Concert Review Coldplay's first gig in Seoul brings magic of music

Chris Martin, frontman of a four-member British rock band Coldplay, performs during the band’s first Seoul gig as part of its “A Head Full of Dreams” tour at Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap

By Park Jin-hai

British rock band Coldplay, one of the most successful acts of the 2000s, had their first-ever Seoul concert, Saturday, in front of 50,000 excited fans, who went through fierce ticketing wars to get a glimpse of the popular band coming to the country 21 years after its debut.

Formed in 1996, the band led by lead vocalist and keyboardist Chris Martin has enjoyed huge popularity worldwide. Often described as “artistically abrasive,” the band's music has been compared to the likes of U2, Oasis and Radiohead.

Band frontman Martin prior to his Seoul concert said in his shows he felt this sense of togetherness with his fans worldwide, contrary to what is often covered in the media: conflicts and people being divided.

As per his remarks, Coldplay’s full two-hour gig, held on the eve of the third anniversary of the tragic Sewol ferry sinking that claimed over 300 lives, was a touching moment of togetherness.

Under the brisk spring night, Puccini’s opera “O Mio Babbino Caro” resonated throughout the stadium before Martin and his bands opened the Seoul gig with their tour title “A Head Full of Dreams.”

All audience members, who packed the Jamsil Olympic Stadium, passionately answered his song, waving their hands and screaming. Their LED wristbands, illuminated in red, fireworks and confetti, shot up into the air as Martin jumped up high on stage, which made the huge stadium a magical red sea of lights and filled it with heart-pumping excitement.

The Xylobands worn on everyone’s wrists illuminated to the beat of the songs, Coldplay’s hits “Yellow,” “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” and “The Scientist,” changing colors with each new song. Martin raced up and down the runway-like stage as if he did not want to lose anybody in the show and wanted the entire crowd be part of it. When they played the song “Paradise,” a spectrum of various colors of light, lit the stadium.

The acoustic version of “Everglow,” which showed videotaped footage of late legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, who said “I'm going to dedicate my life to using my name and popularity to helping charities, helping people, uniting people. People are bombing each other because of religious beliefs. We need somebody in the world to help us all make peace. So when I die _ if there's a heaven _ I'm gonna see it,” brought a huge emotional moment, while “Hymn for the Weekend” turned the stadium into a club, where the crowd ran wild dancing to the electro-beat.

Then came the band’s 2005 song “Fix You,” one of the most loved songs by Korean fans and the one that Martin wrote for actress Gwyneth Paltrow to comfort her after her father’s death. The 40-year-old singer delivered the opening part of the number, lying on his back and looking up the sky.

In the ballad song that drummer Will Champion said the band would play in the spirit of healing for the Korean people, still grieving from the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy, Martin sang “Tears stream down your face. I promise you I will learn from my mistakes,” and “Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones. And I will try to fix you.”

“Viva la Vida” from their fourth album was introduced by a narrated voice that said, “Used to rule the world,” tells the story about a king who lost his kingdom.

Its lyrics “Listen as the crowd would sing. Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!” sent a strong message to Korean audiences more than ever, coupled with the dramatic fall of former President Park Geun-hye, removed from office for her involvement in an unprecedented nation-plaguing corruption scandal.

There was a special moment for Korean fans. Martin, who said Korean fans are the best audience so far a couple of times, improvised a “Korea song.” He sang he is so happy and wanted to smile, because he could “finally play in the home of Gangnam Style.”

The British band closed its two-hour concert with “Up & Up,” playing a total of 23 numbers. As a sign of respect to the country and love for the Korean fans, Martin kneeled down and gave the Korean national flag printed on the stage floor a kiss goodbye. But, audiences chanted the band’s name and stayed a long while, after the show was over.

Coldplay’s Seoul concert tickets sold out in minutes. Online servers crashed as 900,000 fans simultaneously logged in at ticketing sites to book concert tickets right after they went on sale last year.

Coldplay, which newly included Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines in its world tour list this time, added one more gig on Sunday to its Seoul concert schedule.