Coldplay fans flock to pop-up for exclusive merchandise

British rock band Coldplay’s fans queued for hours for exclusive merchandise at a pop-up store over the past two days, before their first Kai Tak show in Hong Kong.

This comes as Coldplay debuts its four-day "Music of the spheres" world tour in Hong Kong today (8 April). At AIRSIDE shopping mall in Kai Tak, a pop-up store will be available from 6 to 27 April, offering an array of tour merchandise such as exclusive Hong Kong pop-up t-shirts, fashion items from the tour collection, and Moon Music CDs and vinyl records.

While fans can visit the pop-up store both before and after the tour, limited stock is available until it is sold out. There was a long queue outside the store over the past two days, with internal crowd control measures in place due to its capacity to accommodate 15 to 20 customers, according to multiple media reports such as HK01 and The Standard. 

Some fans said they began queuing outside the pop-up store at 3pm yesterday and had to wait for around two hours before getting in, according to The Standard. Although there was a wide selection of t-shirts available, the exclusive version was in short supply. They said they hoped that Kai Tak could try its best to ensure the audio quality to leave a good impression the rock band.

Meanwhile, some fans are from the Philippines who are visiting Hong Kong for the first time and plan to stay for over a week, according to HK01. They said the Kai Tak Stadium is spacious and conveniently located with easy access to transportation, believing that with the completion of this new venue, Hong Kong can attract more international superstars to hold concerts, making Hong Kong a leading cultural hub in Asia.

On the other hand, some fans shared on Threads that the queuing experience outside the pop-up store was chaotic. They said they had waited for more than three hours under the sun, expressing concerns about understaffing, disorganised procedures, lack of purchase limits, and upon entering the store, finding that many products were already sold out.

In a statement, KTSP said it “warmly welcomes” Coldplay’s arrival to Hong Kong, saying that it has been maintaining close communication with the event organiser, the government and relevant stakeholders.

To ensure the best concert experience for the audience, KTSP reminds participants to prepare in advance. This includes picking up physical tickets ahead of time before heading to the Sports Park, checking the entry arrangements, while allowing ample time for entry and looking into special transportation arrangements, while also planning arrival and departure transportation in advance.

John Sharkey, CEO of Kai Tak Sports Park, said: “We are thrilled to host Coldplay at KTSP, which underscores our commitment to bringing world-class entertainment events to Hong Kong. This concert marks a major milestone for the venue, and we look forward to hosting more international sports and entertainment spectacles, boosting Hong Kong’s sports and entertainment economy and reinforcing its status as Asia’s events capital.”

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Recognised as the most highly attended tour by a group of all time, Coldplay's Music Of The Spheres World Tour has been captivating audiences globally, having sold over 10 million tickets since its kickoff in March 2022. Apart from Hong Kong, the band will also perform in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Mumbai in India in January next year. Four other shows will be held in Seoul in South Korea in April. 

Following Coldplay's concert, Cantopop singer and actor Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) will be the first Hong Kong artist to hold two solo concerts at the Kai Tak Main Stadium. He announced his “Evolution Nic Live” concerts in January through a social media video featuring him playing guitar at the stadium. 

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