Coldplay have rescheduled the final two concerts of their Wembley Stadium run due to planned strikes on the London Underground. The Chris Martin-fronted band said industrial action by Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members would make it impossible for the gigs to go ahead on September 7 and 8.
The band explained that without Tube services, getting 82,000 people to and from the concert safely would be impossible. "Without a Tube service, it's impossible to get 82,000 people to the concert and home again safely, and therefore no event licence can be granted for the nights of 7th and 8th September," the band said in a statement posted to social media.
The RMT strikes will see union members take industrial action at different times from September 5 for seven days. Coldplay said rescheduling was their only option to avoid cancelling the shows entirely.
New dates confirmed
The September 7 concert will now take place on September 6, whilst the September 8 show moves to September 12. Coldplay confirmed that shows scheduled for August 30, August 31, September 3 and September 4 will go ahead as planned.
Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled dates, but fans unable to attend their new show can receive full refunds from their point of purchase before noon on September 2. Returned tickets will go on general sale at 11am on September 3 via Ticketmaster.
"We're very sorry for the inevitable disappointment, frustration and inconvenience that this situation causes," the band added in their statement.
Record-breaking run continues
The Wembley run will see Coldplay become the first act to play 10 dates at the national football stadium in the same year. This breaks the joint record of eight shows previously held by Taylor Swift and Take That.
The concerts form part of the band's Music of the Spheres world tour, featuring songs including Paradise, Trouble and We Pray. Ten per cent of the band's proceeds from the Wembley shows will be donated to the Music Venue Trust to support grassroots UK venues and upcoming artists.
The shows are being powered by 100 per cent renewable energy with no generator use, with solar energy fed into the grid through the band's new renewable energy project, Higher Power Farm, in the west of England. Formed in the late 1990s, Coldplay have achieved two UK number one singles and 10 UK number one albums.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
