It’s been an exhilarating past few days for concert-goers in Singapore, with British band Coldplay selling out six shows and Taylor Swift announcing three shows right after their ticketing ended. The hype for these two artists in Singapore is undoubtedly real, with Taylor Swift’s upcoming ticketing expected to be pretty much a war zone as well.
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For fans of both artists, it seems like there can never be a day of peace.
The big question now arises — Taylor Swift or Coldplay? We asked eight Singaporeans to find out which concert they will be going for and why, just to find out what the concert ticketing competition is like for these talented artists.
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Image courtesy of Qian Yi
“Sorry Coldplay, but red over yellow. Taylor Swift is the music industry — her music got me through my secondary school days. I was a fan of her since she first debuted and I also bought the Red CD album.
While my favourite song from her is “Illicit Affairs”, I actually love them all. I’ve never seen her perform live before and I want to go to the Eras Tour so badly. Before Taylor announced her concert in Singapore, I saw some rumours about it on TikTok, so I guess it was just a matter of time.
I think the competition for tickets is going to be nuts — I’m quite nervous. I’m okay to go for any day, though I’m trying to deduce what day is significant to Taylor Swift and guess which surprise song she’ll do.
To other Swifties, see you there. Let’s exchange friendship bracelets.”
— Qian Yi, 27
Image courtesy of Gwen
“I grew up listening and singing to almost all of Taylor Swift’s songs. Although Coldplay’s songs are really vibey, I feel like I relate more to Taylor. I’ve been her fan for almost 15 years now!
The first song that I listened to was “Love Story” and I loved the fairytale vibes of it — I’m a big sucker for fairytale romance. I was honestly screaming and kicking my bed when Taylor Swift released her concert dates in Singapore. I’d eat maggi mee every day just to save money and get her tickets.
My favourite song is “Lavender Haze”, and while I’m excited for the upcoming concert, it’s also very anxiety-inducing. I think tickets will be hard to get as there’ll be competition with foreigners too, seeing as we are the only stop in Southeast Asia.”
— Gwen, 23
“Taylor Swift is literally mother. I have been a fan of hers since I was in primary school. My first-ever CD purchase was Fearless, and her music and lyrics have always been so good. You Belong With Me’s music video has been etched in my brain forever.
I’m an embarrassingly big fan of Taylor Swift. I can’t even pick a favourite song, but “False God”, “So It Goes”, “Dress” and “Maroon” are my top few at the moment. I was a broke student the previous times she came, so I never got to see her live before.
When the news of Taylor Swift’s concert in Singapore was first released, the thought of fighting for tickets alone made my stomach hurt. I’m expecting a ridiculously difficult ticketing competition and I’m most probably going to take leave from work for it.
Beggars can’t be choosers — I’ll take whatever tickets I can get. I honestly love Taylor Swift in a way that’s deeper than others, so I hope scalpers will stay away from this ticketing as much as possible.”
— Shash, 24
Image courtesy of Sherlyn
“If I could only pick one of the two concerts, I would pick Taylor Swift’s. I know more of Taylor’s discography as compared to Coldplay’s. Actually, I’m not familiar with Coldplay’s b-side tracks at all. Taylor holds a lot of sentimental value for me because she was essentially the ‘it’ girl during my primary school era and everyone knew her songs.
I’m not a super big fan to the extent of flying to other countries to see her concerts, but I find her music easily digestible. Her lyrics are really meaningful, from titles such as “The Best Day”, “Ours”, “Daylight” and “Afterglow”. When I listen to them, they resonate with me.
I wasn’t exactly surprised when Taylor announced her Singapore stop because my friends have been talking a lot about it. I’m going to be taking a good look at the price first before deciding if I want to make a purchase, as I’m not really there to see Taylor herself, but more of the vibes and live vocals.”
— Sherlyn, 23
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Image courtesy of Chloe
“I prefer Coldplay to Taylor Swift even though I started listening to Taylor Swift first. But both artists are super talented to me.
If I could only choose one concert to attend, it would be Coldplay. I would still really love to see Taylor Swift though, but since I listen to Coldplay’s music more, I’m honestly quite scared that Swifties will call me a fake fan if I don’t know all her songs.
Chris Martin is a daddy. And in general, I feel that Coldplay’s music is universally loved. As a band, they try their best to give fans a good experience, such as releasing $30 tickets so people can go at a discounted rate. They just give off really good energy when they perform and they also have a lot of eco-friendly initiatives.
When they last came to Singapore, I considered sitting outside the stadium to listen, since I was just a JC student then who was going through A Levels. It’s on my bucket list to watch them at least once in my life.
My favourite song from them is “Viva La Vida”, and “Hymn For The Weekend” is a close second. I hope everyone is given the opportunity to see either artists if you can afford it financially. Who’s to say who’s a bigger fan or not that big of a fan — if we’re all just there for the good vibes, I think that’s good enough.”
— Chloe, 25
“I’m not a Swiftie nor a fan of Taylor Swift’s songs, so I’m looking forward to attending Coldplay’s concert for sure. I’ve been listening to their music ever since my teens, and their music has always been on the top charts for many years.
Their discography has a good mix of emotional, melancholic songs and also feel-good pop songs — there always has been a song for however I’m feeling. I wouldn’t say I’m a big enough fan to want to buy the best seats in the house, but I’ll never stop being a fan.
My favourite song may be a bit unconventional, but it’s “Amsterdam”. Judging from how grand their concerts look on videos, I think Coldplay’s concerts are a must-watch at least once in your life.
I opened two browsers during ticketing and got a queue number of 600,000 and above. But still, I managed to secure them in the end from a friend who got a better number than me.”
— Ian, 27
Image courtesy of Syam
“Coldplay has been my favourite band since childhood. I was a fan of them when I first came to know about them, so it’s been around 13 years since. I love and resonate a lot with their music. Their songs are based on people, love, relationships, life and more. I’m pretty much the biggest fan out there.
My favourite song is “Viva La Vida”. I’ve never seen them live before, but next year will be my first! I’m frickin’ excited — I felt like I had to watch them no matter what. My ticketing experience was slow and scary, but I would do it all over again for other bands or singers that I am a fan of too.
If you’ve been a fan for a long time, resonate and love Coldplay’s songs, this upcoming concert is a dream come true.”
— Syam, 22
“I prefer Coldplay to Taylor Swift because I have been listening to their songs and singing them during karaoke sessions since I was young. I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan, but I just prefer their music more. “Yellow” is my favourite Coldplay song, and I’ve heard that you have to listen to it live because it’s way better IRL.
I got my Coldplay tickets pretty easily — my queue number was in the 26,000 range. I guess I was just pretty damn lucky, especially since I’ve never been to a concert before. This upcoming Coldplay concert will be my very first time attending one.
I expect the concert to be super fun and loud, with fans singing along to the lyrics. But I also heard from my friends that a lot of people will use their phones to record, which may block the views of the people at the back. I hope that it doesn’t happen to me.”
— Melvin, 26
Buying concert tickets may be a tough battle for many of us, but that isn’t stopping Singaporeans from trying their best to secure them and see these artists in the flesh. Both Taylor Swift and Coldplay’s concert tour dates have us hyped for more exciting concerts to come in 2024 — Beyoncé when?
Cover: Source, source, images courtesy of interviewees
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