Very few bands in the world can fill a stadium the size of BC Place on their own, but that is exactly what Coldplay did Friday night.
The British rock band descended onto Vancouver for the first time in five years as part of their 123-show ‘A Head Of Dreams’ world tour.
Approximately two dozen songs were performed, including fan favourites “Paradise”, “Fix You”, “Yellow”, “Viva la Vida”, “Clocks”, and “A Sky Full Of Stars”.
But this performance was so much more than a concert, as even attendees who weren’t fans of their music could have appreciated the electric atmosphere.
It was a spectacle that was reminiscent of the Olympic Opening Ceremony held in the stadium in 2010 when spectators were provided with miniature flashlights to create a dazzling light show backdrop to the performances.
For the Coldplay concert, with the latest show technology, this same kaleidoscope effect was duplicated by giving fans specially-designed LED wristbands at the entrances. The wristbands were remotely programmed to change colour on cue.
And there were also plenty of fireworks, confetti, balloons, and special lighting effects.
Near the mid-way point of the show, frontmanย Chris Martin reminded the audience of his fondness for Vancouver, and that this city was where the band made its breakthrough in North America. In 2001, they performed their first live show in the continent at the Commodore Ballroom.
This was Vancouver’s fourth mega concert of 2017 held at BC Place, following U2, Metallica, and Guns ‘N Roses earlier in the year. But those other performances were no competition, as Coldplay easily delivered one of the best concerts in the history of the city.