Michael J. Fox joins Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury
The Back to the Future actor, who has been battling Parkinson’s since 1991, joined the band for an emotional performance of their 2005 hit ‘Fix You’| WATCH
No one left Coldplay’s record-breaking Glastonbury set with dry eyes. The British pop rock titans closed Saturday night’s show on a tear-jerking note by inviting actor Michael J. Fox onto the stage to play guitar for their weepy anthem ‘Fix You.’
The performance marked the fifth time the quartet have headlined the festival — the most of any act in the festival’s history — and 25 years since they made their Glastonbury debut. Naturally, no expense was spared.
The star-studded set featured guest appearances from rapper and Top Boy star Little Simz, who debuted her collaboration with the band, ‘And So We Pray,’ from the forthcoming Moon Music (out in October); Femi Kuti and Palestinian/Chilean singer Elyanna, who performed with the band on a version of ‘Arabesque’ from Coldplay’s 2019 record Everyday Life; and Laura Mvula, who sung ‘Violet Hill’ from the 2008 album Viva la Vida.
Coldplay saved their most potent emotional K.O. for last: Before launching into ‘Humankind,’ frontman Chris Martin freestyled lyrics pointing out members of the crowd — including Fox: “With his Chuck Berry riff and the way he punched Biff: ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Michael J. Fox,” Martin announced as the actor took the stage.
Fox, who has been battling Parkinson’s disease since 1991, was in a wheelchair for the performance. He played guitar with the group for ‘Humankind’ and stuck around for an emotional performance of ‘Fix You’ that saw festival punters’ wristbands light up in a warm orange. After the show, an elated Martin shared, “The main reason we’re in a band is because of ‘Back to the Future.’ So thank you to Michael, our hero.”
Coldplay’s Glasto set followed last week’s announcement that the band’s 10th album, titled Moon Music, will be released on October 4. The first single from the record, ‘Feels like I’m Falling in Love,’ produced by the Swedish hit-maker Max Martin, was released on Friday. Moon Music will be the first Coldplay album since 2021’s Music of the Spheres, which they are still touring and will bring to Australia in November.
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