Of love, peace and BTS: Coldplay 'sings magic for every heart' in Korea
by Korea JoongAng Daily
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
GOYANG, Gyeonggi — If I had a nickel every time Coldplay’s arrival in Korea coincided with the ousting of a president, I’d have two nickels; which is not much, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Yes, I know. The punchline has been wearing thin for a while now. But the unoriginality of the joke aside, I’d argue that it does hint at something real: Korea is nothing if not dynamic.
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
And perhaps that’s part of the reason why the country holds such deep affection for the British band, so much so that it had to add two more dates for its Korean leg of the “Music of the Spheres” world tour for a total of six.
At least for me, the connection feels personal; the emotions the band’s music stirs surely transcend borders, but at the same time, it somehow strikes a chord in me that feels profoundly, undeniably Korean.
When the iconic intro of “Viva la Vida” (2008) echoed across the Goyang Stadium, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday — the first time the song was played live in eight years — it was met with an eruption of wild cheers and roof-raising chants.
And that was the moment. The song wasn’t just heard; it was lived.
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
Just like when the music played on city streets amidst the nation’s first presidential impeachment, or when Coldplay paid tribute to the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy during its 2017 concert in Seoul with its song “Yellow” (2000) and a yellow ribbon on screen — the band’s music has become a soundtrack not just for a fan’s everyday coming and going, but for some of the nation’s most dramatic, emotional moments.
And judging by Wednesday night, the love doesn’t appear to be one-sided.
“You’ve been the best audience in the whole world,” frontman Chris Martin said in between choruses of “A Sky Full of Stars” (2014), a sentiment he repeated in awe throughout the concert. “It’s incredible.”
One thing’s for sure: Coldplay has had a lot of love to spare — I mean a lot, a lot, considering the whole tour is themed around the concept — and so did Korea.
Top: ″Moon glasses″ that Coldplay handed out to the audience before the concert. Above: Lights appear in heart shapes when viewed through the ″Moon glasses″ during the concert. [SHIN HA-NEE]
From the very first moments of the show, as Martin stepped onto the stage alongside Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, the stadium began to pulse like a single living organism.
It was like I became part of something much larger, as some 50,000 wristbands lit up with red lights across the stadium, surging in sync like a heartbeat to the instrumental building up to the powerful opener, “Higher Power” (2021).
Throughout the show as the band played hit after hit, the audience was part of the performance. In the electric silence right before the explosive chorus drop for “Adventure of a Lifetime” (2015) and the sheer, wild zeal during “Charlie Brown” (2011) — so intense that, seated on the very top of the stadium, I briefly wondered if the floor might crack — the crowd was truly immersed in the moment, lines blurred in one giant, pulsing flow.
And when I said the audience was part of the show, I meant that quite literally, because: one, fans could jump on “kinetic floors” at the back of the standing area and pedal bicycles to generate electricity used to power the show; and two, Martin actually brought a fan holding a sign that says “I delayed military service to come and see you” on stage to serenade him and sing “Up&Up” (2015) together.
“The reason I chose your sign is because of our brothers in BTS who are in the army right now,” said the singer.
And yes, BTS was a constant presence throughout the show.
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
Not physically, of course, considering that four out of its seven members are still on military duty, but you know, emotionally. Martin gave a shout-out to the group multiple times, and video footage of the members was shown on screen during the performance of “My Universe,” a 2021 collaboration of the two megabands.
At some point, the two-hour-long show began to feel like a long, heartfelt conversation. One particular moment that stood out to me came toward the end of the show, when a pink-haired young man appeared on the big screen, randomly chosen for an impromptu serenade. When asked where he came from, he responded, “Russia!”
And Martin’s song for the fan went something like this: “Welcome, my beautiful brother / I know that coming here must have been stress / One day we’ll get to play, but Russia’s so far away / and we just need Mr. Putin to say yes.”
Cheeky as the lyrics were, what stuck with me was how the fan’s smile almost immediately gave way to tears when the singer sang about how long his journey must have been.
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
We will never know the man’s full story. But as the concert’s slogan — “Everyone is an alien somewhere” — reminds us, we all know what it’s like to feel so far, far away from home.
Korea isn’t exactly famous for its warmth toward strangers. But at least in that very moment, inside the stadium filled with tens of thousands of people of all walks of life, every boundary seemed to melt away. Suddenly, everyone was singing “Fix You” (2005), basked in a sunset-like orange glow — a chorus rising out of shared solitude, transformed into something so whole, so big.
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
“We are so grateful to all of you,” said Martin during the encore. “And thank you for hanging out together peacefully.
“In a world that can feel scary, you’re proving that most humans want to just get along fine — sing together, dance together, regardless of religion or race or nationality or gender or sexuality.”
The message of the tour has been clear from the start, and one fan’s sign captured it perfectly: “Sing magic for every heart that still believes in love.”
And sing Coldplay did.
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA]
Reference Written by SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr] Provided by Korea JoongAng Daily
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Coldplay performs during the “Music of the Spheres” world tour at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 16. [LIVE NATION KOREA] 
