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| ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN |
It was not all yellow.
It was green, blue, orange, magenta, all mixed together. It was less about Coldplay, and more about you.
“You only know me because I was married to Gwyneth,” said lead singer Chris Martin while on the “C” stage, which was implanted in the audience.
But you really know him because of “Yellow.” Without that song, released 16 years ago, who knows. I don’t think we would have been in a hockey arena. I don’t think there would have been confetti cannons. I don’t think there would have been lasers.
But I still think there would be Chris Martin, who is an impressive front man. The man got a workout over a two-hour performance that saw him sprinting, jumping, and being the most engaging performer I’ve seen this year. How he managed to sing, I still don’t know. I’d be catching my breath every 10 seconds.
But if you’re going to charge $200+ to see your band, you better bring it. You better make them want to come back. And you better have a vision that blows everyone in the house away.
Coldplay did all that, in their own charming way while promoting their latest album, A Head Full of Dreams.
“Yellow” was the second song of the evening, producing screams from everyone around me. A woman behind me started crying. And then she started jumping.
Sure, we all have our own opinion about what live music should or shouldn’t be, but when I see this kind of reaction, when I feel people having fun around me, well, mission accomplished. Talk about high ticket prices all you want. I’ve seen your beer tab, and it’s not $20.
Coldplay delivered on Thursday evening. Martin lied on the stage’s runway singing “Fix You.” He took an audience request to heart and sang “Green Eyes” for the first time in years. He talked about Nice, Turkey, Baton Rouge, Orlando, the world of terror we live in before “Everglow.”
Most of all, he acted like he wanted to be in St. Louis. Full of life, athleticism, passion.
His skin and bones turned into something beautiful, and I’m guessing that 15,000 people weren’t complaining about shredding their stress for a couple hours.
Peace and love. It’s real if you want it.
