'Ganda niyong lahat!': Coldplay takes the Philippines on a cosmic journey

MANILA, Philippines — British pop-rock band Coldplay made a grand return to the Philippines, taking audiences on a journey through the cosmos while reminding everyone that a beautiful future lies ahead if we make better decisions for the environment and for each other.

It's been seven years since the band was last in the country for its "A Head Full of Dreams" tour, and this time, the "Music of the Spheres" tour had an even bigger reception as tickets at the Philippine Arena were sold out.

The current tour is not only Coldplay's return to live performances but also one with an environmental approach. The band has been actively seeking to reduce carbon emissions by 50% compared to its past concerts and has been looking for other sustainable efforts that would still guarantee an enjoyable time for audiences.

Opening for the band's long-awaited Philippine return was local R&B singer Jikamarie, who performed seven of her original songs like "Hinahanap-hanap," "Balang Araw" and "Lutang."

Half an hour after Jikamarie's set, a short film played to show the tour's sustainable efforts, which include being charged by solar and wind energy, electric bikes and a kinetic floor situated in the venue and the use of lit-up wristbands made from plant-based material.

Proceeds from the tour will go to reforestation, ocean clean-ups, animal conservation, carbon capture, green technology, environmental law, advocacies and re-wilding and soil restoration.

The time finally came: John Williams' "Flying Theme" from "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" played over a video of Coldplay navigating their way below the stage, and one by one, the members stepped out to greet the Philippines once more.

Coldplay began the night with "Higher Power" and "Adventure of a Lifetime," releasing large balloons during the latter for the crowd to pass around. Lead vocalist Chris Martin had some fun with the crowd for the chorus and ending of "Paradise."

The lights from the wristbands were momentarily turned off by this time as the band performed "The Scientist."

"Maraming, maraming salamat. Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat. Masayang kaming [bumalik] sa Pilipinas," Chris said. "So happy and grateful, and ang ganda niyong lahat! Okay that's enough Taglish. We're gonna give you the best show!"

The band then moved down a runway to an extended stage to sing "Viva La Vida" and "Hymn for the Weekend," with Chris going around the different areas of the stage.

He remained on the extended stage with a keyboard to read out some signs audience members brought with them.

Some shouted out Coldplay's former collaborator BTS, while another came all the way from Boston. A fan caught Chris' eye and was invited onstage. The fan requested the band perform "Everglow," to which Chris happily obliged, treating it as a tribute to the band's friends who recently passed on. 

After the touching number, Chris joined his colleagues on the main stage just as the wristbands lit up again for "Charlie Brown" and "Yellow," blanketing the Philippine Arena in yellow lights.

Coldplay's performance of "Human Heart" had a few stumbles, as Chris asked to restart the song and still laughed on the second go; additionally, the puppet Angel Moon came out to sing the portions of R&B act We Are King.

The fun times continued when Chris pulled out a pride flag for "People of the Pride," green lights poured into the venue for "Clocks," and each member donned alien headgear for "Something Just Like This," which ended with a video akin to a retro Stargate sequence from "2001: A Space Odyssey."

BTS fans were surely in tears when Coldplay performed "My Universe," the song both groups collaborated on, and each member of the K-pop boyband appeared onscreen.

Early through "A Sky Full of Stars" before the first drop, Chris asked the audience for one song without any cameras or phones.

Most fans obliged with Chris' request and it was a touching moment as blue and white lights flickered throughout the song, which ended in yet another round of confetti.

Coldplay seemingly ended its set, which had fans typically shouting "Isa pa!," and sure enough, red and orange lights lit the Arena again as the band made its way to a makeshift stage in the middle of the crowd.

After a performance of "Sparks," the band offered its thanks to Jikamarie, the concert crew especially stadium workers, and to everyone in attendance for braving the heavy traffic.

Related: Singapore experiences surge in accommodation inquiries for Coldplay's 2024 concert

"You have the number one [heaviest traffic] in the world. Thank you for going through all that bulls**t to be here!" Chris exclaimed.

Chris stayed on the makeshift stage as he enlisted the crowd's help to record a song for the band's upcoming album, and he had everyone singing "Love Who You Love."

The singer then teased the gloomy Manila weather, which had him thinking of a song on loop, and to the surprise of everyone, Chris sang the chorus of Lola Amour's "Raining In Manila."

Right after, Chris was joined by several members of the Filipino rock band, including vocalist Pio Dumayas, who finished off an acoustic version of their hit song.

Chris returned to the main stage as bigger balloons were brought out for the tearjerker "Fix You," and for the last song "Biutyful," Angel Moon appeared onstage once again.

"Thank you for a beautiful night. You made us feel on top of the world," Chris said, stringing in the song's lyrics.

Coldplay then took its final bow, and the last remaining streamers were scattered, just as the words "believe in love" were flashed onscreen to forever remind everyone in attendance of the beautiful night they shared together. — Video by Jan Milo Severo, editing by Anjilica Andaya

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