Last September, when ticket sales for Coldplay’s Mumbai and Ahmedabad concerts in January went live, 13 million fans bet on the fastest finger first, hoping to get lucky with the 1,50,000 available spots, eventually causing the BookMyShow website to crash. Playing into the fandom’s desperation, resellers ludicrously overpriced tickets and people, giddy with excitement, handed their credit cards over. The craziness that played out over Coldplay concert tickets remains a pivotal moment in the timeline of live musical acts in India (and of course proved meme gold).
Concertgoers have piggybacked on phrases like “once in a lifetime”, “best band on earth” and “FOMO” to explain this frenzy. So naturally, other take-all-my-money opportunities followed—in the past few months, India has seen retro acts like the Backstreet Boys and Bryan Adams, more relevant artists such as Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and Dua Lipa, and festival headliners like Green Day and Shawn Mendes. Now, in less than a month, Mumbai will host Guns N’ Roses’ 2025 concert, where tickets start at ₹7,265 (with taxes) and go up to ₹1,29,000 if you want to watch a sexagenarian Axl Rose play old-school hits with Slash.
Elder millennials may have their savings to dip into to catch their high-school-favourite band live in India, but what is prompting Gen Zs to part with their fresher salaries for one big night? And more importantly, how the hell are they paying for it at all? “I do think multiple times before buying new clothes or makeup in general,” says 27-year-old metalhead Khanak Mehta from Mumbai. “And if the choice is between a dress I’ve wanted for a long time versus seeing a band I like, the band will always win. I don’t mind spending less on eating out or clubbing or shopping to make up for that,” she adds.
In the aftermath of it all, we can’t help but wonder: just how much are we willing to spend to breathe the same air as our favourite artists? And was it really, really worth it? Below, seven people who live-love-sometimes-just-like music, speak to us in cold, hard numbers.
Yashvi Shah, 23, writer, Mumbai
Monthly income: Around ₹50,000
Maximum concert spend: Over ₹1,29,000
“I went for my first concert at 16. It was Ed Sheeran when he came to Mumbai in 2017, and then I never stopped. I’ve gone for the NH7 Weekender in Pune, Lola, of course, and in February I did the Swadesi Mela in the Sahyadris. It’s an adventure trek combined with electronic and reggae gigs. But the experience I’ll never forget—and the one that I spent the most on—is Taylor Swift. I flew to Stockholm last May to watch her perform. The ticket was ₹12,000, which was actually great because I know people who paid ₹20,000 for Diljit [Dosanjh] in Mumbai! The overall trip was more expensive; I paid for my visa, the flight tickets were about ₹70,000, and the stay for four days was ₹40,000. I also ended up buying a tee for ₹7,000, which is not a wise financial decision, but if you’re going to bury me in it then that’s fine. I wish I invested more on my outfit and did something elaborate, but I hadn’t got my visa till the very end, and I did not want to jinx it by planning ahead. Any time I spend on a big concert, I’m definitely a lot more careful with my overall spending that month—I’m only starting out in my career, and writers anyway don’t get paid much. My family helps me have these experiences; without them there was no way I could afford it.”
Savio Gerhart, 26, singer, songwriter and photographer, Mumbai
Monthly income: Undisclosed
Maximum concert spend: ₹20,000 to ₹30,000
“I come from a music background, so I only attend a concert when I really like the artist. A lot of people just do it because they want to be seen at the place and have no idea what the songs are. This gets very annoying when you’re an actual fan, because tickets get sold out, prices are super-high, or the scalpers come in. Recently, when I went for Coldplay in Mumbai, I learnt that the only way to play this reseller game is to get in and get your hands dirty. I’m a huge fan and I didn’t get tickets in the first round, so I bought a seated ticket off a reseller for ₹10,000, which was twice the original price. I spent about the same when Maroon 5 came to India as well. Honestly, I was even willing to pay ₹25,000 for standing tickets for Coldplay, but my friends weren’t keen on that, and I wanted to experience it with them. While I haven’t travelled far for a concert yet, I want to see The Weeknd live and am planning to fly to the UK when he’s touring next; the money spent will be so worth it. And I will always buy merch when I attend a gig: tees, caps, even vinyls. Usually, if I’m about to spend ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 going out over a weekend, I may try to be careful the previous week but there’s no hard and fast rule. For now, the concerts don’t impact my everyday budgeting.”
Prerna Goyal, 27, PR manager, Bengaluru
Monthly income: ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000
Maximum concert spend: ₹35,000
“I remember back in 12th grade, concerts were like parties—spending ₹5,000 on them was a luxury. But in 2025, ₹10,000 for a ticket has become the bare minimum. I recently paid ₹11,000 to watch Ed Sheeran perform in Bengaluru, and honestly, the concert wasn’t even great. I’m not a huge fan but my main motivation to go was that my best friend was going, I wanted to have a fun night with her. I’ve had better experiences at gigs when I was living in London. In 2023, I saw Harry Styles for ₹12,000. It was my first solo concert, but I felt completely safe, had a good view, and it was organised so well. And my favourite so far is Coldplay. I could only get tickets in Cardiff, so I took a train there and did an overnight stay. The whole experience was about ₹35,000, which is actually a steal. If you look at how much people were selling the Mumbai tickets for, my trip feels great. But it’s so hard to justify spending this much to my parents; they don’t know it’s become the norm. When Diljit [Dosanjh] was touring in India, the tickets were ₹15,000 and they were so hesitant. I didn’t get my hands on them, but if I did we will definitely go. I know it will be worth it.”
