Editorial | Stadium proves star of show for Coldplay in Hong Kong

Stars were shining for Hong Kong this week as Coldplay took to the stage to become the first international act to perform a full show at the new Kai Tak Stadium. Tuesday’s debut in their series of four city gigs was also the first large-scale concert at the venue, and organisers appeared to pass the test with flying colours.

Ahead of the event, there were some lingering concerns despite the venue’s previous success in hosting a Sevens rugby tournament for the first time. This led to issues with catering and transport being addressed before fans of the British band turned up to sing along with hits such as “Fix You”.

Despite the sell-out crowd, the only distractions appeared to be confusion over bringing in water bottles and the arrest of suspected ticket scalpers. Food queues were shorter than at the Sevens and there were extra trains and buses for fans. New Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming was there to check the crowd-control measures enforced by officers and a small army of stadium staff.

Frontman Chris Martin took a moment on stage to thank the builders of the stadium who made the first Coldplay concert in the city in 16 years “special”. During the 2 1/2-hour show, he invited opening act Cantopop singer Marf Yau to join the band to sing a verse of “We Pray” reworked in Cantonese.

Some fans were disappointed the retractable roof of the stadium was not opened to allow pyrotechnics, but “A Sky Full of Stars” was spiced up by star-shaped confetti that fell from the ceiling. That there was so much to cheer about should instil confidence that Hong Kong now has what it takes to host such impressive events.

The spotlight will be on the events industry to cut deals that attract more top acts from around the world. The stadium and its staff will be tested again soon, hosting singers Nicholas Tse Ting-fung and Jay Chou Chieh-lun as well as leading European football teams.