Chris Martin says Coldplay won’t be doing anymore “big shows” for three years

I’ve never been to a Coldplay show. Are they a good live act? I’ve heard that they are good/enjoyable. Well, it seems that if you saw them recently – while they were touring for Mylo Xyloto – then you probably saw one of their last “big shows”. While performing in Brisbane, Australia last week, Chris Martin told the crowd that “This is the last big show for three years or so. I don’t want to stop.” People are parsing the hell out of the “last big show” line – does this mean that Coldplay won’t be touring anymore, or that they’re no longer going to do any big stadium shows for a while? Hollywood Life points out that Coldplay is scheduled for some bigger New Year’s shows, but they probably won’t have another stadium-heavy tour until 2016. Some history:

Coldplay quite literally lit-up Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium Wednesday night during a tour-wrapping show in which Chris Martin dropped big hints that his band won’t be back for some time. This was a proper open-air event, complete with fireworks, giant inflatable balls, glowing hearts and butterflies, lasers and confetti, all framed within a sea of glowing light. And the British four piece — Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion — pulled off a joyful, exuberant set.

It’s almost unimaginable the leap this band has made from the melancholy of their first album, 2000’s “Parachutes”, to the stadium-fillers they are today. They’re surely the mainstream rock group of their generation, a group who can shut down parts of a city on the other side of the world like they did here, and count small children and grandparents among the fans.

In Brisbane, like on the earlier dates in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, they gave a workout to songs from across their canon. There’s a big push for their new album “Mylo Xyloto,” its title track the opening number of more than 20 tracks played.

Early on, Martin thanked the crowd for coming, and promises “that we’re going to play for you the best f–king show in our life.” The biggest rise accompanies the older stuff – “The Scientist,” “In My Place,” “Violet Hill,” but there’s a lot of love for the new. Rihanna appears dynastic across three big screens during “Princess of China.” But there’s a strangely muted initial response for “Yellow,” the audience not tuned-in to the stripped-back piano reworking of the first verse. Normal service is resumed when the familiar guitars drop.

In an age when every band is desperately trying to harness technology to connect with a mass audience, it seems Coldplay have actually cracked it. On entry, ticket holders were given a wristband with a chunky element which, during the performances, activates into a pulsing light. The stadium becomes a sea of flashing color; everyone is part of the show and there’s a neat memento to show your friends. In years past, bands used to asked audience members to wave a lighter in the air. Since the ’90s, fans held their phones aloft. That’s all so old-school.

[From Billboard]

Some people are claiming that Coldplay is going to be going on indefinite hiatus as a band, but I’m not sure that’s what Chris Martin was intending to say – I take it more as “we’re still going to make music but we’re going to try to go smaller for a few years.” But maybe there will be a Coldplay hiatus – there are significant rumors that Gwyneth, Chris and their kids are creating a more permanent base for themselves in LA, and their kids are now going to school in LA too. Coldplay has always been London-based – so maybe Chris has decided to spend some time in America with his family now?

Photos courtesy of WENN and Pacific Coast News.

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37 Responses to “Chris Martin says Coldplay won’t be doing anymore “big shows” for three years”

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  1. Amelia says:

    Coldplay are INCREDIBLE live! 2 hours of happiness and jumping about in the Emirates stadium, and barely even noticed when it started pouring down with rain.
    I think this has been one of their biggest tours ever, so I suppose it’s not surprising they’ll be scaling things back a bit.

  2. alons-y alonso says:

    Thank God! Their music make my ears bleed.

  3. Kim says:

    Chris will be Mr mom while Goopy works

  4. haha says:

    YUUUUUUUP, he’s BEY and JAY Z’s friend 😉
    *maybe they’ll miss me..DONT GET FORGOTTEN!!*

  5. poppy says:

    they’ll tour again when they release another album.
    for a band so environmentally concerned they certainly don’t tour with any awareness of their impact on it.
    they aren’t the only ones.

    • Nikki Girl says:

      Completely agree.

    • Mark Hammond says:

      How do you expect them to travel the world, derrrrrrrr!
      I love the self-righteous hand-wringers, who do ferk all their lives, then criticise just about anyone.
      Chris quietly goes on with his support of Oxfam with Emily Eavis, and the band give millions to Kids Company, and have recently arranged an artwork auction, with all monies going there.
      Chris doesn’t go on about global problems like Bono. He spouts off, then jumps in his private limo, taking him to his private jet, which takes him to his private tax exile.
      Coldplay make good music, just ask anyone that went to a gig in the last year. Sure, many won’t like them, but no-one EVER slagged of Sinatra for NOT writing a single note!

