six nights in March. Same venue, same number of shows, and it is also her only stop in South-east Asia.

Selling 330,000 Taylor Swift tickets makes sense. The American singer has been hailed as a once-in-a-generation artiste who sets new sales records with each release. The Eras Tour is projected to be the highest-grossing tour of all time, generating more than US$1 billion (S$1.34 billion) in sales. She has the most No. 1 albums by a female artiste – 13 to date, beating the 11 set by American actress-singer Barbra Streisand.

Coldplay might be one of the world’s most popular bands, but their era appears to have been a decade or more ago if one goes by hit singles. Yellow was released in 2000, Clocks and The Scientist came out in 2002, and Fix You in 2005. Their most popular tune, Viva La Vida, was released in 2008. All are staples on dad rock radio.

In 2023, their most-streamed song on Spotify was Something Just Like This, for which they share the credit with American electronic outfit The Chainsmokers. It was released in 2017.

Forty-nine people – enough to fill one level of a double-decker bus – are followers of the Singapore Coldplay Fanclub Facebook page. The band have no fandom to match the likes of Swift’s Swifties and South Korean boy band BTS’ Army.

The rise of the Fomo act, the one you attend to say you were there with evidence posted on social media, comes on the back of another trend – the mega concert, the equivalent of the special effects-filled, big-budget summer blockbuster, a phenomenon best exemplified by Swift’s Eras Tour and American singer Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour.

These 2023-2024 tours, and the two concert movies they spawned, drove home the idea that concerts could be a cultural event, a defining moment in entertainment history. Missing the Coldplay show would be like missing out on Titanic (1997) when it first screened in cinemas.

The bigger the show, the more it makes sense in today’s economy, according to a 2022 article published in The Guardian. That year, smaller acts such as experimental American pop band Animal Collective cancelled their European shows because transport and venue costs hit a high. With the smaller acts out of the touring game, more attention can be focused on the stadium and arena shows, leading to higher levels of Fomo.

Coldplay are far from being a nostalgia act, but they come dangerously close to the definition of a “heritage act” – iconic performers with careers spanning more than 25 years. Obvious heritage acts include The Rolling Stones, Elton John and, arguably, Backstreet Boys and U2.

What these acts lack in current hits, they make up for in back catalogue. Older acts are stadium fillers, perhaps even more so than newer acts. In the pre-pandemic years of 2018 and 2019, British singer Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour was the global top earner. He was followed by American singer Pink in the second spot and BTS at No. 3.

Except for American singer Ariana Grande peaking at seventh place, the rest of the top 20 testified to the earning power of musicians old enough to be parents or grandparents of BTS and Swift fans.

The top-grossing concert slots were filled by the likes of Elton John, Billy Joel, Metallica, Paul McCartney, Backstreet Boys, Kiss, Cher, Spice Girls and Eagles – acts that charted before streaming killed off physical media, and who might be drawing close to their last tour.

Should these venerable ones come to town, see them while you can.

Even if you admit to Fomo as the reason to see Coldplay, take heart – the strong ticket sales for heritage acts indicate that you are not alone. Thousands around the world also feel the cold grip of Fomo anxiousness.

Correction note: This article has been updated to reflect the latest figure for Singapore’s population.