Coldplay Delivers Roaring Performance In Malaysia Despite ‘Kill Switch’ Threat

British rock band Coldplay thrilled over 75,000 fans at a Kuala Lumpur concert on Wednesday night despite the rain. Part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour, the Malaysia gig was the group’s first concert in the Southeast Asian country since 1997.

Coldplay delivered a captivating two-hour performance at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil. The show commenced at 8 p.m., with local artiste Bunga Isme performing for 30 minutes, singing tracks like Intan Payung and an unreleased single titled Jiwaraga.

Coldplay’s Desire To Perform In Malaysia Again

Coldplay took the stage at 9 p.m. At one point during the concert, the Grammy-winning band’s frontman Chris Martin invited a couple onstage to join him. While performing A Sky Full of Stars, the 46-year-old expressed his desire to return to the country in the future.

He also sent the crowd into frenzy after reciting a pantun in Bahasa Malaysia and crafting an improvised “Kuala Lumpur Song”, in which his sang about his love for Malaysian rain. He thanked the Malaysian government for letting them play, noting “we have waited 27 years”.

Coldplay’s KL concert went by smoothly despite opposition from conservative Muslims in the country. There was also a threat from a “kill switch”, which allows the organiser to pull the plug on an event if performers break official guidelines. But its deployment proved unnecessary.

Support For Palestinians And LGBT Community

The “kill switch” was introduced by the Communications and Digital Ministry last month as a precautionary measure following outcry over a same-sex kiss between members of pop band The 1975 at Good Vibes Festival 2023 in Kuala Lumpur in July.

Conservative Muslims had expressed their opposition to Coldplay’s concert owing to the band’s support for the LGBT community. But earlier this week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said: “Why should we stop a group that supports the Palestinian cause from performing?”