LIVE REVIEW: Coldplay – Emirates Stadium, 02/06/2012

It’s a slightly damp Saturday evening in busy London Town and although we feel we should be eating scones and sipping on a cuppa we’ve headed off to the Emirates Stadium to see one heck of a band called Coldplay.

First act of the evening was fresh-faced Rita Ora; she’s got beautiful vocals and great stage presence even at a gig of this magnitude. However, she did try to jam as many tracks as possible into her short time slot, which meant that many were cut short. She would build the crowd up, only for the song to then end. Sad Face.

Second up was Robyn, with her Jedi inspired haircut and green Timberland crossed with Spice Girlesque boots. Well I guess she’s known for being a bit extrovert. Her well-known tunes were definitely a hit with the crowd, such as ‘With every heartbeat’ had everyone dancing. Alas, we were unable to compare with Robyn’s own dance style. You go girl!

The Back to the Future theme tune started to play as Coldplay took to the stage. The radio-controlled wristbands we were given began to flash along to the music, illuminating the whole stadium. It was beyond beautiful. Pyrotechnics blasted away from the stage glistening as they fizzled off. Kicking it all off with ‘Hurts like Heaven’, these guys know how to put on a show.

They had every bell and whistle you could think of, neon confetti in the shapes of hearts, birds and flowers banged out of a cannon along to ‘In My Place’. Inflatable flames and shapes adorned the surroundings of the stage to ‘Don’t let it break your heart’. Even gigantic balls crowd surfed to ‘Lovers in Japan’. As the rain turned from light drizzle to cats and dogs, the band and audience refused to surrender to nature’s power; both mocking its attempt to dampen the spirits with a brief rendition of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. It’s incredible the extent of the bands capacity to touch the music loving soul of everyone there, even those at the highest peak. Chris Martin dedicates ‘Yellow’ to his Mrs, Gwyneth and our hearts soften.

A small interval sees the band head to the other end of the field on a tiny stage, announcing that they didn’t want anyone to be left out. They are charming in their personality and presence. Even when Chris has to start ‘Speed of Sound’ again for messing it up, he is instantly forgiven. Making their way to the main stage, they pass us, as they do so they brush our hand – don’t expect it to be washed anytime soon – and even though slightly worn out, show their gratitude to each fan with a smile. They finish up with popular songs ‘Fix You’ and ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’ with a firework display to rival that of Bonfire Nights.

They are a power anthem band singing every note with passion and playing each chord with a touch of gold. Throughout the entire set the stadium was glowing, whether it was by the impressive light system or the crowd belting the songs back.

In a year where our country is celebrating with the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics, there is a reason to be British and proud. Set in a football stadium with beer flowing, rain pouring and great rock music, this was definitely a proud British moment for us.