Coldplay bring fans to stage – and tears – at S’pore concert

British band Coldplay heated up the National Stadium on Jan 23, with 52,000 fans in attendance.

It was the first night of Coldplay’s six sold-out concerts here. They will also perform on Jan 24, 26, 27, 30 and 31, making it the quartet’s longest Asian stint in their Music Of The Spheres world tour.

Guests who arrived early were treated to an opening set by Indonesian singer Jinan Laetitia at around 6.30pm, before homegrown star Jasmine Sokko took over the reins at 7.15pm.

Decked in black, Sokko was a portrait of sophistication and hypnotism as she belted out tracks such as Hurt and Tired.

She said Yellow by Coldplay was the first song she learnt and played when she first got her guitar, so opening for the band felt like “coming full circle”.

Sokko added: “Thank you, everyone who has believed in me ever since my first song, to all of you today whom I’m meeting for the first time, and to Coldplay for letting me open for their show here. Thank you all.”

Fans got even more hyped up when Coldplay took to the stage and set the venue alight with Higher Power. They also played beloved tunes such as Adventure Of A Lifetime and Paradise. 

The concert was a captivating visual feast as everyone was armed with LED wristbands that changed colours according to the music. It goes without saying that the stadium transformed into a field of gold during Yellow.

Despite technical problems with the piano, the band was undeterred and delivered a perfect rendition of The Scientist on guitar. 

Frontman Chris Martin told the crowd: “We are going to give you all we have, piano or no piano. We are going to give you our hearts.”

He also made cheeky references to Singapore’s heat, such as: “I’m sweating so much inside,” and “I apologise if I smell bad right now.”

The energy was electrifying during Viva La Vida, but took an emotional turn afterwards when a couple were invited on stage by Martin. 

Martin told the pair: “Thank you for coming up on stage. Right now, you represent everybody else. Everybody else is you, you are everybody else, okay?”

The couple, who hailed from Jakarta, had with them a sign that said: “Can you sing Everglow for our Papa in heaven?”

The woman explained that her father was supposed to be at the concert but died two months ago.

Martin initially kept the vibe light-hearted by teasing that the couple did not need their phones because “everyone else is filming”, sparking raucous laughter throughout the audience. 

However, he soon dove into an emotional performance of Everglow that tugged on heartstrings. The incredibly touching set also saw the woman breaking down in tears.

Things hit a crescendo with My Universe, a musical collaboration between Coldplay and South Korean boyband BTS. Although the K-pop idols were not present, they appeared on sphere-shaped Jumbotron screens whenever their parts were played.

Most fans were happy to oblige with Martin’s special request during A Sky Full Of Stars.

He said: “This group of us, this 60,000 and four of us, will never be in the same room all together again. So we would like to remember this, just us, one family, one big band. And the way we’d like to do that…

“Can we do one song all together, with no cellphones and no cameras and no filming and no recording and no tweeting and no Instagramming, no Snapchatting, no TikToking or whatever, Zooming, nothing. Let’s do one song with no devices at all except your body and your soul and your eyes and your ears and each other.”

Revellers were undeniably overjoyed when Martin started singing: “When you try your best, but you don't succeed…” Because what better way to end a remarkable night than with the moving and timeless Fix You? 

Coldplay made history as the first act to ever play six nights at the National Stadium. They also broke the record for the most tickets sold by an artiste in a single day in Singapore. Both accolades are well-deserved, if their Jan 23 gig is anything to go by.