Coldplay has always been one of those bands I have loved since I was a kid. I’ll never forget the first time I heard “Clocks” on one of my mom’s NOW CD’s, or the time I remembered this was the same band who played that amazing song “Yellow”. Back then, I didn’t know that 18-year-old me would still be in love with those songs, along with a lot more.

Coldplay played their Viva La Vida tour in Phoenix in November of 2008, and that was their most recent show in Arizona up until last week. In 2008, I was still my 10-year-old self obsessed with Hannah Montana and The Jonas Brothers, but I still remember thinking how amazing it would be to see them perform live. It took an agonizing 8 years for them to come back, but it was well worth the wait.

When they first announced their A Head Full of Dreams tour, Phoenix, as always, was not on the list. My friends and I didn’t care what price the tickets were or what weekend the show was on, we were traveling to LA and seeing Coldplay. We purchased our tickets, cried over the amount we just spent, and rejoiced! We were finally seeing Coldplay after almost 20 years of them being a band.

Little did we know that right around the corner, Coldplay dropped a SECOND leg of the tour, and guess what city was on it. You hit it out of the park, it was Phoenix (technically Glendale, but you get the point). I immediately went into ulta-shock mode because 1) Coldplay was coming to Phoenix and 2) I already had tickets to the LA show.

I now had three options. One being to sell the LA tickets and go to the Phoenix show. Two being to forget all about the Phoenix show and just go to the show I already had tickets for. And three being to spend $400 and see the band of my dreams twice. I’m pretty sure you know which one I picked.

When the long-awaited day finally came, my friends and I booked it to LA to escape the Phoenix heat for the weekend and to witness the miracle that is Coldplay in concert. One thing that pleasantly surprised us was how the entire audience was made to feel like part of the show. For many of their shows, they give out light-up wristbands to each audience member that glow different colors in correspondence with the music. Pretty sick, right? I had been waiting to wear one of those wristbands for as long as I can remember, and I practically jumped out of my skin when they started handing them out at the front gates.

I wish I could describe to you how it felt to be in that room. The LA show was at the Rose Bowl Stadium with approximately 80,000 people pouring their souls out in harmony with Coldplay songs. Probably one of the best feelings in the world.

A few days later in Phoenix, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. Going out of town the first weekend of college I do not recommend, unless you are seeing Coldplay. I had so much going on that I honestly couldn’t comprehend that I still had a second dose of Coldplay to look forward to. When I walked into Gila River Area with another wristband on, looking at all of the familiar props, I finally felt at peace. I was able to let go of my worries for the rest of the night, and just focus on what was happening right then. That’s what kind of power music has on the mind and the soul.

The night in Phoenix was incredibly special. Not only were they back in my hometown after 8 years, but there was something especially different about going from the Rose Bowl to something a little smaller. They also sang one of their old ones they don’t sing as often called “Shiver,” which is a magical song that I’ve had stuck in my head since that night. It’s hard to get something that chilling and that beautiful out of your brain once you’ve heard it live.

Anyways, I could go on and on. But all of this to say, Coldplay has created magic in my life ever since I first heard “Yellow” or “Clocks,” or since I fell in love with Mylo Xyloto when “Paradise” first hit the top charts. I can honestly say this is the band I’ve loved the longest. Here’s to 20 more years of life-changing music.