Nobody said it was easy. But after months of anticipation, Coldplay will finally make it to Singapore’s shores as part of their Music Of The Spheres world tour.
Not only that, the British rock band will set a record here as the first act to play six nights at the National Stadium, the Lion City’s largest concert venue.
Their current tour kicked off in Costa Rica in 2022, and has travelled to Latin America, Europe, North America, Australia and Asia.
Their sold-out Singapore performances – the tour’s 125th to 130th – will be performed on Jan 23, 24, 26, 27, 30 and 31. Some 300,000 fans, who paid $68 to $298 a ticket, are slated to attend.
Other Asian stops include two nights each in Kaohsiung, Tokyo, Bangkok and Bulacan in the Philippines, as well as one night each in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
Coldplay last performed two concerts at the National Stadium in 2017 as part of their A Head Full Of Dreams tour (2016 to 2017).
The group’s current tour, their eighth, is in support of their ninth studio album Music Of The Spheres (2021). The tour has made headlines for its ground-breaking sustainability initiatives, which include the world’s first tourable battery system and a show powered by 100 per cent renewable energy in almost all locations.
The quartet recently revealed that, on a show-by-show comparison, the current tour has so far produced 47 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions than their previous stadium tour, and that more than seven million trees have been planted around the world – one for each concertgoer.
In addition, the LED wristbands issued to concertgoers are plant-based and reusable, and collected back at the end of each show. They have an average return rate of 86 per cent.
The two-hour show will be divided into four acts, each themed around the idea of planets, moons, stars and home.
According to news reports and videos from Coldplay’s performances in other cities, fans can expect a kaleidoscopic, space-themed spectacle with many circular screens, filled with splashes of colour, as well as a set list comprising 21 songs.
Here are nine numbers to look out for:
2020s:
1. Higher Power (2021)
Higher Power is expected to kick things off on a wondrous note. After emerging along the walkway linking the main stage and B-stage, frontman and lead vocalist Chris Martin is expected to kneel and kiss the stage before performing on the B-stage, while guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion head to the main stage. Amid a confetti shower, concertgoers’ wristbands will flash red and white during the uplifting, inspiring track.
2. My Universe (2021)
The seven members of K-pop boy band BTS are set to appear on the sphere-shaped Jumbotron screens whenever their parts from their music collaboration are played. During the bridge, a video of Jungkook is cast onto the circular screens, giving the impression that he is performing alongside Martin. The final chorus will be accompanied by another confetti explosion.
3. Biutyful (2021)
The concert’s final song is likely to be this enchanting ballad, which will get audiences putting their hands in the air and swaying. Martin sings along with Angel Moon, lead singer of the fictional alien puppet band The Weirdos, whose childlike, squeaky voice is a pitched-up version of Martin’s. These puppets were created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the company behind The Muppets ensemble.
2010s:
4. A Sky Full Of Stars (2014)
With wristbands lighting up in blue and white, the song title is what the stadium is set to become. The piano ballad is punctuated by house-influenced electronic dance music segments, and fans will be reminded of the late Swedish music producer Avicii, who collaborated with Coldplay on this Grammy-nominated track before his death by suicide in 2018 at the age of 28.
5. Adventure Of A Lifetime (2015)
The party should officially begin at this point of the concert. Numerous massive multicoloured balls will appear and bounce above the audience, and the animation on-screen will show iridescent figures dancing amid a sea of colours. With the anthem’s empowering lyrics and infectious melody, it is easy to get swept up in the rush of excitement.
6. Something Just Like This (2017)
As cascading shapes float across the stadium ceiling, the band members will don helmets depicting alien heads. Martin, disguised as an one-eyed extraterrestrial, does not sing live. Instead, his vocals play while he conveys the lyrics in sign language. When the chorus kicks in, the audience will be hit with a blast of lasers and pulsating lights.
2000s:
7. Yellow (2000)
Count to three, and the stadium is expected to be awash in the colour of sunflowers. The group’s breakthrough hit has been used in movies such as the Oscar-winning coming-of-age film Boyhood (2014), and a Mandarin cover by American singer Katherine Ho was featured in the blockbuster romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians (2018). During the concert, the all-time favourite shines as a heartfelt, hypnotic serenade.
8. Fix You (2005)
Martin once described this sentimental organ-backed track about recovering from grief as probably the most important song Coldplay have written. Inspired by his desire to help his then wife, American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, cope with the death of her father in 2002, it is a staple at Coldplay concerts and its performance is accompanied by glowing giant orbs that hang mid-air in the stadium. Expect a church-like atmosphere as the wristbands radiate a warm orange during a massive singalong. There might even be a magic trick from Martin.
9. Viva La Vida (2008)
When the majestic sound of violins starts and loops, the audience knows it is time for the 2009 Grammy-winning Song of the Year. The wistful orchestral pop ballad, whose title means “long live life” in Spanish, is about a king who has lost his kingdom and now sweeps the streets he used to own. All four members will appear on the B-stage, while their fans chant Viva La Vida’s well-known “oh-oh-oh” refrain.
