Coldplay’s Chris Martin was nearing the end of a crowd-pleasing concert at State Farm Stadium when he stopped to thank the crowd for “how intense and wonderful we’ve been”.
“If you’re okay,” he said, “we need to quickly shoot a video with you all like the kind of energy.”
And with that, he introduced a puppet group called the Weirdos.
“They’re from another planet, sort of,” the singer explained.
“And we’re also going to be filmed in the audience. But please, if you could just give this young band four minutes. They’re just getting started.”
It wasn’t the first time we saw the Weirdos singer.
She had joined Martin earlier on “Human Heart.”
But this time, Martin and his bandmates – Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion – left the stage and handed the gig over to the Weirdos, who took up position on the second stage and mimed “Buityful” from the latest album. Coldplay, “Music of the Spheres.”
“You just have to follow your heart”:How Coldplay’s Chris Martin learned to trust himself
Weirdos Music Video Shoot Was Special, But Awkward
It was an unexpected blunder that made it feel like part of something special, but also inserted a bit of an awkward transition into the proceedings as the action shifted from video shooting to Coldplay on a tiny third scene with the house lights on.
They quickly made up for lost momentum with a haunting rendition of “Sparks” featuring Preston Wait on pedal steel guitar before treating fans to a country song they had written just for the occasion, “Phoenix AZ.”
It was adorably sloppy; Martin adopted a believable twang as he ran through references to this western town “where they play basketball slightly better than the rest” and “feel so good where the Cardinals play.”
They then returned to the main stage for a beautiful version of “Fix You”, which became a huge single, followed by a catchy rendition of “Humankind” from “Music of the Spheres”.
It would have been the perfect way to say goodbye. Instead, they brought the puppets back for a crushing second pass to “Biutyful,” with Coldplay on the main stage this time while the puppets again mimed for the cameras on the second stage.
As the last hurrah of a two-hour concert? It fell a bit flat – a rare misfire for a band that would otherwise seem to have mastered the art of gigging in a 21st century stadium.
If they had to play it twice they should have come back with one last song that sounded like something special just for us – maybe something that hadn’t been played for several years after giving us something that they had not performed in several songs.
The set included ‘Yellow’ and ‘Something Just Like This’
Other than that, it was a great night at the stadium with the most successful rock band of the century.
They managed to put the spotlight on their latest album while providing an entertaining glimpse into their career, from a catchy rendition of “Yellow” to their Chainsmokers collab, “Something Just Like This.”
There were achingly beautiful ballads, from “The Scientist” to “Fix You.” Other songs, from “Paradise” to “In My Place” and “Clocks,” emphasized widescreen grandeur, ready-made anthems that soared beyond the back rows. of the stadium.
Other highlights made the most of their enthusiastic adherence to club-ready dance grooves, from “Adventure of a Lifetime” to the heart-pounding house beats of the majestic “A Sky Full of Stars.”
This may explain how they became the most successful rock band of their generation.
Chris Martin’s voice was up to the challenge
“A Sky Full of Stars” was the moment in the set where Martin, whose voice was up to all the challenges the songs required, chose to ask fans to put their phones away if only for a moment to “be with us for a while”. song.”
The show did not fail.
A camera followed the musicians as they strolled backstage at State Farm Stadium to the “Flying Theme” strains of “ET.” After making their way to the stage, they dove straight into “Higher Power,” which featured fireworks, confetti, and a wide array of flashing colors on LED wristbands given to each ticket holder.
For the second song, “Adventure of a Lifetime”, giant beach balls or balloons were released into the crowd as chimpanzees dressed as astronauts danced across the video monitors.
Bursts of flame erupted from the ground for “People of the Pride” and the band members donned goofy sci-fi masks for “Infinity Sign,” “Something Just Like This” and “Midnight.”
There’s a silliness to Coldplay that offsets the seriousness of Coldplay with brilliant effect.
And they clearly mastered both sides of that spectrum, especially Martin, whose enthusiasm for the mood he was in right now was a wonder to behold.
His smile was everyone’s smile in moments as intoxicating as “Adventure of a Lifetime,” on which he told the crowd “Everybody go low / Let’s go low” then blasted everyone as their LED bracelets passed through the colors.
There’s a joy Martin brings to the table that makes it hard to understand how anyone could be unconvinced.
Weeks before the show in Glendale, Martin spoke to the Republic about the energy’s “good craze” on their first tour since the pandemic shut down everything.
“Because everyone is so happy to be there,” he said. “Most of us. Any shred of complacency we might have had is long gone.”
And you could definitely feel that joy in his performance.
The emotional vulnerability that introduced the Coldplay brand at the turn of the century was equally powerful when Martin chose to use it. They just added other flavors to the mix.
Towards the end of the set, he thanked the crowd for coping with the traffic on the night of Game 6, adding: “I feel like choosing to go to a concert like this is not necessarily a question of whether you like the band but how well you can handle the traffic.”
HER was captivating in a fiery setting
Between the traffic and the parking situation, Coldplay’s opening at the first big stadium show in the Phoenix metro since the pandemic began was bound to be a little less career-defining than former local Kacy Hill made it out to be. thought.
I missed his set by swearing often in traffic within five miles of the venue.
However, getting there in time to catch the second half of HER?
If you haven’t seen this woman rocking solo guitar in her rhinestone-studded sunglasses leading a gospel-flavored neo-soul ensemble with a vocal range that allows for the sparkle of a Mariah Carey with the raw emotion of a prince, you’re missing something.
The back half of his set included a medley of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, the Arrows’ cover of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett and her own song “Glory”, as well as a fiery cover from Lenny Kravitz’s classic “Will You Follow My Way”.
But she was equally captivating when she hit us with a song she called “totally new.”
List of Coldplay songs
Music of the spheres
higher power
Adventure of a lifetime
Heaven
Charlie Brown
The scientist
Long live the Vida
Anthem of the weekend
let someone go
In my place
Yellow
Sunrise
human heart
Pride people
Clocks
infinity sign
Something like that
Midnight
My world
A sky full of stars
Biutyful
Sparks
Phoenix A-Z
Fix you
Humanity
Biutyful
Contact the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
Comments are closed.