By Olivia Burns
Coldplay kicked off their ‘Music of the Spheres’ Australian Tour at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium last night. Aside from their two shows last year in Perth, this was the first time since they’ve done an Australian run in eight years. To say this was a highly awaited return for the Aussie fans would be a great understatement, with the sold out and multiple back to back shows only proved this.
Upon arriving at the venue, we were handed glasses and a light up wristband, boxes of badges with the word ‘Love’ were lined up outside the entrance where we could take some as we went in.
It was a full lineup, with Shone, Emmanuel Kelly and Ayra Starr opening up the night. Additional, to the great support acts keeping the ever growing crowd entertained, were power bikes and kinetic dance floors. The band pride themselves on the fact the tour is as sustainable as possible, between the break in support acts, there is a call out on the big screens for the need of 100 volunteers to get on the kinetic dance floors – one on each side at the back of the arena, where each side has a dance off to see who can create the most energy. This already shows how innovative and the thought that the band has put into the fan experience when they were creating the show.
I had already heard great things about their performance, so I had my expectations high and was so excited to finally witness it myself! The massive stadium was now packed out as we waited in anticipation for the main event. A few screams came from the crowd as Coldplay’s singer Chris Martin popped up on stage without his band, but to announce that Guy Berryman, was very ill and that for the first time he won’t be able to perform, however they had half an hour to come up with a plan and had a stand in bassist to play, donning a helmet for the entire show. You could tell the nervousness in his announcement, and exclaimed no matter what, the show will be a great one and thanked everyone for their understanding.
Once we had been welcomed on the land by an elder and watched a short clip on the sustainability aspects of the show, they all left the stage and we were back to waiting. A little while later intro music started as Chris reappeared, now with the whole band in tow. The fans erupted in applause and screaming before they kicked off the night with ’Higher Power’. From the moment they stepped out, it was all go, confetti was shot up into the air multiple times, in the colours of a rainbow. The second track ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ was played as large balls were set loose and bounced around the hands of the crowd. The setlist was full of all the fan favourites, including ‘Paradise’, ‘Yellow’ and an emotional and beautiful performance of ‘Fix You’ which admittingly may have brought a few tears to my eyes. The whole venue was turned into a colourful dance party, with the LED bracelets changing to the different songs as people are dancing and singing away. In the second half of the show, Chris took the time to read out signs in the crowd before bringing up a couple whose sign read ‘I was proposed to Everglow’, to which he ended up sitting down at the piano, singing the song to the lucky couple.
During a break between songs, Chris told a story in a humorous light, that reading a review that was written by a man in Brisbane who lived in an apartment nearby the venue from the last time they were there said that they had ruined his night and this was the reason behind why it has taken them eight years to return, adding that they had to overcome their self doubt. Whether or not this is the reason behind it…goes to show, no matter how big the artist is, they definitely read what people are saying about them. While all of the talking was done by Chris, the band created such a fun and energetic show and you could feel their enjoyment of being up on stage. As sad as it was to not be able to see the band as a whole, the show still ran so smoothly and the fill-in bassist slotted right in. The incredible night sadly had to come to an end with ‘feelslikeimfallinginlove’ concluding the evening, before the band left the stage and we were left with fireworks being set off above us.
A Coldplay concert is summed up as a joyful celebration full of dancing, singing, connectivity and LOTS of confetti. It was not possible for there to be any negative energy in that venue, the beaming smiles from band and audience alike created a warm atmosphere! It is safe to say my expectations were blown out of the water, this wasn’t just a show, it was truly a spectacle and I can honestly say that anyone who has the chance to be able to attend a Coldplay show, it is something that should not be missed!
