We’ve got our gig wish list ready…

The curtain has just come down on Coldplay’s sellout stadium tour at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The four-date Music of the Spheres tour in Abu Dhabi saw some 200,000 fans turn out on January 9, 11, 12 and 14, marking the biggest concert series ever in the UAE.

After first being announced as a single-date event back in September, a further three shows were added to facilitate demand for fans, who attended in record numbers to see the concert. Dubbed the greatest show on earth with its immersive lights, interactive balloons, iconic moon googles, and confetti, all backdropped by the bands biggest anthems, the four-gig tour marks a new milestone in big gig culture in the UAE.

But could the success of Coldplay in Abu Dhabi see the UAE become a magnet for more stratospheric stadium tours?

We certainly think so. On reflecting on the Coldplay event, James Craven, President of Live Nation Middle East – the event organiser – said that they were ‘looking forward’ to “future collaborations with Coldplay and more exciting artists while continuing to deliver some of the most iconic events in the region.”

There are already some big festivals in the pipeline. The second edition of Untold Dubai – dubbed the country’s first mega-festival when it landed in Expo City last February – will return in November. There’s also the return of Club Social in Abu Dhabi to look forward to in April, with headline performances from Usher, The Kooks and Snow Patrol. Plus, OFFLIMITS will also launch this April, promising A-List headline shows from Ed Sheeran, The Kaiser Chiefs, OneRepublic and more to-be-announced acts.

But we’re also hoping that the Coldplay effect stretches further – allowing artists embarking on stadium tours in 2025 and beyond to consider stop-offs in the UAE. For example, we already know that stars like Post Malone, Katie Perry and Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen are heading off on world tours this summer.

And there’s more to come. Lady Gaga is expected to announce her biggest tour to date for 2025, with some rumoured 50 worldwide dates. Megastar Beyonce – who performed in Dubai at the invite-only opening of Atlantis The Royal in February 2023 has also been teasing a big announcement thought to be a world tour, although the big reveal has been delayed due to the devastating LA fires.