Impact of the Music of the Spheres World Tour

Coldplay developed the first mobile rechargeable show battery in the world through a partnership with BMW

Following the release of Coldplay's eighth album, Everyday Life (2019), Chris Martin said the band would not be touring until they could ensure their concerts are environmentally friendly.[3] The record was promoted with small shows for charity and a performance at the Amman Citadel in Jordan, broadcast by YouTube.[4] On 14 October 2021, a day before Music of the Spheres was made available, the group posted on social media they were returning to live entertainment after the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The announcement also included a series of environmental plans developed in two years with help from sustainability experts; they were aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by 50% in comparison to their previous tour.[6] Furthermore, the group established a partnership with BMW to create the first mobile rechargeable show battery in the world.[7]

Le Soir's Didier Zacharie affirmed that the efforts proposed by Coldplay were unprecedented for a stadium concert run and added their initiative was commendable.[8] Alex Duke from Impact said the band were "redefining the rulebook" in a world that "desperately needs radical climate action" and praised them for bringing environmental issues to the forefront of international music news through a pioneering endeavour.[9] In an article for Vogue Scandinavia, Doris Daga observed the tour set the bar for how artists could contribute to mitigate their environmental impact and complimented the band's transparency on "the reality that no [show] will be carbon negative in 2022".[10]

According to Lucy August-Perna, the sustainability director of Live Nation, Coldplay's proposal helped to "build on the framework [the company] had been developing over the past five years on their tours and venues".[11] She also described the measures created by the group as "impressive and forward-thinking", since they focused on concrete solutions.[11] Additionally, the director claimed she was working to adopt their plans, institutionalise what they learn and provide environmentally conscious options for more live performers worldwide.[11]

Writing for Veja, Amanda Capuano commented that the concert residency model used by Coldplay on the tour further signaled a trend previously seen with acts like Adele and Harry Styles, where musicians with sizable demand are traveling less due to an increased interest in logistics, quality of life and mental health.[12] Moreover, the group's collaboration with John Wiseman from Worldwide Sales and Frederic Opsomer from PRG Projects resulted in the creation of completely new LED stage products.[13] Those included inflatable spheres which could be stored in a fractional portion of a truck, while standard models required at least seven trucks.[14] Opsomer suggested that the custom technology built for the concert run will become commonplace in the next years as well, thanking Coldplay for the "vision and backbone" of the initiative.[13] Media outlets Uproxx and Billboard later noticed they had an impact on tours from Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes, respectively.[15] In 2023, La Repubblica reported that the Kappa FuturFestival took measures similar to the band.[16]

Carlos Calvo Ambel from Transport & Environment declared that Coldplay were "no doubt well-intentioned" but condemned their collaboration with Neste.[18] He accused the company of "cynically using [the band] to greenwash its reputation", since biofuels were supplied to the tour while they had links to deforestation; therefore, the partnership should be discontinued to give priority to better solutions.[18] SumOfUs' Eoin Dubsky criticised the ties with BMW and concluded the group needed to take greater care while doing their diligences, as the multinational was lobbying to prevent the European Union from establishing a deadline for vehicles to be carbon neutral.[18]

On the same day, Coldplay published a statement reiterating that their plan was a work in progress and they "genuinely welcome suggestions as to how to do it better".[17] The band also emphasised having no connection to BMW's corporate policies, adding that various car manufacturers were approached to provide the expertise needed and the company were the ones that provided help.[19] Neste separately mentioned that investigations regarding their palm oil vendors were launched, but no evidence of violations or links to deforestation was found.[20] Their response team affirmed that only renewable aviation fuel produced from used frying fat and animal fat waste was delivered to the concert run as well.[20]

