Chris Martin reveals brutal reason why Coldplay hasn’t toured Australia’s east coast in eight years
Chris Martin has let slip the brutal reason why Coldplay hasn’t performed shows on Australia’s east coast in eight years.
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Chris Martin has revealed why it’s taken Coldplay eight years to return to Australia’s east coast.
The beloved British band last performed shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney as part of their A Head Full of Dreams Tour in 2016, before coming back for two concerts in Perth last year.
During their long-awaited opening show at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Wednesday night, Martin told concertgoers there was a contentious reason why the group dodged returning to Australia, despite their love of performing here.
“We haven’t been to Melbourne and Sydney and Brisbane for quite some time,” he began, before chuckling to himself. “I’m going to tell it, f**k it.”
The frontman, 47, went on to say he read a negative review of his concert at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, which took place December 6, 2016.
“The reason we haven’t played [here] for quite some time is, I made the mistake eight years ago, I looked at the press and a gentleman wrote an article saying that he lived next to the stadium, and he said we ruined his night.
“So I was like, ‘Oh s**t’.”
Martin then thanked the crowd for supporting the band on their current Music of the Spheres tour, while also extending an apology to “anyone who can hear outside and we’re ruining their [night].”
“What I learned from that, is it’s OK if someone doesn’t like you,” Martin went on.
“As long as you’re doing your best, maybe you’re helping them by being a safe target.”
Coldplay’s tour is complete sello ut across four shows in Melbourne and another four at Sydney’s Accor Stadium. Notably, they aren’t playing in Brisbane.
While Martin delivered the story with a sense of humour, it isn’t the first time he’s referenced the Brisbane gentleman’s grumpy review.
Speaking to Today in 2021 to promote their single Higher Power, Martin told entertainment reporter Brooke Boney he “loves playing Australia so much” but had been left scarred by the article.
“It’s taken me about five years to get over this one thing that happened the last time,” Martin said at the time.
“I don’t read reviews very seldom, if ever … [but] the last time we were in Australia, the only thing I saw, the only thing, was a guy who wrote a review of our Brisbane show and said that he wasn’t even at the concert, he was in his garden.
“He said we ruined his night because he lived, like, a block away.
“I still feel terrible.”
Coldplay will return to the stage in Melbourne tonight and on November 2 and 3, before heading to Sydney for concerts on November 6, 7, 9 and 10.
Their Aussie tour got off to a frantic start when, for the first time since the band formed in 1997, the show had to go on without their bassist Guy Berryman, who came down with a sudden illness.
“Tonight was the first time in our band’s history that we’ve played a show without all four members onstage,” the band wrote on Instagram after the show.
“Guy was taken ill unexpectedly just before the show. Thank you for carrying us through it.”
Originally published as Chris Martin reveals brutal reason why Coldplay hasn’t toured Australia’s east coast in eight years
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