Ticketmaster customers from around the world have crowned British band Coldplay as the global Ticket of the Year 2016. Not only did the homegrown rockers take the global No.1 spot, unsurprisingly they also took out the UK’s vote for their Ticket of the Year, with Coldplay’s Wembley Stadium show the No.1 ticket, their Manchester show at Etihad Stadium taking fifth place, and their Glasgow gig at Hampden Park taking the seventh spot.
Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams tour has sold over 1,000,000 tickets this year, so it’s no surprises they have dominated the Ticket of the Year 2016 – both globally, and in their homeland.
Chris Martin from Coldplay said: “We’re honoured to receive the Ticketmaster Ticket of the Year award. Thank you to everyone who voted for us. The shows that we’ve played this year have been very special to us so it’s wonderful to know that they’ve been special to the fans as well.”
Coming in second place as voted for by UK Ticketmaster customers is British rock festival Download (who also took out fourth spot globally) where this year fans were treated to Rammstein, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. Third spot went to Beyoncé and her two sold out Wembley Stadium performances, with Mancunian rockers The Stone Roses homecoming performance at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester taking fourth place.
The UK’s No.1 dance festival Creamfields came in at number six. This year’s festival took place in Cheshire and saw the world’s biggest DJs – including Avicii, Calvin Harris and Fatboy Slim. The growth and popularity of the NFL in the UK is evident with its International Series taking eighth position in the top 10, being the only major sporting event to make the list. This year the NFL returned to London with three matchups at Wembley and Twickenham Stadiums.
Making up the final spots were Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band – whose epic three-and-a-half-hour set ripped the roof off Wembley Stadium this year – and Glasweigan rockers Biffy Clyro, who played a homecoming show as part of Glasgow’s Summer Series at Bellahouston Park.
2016 has been a record year for stadium events across all major cities. Ticketmaster’s calculations show a three times increase in stadium concerts on 2015, and a 50% increase in stadium tours in the UK.
Andrew Parsons, Managing Director of Ticketmaster UK said: “It’s great to see the live event industry in fantastic health with a record year for stadium shows and popularity for outdoor events. This year has seen an unprecedented number of world-class acts taking their huge productions on the road, and fans enjoying these gigs in stadiums and fields far and wide.
“Coldplay taking the title of Ticket of the Year 2016 is equally brilliant news and we are so pleased to see a homegrown act top our poll. We are even more pleased to have delivered thousands of incredible moments of joy to fans across the UK in 2016, and look forward to delivering many more in 2017.”
Hottest Tickets for 2017
And finally the most anticipated event of 2017 has been confirmed as Robbie Williams’ Heavy Entertainment Show Tour, which will kick off in Manchester next June. Robbie will hit 29 cities across Europe next summer, with 31 shows in total, and eight stadium shows in the UK alone.
The top five is rounded out by fellow Brits Coldplay, who will spend the majority of 2017 on the road; the legendary Take That, who return for a UK tour next year; US rapper Drake, whose Boy Meets World Tour headsd out across Europe early next year; and the legendary Guns N’ Roses, who are yet to announce a UK and European tour despite numerous shows across the pond in 2016.
UK TICKET OF THE YEAR 2016
1. Coldplay (London, Wembley Stadium)
2. Download (Derby, Donnington Park)
3. Beyonce (London, Wembley Stadium)
4. Stone Roses (Manchester, Etihad Stadium)
5. Coldplay (Manchester, Etihad Stadium)
6. Creamfields (Cheshire)
7. Coldplay (Glasgow, Hampden Park)
8. NFL International Series (London, Wembley Stadium and Twickenham Stadiums)
9. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (London, Wembley Stadium)
10. Biffy Clyro, Glasgow Summer Series (Glasgow, Bellahouston Park)
UK MOST ANTICIPATED EVENT 2017
1. Robbie Williams
2. Coldplay
3. Take That
4. Drake
5. Guns N’ Roses
6. Bruno Mars
7. Download Festival
8. Kings of Leon
9. The Weeknd
10. Radiohead
GLOBAL TICKET OF THE YEAR 2016
1. Coldplay (London, United Kingdom)
2. Rock Werchter Festival (Belgium)
3. Justin Bieber (Arnhem, Netherlands)
4. Download Festival (United Kingdom)
5. Beyonce (London, United Kingdom)
6. Lollapalooza (Berlin, Germany)
7. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Den Haag, Netherlands)
8. The Stone Roses (Manchester, United Kingdom)
9. Coldplay (Manchester, United Kingdom)
