ColdPlay at Gladstonebury

Overview

Coldplay make a triumphant return to Glastonbury three years after their last Pyramid headline slot. There’s a huge crowd to watch Chris and the boys all resplendent in black and the number of flags swaying in front of the stage is probably the most I’ve ever seen before the stage. Their anthemic tunes appear to have been written especially for these moments. They open with ‘Square One’ the first track off the new album X&Y and it would seem a lot of the audience have the album already. It’s a great opening track and any nerves the band may have aren’t being revealed tonight. It has a slightly spacey grandiose feel to it, and perfect for a Pilton nightfall. ‘Politik’ follows, the first song from ‘Rush of Blood’ and it’s slow building delivery causes more flag swaying and we get a tailor made verse for the moment about Glastonbury and from that moment on the crowd are nestling up to Coldplay, embracing their performance. But for the stragglers out there trying to dance in the sticky mud, ‘Yellow’ is fantastically delivered and the crowd are a few sceptics out there in the dark are becoming Coldplay fans. ‘God Put A Smile Upon Your Face’ continues to build the atmosphere then Christ Martin yells out, “Crazy Frog where are you now?” before the crowd favourite ‘Speed of Sound.’ Then there’s a magic moment, as he dedicates ‘Till Kingdom Come’ to all the Dads out there. Awww, it’s great to get recognition. We’ve all forgotten the mud and tribulations of the day as the band deliver more tunes. Highlights being ‘The Scientist,’ ‘Don’t Panic,’ and ‘Clocks’ and close their set with ‘Swallowed In The Sea’ and it’s been emotional. Female Coldplay fans are in tears, saying how this is the best performance they’ve ever seen by the band. Coldplay return to encore with a nod to Kylie who was unable to headline the Sunday due to illness. With a pumped up version of ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.’ Before we all raise our voices to the stars with the Glasto anthems ‘In My Place’ and ‘Fix You.’ A flawless performance and a fantastic end to the Saturday and we all head off happy to have been a part of another golden Glasto moment. Can’t help thinking as we walk away that more and more Coldplay are transforming into U2. Often Chris imitates Bono’s mannerisms on stage and much of the new material has U2 leanings. SET LIST: Square One Politik Yellow God Put A Smile Upon Your Face Speed Of Sound Low Warning Sign Everything’s Not Lost White Shadows The Scientist Till Kingdom Come Don’t Panic Clocks Swallowed In The Sea ENCORE Can’t Get You Out Of My Head In My Place Fix You