Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, has thanked Indian fans for “forgiving” British colonialism. During a show at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, on their ‘Music of Spheres’ world tour, Martin showed his appreciation for the welcoming audience, while mentioning Britain’s colonial past.
The frontman said, “This is our fourth visit to India, and the second time to play. First time we played a long show and we could not have asked for a better audience. Thank you for coming today everybody!”
He continued: “Thank you for welcoming us even though we are from Great Britain. Thanks for forgiving us for all of the bad things Great Britain has done.”
The concert was attended by around 75,000 people, the band’s first in India since their appearance at Global Citizen Festival in 2016. Crowd members captured the moment and uploaded it to social media.
Fans have been divided by his apologetic statement – some have praised his gesture, with one user jokingly writing “Chris healing intergenerational trauma with a mic, stage and some tunes”. Others were less enthusiastic, dismissing his comments as “virtue signalling”. Some fans had a problem with his willingness to speak on behalf of another continent, with more than one user asking, “Who says India forgave Britain?”
Tone deaf much ? People enjoying your music does not equate to forgiving colonialists murdering and maiming millions of people for centuries https://t.co/JsLYgQFTlw
— YutaPie (@YukkriYoong) January 22, 2025
The British government colonised India, ruling over from 1858 until 1947, during a period known as The British Raj. The legacy of this colonization is a dark one – while the Brits profited heavily from their rule, India were subject to poverty, famine and social division.
Scholars have claimed that prior to colonialism, Indian living standards may have been “on a par with the developing parts of Western Europe”, and that India’s economic inequality can be traced back to colonial times. The Brits also used the pre-existing caste system to separate people into a social hierarchy and limit the power of most citizens.
It’s been argued that unemployment, famine, poor sanitary conditions, lack of access to education and healthcare, caste-based oppression, religious violence and gender-based violence are all a part of the legacy of colonialism. To this day, Britain has never apologised for colonizing India.
The sales for Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres world tour have been successful, with every scheduled stop selling out. But Indian fans were left disappointed while buying tickets, when the official ticketing site experienced technical issues after going live.
Once the sale ended, tickets for the show were price gouged on other sites, with their costs being bumped up from Rs 4,500 (£40.55) to Rs 384,625 (£3,466). Scammers also took advantage of the situation, offering tickets as part of a lucky draw for people who shared their post.
The band have also announced their Indian concert in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium will be streamed live on January 26. It will be available to viewers across the country on Disney+ Hotstar and will include exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the band.
The pop-rock giants are also set to launch an immersive installation to accompany their 2024 album, ‘Moon Music’. Titled ‘A Film For The Future’, the event will incorporate visuals, music and interactive storytelling to give fans a captivating experience – you can read more on that here, and Chris Martin’s reflections on mental health and music here.
