Coldplay have been forced to reschedule the final two dates of their 10-show run at Wembley Stadium due to strikes on the London Underground.
The band, which is fronted by Chris Martin, said the planned industrial action had made it impossible for the gigs to go ahead on September 7 and 8.
Rail, Maritime And Transport (RMT) union members on the Tube are due to walk out in a dispute over pay and working conditions at different times from September 5 for seven days.
A statement from the band posted to social media read: ‘We’re sorry to announce that, due to planned industrial action on the London Underground, we’ve been forced to reschedule our final two concerts of the current Wembley Stadium run.
‘Without a Tube service, it’s impossible to get 82,000 people to the concert and home again safely, and therefore no event licence can be granted for the nights of 7th and 8th September.
‘To avoid cancelling the shows, our only option is to reschedule.’
The band confirmed the show on September 7 would move to September 6 and the show on September 8 would move to September 12.
The band added: ‘We’re very sorry for the inevitable disappointment, frustration and inconvenience that this situation causes.’
Chris Martin performs onstage during a concert at Wembley Stadium on August 22
Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, and Will Champion perform live on stage at Wembley Stadium
Coldplay said tickets would remain valid for their rescheduled date, but any fans who are unable to attend their rescheduled show can get a full refund on their ticket from their point of purchase before noon on September 2.
Returned tickets are to go on general sale at 11am on September 3 via Ticketmaster.
The band confirmed shows on August 30, August 31, September 3 and September 4 will go ahead as scheduled.
Coldplay are currently in the middle of a 10-show run at Wembley – the most the stadium has seen in a row from any one band.
So far, the concerts – which are part of the band’s Music of the Spheres world tour – have seen them perform songs such as Paradise, Trouble and We Pray.
The rescheduling of the Coldplay shows comes as commuters are preparing for travel chaos at the start of next month due to the strikes.
RMT said that rail bosses had ‘refused to engage seriously’ with their demands on pay as well as concerns about fatigue management and ‘extreme shift patterns’.
Underground workers were also demanding a reduction in the working week and to honour previous agreements made with staff.
An RMT spokesperson said: ‘Management’s dismissive approach has fuelled widespread anger and distrust among the workforce, who voted in overwhelming numbers to take strike action.’
In a separate dispute over pay and conditions, workers on the Docklands Light Railway will also be striking during this period.
The union said the action would bring ‘significant disruption to the capital’s transport network’.
London Underground workers are to stage a series of strikes next month in a dispute over pay and conditions (stock photo)
The band, which is fronted by Chris Martin (pictured), said the planned industrial action had made it impossible for the gigs to go ahead on September 7 and 8
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: ‘Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock.
‘They are not after a King’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members health and wellbeing- all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by LU management.
‘Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.
‘RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement.’
A Transport for London spokesperson said: ‘We regularly meet with our trade unions to discuss any concerns that they may have, and we recently met with the RMT to discuss some specific points.
‘We are committed to ensuring our colleagues are treated fairly and, as well as offering a 3.4% pay increase in our ongoing pay discussions, we have made progress on a number of commitments we have made previously.
‘We welcome further engagement with our unions about fatigue and rostering across London Underground, but a reduction in the contractual 35-hour working week is neither practical nor affordable.
‘Given the improvements we have recently put in place in response to concerns raised by our unions, we urge the RMT to put our fair, affordable pay offer to their members and to continue to engage with us rather than threaten strike action, which will only disrupt Londoners.’
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said workers were not after the ‘King’s ransom’
The strikes will involve different parts of the rail network striking at different times.
On Friday September 5 and Saturday 6, managers at Ruislip depot are set to strike over pay, in a separate walkout to the main dispute. The Central Line is likely to be affected.
On Sunday 7, track access controllers, power control and Emergency Response Unit (ERU) workers will refuse to work. This is likely to cause long delays in the case of any incidents and could affect all Tube lines.
On Monday 8 and Wednesday 10, the majority of engineers and station workers will walk out, which will likely lead to stations closing from lack of staff and fewer trains available on the network.
While on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11, signallers, service control and ERU members will strike. This is likely to cancel most of the services as trains are not able to safely run without signalling staff.