After a team led by professor John Fernandez at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collected data from the concerts and compared it to the A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2016–17), publications reported that Coldplay have managed to reduce their CO2 emissions by 47% so far.[21] Research attested 66% of all waste was diverted from landfills, while the LED wristbands used during the shows were returned in an average of 86% per date.[22] Furthermore, 3,770 meals and 73 kg of toiletries were donated from the tour's catering to unhoused and unsheltered people.[22] The solar installations, kinetic floors and stationary bicycles generated around 15 kWh per night, being enough to power tool-charging stations for the crew.[23] Meanwhile, Variety informed that performances were running entirely from renewable energy systems.[22] Consequently, Coldplay became known as "pioneers for the future of sustainability" in live entertainment,[24] while Fernandez called their plans "critically important, scientifically rigorous and of the highest quality".[21] In June 2023, BBC News interviewed senior cleansing officer Samantha Thomas about waste from concerts and she noticed that after the band performed at Principality Stadium, the streets were significantly cleaner than other events.[25] As per GAFFA's Jim Knutsson, the concert run cemented itself as a platform to promote sustainable examples, green technologies and environmental commitment.[26] In September 2023, a statement from American Songwriter revealed that over seven million trees have been planted on forest reserves around the world.[27]

Martin giving a guitar to Brazilian President Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja during their meeting in 2023

Discussing the cultural impact of the shows for The Times, Mark Beaumont opined that they "marked a significant shift in attitude towards this once widely maligned band", since even "the most cynical hacks have been converted" after going to a Coldplay live performance.[1] He also declared that their "dedication to the stadium spectacle is regaining them respect and credibility in all quarters".[1] La Gaceta's Pablo Hamada hailed the tour as a media phenomenon which brought a wave of positivity beyond the concerts, as the band became a leading topic of news coverage and social media engagement in the countries they visited.[28]

Furthermore, Sofía Campos from La Razón stated that the frenzy evoked by Coldplay reflected their cross-generational appeal,[29] while Julio Maria claimed that they are the last rock band capable of filling stadiums worldwide in his piece for Estadão.[30] Publications in Brazil created the term Coldplaymania to describe the group's stay in the country, since the concert run was subject of intense media scrutiny.[31] Martin was also criticised by Jair Bolsonaro supporters for meeting with President Lula da Silva, who invited Coldplay to COP30.[32] Additionally, multiple outlets said that ticketless fans gathered outside venues to hear them perform in cities like Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and Zürich.[33]

Rolling Stone released exclusive issues of their magazines in Argentina,[34] France,[35] and Brazil to celebrate the tour.[31] A number of councillors from the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro proposed honouring the band with the Pedro Ernesto Medal, but their submission is yet to be voted.[36] Blitz held a photography exhibit in Coimbra to mark their return to Portugal.[37] Italian illustrator Lorenzo Ruggiero, who has worked for Marvel and DC Comics, paid tribute to their shows in Naples with a drawing.[38] After the announcement of Asian dates for the concert run, numerous brands and companies around the continent launched campaigns referencing Coldplay's discography.[39] In July 2023, Dutch magazine Soundz published a special edition dedicated to the group.[40] The Town (a spinoff of Rock in Rio) later announced their LED wristbands would be used in the festival.[41] Marcela Moreira, the marketing vice-president of Warner Music Brazil, revealed that Bruno Mars was inspired by Coldplay for the interactions he had with the public during his stay in the country.[42]

On 10 July 2022, seismic stations in Germany detected a 1.28-magnitude earthquake in Berlin.[43] Its main frequency corresponded exactly to the beat of "A Sky Full of Stars", which led analysts to attribute the triggering to Coldplay's performance at Olympiastadion.[43] The group acknowledged the occurrence and encouraged fans to surpass the register during following nights, thus resulting in a 1.5-magnitude earthquake on 12 July.[44] According to Kurier's Peter Temel, the documented numbers eclipsed the set played by Florence and the Machine at Tempelhof Sounds, where "Dog Days Are Over" also generated seismic activity.[44] Moreover, the journalist commented that relatively fast songs and crowd coordination help to explain such phenomena.[44] For the third and last show in Berlin, held on 13 July, concert goers provoked a 1.5-magnitude earthquake once more.[45]

Sales for the tour led to public and political debate due to unprecedented interest in Asia,[47] Europe,[48] Latin America,[46] and Oceania.[49] Coldplay announced only two dates in Perth for latter continent through a partnership with the government of West Australia, which resulted in wide criticism from fans who lived in other regions.[50] Conversely, Live Nation's Bruce Moran lauded the band for "the most spectacular run through Latin America ever", as their numerous performances broke records in nearly all countries visited.[46] Interviewed by Billboard, Bruno Del Granado from CAA said that Coldplay's success and the founding of new arenas proved there was no longer an excuse for artists to avoid the territory.[51]

