Coldplay is an absolutely incredible band that does not receive the appreciation it deserves. It's not just about their pure talent (which each member has a ton of), their good looks or their beautiful music. Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman (along with Phil Harvey, a behind-the-scenes band member) are kind, humorous and positive people. Through both being themselves and their creation of music, Coldplay projects these same qualities onto their fans (like me!).
A few days after winning a pair of tickets to see Coldplay live (ah), a day to be marked in history arrived. July 17: the day I was graced with Chris, Jonny, Will, Guy and Phil's presence in person for the first time.
My friend Jess and I arrived at Metlife Stadium at 5 o'clock on the dot. OK, maybe a few minutes before or after 5 -- not important. But what's important is that Coldplay wasn't set to go on stage until 9 p.m.. We had four hours to kill, and the entire time I was freaking out inside.
By 6:15 p.m., Jess and I had received the tickets I had won. We weren't thrilled about the section (338), but we couldn't complain too much because after all, we were about to see Coldplay.
Once our tickets were scanned, we were handed Xylobands and a Love Buttons (one per person). I was close to tears of joy at this point, too. Whenever Chris goes for an interview, you'll notice that he hands the interviewee a Love Button. These buttons serve as reminders of how easy it is to heal a little piece of the world right where you are. They symbolize love and peace. And although everyone attending the concert receives a button, I like to think that Chris gave me that button personally, because that right there is a dream come true.
After two talented opening acts, Foxes and Alessia Cara (who is also very inspirational and positive), it was finally time for Coldplay. The stadium lights went out, and the Xylobands all turned on. Moments later, Chris, Jonnny, Will and Guy ran onstage kicking off the setlist with amazing songs: "A Head Full of Dreams" and "Yellow."
The amount of genuine joy, love, excitement and admiration I was feeling throughout Coldplay's two-hour performance is immeasurable. It breaks any scale you could think of. I was standing there in section 338, row 18, singing my heart out without a care in the world. At some point, in between "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" and "Paradise" (the third and sixth song on the setlist), I realized that it didn't matter where my seats were, or how far away I was from the band. I felt incredible, unstoppable and inspired. I felt like anything was possible, like I could achieve all of my dreams and push my constant negative feelings aside. I felt empowered and I felt confident in my choices, especially with my choice of being a huge Coldplay fan.
At almost every concert I have been to in my life -- scratch that, at every single concert I have been to in my life -- I have been too preoccupied with getting good pictures and videos. I wanted to have keepsakes and memories to hold onto. But the truth of the matter is, I wasn't making memories to keep. All I was doing was taking pictures, not enjoying the moment.
It took sitting in the nosebleed section for me to realize that there is absolutely no reason to hide behind a camera. My phone doesn't deserve these memories of Coldplay, I deserve these memories. And that was a moment of enlightenment for me.
My Coldplay concert was perfect. And I say that without hesitation. There was a moment when Chris missed a beat and threw the entire song's performance off, so he apologized and asked the crowd if it would be alright if we could go back and restart the song. He's such a polite man, such a loving person, and he made that moment so special. The thing about Coldplay is that they're real people. They genuinely care for their fans, they love to crack jokes amongst each other and they do their best to not just sit back and let life pass by. They are helping to make a difference in the world.
There were song dedications to places needing love and peace, like Nice, France and Baton Rouge. There were moments when it was the musical instruments being played with just the crowd's singing and, boy, was that beautiful. There were moments were the band had us all clapping our hands or putting our arms in the air in sync. There was a minute of "Adventure of a Lifetime" (AOAL) where Chris instructed the crowd to get down. He said (in that beautiful voice of his), "Everybody get down, everybody get down, stay down, stay low... stay down, everybody down, ssh.... down.... 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, go!" And at go, the entire stadium jumped back up to our feet. That was awesome.
On this tour, Coldplay always takes a request from Instagram for a song to be played. I had posted a video on Thursday, asking for the band to play "Army of One" (one of my favorite tracks on their latest album). Sadly, my song wasn't chosen, but that's OK because to my surprise, Moses Martin's adorable face appeared on stage. He requested that Coldplay played a song from "Back to the Future," which was his and his father (Chris if you hadn't guessed)'s favorite movie.
So there Coldplay was, playing and singing "Earth Angel," and out of nowhere, Michael J. Fox arrives on stage. The crowd went wild. Seriously, everyone broke out in screams. Michael J. Fox stood onstage for one more song after that, performing "Johnny B. Goode." It was insane.
How could I be upset that Coldplay didn't play the song I requested? There was no negative feelings whatsoever the entire night.
Jess and I left the concert during "A Sky Full of Stars," to try to beat traffic. Knowing we had work the next morning was brutal, and traffic was not an ideal way to kill valuable sleep time. We got to hear the rest of the song, as well as "Up & Up" (the final song on the setlist) on our way down the three escalators and while walking to my car.
Section 338 was not a nosebleed section, it was a section of bliss and contentment. Even though Chris, Jonny, Guy and Will probably didn't see us, they engaged with us and got us smiling, singing, laughing and dancing.
I will never forget my first Coldplay concert, and I pray that one day (ideally soon), I'll be off to my second Coldplay concert. I highly recommend attending the "A Head Full of Dreams" tour, and I am so grateful that I have Chris, Jonny, Will, Guy and Phil to turn to when I need inspiration and positivity.
