Music Review | Coldplay at Wembley Stadium

Did you get a chance to see Chris Martin at his mates this summer?

It was a magical musical summer across London, and these Coldplay concerts were up there with the best.

Author | Teddy

Venue | Wembley Stadium

Since Coldplay began their Music of the Spheres tour more than three years ago, they have performed in 43 countries, attracted both intended and unexpected headlines, and broken records. 

They have also headlined Glastonbury for a record fifth time and sold over 12 million tickets, making this the most attended tour in history. Yet the show has lost none of its sparkle. It remains a jubilant, feel-good two hours of pop mastery, led by Chris Martin, who moves around the stage in a brightly coloured array of slogan t-shirts and friendship bracelets. 

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Surrounding him, bandmates Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman accompany fireworks, bouncing giant balls, clouds of confetti, and LED wristbands that transform Wembley into a sea of pulsating colour. Even the stadium’s iconic arch glows like a rainbow above the crowd.

Chris Martin icon

Few frontmen are as compelling as Martin. Combining self-effacement, sincerity and swagger, he creates an extraordinary intimacy in a stadium of 90,000 people. He reads out signs, notices football shirts worn by fans in the upper tiers, and effusively thanks everyone for “going through all the shenanigans you have to go through to be here at Wembley.”

Why are Coldplay so good?

The vibrant, stadium-ready production is undoubtedly spectacular, but it is not the reason Coldplay are the biggest band in the world. Without the lights, lasers and pyrotechnics, the show would still captivate. Their appeal remains exactly as it was when they played a small back room in Kentish Town in 1999. 

The four friends behind Coldplay are the same people who created these songs over 25 years ago, albeit with better tans and trainers. Over time their catalogue has grown, but their unashamed emotional directness, soaring anthemic choruses, and melodies that linger long after the music has stopped have only strengthened.

The set list

Tonight, the band delivers a hesitant and tender version of the rarely played Green Eyes, a beautifully epic Fix You and a rousing, clattering Politik from their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. Adventure of a Lifetime, Paradise and Yellow provide blockbuster pop brilliance, while A Sky Full of Stars becomes a stirring spectacle of flashing lights, raised hands and singalong moments, helped by Martin’s request that phones are put away for just one song. 

Support comes from the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela on Viva La Vida, while singers Shone, Elaynna and Burna Boy join for recent single We Pray. The result is a dizzying, joyous sequence of non-stop hits, flamboyant visual theatrics, and Martin’s endlessly cheerful presence.