Review: Coldplay does something that had never been done before

Colplay is as reliable as it gets in the concert arena churning out highly enjoyable and professional shows basically every time the London quartet consisting of vocalist Chris Martin bassist Guy Berryman guitarist Jonny Buckland and drummer Will Champion takes the stage Thus it was certainly no surprise that Coldplay triumphed once again during the return trip of its mammoth The Music of the Spheres World Tour to the Bay Area This is concert on our tour Martin reported of the trek which began in Costa Rica in March and will include more than shows before it winds up in September at London s Wembley Stadium Or as we like to think about it it was practices before Stanford So we re hoping you re getting our best Again it was no shocker that Martin s hopes translated to our reality on this first half of this sold-out two-night stand What was a surprise however was that the true star of the show may well have been the venue itself Who knew Well basically no one since this was the first-ever major rock concert to be held at the new Stanford Stadium which opened to Cardinal football fans in September Chris Martin sings Higher Power with Coldplay in Stanford Stadium during the band's Music of the Spheres World Tour on Saturday May Chris Riley Times-Herald Yet it turned out to be a delightful place to watch a show The scenic tree-studded facility with gorgeous live oaks in the surrounding areas and tall redwood peaking over the rim of the venue offered a very different experience than what you get at the ers sleek hi-tech NFL palace of Levi s Stadium which is where Coldplay performed the last time it came through town with this tour in May It s a decidedly college campus vibe and it stuck with me through the entire show Related Articles Coldplay sells out both shows at this unexpected Bay Area concert venue Super Bowl Halftime Top Coldplay songs Coldplay blows curfew at Levi s Stadium and no one seems to notice Coldplay brings eco-friendly tour with H E R to Levi s Stadium Review Coldplay delivers another rock-solid show at Shoreline Amphitheatre Sure there are particular issues to be figured out if they want to continue having shows at the venue Notably the traffic situation getting onto and off the campus is rough Yet police officers were doing a great job directing the flow of cars and pedestrians Hopefully this night didn t just represent a first for Stanford Stadium but also the start of something new for live music fans in the Bay Area Either way it was certainly a great debut as Coldplay rocked fans with a very enjoyable -song set that unfolded over the curriculum of more than hours The show was run on renewable potential with particular of the proceeds from ticket sales going to ocean cleanup reforestation soil restoration and other green initiatives There were literally fans pedaling power bikes at Saturday s performance helping to generate power that would be used during Sunday s gig Also Stanford University s focus on renewable force reportedly factored into the band s decision to play this venue Coldplay however certainly came across as its own renewable vitality source as it once again took the stage for the th time on this tour and rocked its highly appreciative fans with a big take on Higher Power from the tour s namesake s Music of the Spheres which is the band s ninth full-length studio album Chris Martin and Guy Berryman perform Higher Power with Coldplay in Stanford Stadium during the band's Music of the Spheres World Tour on Saturday May Chris Riley Times-Herald The group certainly didn t scrimp on special effects with confetti canons firing off into the sky giant bouncing balls making their way out into the audience and pyrotechnics being used as the group continued through Adventure of a Lifetime Paradise The Scientist and other early offerings The show s early start time in order to comply with a p m curfew meant that specific of the lighting effects didn t quite achieve their intended impact during the first part of the set The whole concert is designed for a little less daytime-y Martin admitted As night fell the whole experience grew more dramatic as the -plus wristbands given out to fans began to pulsate in different shapes colors and rhythms lighting up the stadium in strategies that accentuated Coldplay s powerful pop-rock music Fans also received glasses to wear which amazingly sparse of them did unfortunately given that they produced a really cool effect where the heart-shaped halos rose from each of the lights Continuing on through God Put a Smile Upon Your Face Yellow and other fan favorites Coldplay worked a massive main stage that featured a contoured catwalk snaking its way through fans on the floor to a smaller circular stage near midfield Berryman Buckland and Champion spent most of of their time holding down the fort on the main stage while Martin worked the catwalk and smaller stage doing everything in his power to connect with the fans Martin s friendly amiable personality far above even his sizable musical aptitude really represents Coldplay s greatest advantage over the competition He d put that advantage to use at every turn reliably in a unpretentious manner as he brought two fans up onstage to sit around the keyboards as he sang a solo piano version of Magic focused the spotlight on a dancing defense guard who had various seriously cool moves singled out a handful of fans who were shown on the video screens and in general showered the crowd with a steady stream of compliments That s the advantage of having full daylight Martin mentioned I can how sexy the people of Stanford are He also displayed a charming amount of self-effacing humor which is so refreshing from a man who leads what is arguably the world s the majority popular pop-rock band We hope you have the best time Martin disclosed And if you don t have the best time you can just say something horrible about us on the internet Martin seemingly won t be seeing two various negative online comments from these audience members who were fully behind the band as it brought the main set to a close with a soaring A Sky Full of Stars and then continued at first on a third stage on the far side of the field with a generous encore segment It was a fitting finale to Stanford Stadium s first big rock show Here s hoping there s more to come from that majestic stadium in the years to come Chris Martin and Guy Berryman perform Paradise with Coldplay in Stanford Stadium during the band's Music of the Spheres World Tour on Saturday May Chris Riley Times-Herald Coldplay setlist based on our notes and information from setlist fm Higher Power Adventure of a Lifetime Paradise The Scientist Viva la Vida Hymn for the Weekend Magic God Put a Smile Upon Your Face Yellow All My Love People of the Pride Clocks We Pray Infinity Sign Something Just Like This My Universe A Sky Full of Stars Encore Sparks The Jumbotron Song Fix You Good Feelings feelslikeimfallinginlove Chris Martin performs with Coldplay in Stanford Stadium during the band's Music of the Spheres World Tour on Saturday May Chris Riley Times-Herald