Coldplay's Ahmedabad concerts to be a spectacle to behold
New Delhi (PTI): With an estimated audience turn out of 100,000, popular British band Coldplay is set for its biggest and snazziest gig ever in India at the grand Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in January.
The organisers of the show, which was added on the band's India leg of "Music Of The Spheres World Tour" due to massive fan demand, believe that it could possibly be the spectacle of the decade and should not only reaffirm Coldplay’s global appeal but also mark a moment of pride for Ahmedabad and India.
According to insiders, a lot of planning has already “been invested” into the concerts, set to be held on January 25, 2025.
Coldplay, led by Chris Martin and popular for songs such as "A Sky Full of Stars", "Viva la Vida", "Yellow" and "Paradise" world over, will perform its second concert in Ahmedabad at the same venue on January 26.
The band, which also consists of guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey, has always been known for its immersive live shows where they blend visual artistry with iconic music.
And it is expected to bring the sizzle quotient several notches up for its date with the concertgoers at the Ahmedabad shows as the band’s global and Indian production partners are pulling out all stops to create a dazzling spectacle.
They have planned mesmerising light displays, immersive projections and stage effects that should help convert the usually energetic Narendra Modi stadium into an otherworldly experience.
BookMyShow Live, the live entertainment experiential arm of ticketing platform BookMyShow, has undertaken the complex logistics of organising this enormous event end-to-end, ensuring a seamless experience, from coordinating essential regulatory approvals to orchestrating a world-class production set-up.
Giant LED screens, synchronised lighting and high-quality sound systems will ensure that fans, no matter where their seat is, have an intimate and powerful connection to the music.
The atmosphere is expected to get electric as Coldplay performs its classic hits alongside new tracks, enveloping the audience in a symphony of sound and light.
The organisers are expecting a huge rush from locals as well as loyal fans from across the country to attend the mega event in Ahmedabad.
Organising a concert of this magnitude from the ground up involves a complex, multi-layered process: from identifying and securing a world-class venue to managing essential regulatory approvals, aligning with the artists’ global schedules and assembling a top-tier production setup, meticulously coordinating logistics to deliver an event of this scale and ensuring a strong focus on safety and security.
BookMyShow Live, insiders said, has been leading the way having thoughtfully considered every single element to ensure Coldplay’s historic moment in India is as exceptional for fans as it is for the band itself.
The concerts are going to be a celebration of Gujarat’s cultural openness, modern infrastructure, its ability to make the impossible possible and its welcoming spirit.
The city has long been celebrated for its impressive landmarks, record-breaking feats and Coldplay’s concerts will only add to this list of achievements.
For locals, welcoming one of the biggest bands in the world is a testament to Ahmedabad’s growth as a cultural and entertainment hub. It’s a chance for Ahmedabad to showcase its world-class venue and its ability to accommodate a massive, diverse crowd with seamless hospitality and efficient event management.
Ahmedabad’s hospitality sector is also gearing up for the influx of concert-goers.
There are reports that hotels around the venue have either been sold out or rates are sky-rocketing around the concert dates.
But as seen during the ICC Cricket World Cup, this has barely deterred fans who opt to stay in nearby towns like Vadodara or travel the same day.
The Ahmedabad concerts not only symbolise Coldplay’s enduring popularity but also its adaptability and vision for creating immersive experiences that resonate with audiences across cultures and generations. Fresh from the band's Australia and Abu Dhabi tour and its three concerts in Mumbai, the Grammy-nominated group would be rearing to deck up an unforgettable experience under the Sky Full Of Stars in Ahmedabad.
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Ex-bureaucrat Raj Kumar Goyal sworn in as CIC; eight new information commissioners take oath
New Delhi (PTI): After a gap of nine years, transparency watchdog Central Information Commission attained its full strength with the appointment of former IAS officer Raj Kumar Goyal and eight other information commissioners, who took the oath of office on Monday.
A three-member panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week recommended their names for the appointment.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Goyal as the chief information commissioner (CIC) at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, her office said in a communique.
The event was attended by Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, among others.
Goyal is a 1990-batch (retired) IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre. He superannuated as secretary, Department of Justice under the Ministry of Law and Justice, on August 31.
He has also served as secretary (border management) in the Home Ministry and held key posts both at the Centre and in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The post of CIC fell vacant after Heeralal Samariya completed his term on September 13.
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The Commission is headed by a CIC and can have a maximum of 10 information commissioners. With the new appointments, the Commission attained its full strength after a gap of over nine years, according to transparency activists.
In the presence of two incumbent Information Commissioners, Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Goyal administered the oath of office to eight new appointees at the swearing-in ceremony.
They included former Railway Board chief Jaya Verma Sinha, former IPS officer Swagat Das -- who held key posts in the Intelligence Bureau, Home Ministry and Cabinet Secretariat, among others -- Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officer Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, former IAS officer Surendra Singh Meena and ex-Indian Forest Service officer Khushwant Singh Sethi.
Senior journalists P R Ramesh and Ashutosh Chaturvedi, and former Indian Legal Service officer Sudha Rani Relangi, have also been sworn in as information commissioners.
Relangi has also worked as the director of prosecution, Central Bureau of Investigation and joint secretary and legislative counsel in the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The names of the CIC and eight information commissioners were cleared during the meeting of the Modi-led committee comprising Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