  6. Chrissy says:

    When they were in Sydney just last week, I went to see them AND BY GOSH, IT WAS AMAZING, IT WAS TRULY EPIC. They give you your money’s worth. Half way through, Chris was saying how it’s time to say good-bye now, good show, thanks everyone. At the back of the mosh, the stage crew were erecting a small stage, and ten minutes later, I was 2 metres from Coldplay. Nearly cried from euphoria!

  7. Lee says:

    I’m not surprised. Touring can be very taxing plus it takes alot of time away from your personal life, like family etc.

    Looking forward to seeing what their new album will contain, in new songs.

  8. lower-case deb says:

    wow. blue eyes are blue!

  9. Diva says:

    Won’t be missing anything. Their music puts me to sleep. Chris and Gwyneth are the perfect couple cause they are so bland.

  10. Ranunculus says:

    Their music is pretty lame actually, at least to me. I like Goopy, but Chris is just completely uncool to me.

  11. serena says:

    I love Coldplay so muuch!!

    • Lee says:

      Same here. Each to his own I guess. They’ve had some huge hits, so they are doing great on the success scale.

  12. L says:

    First time I saw coldplay was in a tiny london club right after Blue Room came out (and right before parachutes released). They were AWESOME in that type of venue. Same goes for when I saw them at the 930 club in DC a few years later.

    I stopped being a fan soon after that, but I got dragged to one of their big stadium shows. Entertaining sure, but totally made my ears bleed. Scaling back and doing smaller shows will be good for them hopefully.

  13. Izzy4ya says:

    I loved them from like 2000-2006, lol

  14. Jenna says:

    Every time one of their shows, or Mumford & Sons, sells out on line in a matter of seconds…I hurt a little. A lot, actually.

  15. truthful says:

    Will he be able to stand Goopy full-time??

    shivers**

  16. CR says:

    They really are absolutely amazing live. Went to a show on their latest tour and it was just an overwhelmingly happy and hopeful couple of hours… It’s a weird way to describe a concert, but it’s the first description that comes to mind. 🙂 They seem to put a lot of effort into it and it pays off.

  17. Miss M says:

    I’ve seen them live twice (in 2005 and 2012). I think this last tour was incredible. Also, Chris Martin had a better performance now than in the one I saw back in 2005.

  18. annaloo. says:

    Oh, THANK GOODNESS. Just wish they would up their promise with no more MUSIC for three years, or better yet no more for 30 years.

  19. aims says:

    I have seen them live and it was a really good show. But then I saw the killers a few months later and they blew coldplay out of the water.

    • GoodCapon says:

      I have yet to see The Killers live 🙁 For now I’m just trying to content myself with their Live At The RAH DVD.

      Edit: ^ Posting that reminded me of their touring saxophonist who killed himself early this year 🙁 Poor guy…

  20. Thom says:

    Good never like their music

  21. Tifygodess24 says:

    Wow this is awkward , I didn’t know they were still even a thing….. 😉 lol

  22. TheOneAndOnly says:

    I agree izzy4ya; seen them live, and liked them around 2005-2007 and their early cds, but they really are rock-lite; for contrast, check out the cover of the Rolling Stone mag with a legendary Jimmy Page pic from a 1977 led zep tour – that is a rock star guitarist of a great rock band; Chris martin reminds me of a nerdy kid trying to act cool.

  23. KellyinSeattle says:

    Don’t listen to them, so I don’t know (I’m a dork and listen to the best of the 70’s,80’s, and 90’s , I know!)
    Their kids are cute.

  24. erika says:

    i hope he’s divorcing the goop….

  25. KellyinSeattle says:

    I hope the Gwynnie-Mini has a chance what with Gwynneth as her mom. Hopefully she won’t be so snobbish.

  26. LeslieM says:

    Can’t stand this band the way they bounce all around banging drums on SNL. They drive my husband crazy. He always says “What’s that band I can’t stand?”–Babe it’s Coldplay.

  27. Nikki Girl says:

    Chris Martin comes across as a pretentious jerk. And I loved Coldplay when they first came out, but their music has steadily gotten crappier and more mainstream pop-style since “Parachutes”. Chris Martin seems to think he’s some kind of deep, artsy indie musician, but he’s not, he’s just an arrogant, self-absorbed pop singer.

    • BestJess says:

      ITA for a band that produces endless sappy music by numbers guff he sure likes to give off a moody artiste vibe. Have never understood their ongoing popularity, they are so middle of the road, I expect to see them alongside The Seekers in my aunties collection. As a chronic insomniac I guess they serve a purpose, their music is more effective than Stillnox and Valium combined.

  28. Al says:

    I went to that Brisbane show, and it was so much fun! I agree with whoever above said that their concerts are happy. They always seem to be having fun! Like a group of big kids who are having the time of their lives.

  29. vvy says:

    Apple sure is pretty….a nice combo of both mom and dad.