Special Evening with Chris & Jonny

Last weekend, I asked my friend to participate in the Coldplay fundraiser and it was unbelievable when she told me she got two tickets for the special intimate concert with two of the band members. I cannot even begin to imagine how lucky we were to get this experience. We had bonded over this band and now we were sitting in the front row overlooking Chris and Jonny singing songs they don’t generally play in concerts. They were right in front of us, almost an arm’s length away.

Both of us had queued outside for almost an hour to ensure we got good seats. And I remember thinking about the question they had asked in the form about song requests. Both of us had suggested Sparks as it meant a lot to us. Although I was thinking if it were up to just me, I would probably suggest a song from Ghost Stories because of how much that album meant to me. I thought about how crazy it would be to listen to Always in My Head live. If someone told my younger self who cried while listening to Ghost Stories on her Himalayan trekking trips, that Chris Martin would start his intimate concert, with her in the front row, with Always in My Head – she would’ve laughed at the wild absurdity of this scenario.

My jaw dropped when I saw the music sheets and the setlist right in front of me – the first song being Always in My Head. I don’t think goosebumps have ever left my skin the entire night. Each song in the setlist had been requested by audience members and Chris was calling them out, talking to them about what that song means to them. The setlist was perfect, from popular songs like Yellow, Everglow, Clock, Magic, Viva la Vida, The Scientist, A Sky Full of Stars to lesser-played songs like Always in My Head, Strawberry Swing, feelslikeimfallinginlove, Jupiter, The Karate Kid, Coloratura, All My Love and Christmas Lights. Jonny was absolutely incredible on guitar on every single song. His riff for Strawberry Swing echoed inside Hackney Church and it truly reflected the sentiments of nostalgia that the audience member had shared. He had described his connection with the song so well – him rushing home from school to listen to the new Coldplay album in 8th grade and instantly connecting with the new sound of Coldplay through Strawberry Swing.

They also had another one of their team members helping with piano on some songs. I don’t think I can ever forget listening to this version of Magic on the grand piano, with acoustic and electric guitar. Another song that I never thought I would hear live was Coloratura. The audience member who had requested this song spoke beautifully about how the musical instruments build in the song and the sense of togetherness we feel as humans across the world. They played the entirety of the 10-minute song, completely live, with the grand piano, electric guitar and a violin quartet. It was simply ethereal.

We were asked to not take photos or videos. It’s one of those experiences that only a few people can talk about, with no public photos or recordings – only memories. It was relieving to just sit and listen to them, without any pressure of capturing it and looking at them through screens. It made me think about the constant fear of missing out on saving digital memories and how important it is to overcome it to live or rather feel in the present.

I fail to truly comprehend what I experienced on Tuesday night. I feel so connected to artists that I used to listen to as a teenager miles away, never expecting to get so close to them and look into the passion in their eyes. I remember whispering to my friend yesterday when Chris started with the chords for The Scientist, “It feels like we’re inside a dream”. This special evening was just that. It was my teenage daydreams that turned into reality.