British music giants Coldplay may have pledged to half their touring carbon footprint – but that hasn’t stopped fans travelling an astonishing 18.8 million miles to catch the band’s shows.
Whilst Chris Martin and his crew claim to have cut emissions by 59% compared with their previous world tour it seems their fans are travelling further distances than ever to catch the band in action.
New research by secondary ticket site Viagogo claims that “fans embraced global gig-tripping like never before—Coldplay enthusiasts alone travelled an astonishing 18.8 million miles to catch the band’s international shows.”
This included thousands boarding flights to catch the band’s 13 shows in cities including Vienna, Budapest, Rome, and Munich.
Adele’s UK based supporters, meanwhile, collectively travelled 2.2 million miles to see her Munich residency.
Top destinations for gig-tripping UK fans included the US, Germany and Spain, to see iconic events like the Super Bowl, Euros 2024 and the European legs of Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour.
In total over one million UK music fans bought tickets for an overseas concert.
However whilst UK fans are increasingly travelling overseas to catch shows, there is also a huge boom in ticket sales for major UK concerts with 2024 having proved to be a record-breaking year for live events, spearheaded by the frenzy over Taylor Swift’s Eras tour supercharging millions to the UK economy with Bruce Springsteen and Liam Gallagher also in huge demand.
But the ticket firm says in its second annual Year In Live Experiences Report that “all signs now point to 2025 being even bigger”, with fans gearing up for “unforgettable performances and experiences” including the Oasis reunion tour, Coldplay’s UK dates and US pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter.
The report says the UK secondary ticket market was shown to be a vital contributor to local economies worth £733m whilst connecting fans from across the globe and supporting 7,736 full time jobs.
Matt Drew, Business Development Lead at viagogo said: “Music and sports enthusiasts are driving significant growth in travel, accommodation, and retail, fuelled by the resurgence of live events.
“In 2024, the UK’s live scene has come back roaring. More than ever, fans want flexibility, including the option to buy tickets closer to the event date and outside the restricted on-sale windows.
“Safe and regulated platforms like viagogo are crucial in keeping venues lively and packed, contributing significantly to the local economy. We look forward to helping fans access many more unforgettable live events in 2025.”
Coldplay have attempted to cut their carbon footprint through a range of creative methods including providing kinetic dancefloors that allow dancing fans to generate electricity, recyclable LED wristbands and the band travelling by train.