“Thanks for a phenomenal Friday, Singapore,” said Coldplay in a tweet. 

Last Friday night (26/1), we experienced a new high. We found ourselves transported to a new universe, thanks to the GRAMMY-winning act. On the third night of the British rock band’s Music of the Spheres World Tour in Singapore, the band not only unleashed an indelible spectacle – sights of digital fireworks, sustainable pyrotechnics, and a whole lot of confetti – but they also empowered their advocacy for an inclusive and sustainable world.

Thanks for a phenomenal Friday, Singapore pic.twitter.com/9CFOI4HuHN

— Coldplay (@coldplay) January 26, 2024

The band whisked us away with a 21-track setlist of tracks from their rich discography, with songs from Parachutes (2000), Mylo Xyloto (2011) A Head Full of Dreams (2015), and Music of the Spheres (2021). The 60,000-strong crowd (from here, there, and everywhere) at the National Stadium was able to share a safe space to cry, laugh, and scream to their heart’s content. The moment band members Chris Martin (vocals and piano), Guy Berryman (bass), Will Champion (drums), and Jonny Buckland (guitar) emerged on stage, two hours flew by without a hitch. Given the stunning production and acclaimed hits performed in full swing, how could it not? 

Coldplay kickstart 6-night Singapore residency with vibrant performances and heartfelt connections – photo gallery

So when the stadium pulsated with the glow of LED wristbands as the lights dimmed, we knew we were in for the adventure of a lifetime. 

Check out the highlights of the Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour in Singapore below.

FUELED BY HIGHER, SUSTAINABLE POWER

The Music of the Spheres World Tour is made to be “as sustainable and low-carbon as possible” by reducing carbon emissions, supporting new green technologies, and making the tour environmentally beneficial. 

The band’s stage production is charged with renewable and low-emission energy, powered up by solar panels, rechargeable show batteries, and kinetic energy by concert-goers. With power bikes and kinetic floors installed around the stadium, one’s dancing (and initiative to workout) helps to charge the show batteries while we immerse in the music. 

When Chris stood solo at the B Stage, located at the far end of the main stage’s runway, he ignited the electrifying kickoff of the show with ‘Higher Power’, a fitting start to hype up those jumping around on the floor. With all our hands in the air, the stadium glowed with hues of red, blue, and purple synced to the clash of drums, as we chanted “You’ve got higher power” in unison during the chorus. 

With no breaks in between to reflect on what a sight it was, the band broke into ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ and ‘Paradise’.

“TIP-TOP PERFECT AUDIENCE”

Slowing down the tempo, the band treated us to a heartwarming set of ‘The Scientist’ as Chris settled down on his piano (no technical issues tonight!). This time, the lights turned down the brightness leaving only a green glow on the main stage, which enhanced the connection between us and the band. 

As they delivered the iconic track, the entirety of the stadium echoed the words flawlessly alongside Chris’ unwavering vocals from start to finish.

Mid-song, Chris shared his gratitude to the concert-goers for the night. “Thank you for giving us this beautiful Friday night in Singapore. We welcome you from wherever you’re from, whether you’re from here or you came from the Philippines, or Indonesia, or Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Borneo, or Australia. We’re so happy to see all of you and thank you for already being tip-top perfect as an audience, you’re just wonderful. And so we’ll prove how perfect you are by asking you to sing with us now. And we’ll sing together now, don’t be shy, it’s okay.”

And with that, we carried the chorus while Chris’ fingers danced on the piano: “Nobody said it was easy / Oh, it's such a shame for us to part / Nobody said it was easy / No one ever said it would be so hard / Oh let’s go back to the start”.

THE MOMENT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

I don’t know about you, but the ultimate song that we have to hear live by Coldplay is ‘Viva la Vida’. It seemed like I wasn’t alone on this, because as soon as the distinct violin instrumentals blasted through the speakers, the crowd erupted into cheers and chanted the legendary “Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh” without any prompts from the band. In that moment, it felt like we ruled the world. 

By the song’s end, drummer Will held the note for the chant while Chris pointed at each side of the stadium to carry the tune one last time before moving on to ‘Something Just Like This’.

@coldplaythescientist #ColdplaySingapore | Espectacular momento "Viva La Vida" hace instantes en Singapur. (24/01/2024) . #Coldplay #ColdplayConcert ♬ sonido original - T H E / S C I E N T I S T

A collaborative track with The Chainsmokers, the track has hit over 2 billion streams on Spotify to date. And now that we’ve heard it in the flesh, it was definitely a hard hit in the feels like some fairytale bliss. As the song builds up to the crescendo of Jonny’s guitar solo, beams of light from the stage blink in harmony with each drum hit. Then, a line of red-to-yellow gradient confetti shoots up along the stage runway, colouring the sky with a gorgeous cascade as Chris dashes across toward Stage B.

WE CALL IT MAGIC

Taking a breather from the exhilaration, Chris remains solo on stage and makes his rounds to read fan-made signs. Fortunately, two lucky fans with signs that read “Can you sing Magic for my beautiful daughter, Lily?,” and  “I just healed from autoimmune, can you sing Magic for me and all autoimmune survivors?” were called up to share an intimate set of ‘Magic’ with the singer-songwriter.

