Songs of a lifetime

Foto: Ariana Laborin

An up and close view into the Coldplay phenomenon in Mexico (& the world) 

By Ariana Laborin 

Lenguajes Periodísticos 

May 19, 2022.- Who knew that a small music band formed in a local British college in 1996 was going to become one of the most renowned and appreciated music groups worldwide. It is safe to say that this band has changed the lives of many people in many ways. Their music is listened to by more than 57 million people every month because of their detailed, deep, and beautiful lyrics played along with an incredible and danceable melody. 

 Coldplay, conformed by vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey, has grown to be loved by the people selling over 90 million records worldwide to share their music with all. They are known to be one of the most famous bands of the twenty-first century. Most of their music is composed of bright and mellow piano melodies along with fun, energetic and high-intensity pop rhythms, creating anthems that fit in the Pop genre and allow their listeners to dance to and ponder each song. 

Music of Spheres (& Other Hits) 

This group has always had the people's best interest in mind during the making process of their music, albums, and tours. All the way from creating music that inspires and helps people in times of need, to making worldwide tours that are somewhat sustainable due to the large amount of contamination music tours can cause. 

Many people say that Coldplay is one of the groups that everyone should see and enjoy at least once in their lifetime. Their last tour in 2016-2017 was a total hit due to the incredible show they performed in front of their enormous audience with colorful fireworks, amazing music, inspirational soundtrack and once in a lifetime experience. After that tour, Coldplay decided to not tour any longer if they did not find a solution to reduce the negative effects caused on the environment after every show. 

Play that eco-music, young boy- 

On March 18, 2022, Coldplay set to start their latest world tour Music of the Spheres with the intention of making it a show with sustainable initiatives. Coldplay pledged to their fans that they would make this tour as sustainable and low-carbon as possible, keeping the environment's best interest at hand. To make this a reality, their whole sustainable initiative is guided by 3 main principles: reduce, reinvent, restore. They set out to recycle as much as possible, cut C02 emissions by 50%, reduce consumption, support green technologies, and even come up with low-carbon touring methods. 

Along with those initiatives, Coldplay wanted to really think about every small detail to create a show that lived up to the expectations they had and was promising. They focused on C02 emissions where they act upon measuring their environmental footprint, reduce emissions, mitigated to avoid fossil fuels and use clean energy. Also, they worked on power where they turned to solar photovoltaic panels, sustainable biofuels, rechargeable batteries, kinetic energy which their fans will be in active participation on the kinetic floor and or power bikes. Taking into consideration that they must travel from destination to destination, they also focused on travel and avoided flying, if possible, on special occasions they would fly commercially and pay for sustainable aviation fuel. They tried to make each stage show as emission-free as possible by using local equipment, materials and resources. Their stage is made up of reusable materials that can be recycled at the end of the tour. They created reusable LED wristbands to make their fans be part of the show with compostable plant based light up bracelets. Their fans are encouraged to take part in low carbon transport through an app that rewards them if they commit to low carbon travel with a discount code. They set to maximize their water efficiency, minimize waste by reusing and recycling. Even the food and merchandising were tweaked to live up to their pledge. Their tour was full of noble causes, had nature's well-being in mind and all this can be checked by anyone because of their transparency they shared. Every show took all these aspects into consideration to create a memorable, effective and sustainable show. 

Curtain Call: A Coldplay Presentation 

In April, Coldplay finally sets foot in Mexico City preforming in El Foro Sol in front of over twenty-five thousand people. Having already performed about eight times before all over Mexico, the group did not let Mexico City’s twenty-five thousand people down. April seventh, the last tour date in Mexico, Coldplay gave their all... 

Foto: Ariana Laborin

 Their last performance in this beautiful, cultural, Spanish speaking country called Mexico, Coldplay put on astonishing show full of mesmerizing special effects, perplexing moments like when he was singing with a puppet, breathtaking connection with audience because of how every person's wristband lit up with the rhythm of the music, and just magnificent sounds that penetrated everybody's heart and soul with a moment they would never forget. Every aspect of the show was spectacular and if you looked just close enough, you could see every single detail that was placed with love to give back to their fans. Jose Zazueta, who attended Mexico’s last tour date said, “I went to the concert because my girlfriend wanted to go, little did I know, a show this good was waiting for me, I truly did have an amazing time because of the incredible experience Coldplay allows you to have”. 

Foto: Ariana Laborin

To make their last day in Mexico extremely special for their audience and for them as well, the group decided to connect with their fans by making a farewell video where Chris, not giving importance to the fact they there were over twenty-five thousand people, went into the audience and danced and sang with them, giving them a night to remember and cherish forever. Gustavo Ibarra, a fellow Coldplay fan also mentioned, “I cried throughout the whole concert, it was so emotional to see one of my favorite bands give their all in such a beautiful way. I will totally see them again if I have the chance”. Along with that, Coldplay made it a tradition to bring someone from the audience onto the stage to sing, play or even just listen to a song up close and personal. The woman chosen in Coldplay's last show in Mexico had a poster with the following words written on it “my dream is to listen to green eyes live”. Chris Martin told this woman to come up with him and she could not contain herself and cried continuously because of the ocean of emotions she was experiencing. Chris sat her down in front of her, told her to put her phone away, close her eyes and just live the moment of listing to the song that would make her dreams come true. 

Foto: Ariana Laborin

 Chris had an impressive way of making his audience live in the moment. He even told the people to put down their phones for just one song. He said no phones, no videos, just people, with closed eyes, enjoying “a sky full of stars” alongside Chris and the rest of the band. Ana Paula Lopez said at the end of their performance, “to have lived an experience like this is something I will take with me forever. The part that hit me the most was when he told everybody to put their phones away and just enjoy one of his last songs, this really allowed me to be one hundred percent in the show”. To conclude, Coldplay has set the bar high for all artists touring around the world. All the way from their sustainable initiatives to the way they connect with their fans giving them an incredible and unforgettable show. 

Bibliography Britannica. 

(s. f.). Coldplay | Members, Songs, Albums, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. Recuperado 17 de mayo de 2022, de https://www.britannica.com/topic/Coldplay Lock, H., & Nakamura, K. (2022, 22 marzo). 

La gira más sostenible de Coldplay está a punto de comenzar. Global Citizen. Recuperado 15 de mayo de 2022, de https://www.globalcitizen.org/es/content/coldplay-eco-friendly-world-tour-2022/ Milenio Digital. (2022, 7 abril). 

Coldplay: su paso por México y el futuro de la banda. Milenio. Recuperado 16 de mayo de 2022, de https://www.milenio.com/espectaculos/musica/coldplay-en-mexico-asi-ha-sido-su-paso-por-el-pais