Review: Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres WORLD TOUR

The unparalleled energy of a modern-day Coldplay concert is euphoric. The band’s setlist is impactful and intentional, ranging from current-day hits to crowd favorites while maintaining an air of mystery and plans for the future. The kaleidoscope of colors and sound encapsulates the concertgoer in a melodic arena experience, tailored for individuals committed to acknowledging their pain while channeling their energy towards the inner light that radiates throughout the arena in a colorful LED fashion.

I arrived at the Cotton Bowl late after a 20-mile drive to the Cotton Bowl turned into an hour and a half exercise of patience in the park, brake, drive sequence. In the defense of two-lane traffic, it was my fault for leaving my starting point only an hour in advance. I should have known that the sheer magnitude of the band would bring about scurrying fans of all ages, demographics, and proxy positions on the Interstate at the most inopportune coincidence. I queued up a few of their radio jams, mostly from their latest album, Music of the Spheres, which I had not listened to with as much devotion as their previous releases.

What I enjoy most about Coldplay is their message of hope. Chris Martin’s innocent boyhood eyes and gleaming smile captures my heart in each performance I witnessed from my computer screen. I discovered they were coming to Dallas, Texas, relatively late. I knew that I had to be present at this tour as I recall hearing he intended to stop making music within the decade. This rumor alone was all the courage I needed to purchase the floor seat tickets.

“You, you are, my universe…” he sang on my Bluetooth speakers, I sang along with him for several encores before I discovered a parking spot on a grassy field in front of the arena. I said a small prayer before exiting my vehicle. It went something like this, please allow my car to be here when I return from the concert, preferably with no tickets or boots of any kind, in-tact and ready for me to navigate home safely and swiftly, amen.

I was met with a legion of dedicated fans, scurrying along the grassy field to the busy intersection. A few brave hearts dodged oncoming cars to ensure they would get a good seat. I opted for a secure line of crossing, after all, I did park in a sketchy spot and did not feel it necessary to test my serendipity.

I documented my arrival on my Snapchat. I was able to make a couple of posts before I lost signal completely. The time was approximately 8:15p.m when I finally arrived at security and got my ticket scanned. To my dismay, I had completely missed the opening act, H.E.R., a beautiful vocalist, and gentle soul as well. I was thrilled to see she was an accompaniment to the band as I am completely in love with her vocals. Alas, traffic was not kind; I maneuvered through the crowd and made my way to the Standing Room at the bottom of the arena.

I politely made my way to the front using one-liners, raising my hand and elbows when necessary, avoiding eye contact, and speaking gibberish loudly to avoid confrontation. It worked. I met a few of the fans that surrounded the stage, gave smiles to a few, and reveled in the anticipation with the rest. An hour passed. I felt every minute in my empty belly. I looked around me and noticed the partially full stadium, had doubled in faces, signs, flags, and lyrics.

I took a deep breath and scanned the stage for a glimpse of the performers. Just crew arranging and rearranging. The cheers, however, did not stop. Every half an hour or so, the nosebleeds would begin screaming, chanting, pumping the arena up in anticipation for the band. After the fourth wave, I no longer gave in to their false promises. It was then that two women walked on stage to announce the band and introduce their initiative for clean energy.

Proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to organizations dedicated to cleaning oceans in the Pacific. The entire concert would be powered by green energy, including solar and wind power. I took in their green commitment, and suddenly the sight of flashing lights of purple hues and fireworks erupted. Finally, the moment we all had been waiting for, the opening number.

“You’ve got, a Higher Power!” The powerful anthem was the lead single to the band’s most recent album, “Music of the Spheres.” An ethereal attempt at inspiring the youth after a year of misfortune, quarantine, sickness, and loss. I felt the energy permeate around my being as I recited the lyrics; my purpose was as significant and evident as my presence. Chris Martin sported his classic tight shirt and jeans, dancing on stage in his peculiar way, with each lift of his arms, revealing his illustrious waterboard abs.

After the show’s opener, the band followed up with, “Adventure of a Lifetime,” another bop, this time from their 2015’s, “A Head Full of Dreams” album. The fireworks were traded for inflatable balloons the size of planets that fell from the sky and onto our palms. I passed Venus to the group of girls behind me and together we stretched towards the sky and sang our hearts out.

I reveled in the artistry of their performance. Martin’s showmanship was evident in his comfort with the crowd. He noisily broke into an empathetic speech, sending his condolences for the traffic woes, which sent the crowd wild. There were several moments such as these that made it seem as though the frontman shared the experience with the concertgoers. A moment of exceptional poise came in between songs. Where he challenged the crowd to put their phones away for one song to join the band in a jump and shout fest. “Only if you want to,” he added. The winky smile that followed afterward was all the convincing the crowd needed.

I watched as phones retired to pockets and suddenly, the sky was filled with LED wristbands. Wrists lit up blinking white to emulate flying stars that joined the band for a harmonious rendition of their lead single, “A Sky Full of Stars”.

The band has an incredible capacity for humanity. Their movement, pleas for presence, peace, and interactions with the crowd convey the sincerity of their message. Several times they made attempts to move stages for the sake of visibility. For an hour and a half, I experienced experts in their craft performing a visually stunning set. I highly recommend seeing their unique color-changing aura in person.