@yshunbin Chris Martin singing ‘Magic’ as the surprise song on night 3 of Singapore Music of the Spheres world tour. sorry if the video is shaky because I was sobbing 😢 #coldplay #coldplayconcert #coldplaysingapore #coldplaysg #musicofthespheresworldtour #coldplaymagic #coldplaypiano #singapore #fyp ♬ original sound - yshunbin - Shaun Yeoh

As Chris delicately glides his fingers across the piano, he serenades them with a stripped-back version of the track, and even shares a light-hearted moment as he pulls the microphone closer to the pair and harmonised. 

Being the lyrical genius he is, Chris switches up the lyrics during the second verse: “I call it magic / I’m so happy, Cece / You beat your autoimmune / And I just got over / over the blue / I should remember / This song’s for Lily too.”

AND IT WAS ALL YELLOW

Just then, all the pent-up excitement and euphoria comes down to this. The moment Chris said “You know I love you so”, a warm golden glow embraced the darkness, and the renowned guitar riffs of ‘Yellow’ wailed across the arena. A timeless song about love that tugs at your heartstrings, it’s hard to not sing along or stifle a cry. As we belted the entire ballad of the breakthrough hit, we shared this everlasting memory with our loved ones and fans across Singapore shores which is one to be remembered for years to come.

@jungieraa Watching Coldplay Concert with my 💛❤️. Checked ✅ #coldplaysingapore #coldplayconcert #coldplay #concertcheck #yellow ♬ original sound - Gieralalala

To make the scene all the more beautiful, canary “stars” shimmered around the roof of the stadium, complementing the radiant yellow glimmer all over the stadium.

MUSIC FOR EVERYONE

To make their music accessible to everyone, Coldplay have laid out initiatives to introduce their musical pieces to those with hearing impairments, sensory sensitivities, and low vision. 

A sign-language area is open for those with disabilities, where local sign-language interpreters and SubPacs – tactile audio systems that allow one to feel the bass – assist the concertgoers in connecting with the music.

@neilenore The power of music going beyond what you can hear ❤️ Here's Daniel and Shawn, sign language interpreters for the #ColdplaySingapore concert. Guests are also wearing SUBPACs to "feel" the music. Thank you, @coldplay for always being inclusive. #deaf #deaftiktok #coldplay #music #fyp #fypシ #musicofthespheresworldtour #sgtiktok #sgsl #signlanguageinterpreter #signlanguage ♬ original sound - Neil Enore

On top of that, Chris performed a rendition of ‘Hymn for the Weekend’ using sign language, and danced to an other-worldly showcase of ‘Aeterna’ when the band put on alien headgears. 

A PHENOMENAL UNIVERSE UNLEASHED

As the Lion City is typically deprived of stars, the sky was full of it that night. Finally, the time has come for us to experience the ecstasy of another popular track off Coldplay’s Ghost Stories album, ‘Sky Full of Stars’. Naturally, we carried the first verse and chorus but as we were charging up for the beat to drop, the band stopped dead in their tracks. 

“I have to catch the train, thank you so much goodbye,” Chris joked. “Well thank you, everybody, so far it’s so perfect. You’re just wonderful and you’re giving us the best Friday, we’re so grateful,” Chris expressed before asking us to store away our phones and cameras for the rest of the song. Just then, the instrumentals were revived together with the burst of blue flashes.

@fridaytgif ASFOS @coldplay #musicofthespheresworldtour #singapore #askyfullofstarscoldplay ♬ original sound - Friday

CHRIS MARTIN, THE LYRICAL GENIUS

If you’ve already been to one of the Coldplay shows in Singapore or anywhere else in the world, you would know that Chris is apt to think on his feet. Before concluding the show with ‘Fix You’ and ‘Biutyful’, he instructed everyone to keep their eyes on the jumbotron, as the cameraman selected random fans to appear on the screen and perhaps have Chris sing a personalised song for them.

Here are the three best jumbotron songs for the night.

“This beautiful man / And his lovely Alien Radio miss / They like to touch each other whenever they can / And now you’re on the big screen so give her a kiss,” dedicated to a couple donning matching Coldplay Alien Radio t-shirts. 

“I go to a show of my favourite band / And guys that I’d quite like to meet / But I always just stay in my favourite clothes / I love Coldplay, but I prefer Sesame Street,” dedicated to a fan wearing a Sesame Street t-shirt.

“You really did not have to worry / You really did not make me frown / You could have left it the way that you had it / I’m so clever I can read upside down / Happy birthday to you,” dedicated to a fan holding a “Chris! Today is my birthday!” sign upside down. 

Wrapping up the concert, the band reminded us how beautiful we are as they brought out ‘Biutyful’, a positive note to conclude a wonderful night. Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour is certainly one for the books given the astounding showmanship and thoughtful acts of sustainability and inclusivity. As we bear witness to the hypnotic masterpiece it’s clear that we’ll hit the wall with severe post-concert depression for a while, because where else can you find something just like this?

Music of the Spheres World Tour in Singapore (26 January) setlist:

1. Higher Power
2. Adventure of a Lifetime
3. Paradise
4. The Scientist
5. Viva La Vida
6. Something Just Like This
7. Magic
8. Charlie Brown
9. Yellow
10. Human Heart
11. People of The Pride
12. Clocks
13. Infinity Sign
14. Hymn for the Weekend
15. Aeterna
16. My Universe
17. A Sky Full of Stars
18. Sparks
19. The Jumbotron Song
20. Fix You
21. Biutyful