Whether you are a longtime listener or new fan, Coldplay reminded everybody this week how live music is supposed to make you feel.
If it seems to you like everybody and their mum went to see the band during a recently completed six-show stint at Wembley, then you’re likely right – and for good reason. The concert was worth a wait spanning the pandemic and beyond, and fans (and initially unconvinced spectators alike) were reminded of the joys and nostalgia of hearing 2000s classics on the biggest of stages. Accompanied by the breath-taking dazzle of more than 90,000 sparkling wristbands, the group have been a must-see since the start of their heyday and they have no plans to slow down. They have just announced an additional UK and Europe leg of this tour for next year, teasing more dates for south-east Asia and North America to come later.
As a fan of Coldplay’s earlier work, that has changed course towards the electro-pop they are currently putting out, I was delighted to find that the setlist was reflective of their staggering and genre-bending career thus far. Shifting between noteworthy tracks from “Parachutes” through to a healthy selection of their new album, “Music of the Spheres,” fans were even treated to a soft piano rendition of “Don’t Panic”, rendered even more magical by its echo around the stadium. If nothing else, the concert was one very effective reminder of the sheer depth of success the quartet have enjoyed for over two decades, each track a dip into their illustrious past – see “Yellow,” “The Scientist,” and “Fix You” for cathartic power ballads or “Charlie Brown,” “Viva la Vida,” and “Adventure of a Lifetime” if you want to dance. Equally, though less familiar, their newer releases were made easily palatable under the summer night sky. “My Universe”, a collaboration with BTS, was particularly well-received and where knowledge of lyrics became at times tenuous, the energetic visuals and almost questionably eccentric costumes picked up most of the slack.
The stand-out song was undoubtedly “A Sky Full of Stars,” title manifested in the twinkling white glow of the crowd’s waving arms, the stirring beat reverberating through the floor and bodies of every member of the audience. The unity of artist and fan in that moment felt palpable, as if the music itself had transcended from singles and albums to its own entity, specific only to the night and the people present. What is unique about a Coldplay show is that it is probable that you would never find these individuals in the same room otherwise. Their demographic is as hard to define as their musical style, comprising retired rockers, young families and just about everybody in between. This could only be a testament to their versatility and generally wide appeal – anyone who has expressed doubts about their talent or worth as a group would be silenced in an instant at the sight and sound of them at a performance like this.
Complete with an appearance by comedy stalwart Steve Coogan, who joined Jacob Collier and Nicole Lawrence to conduct covers of “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and “Running Up That Hill,” the concert became a variety show of the very best of 21st century British culture, targeting our inherent desire to form part of something bigger than ourselves. This feeling was harnessed and projected back into the band’s commitment to sustainability and inclusion; my friends and I thoroughly took advantage of the kinetic dance floor powering the stadium’s electricity and marvelled at the BSL interpreters dotted around the pitch.
Coldplay’s music was made to be performed at Wembley Stadium, hollered back by tens of thousands with their hands in the air and the lights on their wrists glittering as one. I would encourage anybody who appreciates live performance to snatch up a ticket (and I do wholeheartedly mean snatch, as at face value they are like gold dust). You will not be disappointed.
MAY 2023
WED 17 Estádio Cidade de Coimbra – Coimbra, PORTUGAL
WED 24 Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – Barcelona, SPAIN
THU 25 Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – Barcelona, SPAIN
SAT 27 Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys – Barcelona, SPAIN (EXTRA DATE)
WED 31 Etihad Stadium – Manchester, UK
JUNE 2023
THU 01 Etihad Stadium – Manchester, UK
TUE 06 Principality Stadium – Cardiff, UK
WED 21 Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – Naples, ITALY
THU 22 Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – Naples, ITALY (EXTRA DATE)
SUN 25 Stadio San Siro – Milan, ITALY
MON 26 Stadio San Siro – Milan, ITALY
MON 28 Stadio San Siro – Milan, ITALY (EXTRA DATE)
JULY 2023
SAT 01 Stadion Letzigrund – Zurich, SWITZERLAND
WED 05 Parken – Copenhagen, DENMARK
THU 06 Parken – Copenhagen, DENMARK
SAT 08 Ullevi – Gothenburg, SWEDEN
SUN 09 Ullevi – Gothenburg, SWEDEN
SAT 15 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
SUN 16 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
TUE 18 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS (EXTRA DATE)
