Coldplay’s second Sydney show halted briefly by relentless rain

Chris Martin and the band had Sydney singing in the rain at their second sold out show despite a brief delay.

Coldplay was forced to take a five-minute time-out during their second Sydney show when the relentless rain played havoc with their production.

Chris Martin and the crowd didn’t stop dancing under the drenching but the show briefly stopped midway through the set after playing All My Love.

The pub choir vibes of the Music of the Spheres concert weren’t dampened as another packed house of more than 80,000 fans swelled in voice to Coldplay classics including Viva la Vida and Fix You.

Their beloved breakthrough hit Yellow also got a restart thanks to a broken guitar string.

Thanks for singing in the rain with us Sydney 💛💚☔️ pic.twitter.com/81bWs4FE3G

— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 7, 2024

Whether it rains or pours, I'm all yours 🎈

🇦🇺 #ColdplaySydney 🎥: @neilenore

pic.twitter.com/qNjtsEi5R2

— Coldplay FM (@coldplay_fm) November 7, 2024

First Night Review

Coldplay’s kaleidoscopic concert of pop-fuelled joy electrified Sydney’s Accor Stadium as they opened their run of four-sold out gigs on their mammoth Music of the Spheres world tour on Wednesday.

The British band proved yet again why they are the masters of the immersive live music experience, armed with Chris Martin’s endearing charm and unflagging energy, a catalogue of crowd karaoke anthems and all of the props.

More than 80,000 fans became part of the show with their wristbands flashing bursts of choreographed colour, and punched giant balloons and grabbed handfuls of confetti which rained on the stadium floor.

Chris Martin had the crown on his feet from the moment he took the stage at Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Wednesday night kicks of a run of four sold-out shows in Sydney. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The band injected Australian flavour into the show ahead of the third song of the night, Martin again introducing Paradise with a bar of You’re The Voice with Paris Olympics champions Jess and Noemie Fox among those singing their lungs out.

Other nods to Oz included a burst of Kylie Minogue’s I Should Be So Lucky and Ac/DC’s Highway to Hell during God Put A Snile On Your Face.

Martin also thanked the Sydney “paparazzi” for their bonhomie when they stop started Sky Full of Stars for giving them space when they were filming the video for the song in the inner city suburb of Newtown a decade ago.

“Thank you for letting us sing this song where we filmed the video 10 years ago,” Martin said.

Chris Martin pointed out a boy who was being squished in the crowd. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Wednesday’s concert was sold out. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The frontman, who seemingly has laser eyes on every section of the crowd, pointed out a young boy “being squished by all these adults” and signalled for him to be brought over the barrier to be given a less crowded vantage point.

“Do you want some coke – the drink that is,” Martin joked.

Coldplay builds their live universe over four acts – Planets, Moons, Stars and Home – and two hours of relentlessly optimistic love songs.

Their more recent singles including All My Love and We Pray, are a world away from the melancholic indie rock anthems of their early days such as smash hit debut Yellow, a song which shines brightly in this set yet still possesses the power to tug gently at your broken heartstrings.

Will Champion from Coldplay on stage at Accor Stadium. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The show progressed through their 24 years of music making from much-loved classics from their first decade – Clocks, Fix You, Viva La Vida and The Scientist – to the electronic pop hits of their second decade A Sky Full of Stars and Something Just Like This.

It was a something for everyone setlist – their fans stretched across the generations – rather than an indulgent live promotion of their two most recent albums Music of the Spheres and Moon Music which underpin the reason for this epic world tour.

As only a great live concert can do, Coldplay united their tribe with Martin conducting their swelling voices into a full-throated, tuneful choir.

The band was at their full complement at the Sydney show, bassist Guy Berryman having fully recovered after falling ill just before their first Melbourne concert a week ago on stage with guitarist Jonny Buckland and drummer Will Champion.

By the time they finish up their global victory lap, the band will have sold almost 10 million tickets, making history as the most attended tour of all time, eclipsing even Taylor Swift’s Eras World tour.

They perform again at Accor Stadium on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday before heading to New Zealand.

Originally published as Coldplay’s second Sydney show halted briefly by relentless rain