Colplay is as dependable because it will get within the live performance area, churning out extremely pleasing {and professional} reveals mainly each time the London quartet — consisting of vocalist Chris Martin, bassist Man Berryman, guitarist Jonny Buckland and drummer Will Champion — takes the stage.
Thus, it was definitely no shock that Coldplay triumphed as soon as once more throughout the return journey of its mammoth The Music of the Spheres World Tour to the Bay Space.
“This is concert 195 on our tour,” Martin stated of the trek, which started in Costa Rica in March 2022 and can embrace greater than 220 reveals earlier than it winds up in September at London’s Wembley Stadium. “Or as we like to think about it, it was 194 practices before Stanford. So, we’re hoping you’re getting our best.”
Once more, it was no shocker that Martin’s hopes translated to our actuality on this primary half of this sold-out two-night stand.
What was a shock, nevertheless, was that the true star of the present might effectively have been the venue itself.
Who knew?
Nicely, mainly nobody since this was the first-ever main rock live performance to be held on the new Stanford Stadium, which opened to Cardinal soccer followers in September 2006.
Chris Martin sings “Higher Power” with Coldplay in Stanford Stadium throughout the band’s Music of the Spheres World Tour on Saturday, Could 31, 2025. (Chris Riley/Occasions-Herald)
But, it turned out to be a pleasant place to observe a present. The scenic tree-studded facility — with beautiful stay oaks within the surrounding areas and tall redwood peaking over the rim of the venue — supplied a really totally different expertise than what you get on the 49ers’ smooth, hi-tech NFL palace of Levi’s Stadium, which is the place Coldplay carried out the final time it got here by means of city with this tour in Could 2022.
The decidedly faculty campus vibe sunk within the second I walked crossed El Camino Actual, transferring from Palo Alto into the college itself, and was my companion for the remainder of the present. That aura, which you additionally get at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater or the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, positively factored into the enjoyment of the present.
Positive, there are some points to be found out in the event that they need to proceed having reveals on the venue. Notably, the visitors scenario, getting onto and off the campus, is tough. But, law enforcement officials have been doing an awesome job directing the move of vehicles and pedestrians. I principally prevented the difficulty by parking within the neighborhood, versus the campus, and making a 20-minute stroll to the venue. That supplied the added bonus of with the ability to cease for a fast bit at City & Nation Village, which was completely booming with enterprise from concert-goers.
Hopefully, this night time didn’t simply signify a primary for Stanford Stadium, but additionally the beginning of one thing new for stay music followers within the Bay Space.
Both manner, it was definitely an awesome debut as Coldplay rocked followers with a really pleasing 22-song set that unfolded over the course of greater than 2 hours.
The present was run on renewable power, with a number of the proceeds from ticket gross sales going to ocean cleanup, reforestation, soil restoration and different inexperienced initiatives. There have been really followers pedaling “power bikes” at Saturday’s efficiency, serving to to generate energy that will be used throughout Sunday’s gig. Additionally, Stanford College’s deal with renewable power reportedly factored into the band’s determination to play this venue.
Coldplay, nevertheless, definitely got here throughout as its personal renewable power supply because it as soon as once more took the stage — for the 195th time on this tour — and rocked its extremely appreciative followers with a giant tackle “Higher Power” from the tour’s namesake, 2021’s “Music of the Spheres,” which is the band’s ninth full-length studio album.
Chris Martin and Man Berryman carry out “Higher Power” with Coldplay in Stanford Stadium throughout the band’s Music of the Spheres World Tour on Saturday, Could 31, 2025. (Chris Riley/Occasions-Herald)
The group definitely didn’t scrimp on particular results, with confetti canons firing off into the sky, large bouncing balls making their manner out into the viewers and pyrotechnics getting used because the group continued by means of “Adventure of a Lifetime,” “Paradise,” “The Scientist” and different early choices. The present’s early begin time, with a purpose to adjust to a ten p.m. curfew, meant that a number of the lighting results didn’t fairly obtain their supposed influence throughout the first a part of the set.
“The whole concert is designed for a little less daytime-y,” Martin admitted.
As night time fell, the entire expertise grew extra dramatic — because the 40,000-plus wristbands given out to followers started to pulsate in several shapes, colours and rhythms — lighting up the stadium in ways in which accentuated Coldplay’s highly effective pop-rock music. Followers additionally acquired glasses to put on — which amazingly few of them did, sadly, on condition that they produced a very cool impact the place the heart-shaped halos rose from every of the lights.
Persevering with on by means of “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face,” “Yellow” and different fan favorites, Coldplay labored a large essential stage that featured a contoured catwalk, snaking its manner by means of followers on the ground to a smaller round stage close to midfield.
Berryman, Buckland and Champion spent most of their time holding down the fort on the principle stage, whereas Martin labored the catwalk and smaller stage, doing every thing in his energy to attach with the followers.
Martin’s pleasant, amiable persona — far above even his sizable musical aptitude — actually represents Coldplay’s best benefit over the competitors.
He’d put that benefit to make use of at each flip, all the time in a unpretentious method, as he introduced two followers up onstage to sit down across the keyboards as he sang a solo piano model of “Magic,” targeted the highlight on a dancing safety guard (who had some severely cool strikes), singled out a handful of followers who have been proven on the video screens and, normally, showered the gang with a gradual stream of compliments.
“That’s the advantage of having full daylight,” Martin stated. “I can how sexy the people of Stanford are”
He additionally displayed a captivating quantity of self-effacing humor — which is so refreshing from a person who leads what’s arguably the world’s hottest pop-rock band.
“We hope you have the best time,” Martin stated. “And if you don’t have the best time you can just say something horrible about us on the internet.”
Martin in all probability received’t be seeing two many damaging on-line feedback from these viewers members, who have been totally behind the band because it introduced the principle set to a detailed with a hovering “A Sky Full of Stars” after which continued — at first on a 3rd stage on the far facet of the sphere — with a beneficiant encore section.
It was a becoming finale to Stanford Stadium’s first huge rock present. Right here’s hoping there’s extra to come back from that majestic stadium within the years to come back.
Chris Martin and Man Berryman carry out “Paradise” with Coldplay in Stanford Stadium throughout the band’s Music of the Spheres World Tour on Saturday, Could 31, 2025. (Chris Riley/Occasions-Herald)
Initially Revealed: June 1, 2025 at 10:42 AM PDT
