From giving Pinoy bands a platform to commenting about traffic, Coldplay made their back-to-back concerts a weekend to remember.
Related: Bringing the House Down: 5 Reasons Why Filipinos Are The Best Concert Crowds
Coldplay performed two colorful, glorious, sold-out shows at the Philippine Arena last January 19 and 20, if your friends and family’s Instagram stories didn’t let you know! The British rock band’s Music of the Spheres show in Bulacan was a memorable one, filled with lights, lots of cheer, color, great music, and moments that would only happen in the Philippines. From the band bringing Filipino bands to the stage to the president catching heat about his use of a helicopter to attend the concert, Coldplay’s back-to-back featured some moments and highlights that were pretty distinctly Pinoy—for better or for worse.
RAINING IN MANILA
Frontman Chris Martin shared that Lola Amour’s hit Raining in Manila came to his mind the day before the show when he was driving, and he sang a bit of the song before bringing the band right on stage with him to perform.
IT WAS ALL DILAW
@docyappy Dilaw sings Uhaw with Coldplay’s Chris Martin!🤩🤩🤩 #coldplay #musicofthespheres #philippinearena #dilaw #uhaw ♬ original sound – Eric Yapjuangco, MD
For Day 2 of Music of the Spheres, Coldplay invited Pinoy rock band Dilaw to the stage. Dilaw performed their song Uhaw with the band. To add, jikamarie served as the opening act for both nights, which she described as a “surreal” experience. Coldplay inviting and giving these Filipino artists a platform is amazing of them to do, and it makes for a unique experience per stop.
TRAFFIC
Chris Martin called Manila traffic “bullshit” with Bongbong Marcos in the audience tonight. As he should’ve. LOL. Iconic 😂🤣 #Coldplay #ColdplayManila #ColdplayBulacan pic.twitter.com/IEE92rB9dW
— Bernice Jathniela (@bernicearreola) January 19, 2024
The Philippine Arena is known for long driving hours to get to due to its distance from the Metro and the traffic along the highways that lead to it. Shuttles are offered, which do often allow more people to get access to the Arena, but the traffic and the isolation of the Arena complex are still cause for complaint to many people. Chris Martin himself commended people for braving the traffic, calling it “insane” and probably the worst in the world. Filipinos are no stranger to the worsening traffic and transportation issues in the Philippines, and perhaps, hopefully, the more calls for change are amplified, the faster they get properly addressed.
IT’S GIVING CHOIR
@_potaeto ctto🤍 #coldplay #motswt #philippinearena #musicofthespheresworldtour #foryou #fyp #ph ♬ original sound – jk
Filipinos are never beating the pitch-perfect co-singer allegations! Mid-show, the band asked fans to sing back some lines of “love who you love” that they’d use for a song on their next album. The crowd ate, of course, and not without some lighthearted fun.
A SKY FULL OF STARS
🇬🇧's @coldplay playing to 50,000 adoring fans in the world's biggest indoor arena. I think even Chris Martin was a little blown away! #ColdplayManila #skyfullofstars #Philippines🇵🇭😍 pic.twitter.com/cAxnXanBLw
— Iain Cox (@IainCox1) January 21, 2024
There’s always so much fun involved in concerts, and Coldplay concerts have no shortage of lively energy. From the giant balloons bouncing around the arena to the synced wristbands lighting up in a rainbow of colors, Filipinos did what they do best at a concert: make sure their energy is at a thousand percent.
SO SINO NAG-UWI?
87% tayo last night. #ColdplayManila pic.twitter.com/E2KRPiVir5
— Philippine Concerts (@philconcerts) January 20, 2024
Speaking of wristbands, the Philippines returned 87% of the wristbands back to the band after the show, the lowest turnout so far. Returning and recycling of the wristbands (as well as the stationary bikes used during the concert) is a conscious effort by the band to ensure they champion sustainability during their shows. People also brought home some of the giant balloons, for some reason. Maybe not so much Pinoy pride, but people wryly commented that it’s not all that surprising given that it happened here, but that we can do better.
IJBOL MOMENTS
@katha.creative HAHAHAHAHA sorry, Kuya, tawang tawa ako. 😂😭 Nasaktuhan lang din na vinivideohan ko yung bola. #Coldplay2024 #coldplayinph ♬ original sound – Kata
No show is without a dogshow! A few of the giant balloons floating around knocked phones out of people’s hands, and people have posted POVs from both people witnessing it happen, and from those whose phones dropped to the floor because of a giant colored ball. No one can say these shows weren’t fun.
Continue Reading: 10 Of The Best Moments From Fall Out Boy’s Manila Concert That Was Worth The 10-Year Wait
