I have been to a few concerts in my life so far. I've seen Scotty McCreery, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Kenny Chesney & Jason Aldean, and just the other night I went to a Coldplay concert at Metlife Stadium. On Superbowl Sunday, I purchased two tickets for the Coldplay concert for Sunday, July 17th. My roommate's favorite modern band is Coldplay, so I figured I could surprise her with tickets as an early birthday gift. At the end of April, I gave her the tickets and needless to say she was super excited (feat. tears). At that point in time, I had known a handful of Coldplay songs, but not nearly as many as she knew. So, she gave me their newest album to download to my iTunes library, and I made it my mission to learn as many songs as I could before the concert.
Three days a week, on my way to and from work, I would put on the playlist I made with all of Coldplay's songs from their concert setlist. I would come home and Google lyrics so I could start to learn the words. And before I knew it, I knew every song on the playlist. No, I wasn't able to learn every word, but for the most part I got the chorus of each track and was very proud of myself. Of course, along the way, I came to love all of these songs. I had a newly found love for Coldplay. I was able to understand why my roommate liked them so much.
By the time the concert came around, I was just as excited as she to be going. We planned out our travel to Penn Station and to Metlife Stadium (and vice versa). We found the perfect pizza place where we could eat inexpensively in Penn Station (it's the Rose's Pizza by the Starbucks if you were wondering). We made sure we triple-checked what we were allowed to bring into the Stadium. Last but not least, we set aside money to buy concert T-Shirts. When we got to Metlife, we bought some Rita's ices, found our seats and settled in for the concert. Upon entering the stadium, we were given these thick bracelets to wear, and a pin that read Love. We were told to activate the bracelets when given the signal.
Foxes opened first for Coldplay. The lead singer had a really good voice, but the only song I knew that they sang was "Clarity", which was actually a song of Zedd's which they were featured on. The next opener was Alessia Cara, who was obviously a little bit more familiar to the crowd. I knew some of her songs and was able to sing along. I especially liked a little speech she gave to the girls in the crowd to stop picking out their flaws, and just to love who they are.
When Alessia Cara ended, we had a half hour gap until Coldplay began. During that time, people mostly just sat and chatted. But, all of a sudden, the 300 level concourse (where I was seated) began the wave around the entire stadium. I was awestruck, seeing the wave start in one section and wrap around the entire stadium. The only time I could remember ever attempting the wave in the past were the times we failed at high school pep rallies. So, to see that an entire stadium was able to come together and perfectly time out the wave, was awesome.
Before we knew it, the lights dimmed, the beat started, and Coldplay began their first song. As they started to play, the entire stadium lit up from the bracelets we were given earlier in the night.
This was where it got surreal. The bracelets were programmed to light up with the beats of each song. They lit up red, yellow, blue, purple, green, and more then once, each person's bracelet displayed different colors from one another. Seeing each and every light within the stadium, you were really able to grasp how many people were there supporting Coldplay.
At one point during the concert, between songs, Chris Martin expressed his prayers for those all over the world, where tragedy was striking. He then proceeded to hang a French flag from his piano for the remained of the concert, in support of Nice, France. This was the moment when I first realized how thoughtful this band was. This small action that Chris Martin took made my heart feel happy, in this world of recent hatred and violence.
After this moment occurred, I began to really observe my surroundings. I observed how the crowd interacted with each other. I observed how people hugged, laughed, sang and danced together throughout the concert. I observed how Coldplay interacted with their fans.
When they started to play "Charlie Brown," Chris stopped them from playing and asked if we could try that again. He asked that we stick our arms in the air, and when he said so, we were supposed to jump and get psyched out. The second time, it was evident how pumped the crowd was for this song. I thought it was very cool that they really interacted with their fans on more than one occasion.
I think the most touching moment for me personally was when "Fix You" began, and the entire stadium sang the entire song together. It gave me the chills, and once again made my heart very happy. I know that the crowd was singing together throughout the whole concert, but there was something different about this song. It is a slower song with a deeper meaning, and maybe that was why it touched me in the way it did. I really feel like you had to have been there to understand what I felt. But since you probably weren't, here's what I experienced.
When the concert ended, I decided that this was the best concert I'd been to so far. The atmosphere was so friendly and loving. The way Coldplay interacted with their fans, and vice versa, was beautiful. How everybody came together was heartwarming.
This concert opened my eyes and changed my entire outlook on what music really was. Coldplay showed me that music isn't only about entertainment, and having something catchy to listen to. Music is about bringing people together. It's about teaching people to love one another and love themselves. And Coldplay did this. And I'm certain they will continue to do this for the rest of their careers.
Don't get me wrong, I do like other artists. I still really enjoy Katy Perry. Lorde is still one of my favorite artists. But now, Coldplay is one of my favorite bands. And their concert has been the best concert I've ever been to. I felt something at this Coldplay concert that I've never felt before. I just hope that I feel something like that again some day.
If Coldplay is ever on tour near you, I highly suggest going to see them. You won't regret it. My roommate and I are still reflecting upon this experience, and probably will continue to for a while. We certainly had an amazing time, and I assure you that you will as well.
