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Indonesia's Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno offered an explanation for why Singapore has been able to offer six concert dates for British band Coldplay, as compared to fewer dates in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Need to be improved

In May 2023, Coldplay revealed that its East Asian leg of its Music of the Spheres tour would have one show each in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Both concerts sold out extremely quickly, prompting calls for second dates to be put on.

The band revealed in June 2023 that not only were they not skipping Singapore, they would put on a record four concerts, which later expanded to five, then six; with all selling out.

One of the main proponents for a second concert in Indonesia is Tourism and Creative Economy minister Sandiaga Uno.

Sandiaga said back in May 2023 that he was working with organisers to bring a second concert to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, where the Indonesian show will be held, as reported by Voi.id.

According to Tempo, Sandiaga has also responded to news that Coldplay will be putting on additional concerts in Singapore.

Speaking on June 19, just after Coldplay's fifth Singapore show was announced, he said: "One of the first things disclosed is about the licensing. In Singapore, permits are (processed) very fast and the cost is very cheap."

Sandiaga highlighted that improvements could be made to Indonesia's own event licensing system, especially by accelerating the process through digitisation.

Batam tour packages for concert goers

Sandiaga also spoke just after the initial announcement of four concerts.

Reported Tempo, Sandiaga said that rather than lamenting the lack of concerts, the concerts were an opportunity for Indonesian tourism.

"I think we shouldn't cry over spilled milk. But let's seek a solution, we can create a tour package (for concert goers) to stay overnight in Bintan or Batam."

The minister is himself a Coldplay fan, saying in May that getting tickets was "like a war", and that he was behind in line for half a million others for about 80,000 tickets, according to the Jakarta Globe.

Sandiaga is also a prospective vice president candidate for the upcoming 2024 Indonesian presidential elections, and was a vice president candidate in the 2019 election.

Licensing costs

Coldplay is a highly sought after ticket in both Malaysia and Indonesia, with many stories emerging of people desperate for tickets, such as an Indonesian bride receiving tickets as part of her dowry.

Malaysian social media is now replete with soul searching over whether it was something the country did to deter Coldplay from more concert dates.

https://twitter.com/Tokekroker/status/1671093933055807488?s=20

Hype.my, citing online comments, said that Singapore's relatively simple licensing system could be a reason why Coldplay chose Singapore for more concert dates, with a relatively small fee and fast online process.

In contrast, the Malaysian process is supposedly more onerous and requires significantly more money, as every overseas performer, technician, and crew member was charged a fee per performance.

Backlash

There is also opposition to the concerts from conservatives in both countries.

The Jakarta Globe highlighted the objection in May, with Sandiaga dismissing it at the time.

In Malaysia, Nasrudin Hasan from the opposition Malaysian Islamist Party (PAS) called for the Coldplay show to be cancelled.

But former Malaysian minister Syed Saddiq lamented the concerts as a missed opportunity for Malaysia.

Likely to add salt to the wound is the announcement that Taylor Swift's Era's tour will only have one Southeast Asia stop, a three night stint in Singapore.

While it might have been expected that Coldplay might lead to a rush of blood to the head, it seems that it has also led Singapore's neighbours to consider the long dark teatime of the soul.

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Top image via Coldplay/Facebook & Sandiaga Uno/Facebook