The last time Coldplay came to Toronto, I said I felt like I was in paradise. I don’t want to exaggerate, but the band came close to recreating that experience this week at the Rogers Centre.
First of all, it really comes down to where you sit. The Rogers Centre is huge, so it’s worth the extra investment in really good seats. This time I sat in the 200 level on the side of the stage and it was great. If it’s a pop concert with lots of detailed set design and costumes, it would be even more important.
My first Coldplay concert was also special because I had never seen an artist use lit up wristbands to connect the audience. Their team deserves a lot of credit for pioneering this. This time, they took their lighting to the next level by syncing their show with the CN Tower’s lighting system! That was truly magical and unique.
It was exciting to see Coldplay live because lately I’ve only watched them perform on award shows and at the Manchester concert. This was their first show in Toronto in 5 years and they came back with a bang. Literally. There were fireworks, confetti and balloons throughout, which made the stadium come alive with colour.
The funniest moment was when Chris admitted he swallowed confetti! “Don’t put this on YouTube,” he said. “Let’s break the fourth wall. Don’t eat our confetti, it doesn’t taste that good.” He didn’t say anything about mentioning it on a blog…
Musicians always thank fans for coming. That’s standard politeness. But Chris Martin also acknowledged the whole crew, including local employees like security, and commented that they’re extra grateful for 2 sold out audiences of over 50,000 considering the expensive cost of tickets, food and merchandise.
Even though Chris is the lead singer of one of the world’s biggest bands, he seems humble. “Sometimes when you’re touring it’s good to be dwarfed by an amazing piece of architecture and realize you don’t mean shit,” he said.
Coldplay also wrote a custom song about Toronto culture. He referenced our sports teams, as well as Arcade Fire! (I’m looking forward to seeing them in the fall.) That was a sweet way to wrap up their set list.
During the concert, I realized that I have a few memorable personal associations with Coldplay’s music: 1. Me and my mom listened to the Viva la Vida album on the highway whenever we moved my stuff back and forth from Western. The CD is still in her car. 2. After I received a job offer in 2016, the first purchase I made was buying A Head Full of Dreams. I listened to that on repeat on the TTC until I could afford to buy more music. 3. Many years ago, I showed up to the first day of camp without knowing anyone. Sitting ahead of me, there was a cute guy wearing a black Coldplay t-shirt and that’s how I decided he was cool.
Well, now that I’ve admitted I remember what one of my friends wore 10 years ago, it’s time to wrap this up. I’ll conclude with Chris’ parting words: “Be good to each other. See you next time, I hope.”