Page 13: All mellow for Carlton, Melbourne Football Club bosses at Coldplay gig

Carlton coach Michael Voss has joined a horde of footy big names to sing along to UK rockers Coldplay at Marvel Stadium, while Demons powerbrokers Gary Pert and Brad Green even broke bread before the gig.

It takes Coldplay to get Melbourne Football Club powerbrokers to break bread.

That’s rock’n’roll baby.

Fresh after the Herald Sun broke the news Demons CEO Gary Pert was leaving the club on Thursday, there he was front and centre in the impressive Marvel Stadium Skyline lounge enjoying the free grub and booze before the UK rockstars started.

And by grub we mean freshly shucked oysters, wagyu beef and pina colada cocktails that could blow your head off.

Any thoughts of an awks moment when interim president Brad Green walked into the room quickly evaporated with the two later chatting. Pert is understood to be staying on in the office for a few weeks as the report of the club’s internal review was set to drop on Friday. They don’t call it bad news Friday for nothing, with executives and government loving to bury news by dumping it before a weekend or holiday. We digress.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin with Carlton coach Michael Voss. Picture: Supplied

Page 13 can’t help but pick up on the scuttlebutt of the room with whispers Pert could be moving to Melbourne Racing Club, but that was later pooh-poohed and we are told on good authority he will just be overseeing the MFC’s ambitious bid for a $100m training centre in the middle of the Caulfield racecourse. However, that plan looks like it has as many hurdles in front of it as Sally Person did when she won the 100m gold in the London 2012 Olympics.

Again we digress.

Elsewhere, another recently departed, in the form of former prez Kate Roffey was also in the room as was beloved legend Neale Daniher with his family and diehard Demons fan, radio king Russell Howcroft. We told you the Melbourne footy club big hitters love Coldplay!

The blue baggers had their swag and swagger too with president Luke Sayers, crime fighting hero and coach Michael Voss and CEO Brian Cook all huddled together.

Live Nation senior vice president Luke Hede couldn’t help give a cheeky dig to all the AFL “freeloaders” in the room saying they had to work extra hard to set off the carbon emissions they were all creating in line with the UK band’s sustainable message.

Chris Martin in concert. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Marvel Stadium lights up for Coldplay. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

And Live Nation certainly wasn’t just talking the talk. All the food was locally sourced, each ticket at what has now become the “biggest rock and roll tour of all time” has meant 10 million trees have been planted to reduce carbon emission, there were even bikes being pedaled out the back of the venue to help power the show in an effort to make things greener.

And what a show it was, with Karate Kid superstar Ralph Macchio randomly giving a surprise performance.

Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman was also back, with Martin saying he had learnt one thing from Melbourne “don’t eat bacon and eggs if the eggs aren’t quite cooked” – ouch! So much for us being the food capital of Australia!

Karate Kid superstar Ralph Macchio, right. randomly gave a surprise performance.. Picture: Supplied

The incredible performance which literally had the whole stadium rocking and swaying in unison singing hits from Yellow to The Scientist had the VIPs later hitting Bar Margaux for the after party. Lead singer Martin sat in a cordoned off section with the family of his former best mate Shane Warne, including Brooke and Jackson Warne, and the late spin king’s ex, Simone. Powderfinger, who supported the UK rockers on their last Aussie tour, also had lead guitarist Darren Middleton saying hello. But a strict no-photo policy meant the many AFL freeloaders couldn’t get a happy snap with Martin, but believe us when we say they did try. But trust in Vossy to beat them all to it. He was the only one to get a pic with the Coldplay superstar after diehard Carlton fan and support act Emmanuel Kelly introduced the pair, later posting to CFC Instagram “It was all Yellow but also a bit of Navy Blue.”

Rock on!