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Image: Vasili Papathanasopoulos.
A year on from their one-off performance in Perth, British luminaries Coldplay have made their long-awaited return to our shores; hitting up major cities across the nation on their Music of the Spheres World Tour.
When it comes to crafting a setlist, Coldplay are masters at curating a run that unites their beloved discography - honouring the hits, and highlighting their more recent material. Paradise, Viva la Vida, Hymn for the Weekend, Yellow, Clocks, Something Just Like This and Fix You all prompted rapturous cheers from the crowd, and proved to be pivotal sing-a-long moments. The Scientist featured a unique backwards outro, with footage from the performance also playing in reverse. Last month, the band released their tenth studio album, Moon Music, and have been performing tracks from the record across Australia, including ALL MY LOVE, WE PRAY and GOOD FEELINGS (Shone joined the band onstage to perform WE PRAY alongside local artist Mecca Hatch, whilst Ayra Starr joined them for GOOD FEELINGS). They paid homage to Australia during Infinity Signs, interpolating AC/DC’s Highway To Hell and Kylie Minogue’s I Should Be So Lucky, and their collaboration with BTS, My Universe, takes on a newer, bigger life when played in stadiums. One of the evenings highlights appeared with A Sky Full Of Stars, which began with a planned ‘false start’ before frontman Chris Martin asked the crowd to put away their phones and soak in the shared moment. What followed was a sea of glittering blue and white lights from the audiences wristbands, as they surrendered themselves to the euphoria of the song. Martin also recalled fond memories of filming the songs music video on the streets of Newtown ten years earlier.
Throughout the performance, Martin and his band mates Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion never missed a beat. Between the ambition of the production, their impeccable musicianship and showmanship their unity as a four-piece took centre stage. Martin’s vocals never faltered. Showcasing the light and shade of his vocals and his range, the emotions that were present within his voice, face and gestures proved he was living in the moment; experiencing it. His compelling performance was further emphasised by Berryman, Buckland and Champion’s effortless on stage presence. Their palpable connection furthered the overall enigmatic and thrilling aura that was present within the stadium; it felt like one big community coming together shrouded in peace and love.
Images: Vasili Papathanasopoulos.
Coldplay have a knack for making the crowd feel involved with the shows production. In 2011, the band pioneered the use of light up bracelets that are programmed to react to the music being played. For the Music of the Spheres World Tour, they elevate engagement with the use of 3D glasses. Upon entering the stadium, fans are given their own pair of the exclusive glasses, and instructed to wear them at a certain point throughout the night. The result is vibrant explosive love hearts, created through the glasses prismatic effect. It allows for a truly unique viewing experience, and echoed the evenings main sentiment; love. Furthermore, the evening often prompts crowd participation with impassioned sing-a-longs, balloons that bounced throughout the stadium, illuminated planets revolving around the mosh pit, and even took a fan request of performing Green Eyes for world peace. Towards the end of the evening, the band walk through the crowd to reach a B-stage located at the back of the stadium. Here, Martin serenades their devoted fans as cameras scout the crowd to give audience members their jumbotron moment. The frontman tailors the lyrics of The Jumbotron Song to suit the audience members on screen - including a muscled man, a group of friends dressed up as cat in the hat, a young child donning an alien suit and Ramones fan.
Whilst the Music of the Spheres World Tour places itself within an other worldly context, at its core the tour is a mission to spread love and positivity. Bringing light and colour to peoples life through the music, visuals and emotion, the bands energy radiates throughout the stadium to create a shared experience between tens of thousands of fans.
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