The structural problems of the iconic arched roof that prompted the closure of the Athens Olympic Stadium (OAKA) makes it uncertain whether the two sold-out concerts planned by Coldplay will finally take the venue.
Are Coldplay's concerts at OAKA in doubt?
The production company Hight Priority Promotions released on Monday night (2/10) an announcement about the concerts of the famous British band scheduled to take place on June 8 and 9 at OAKA. They stated that "this contract has neither been terminated nor has any of the contracting parties withdrawn."
It reads in detail:
“Dear Coldplay fans,
As we understand your concern, we would like to let you know that our company has an active lease agreement with the management company of OAKA. This contract has neither been terminated nor has any contracting parties withdrawn.
We, too, were informed by the media about the developments regarding the static adequacy of OAKA.
We are waiting for official information from the lessor company if the contract between us will be executed normally, which depends on the duration of the work that will have to be implemented to make the space safe.
We will proceed with announcements as soon as we receive relevant information.
Until then, we ask for your patience and understanding, as we all wish the same thing...to see the top band of its time in the most spectacular concert ever held in Greece!
Thank you!"
The structural problems of the iconic arched roof that prompted the closure of the Athens Olympic Stadium do not stem from its design – by award-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava – or construction but are due to maintenance issues, according to the technical study that highlighted the issues.
Commissioned by the Greek privatisation agency TAIPED, which is responsible for the facility, the study by a consortium of three companies also confirmed concerns expressed in an earlier report in 2020, which had also been commissioned as part of plans to revamp the facility.
That study reported several issues, including a stand in the main stadium that started swaying during a big soccer match in 2019, while it also pinpointed structural faults in the arches.
Meanwhile, experts who worked on the construction of the stadium handed over to authorities a detailed maintenance handbook regarding the arches after the project was delivered. However, these instructions needed to be followed but they were deemed too costly.
The Technical Chamber of Greece is cross-checking the consortium’s findings.
Coldplay in Athens
Coldplay's first concert in Athens is a fact, and from the moment the big musical event was announced, ticket pre-sales took off.
On the morning of Tuesday, July 25, the fans of the British band released the ticket presale platform for their live performance at OAKA, which will take place on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
A few hours later, through their official account on Instagram, Coldplay informed that a second concert would take place "due to phenomenal demand in the presale," as they said. Their second concert will take place one day later, on June 9, again at the Olympic stadium.
After the huge success of their sold-out 2023 summer tour, they announced on July 20 a third run of European dates for June, July and August 2024 as part of their record-breaking Music Of The Spheres World Tour.
The dates include the band's first-ever appearances in Greece, Romania and Finland, as well as their first appearance in Rome since 2003 and Budapest since 2008.
Fans could register on Coldplay.com to access the first phase of ticket sales, which opened for the entire tour on Tuesday, July 25.
Since the first day of the Music Of The Spheres World Tour in March 2022, Coldplay have sold more than 7.5 million tickets – the highest number of tickets sold for any tour in the past two years.
The tour has received rave reviews from audiences and critics and has garnered accolades such as Favorite Touring Artist at the 2022 AMAs and Tour of The Year at the 2023 iHeartRadio Awards.
Last month, a report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed that Coldplay's current tour has so far reduced CO2 emissions by 47% compared to their previous tour in 2016/17 (on a show-by-show basis) and that five million trees have been planted worldwide (one for every ticket sold).
Coldplay has also confirmed that they will be releasing a limited number of Infinity Tickets for their concerts at a later date.
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