Show Review: Coldplay Bring Stunning 'Music of the Spheres' Tour to Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto
Coldplay
‘Music of the Spheres’ Tour
w/ WILLOW, Elyanna
Stanford Stadium
Palo Alto, CA
May 31st, 2025
Review by Jared Stossel
Main Photo Shot on iPhone
“This show is designed for less daytime-ey”, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin says with a giggle as he looks out at the crowd of 42,000 in attendance at Stanford Stadium. The sun has barely started to set, and the four-piece British pop-rock act is three songs into their “Music of the Spheres” North American tour kickoff in Palo Alto, CA. “Imagine that the lights just went out. Just close your eyes, and picture four sweaty guys who are trying to catch their breath.” The crowd laughs as they head into “The Scientist” from 2002’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head.
For a band that is playing a well-rehearsed and choreographed stadium show, moments like this don’t feel like pre-planned stage banter. They seem genuine, and it makes a massive stadium act like Coldplay feel more intimate. While this was the first show for the band in North America this year, they are nearly two hundred shows deep into their “Music of the Spheres” Tour, which kicked off years ago in support of the album of the same name. This time around, Coldplay has a new album under their belt (2020’s Moon Music), carrying with them the same level of showmanship, charisma, and hit songs that have catapulted them into headlining stadiums the world over during the last decade. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house late Saturday night, as fans packed the stadium; it’s a large venue, but a bit smaller than the San Francisco 49ers' home turf at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, which has hosted the Brit-rock act numerous times in the past.
Amidst the heat outside, fans poured into their seats and the GA floor as Elyanna took the stage for the opening slot. The Palestinian-Chilean songwriter brought forth a fun set, adorned with a small backing band and a handful of dancers. While her music does feature pop elements, it blends components from Arabic and Latin genres, meshing sounds together to create something that I must say I don’t think I’ve yet heard from a pop star in America. You can call her pop, but I don’t think it would be fair to categorize her in one genre. The same can be said for the show’s other opener, WILLOW (aka Willow Smith). The last time I saw WILLOW, she was opening for Machine Gun Kelly and Avril Lavigne in Oakland, playing a handful of energetic pop-punk songs. This time around, she was surrounded by a handful of astounding musicians, parading around the stage in a lavish orange dress, performing something more along the lines of avant-garde jazz. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her play the same kind of music twice, and it definitely keeps things interesting.
With the sun barely cresting over the horizon, John Williams’ E.T. score blared over the stadium loudspeakers. No lavish grand entrance here - a camera followed the band from the backstage area and out to the center of the catwalk as all four members of Coldplay - Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion - made their way to their respective instruments. Martin remained at the end of the catwalk as a massive array of fireworks were launched, confetti cascaded down from all corners of the arena as they dove straight into “Higher Power”, the cinematic opening track from Music of the Spheres. Colossal singalong moments followed with songs like “Paradise”, “Yellow”, “Clocks”, and “Viva la Vida”. I often say that it’s one thing to hear a song on your stereo, but it’s another thing entirely to experience it live. There’s nothing quite like seeing a song like “Viva la Vida” performed in front of 40,000 people, with everybody singing the backing “ohs” and “ahs”. As someone who isn’t even the world’s biggest Coldplay fan, moments like these are as close to a religious experience as you can get.
Even amidst a repository of stadium-ready special effects (fireworks, pyrotechnics, confetti featuring every color of the rainbow, light-up bracelets, and special light effect goggles given to fans as they entered the venue), Martin is incredibly soft-spoken. He is affably charming, coming off more as the lead of a '90s rom-com than the enigmatic frontman of one of the world’s biggest bands. His voice never rises above a certain level when he’s speaking, yet he’s naturally charismatic and the perfect leader for this band; the show feels comfortable and accessible, his voice reaching to the very back of the field with ease, whether he’s improvising songs about fans on the Jumbrotron or running down the stage ramp and pumping up the audience during “A Sky Full of Stars” with fireworks filling the night sky behind him. The intimate aspect of the show was also accentuated by the well-placed “B and C Stages”, finding all four members of the band walking across the catwalk and through the crowd to perform up close and personal to those who bought the cheapest seats.
Similar to a band like OneRepublic, it is astonishing how many hit songs Coldplay have managed to churn out over the last several decades. Each act of the show managed to showcase at least two or three songs that have managed to permeate the pop culture membrane in different decades. A song from every album except one was performed, dating back to the band’s 2000 debut, Parachutes.
Coldplay tours in a different manner than most acts of their size, opting to do fewer shows a year, but performing each concert in an eco-friendly way. They seem to be leading the way in the clean energy industry, and I think their efforts are commendable. I could sit here writing an entire article about exactly what they’re doing, but I’ll just link here so you can read more for yourself.
After having never seen them for decades, maybe even thinking they were a bit too soft for my taste when I was a teenager devouring punk and emo records, I found myself to be massively entertained by Coldplay and the “Music of the Spheres” Tour. It is a cinematic concert-going experience of the highest nature, ranging from arena-pop ballads to rock-heavy tracks like “People of the Pride”, a Muse-esque track from Spheres. No, seriously. If you’re reading this and you don’t think that Coldplay can play a heavy rock song, you’d be wrong. It might not be their main weapon of choice, but they can damn well use it if they please. They even had a shit ton of pyro to go along with it. Sorry I ever doubted you guys.
Coldplay will return to Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto tomorrow, June 1st, 2025 for one more show, before heading to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on upcoming shows, click here.
Coldplay Set List
Higher Power
Adventure of a Lifetime
Paraidse
The Scientist
Viva La Vida
Hymn For The Weekend
Magic
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Yellow
ALL MY LOVE
People of the Pride
Clocks
WE PRAY (featuring Elyanna and WILLOW)
Infinity Sign
Something Just Like This
My Universe
A Sky Full Of Stars
Sparks
The Jumbrotron Song (improvised)
Fix You
GOOD FEELings
feelslikeimfallinginlove
