The Chainsmokers and The Script will headline the race-day concert at this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, each playing a separate set at Etihad Live on December 6. The two acts will close a four-night after-race concert series that follows the Formula One season finale at Yas Marina Circuit.
They join a lineup already featuring Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson, who perform on December 3, and Imagine Dragons on December 5. The act for the remaining night, December 4, is due to be announced soon. Access to the concerts is exclusive to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ticket holders, and the announcement follows confirmation that the race will go ahead as planned.
The Script arrive with a new album in tow. Their eighth studio record, “The User’s Guide to Being Human,” was released this month and features the single “Man in the Arena.” Led by Danny O’Donoghue, the band broke through with their self-titled debut in 2008 and are known for songs including “Breakeven,” “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” “For the First Time” and “Hall of Fame.”
Their most recent UAE appearance came at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre in 2025, their first performance in the country since the death of guitarist and founding member Mark Sheehan in 2023. Ahead of that show, O’Donoghue reflected on what returning to the stage had come to mean. “I’m not afraid to show my emotions or open up to the audience,” he said. “I believe our songs were there for people when they needed them, and now those people are here for us. It’s a beautiful moment.”
The Chainsmokers have also released new music this year. Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall teamed up with Swedish singer Oaks for the five-track EP “Love Is Kind,” out in May. The duo rose to prominence with “#Selfie” in 2014 before scoring hits such as “Roses,” “Closer” with Halsey, “Paris” and “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay. According to Ethara, last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix drew a record 339,000 fans across four days, including 136,000 concertgoers at the after-race performances and official after-parties.
