LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts) The shows will be broadcast live on BBC
Radio 2, BBC
Sounds and BBC iPlayer and be available on BBC
Sounds and BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast.
Tickets will be allocated via ballot, with audiences able register to apply at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2inconcert. Registration opens in Jo Whiley's
Radio 2 show from 8pm on
Thursday 11 November, and closes at 11.59pm on Monday 15 November.
Jo Whiley says: "Duran Duran and
Coldplay are two simply breath-taking bands and I can't wait to welcome them to In Concert in December.
Duran Duran has been a part of my life since I was a teenager in the 80s and I'm so proud to say that I've been a part of Coldplay's world since their very early days! Do please join us for these two amazing gigs."
Jeff Smith, Head of
Music for
Radio 2, says: "I'm delighted that
Radio 2 In Concert is returning this December with two stellar performances from two of the world's biggest bands -
Duran Duran and Coldplay. With them performing their biggest hits and newest music in front of a small audience of fans, it's going to be a such a treat... and sure to the hottest ticket in town!"
Simon Le Bon of
Duran Duran say: "We are so looking forward to playing for
Radio 2 In Concert this December. The station has supported us and our music more than we could have hoped. So at last, we'll get to play songs from our new album, FUTURE PAST, along with
Duran Duran classics at the wonderful BBC
Radio Theatre, and add our name to the illustrious list of artists who've made it on to this legendary series."
Coldplay say: "Playing live and finding connection with people is why we exist as a band so we're super excited to play
Radio 2 In Concert. It's going to be a special night so please join us in person, on the radio or on BBC iPlayer."
Radio 2 In Concert: Duran Duran
Thursday 2 December, 7-8pm, on
Radio 2, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds
Rock legends
Duran Duran perform with a set that will feature classic hits and music from their latest - and fifteenth - album,
Future Past. Since their 1978 formation and 1981 debut, the iconic UK quartet -
Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and
Roger Taylor -
Duran Duran has continued to charge forward sonically, stylistically and spiritually.
The group's sales have eclipsed 100 million records worldwide. Among dozens of accolades and honours, they've earned two Grammy Awards, two Ivor Novellos, two Brits (including Outstanding Contribution to
Music in 2004), a Lifetime Achievement MTV VMA, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Radio 2 In Concert: Coldplay
Tuesday 7 December, 7-8pm, on
Radio 2, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds
Global superstars
Coldplay perform in the intimate setting of the BBC
Radio Theatre, London, ahead of their global stadium tour in 2022. The band is celebrating the latest in an unbroken run of nine Number One studio albums with their current, ninth release, called
Music of the Spheres.
Coldplay has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. They've won nine Brits, seven Grammys, and their first three albums - Parachutes (2000), A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), and X&Y (2005) - are among the best-selling albums in UK chart history. One of the world's best-selling bands, they will perform a set jam-packed with songs from the new album and classics from their extensive back catalogue.
The last
Radio 2 In Concert performance was with Dido performing at Maida Vale on 9th December 2019, but the station has delivered live music to listeners throughout the lockdown with
Radio 2 House
Music sessions which have featured some of the biggest names in music, including Barry Manilow, Melanie C, Cliff Richard, Ronan Keating, Travis, Aloe Blacc, Nell Bryden, Lola Lennox and
Jessie Ware, with many accompanied remotely by the BBC Concert Orchestra. In 2020
Radio 2 Live at Home featured performances from around the world with Sheryl Crow,
Craig David, Erasure, Sir Tom Jones, The Killers, John Legend, McFly, Gregory Porter, The
Pretenders and Nile Rodgers & CHIC feat. Rebecca Ferguson. And
Radio 2 Live earlier this year featured four gigs in four nations with a small audience of fans, with
Manic Street Preachers in Cardiff,
Steps in Manchester,
Westlife in Belfast and
Texas in Glasgow.
All members of the audience will be required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 LFT result taken in the 24hrs prior to attending the event (from a Government-approved test provider, either via a home kit or via a test centre), with certification shown via email or text. Full terms and conditions are on the BBC Audiences website.