Khanak Mehta, 27, marketing professional, Mumbai
Monthly income: Undisclosed
Maximum concert spend: ₹45,000
“I mostly listen to metal music, so when I pick an event it depends on the artist as opposed to general hype or FOMO. I’ve done more intimate gigs at The Piano Man in Delhi, some niche festivals like Outrage, and even larger ones like Lollapalooza. But going to the Bandland Rock Festival in 2024 was my favourite experience—I flew to Bengaluru for it and stayed there for two days to watch Avenged Sevenfold. They came to India for the first time, and seeing them live was life-changing for me. In fact, even that is an understatement. I chose a mid-level VIP tier for my ticket so that with flights from Mumbai and accommodation it came up to around ₹45,000. But, like I said, it was totally worth it and I would 100 per cent do it again. Honestly, if Avenged Sevenfold performs in a neighbouring country in Asia soon, I’m happy to take that international trip to see them too. I’m more hesitant when it comes to buying clothes or even clubbing and eating out, but I’ll always spend on gigs.”
Aryan Sharma, 24, food engineer, Chandigarh
Monthly income: ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000
Maximum concert spend: ₹95,000
“I would say I’m new to the world of concerts, I have only attended three major ones, but they were all outside India, and completely banger. The first was Travis Scott in 2023. My brother and I flew to London for it. He was going there for business and could bring a plus-one, so my flights and stay were comped. The ticket was ₹18,000, so it was worth it. Second up was The Weeknd. I saw him live in Melbourne in 2024 and it was the most magical night of my life. I went to Australia to look at possible Master’s programmes and planned my dates so I could catch Abel—the tickets were ₹12,000, my flights were ₹85,000, and I stayed with a friend, so that was free. My most recent experience was Coldplay in Abu Dhabi. That was super special because my girlfriend and I flew out together for my birthday week. The concert tickets were ₹15,000 per person, the flight was ₹40,000, and our stay for two nights was another ₹40,000. Let’s see, maybe 2026 will be Adele. If I’m being very honest, I don’t feel guilty about spending on these experiences. Luckily, I stay with my parents, so living expenses aren’t a worry, and even they know how happy concerts make me, so they chip in to make it happen. In fact, I’m saving up because I want to surprise my mom and take her to the UK so she can see Abba Voyage.”
Saagar Shah, 29, culture consultant, Mumbai
Monthly income: ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000
Maximum concert spend: ₹35,000
“I would call myself a professional gig-goer—I go for pretty much every concert that happens in Mumbai. Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Lollapalooza... I’ve done it all. A lot of those have been around or under ₹10,000 for the ticket but my most expensive experience so far, like so many others’, is Coldplay. My friends and I flew to Abu Dhabi to see the band. We got standing tickets for ₹9,000, so that was amazing. But the overall trip cost more: I spent around ₹35,000 on stay and flights. Honestly, though, now that I’ve done it once, I would prefer to fly to another country to see my favourite artists. Those concerts are usually better organised than Mumbai, and then the experience gets clubbed with a holiday too. I’m waiting to see Fred Again live. If he’s in Dubai, Singapore or Thailand soon, I’ll definitely go. But as I’m getting older, I don’t have the energy to attend 20 concerts a year like I used to. Now I’m more selective about whom I shell out the money for as well.”
Renna Sadarangani, 26, sales and brand relations executive, Mumbai
Monthly income: Undisclosed
Maximum concert spend: ₹64,000 approx
“My obsession with attending concerts began while I was living in the US. Every year between May and August, major artists would tour the country, so there were a lot of great options. My favourite so far is Coldplay. I watched them for the first time in San Diego. I was living in New York at the time, so I flew out for the weekend. The ticket itself was about $400, the flights were around $150, and the stay another $200. But that experience was worth the buck. I saw them again last year when I went to Europe with my friends. I also flew from New York to Atlanta to watch Taylor Swift. That was very last-minute because my friend had a ticket but couldn’t go. I really lucked out with the price of that, though—it was $150 for the concert and about $100 for flights. I don’t really budget when it comes to concerts because that is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It may sound cliche but it’s true. In fact, when I was hesitant about travelling for Taylor Swift, my dad encouraged me to go. He said, you’ll always earn that money back but don’t miss out on the chance. I’m not a reckless spender otherwise. I probably spend the most on concerts and travel. At this point I’ve seen almost all my dream artists. The big one remaining is Adele. I’m willing to pay up to $500 for her show, and I definitely see myself flying to Singapore or Thailand to watch her live.”
