Fans were treated to a Coldplay performance full of joy, surprises, fireworks, singalongs and craic last night in Croke Park.
Lead singer Chris Martin and his fellow band members bounded onto the stage at 8:45pm to the sound of a massive cheer from the capacity audience.
From that moment, the Dublin crowd knew they were in for a treat.
Kicking off the gig with their hugely popular song Higher Power it was clear from the first guitar chords that Coldplay was a band on a mission to enjoy themselves in Dublin and make it a night fans would never forget.
Early in the gig, Martin shared a cúpla focal, welcoming the crowd with "Céad míle fáilte go Croke Park", adding "Tá áthas orainn anseo i Croke Park".
From then on, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand.
Crowd singing along with every word at #Coldplay tonight. He welcomed the crowd with cupla focal 'The singer greeted the capacity crowd by saying, "Céad mile fáilte go Croke Pairc" and added, "Tá áthas orainn anseo I Croke Pairc." pic.twitter.com/az1BLqKyRT
— Evelyn O'Rourke (@evelyn_orourke) August 29, 2024
Coldplay put on a sparkling performance, with the band playing many of their biggest tunes from over the years and the wildly enthusiastic response from the audience was proof that they were hitting all the right notes.
They blasted their way through the set list, playing several of their greatest hits including Adventure of a Lifetime, The Scientist, Viva la Vida, Fix You and Yellow - at which point, Martin could have put his feet up and let the crowd do the work as they enthusiastically belted out every word of the beloved tune.
Along with the catchy songs, of course, there is the famous lighting show that Coldplay puts on offer during their gigs.
On the way into the stadium, everybody gets a wristband that is made from sustainable material.
It adds a new level of inclusion for audience members as they sit and watch their wrists light up in unison with strangers.
It made for some really beautiful scenes across Croke Park and the fans lapped it all up.
When Martin told the crowd that "we have done 160 shows ... and I thought I was experienced ... but here, you have re-set the bar," the crowd roared back with huge approval.
He said it was a privilege to perform in Croke Park and name checked Shane McGowan, Dolores O'Riordan and Sinéad O’Connor as he greeted members of the audience on stage.
While sitting at his piano later in the show, Martin talked about his last few days in Dublin and how he had walked down an empty Grafton Street and decided to shoot a video for the band’s new song We Pray.
The song is due to appear on their next album.
As we know now, crowds of fans surged onto Grafton Street on Wednesday night once the rumour mill started that he was due to sing there.
His team had cameras set up to shoot "the quiet street".
On stage, he said that he had "thought it would be quiet" and that although the crowd gathered the "people of Dublin gave us the best video I have ever seen".
Again, the crowd roared their approval back at him as he smiled.
It was a show that felt more like a conversation between an audience and a singer rather than the usual one-way performance.
At a Coldplay gig, fans expect great songs and beautiful lighting but for the Irish crowd, they particularly enjoyed the person at the helm, the mischievous Martin and they encouraged him all the way.
At one point, he urged the ecstatic crowd to get ready for a full surge chorus of A Sky Full of Stars and amid the readiness of the crowd to blast it out, Martin suddenly and abruptly stopped.
For a second, we thought there was a technical problem but then he turned as if leaving the stage at the end of the gig.
He waved and said "good night, goodbye, we gotta go. Bono wants Croke Park back ... Goodbye…" adding cheekily, "enjoy Oasis".
He did a mock run off the stage, then laughed, returned to the spotlight and flawlessly, picked up where he had left off.
For all the technical prowess of the concert, the real heart of the show belongs to Martin himself and he has to be the most enthusiastic singer on a world tour.
He never stopped running up and down Croke Park, like so many extraordinary footballers and hurlers that have been in action in the stadium over the years.
But the difference is that he has to sing while he does it and he pulls off this remarkable feat with a cheeky grin and a knowing wink to the crowd.
One minute he is singing silly, made up songs to random members of the crowd, including one brave soul who wore a Radiohead t-shirt and the next minute he is sincerely thanking Irish people for "welcoming people from all around the world to the country".
He added that "you’ve shown everyone how it’s done".
This Radiohead fan got more than he bargained for …😉 #Coldplay pic.twitter.com/w1hMJRG3XD
— Evelyn O'Rourke (@evelyn_orourke) August 29, 2024
The gig had to end and as the stunning firework display lit up the night sky over Dublin city, it seemed like neither the fans nor Martin ever wanted to leave the stadium.
Getting the tickets a year ago was a hassle. Getting to Croke Park on a school night was a hassle as Martin himself pointed out. Getting home after the gig was a hassle.
But I bet if you asked most of last night’s crowd would they do it all again tomorrow, they would be back in a heartbeat.
A night of music, joy and craic, just how we like it here in Ireland.
