What is it about live events that can set the pulses racing? Music lovers, of course, can never resist an opportunity to be there when Pink Floyd belts out with the piano and guitar dancing in tandem with heavenly vocals.
Or imagine the euphoria among football fans when Pep Guardiola’s majestic Barcelona team, with a young Lionel Messi the linchpin, arrived on these shores to unleash ‘tiki-taka’ (a style of play in football based on spellbinding passes) at the 2009 Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
No wonder tickets to such events can bring that million-dollar smile to your face.
For the past few weeks, music lovers in the UAE have been swept away by the Coldplay wave.
While some lucky fans of the British rock band with tickets in their hands are smiling from ear to ear, many have been left with broken hearts.
Despite the extended shows next January, it proved nigh impossible for most to reach the finish line in the race for those online tickets.
Leen Haffar, a Syrian expat, was brimming with excitement when the Coldplay shows were announced.
But all the efforts of her friends to get tickets were in vain.
“It was a very stressful experience as we didn’t manage to get tickets despite being in the online queue for many hours. It was very disappointing for us because Coldplay is on our bucket list,” she said.
But Leen, who moved to Dubai eight years ago in the middle of a deadly civil war in Syria, thanks her lucky stars every day for being a resident in the UAE —a country that hosts high-profile global sporting events apart from attracting some of the most famous singers and bands to this melting pot of cultures.
Last week, Leen drove to Abu Dhabi to experience what it is like to be among thousands of crazy basketball fans inside the Etihad Arena for the NBA pre-season game between Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets.
“The NBA Abu Dhabi was one of the best experiences that I have had in my life so far. The atmosphere was incredible, the crowd was huge, and I even saw celebrities like Ronaldinho in the stadium,” she said.
“You know I come from Syria where basketball is very popular, but we don’t have these huge stadiums like the Etihad Arena. I watched some local basketball matches in my country, but it doesn’t compare to how huge it was (in Abu Dhabi) and how organised it was. So, I feel very happy to be living in the UAE because I love to attend these events.”
Among the big sports events Leen has attended in the UAE is the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships — an award-winning tournament that has over the years attracted iconic names like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova.
This tournament has also attracted fans from foreign countries during the two weeks of tennis every year.
“Dubai is known for its vibrant and diverse sports community, with fans who enjoy attending live events. As the host city of numerous world-class sporting events, we consistently see high demand (for tickets),” Ramesh Cidambi, managing director of Dubai Duty Free and chairman of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Organising Committee, told the .
“Another key factor driving this demand is the influx of international fans, attracted by Dubai’s renowned attractions and excellent connectivity, which allows them to fully enjoy their time in the city.”
A month before Chris Martin and his band of brothers take the stage for the four concerts next January, the who’s who of motorsports will arrive in Abu Dhabi for another round of thrilling Formula One races.
Steven Umfreville, commercial executive director, Ethara, the group responsible for F1 ticket sales at Yas Marina, says the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend was attended by more than 170,000 fans, ‘making it the largest Formula One event in the Middle East to date’.
The demand for tickets reaches fever pitch when the F1 Drivers’ World Championships battle goes down to the wire, with the winner hoisting the trophy at the Yas Marina, the venue for the final race of the season every year.
“When the championship title is on the line, the excitement and demand for tickets naturally sees a surge. During the (World Championship) showdown between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in 2021, over 108,000,000 people tuned in to watch the race in Abu Dhabi, making it the most-watched race of the entire year,” said Umfreville.
The icing on the cake for fans during the race weekend is the evening music concerts which have seen some of the biggest global names over the years.
This year’s list also includes Eminem as fans with F1 tickets will get free access to all after-race concerts.
“At the Abu Dhabi GP, we have always believed in delivering more than just a race. It’s about creating a full weekend experience that celebrates sport, culture, and entertainment all in one,” said Umfreville.
Filipina expat Mary Jane Manalo may not have attended any big sports events, but in less than three months, she will be among the roaring crowd at the Etihad Arena when Coldplay rocks the stage.
“Getting those tickets was such a big struggle, but now I am so excited. Coldplay is one of the concerts you don’t want to miss,” said Mary who cannot imagine starting and ending her day without music.
“I watched them live at Expo 2020 Dubai, but whenever an iconic band like Coldplay returns to perform, you can’t help but want to experience it again.”
Chelsea fan Mark Conlon, who was in the crowd at Allianz Arena, Munich, when the Blues famously beat Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final, has seen how the marquee names from the music industry can captivate an audience.
“I have seen Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie, Madonna and Rod Stewart at Wembley,” the British expat said.
But Mark is now truly impressed by what the UAE has to offer in music and sports every year.
“I think the UAE has become a global sporting hub, which hosts many major events. And in terms of music, the scale of the concerts taking place here, is just getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
“Last few weeks, we have seen the Coldplay wave. I think last year, or early this year, we had Ed Sheeran here. So, I would say that the UAE is one of those rare countries that attract the best from both industries.”
Siddhartha Bhattacharyya and Amitangshu Dev Choudhury both hail from India’s northeast region which reverberates with the rhythm of rock music and a passion for sports, especially football. Both have attended some of the biggest sports events in the UAE, including Real Madrid’s Fifa Club World Cup matches.
But since residents are spoilt for choice in this country, we could not resist putting them on the spot: ‘If there’s a Pink Floyd or a Guns N’ Roses concert and a high-profile football match featuring your favourite team on the same night in the UAE, where would you rather be?”
“I am a big Manchester United fan, but I would rather be at the concert if both happen on the same night,” said Siddhartha who has already watched Bryan Adams, Scorpions and Bon Jovi live in the UAE.
“The reason for that is simple. If Man United lose a match I watch live, that’s going to impact my mood. I will feel terrible for the next seven days. But if I watch one of my favourite bands live, I will be flying high for many weeks.”
Amitangshu, Siddhartha’s best friend in Dubai, sits at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to club loyalty.
“I am a very big Arsenal fan, but if there is a Pink Floyd or Guns N’ Roses performance, I would prefer to be at the concert,” he said.
“Arsenal is not going to die as a club, I can always watch them some other time. But many of the great musicians in these legendary bands are getting old, we don’t know how long they can perform. So I will always try to grab every chance I get to watch them live!”
Amitangshu perhaps hasn’t heard of Silvia Grecco who won the Fifa Best Fan Award in 2019 for narrating the play to her blind son, Nikollas, in every home match of Palmeiras, the famous Brazilian club.
But this UAE resident has an incredible football story of his own, having once travelled to Abu Dhabi from Dubai for Barcelona’s Club World Cup semifinal without a match ticket.
“I was desperate to watch Messi live. My friends had tickets, but I went with them anyway for a last-minute attempt (to get a ticket) at the stadium,” he recalled.
Amitangshu was even ready to wait outside the stadium until the end of the match for his friends to return.
But something magical happened just before the kick-off.
“I bumped into a man outside one of the stands who had an extra ticket because his friend had to cancel his plan at the last minute. So he gave me that ticket,” he smiled.
For someone who watched the Guns N’ Roses reunion concert in Dubai almost 25 years after their split, Amitangshu says he can never forget the joy of watching Messi live.
“He was at his peak that time (in 2009), a magician with the ball at his feet,” he said.
“So, watching him live and attending the Guns N’ Roses concert with Slash and Axl Rose in tandem will always be among the greatest moments in my life!”
