Concert Review: Coldplay – “Santa Clara, California – 9/3/16”

Three words: Oh my God.

Full disclaimer before I write this review: I was never a hardcore Coldplay fan. I was your typical, “I hear Coldplay on the radio. That’s about as much as I know.” However, all that changed after one concert experience.

Back in January, Coldplay announced their 2016 Head Full of Dreams Tour. Their last stop? The Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Fitting since this brought them full circle from when they performed during the Super Bowl alongside Beyonce and Bruno Mars. Only this time, the stadium was packed with one common reason – they were all here to see Coldplay rather than seeing who will take home the Super Bowl winning title.

Bishop Briggs and Alessia Cara were the opening acts. Although I missed Briggs (blame the crazy traffic) this would be the second time I caught Alessia in action only this time on a much bigger scale from when I saw her perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco. It’s amazing to see her come such a long way and release such positive vibes into the audience. She commanded the stage while everyone around me underestimated her talent. Granted, majority of the crowd when crazy when she played her hit single “Here” but after eavesdropping on everyone’s conversations, seems like she converted people into fans!

Coldplay took the stage not too long after. If you’re familiar with their latest album cover, think about how much color was on it and now imagine that exploding all over the place. I’ve never been to a Color Run but this is what I imagine it to be like. Every attendee received a wristband that lit up different colors during each song. No matter where you were standing, sitting or dancing, it was a beautiful sight to see. Throw in fireworks and music that commanded when the wristband would light up, you have a packed stadium in awe.

To my surprise, I knew far more Coldplay songs than I gave myself credit for. My other surprise was not knowing how smitten I’d be by Chris Martin. It was hard not to love him and you could just tell by how he was running around like a little kid on the stage just how much he loves his job. Seeing someone rolling around, lying down on stage and telling unforgettable stories that the audience will always remember are the type of shows that I live for.

The memorable acts of the night would be the small tribute to the late Gene Wilder with a cover of “Pure Imagination” and “Everglow.” A few days just before the show, the internet was buzzing with articles of the band’s rendition of the song but to see it in person really does pull at your heartstrings. And to hear a stripped down version of “Everglow”? I feel as if that’s how the song should have been like in the first place.

There was not an upset fan in their seat. It’s hard to be upset when you have frontman Chris Martin, Jon Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drums), and Guy Berryman (bass) on stage playing nothing but the best feel good music performing all the tracks you’re all too familiar with (ex: “The Scientist”, “A Sky Full of Stars”) and songs that don’t get the radio play they deserve (ex: “Amazing Day”).  This was truly an “Adventure of a Lifetime.”