The world-renowned rock band Coldplay responded to the passionate singing of Korean fans from 8 years ago. They connected closely with the audience and made sure to make eye contact.
On the afternoon of the 16th, Coldplay's concert 'Live Nation Presents Coldplay: Music of the Spheres Delivered by DHL' took place at the Goyang Sports Complex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Starting from this day, the concert will continue with a total of 6 performances on the 18th-19th, 22nd, and 24th-25th. The concert is expected to have around 50,000 attendees, with 30,000 seats and 20,000 standing spots.
The concert was divided into four sections. In the first section, 'Planets', Coldplay unleashed global hits such as 'Music of the Spheres', 'Higher Power', 'Adventure of a Lifetime', 'Paradise', and 'The Scientist', continuously captivating the audience.
While the songs were great, Korean fans were curious about Chris Martin's first words. Martin greeted the audience in Korean with "Hello" and encouraged a sing-along during the performance of 'Paradise', responding with "Thank you" in Korean. He added, "Please understand if I'm clumsy. It's nice to meet you. I'm happy to be here together," touching the hearts of Korean fans with his somewhat awkward but earnest effort.
In the second session, 'Moons', Coldplay actively communicated with the audience. They brought a volunteer and fan on stage to sing together. Martin naturally sang 'Up&Up' during the 'Songbook' time, and the fan confidently recited the lyrics while making eye contact. The unexpected duet drew a big response from the audience, and the fan appeared to be moved, showing gestures of emotion. After fully performing the song together, the two ended with a warm hug.
In the third session, 'Stars', during the performance of 'We Pray', Coldplay collaborated with Chilean singer Eliana and members of TWICE, drawing attention. Chris Martin greeted them with "Thank you, TWICE." The members did not make any special comments.
The concert was a colorful spectacle utilizing LED technology. The performance was enhanced by colorful bracelets and specially made film glasses. When viewing the concert lights through the film glasses, they transformed into heart shapes, touching the audience's hearts.
While many songs were performed that day, the one that truly excited the crowd was 'Viva La Vida'. As the intro played, an enormous cheer erupted, followed by a sing-along from 50,000 fans. Not to be outdone, during the performance of 'My Universe', which collaborated with BTS, the domestic fans also couldn't stay seated. Here, Martin expressed affection by listing the names of BTS members one by one. The vocal parts of the members were replaced with holograms.
The concert lasted nearly 2 hours. After performing the last song, the audience sang the chorus of 'Viva La Vida' in unison, calling for an encore. Coldplay returned and performed a remarkable 6 encore songs, satisfying the fans' wishes. Before 'Fix You', Martin displayed each audience member on the screen, offering a comforting song. A Russian fan was so moved that they shed tears.
Martin was not just a singer focused on his own popularity as a visiting artist. He actively sought to communicate with fans through his voice and strived to convey meaning through music. Although the performance was led by Martin alone with the microphone, the voices of 50,000 fans blended together in a time of comfort.
This concert by Coldplay is the first since their last performance in Korea in 2017, and the announcement of the event generated great anticipation among domestic fans. The response was explosive, with most of the initially scheduled 4 performances selling out through artist pre-sales and Live Nation pre-sales. In response, Coldplay added 2 more performances for fans who couldn't get tickets, garnering a great response.
TWICE will appear as special guests for all performances. Additionally, Chilean singer-songwriter Eliana and singer-songwriter Hanro will also be special guests.
Alongside the concert, Coldplay is operating a 'Coldplay Moon Music Seoul Popup' at The Hyundai Seoul from the 10th to the 27th of this month. Fans can find official Coldplay merchandise, including limited edition t-shirts and tour posters, exclusively sold at the popup store. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the non-profit organization 'Snail of Love', which supports surgeries for the hearing impaired, spreading a positive influence.
The reason this Coldplay concert has garnered even more attention is due to the timing of their performance in Korea. During their first concert, former President Park Geun-hye was impeached, leaving the presidency vacant. Currently, with former President Yoon Suk-yeol's removal, the situation is similar to the past. Some have even suggested a parallel theory regarding Coldplay's concert in Korea.
Additionally, Coldplay performed on April 16, the anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, and during the performance of 'Yellow', they displayed a yellow ribbon on the screen to commemorate the victims, which drew attention. The first concert of this tour also coincided with the 11th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster. However, during this concert, they only illuminated the stage in yellow without any comments or performances related to the Sewol ferry.
Coldplay's recent tour has focused on environmental aspects, reducing CO2e emissions by 59% compared to previous stadium tours through innovative sustainability measures. Their 10th studio album 'Moon Music', released last year, became the world's first album to be released as a 140g 'EcoRecord rPET LP' in addition to CD format.
During this concert, they also created a kinetic floor, allowing some audience members to generate electricity by moving their feet on it, and installed 'Power Bikes' for audience members to ride while watching the concert, generating electricity needed for the performance, drawing attention.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