Demand for the concerts also caused ticket speculation to rise in Portugal, with 32 arrests being carried out.[52] Álvaro Covões, the director of events promoter Everything Is New, mentioned that they are "a global phenomenon which only happens once every 30 years", adding he only experienced such fan frenzy when the Beatles were active.[53] Similarly, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) submitted an appeal to Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs to reduce resales with abusive prices and poor insurances.[54] In Italy, the Authority for Communications Guarantees (AGCOM) conducted an operation against scalpers focused on the shows scheduled by Coldplay and arrested 26 lawbreakers.[55]

Moreover, Fahmi Fadzil revealed that the government of Malaysia will enact new legislation to monitor and control transactions in the secondary market after tickets for Kuala Lumpur were traded at considerably high prices.[56] Investigation of these cases helped to write the initial drafts.[56] Bloomberg News then affirmed that the government of Indonesia decided to simplify and digitalise their permits process because the band had multiple extra dates in neighbouring capitals, but not in Jakarta.[57] The tour has promoted discussions regarding admission prices as well, since Coldplay kept them affordable despite the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[58] They additionally established a program known as Infinity Tickets, where limited sets of $20 entries were released for fans who could not pay regular costs.[lower-alpha 1] Acts like Yungblud and Olivia Rodrigo later reproduced the practice.[60]

Cities visited by the tour enjoyed a financial surge in hotels, restaurants, bars and various other services

Coldplay were credited with fueling the commerce of certain regions where they performed. Hotels with a view for Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José became fully booked after their concerts were sold out and people began to search for different ways to see them.[61] As per El Espectador, accommodation occupancy rates in Bogotá surpassed 85% when the band visited the city.[62] Meanwhile, Clarín claimed that their shows triplicated the revenue for bars and restaurants in Buenos Aires.[63] Business owners from Curitiba declared the impact of the tour was superior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[64] The group then moved over R$86 million in profits for Rio de Janeiro.[65]

Furthermore, the President of the Municipal Chamber of Coimbra observed that Coldplay generated more than €36 million in direct economic returns to the city.[66] Hotel prices increased by 1,000% when their concerts were announced there.[67] Equivalent boosts were also reported in cities such as Dublin,[68] Düsseldorf,[69] Helsinki,[70] and Munich.[69] Travel agency Agoda likewise noted a 556% increase in the search for rooms in Singapore after six dates were scheduled at the National Stadium.[71] Spanish Marketing agency Hello Monday carried out a social media contest which granted tickets for one of the Barcelona nights and earned 80,000 new followers across their platforms.[72]

As part of their sustainability efforts, Coldplay partnered with SAP to design a free mobile application for the tour.[73] It served to calculate the carbon footprint generated by attendees and encourage them to take environmentally conscious travel options by offering discounts on the group's online merchandise store.[73] In August 2022, the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company reinforced their subway lines with a metro running every five minutes until midnight for the performances at King Baudouin Stadium.[74] Passengers were given a free return ticket as a further motivation.[74] Organisations from Cardiff,[75] Glasgow,[76] Milan,[77] and Santiago launched exclusive services to support demand as well.[78] When the band visited Brazil, they teamed up with Tembici and the British Embassy to give admissions to fans who presented sustainable ways to arrive at the concerts.[79] Over 36,000 people used the Rio de Janeiro Metro to see them at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, six times more than the weekdays average.[80] For the Gothenburg shows, outsiders were offered free public transport to Ullevi after being surveyed by the Green City Zone initiative, which focused on outlining travel behaviour to reduce CO2 emissions in major events.[81]

The shows in Singapore were part of a government plan to promote the city as the music capital of Asia

Several countries experienced a macroeconomic impact associated with the Music of the Spheres World Tour. Referencing the performances at Estadio River Plate, the government of Argentina established the "Coldplay dollar", an exchange rate of the American currency which was used for international live events.[82] Bank Central Asia's stock exchange value received a boost after it was announced their card holders got exclusive access to the presale in Jakarta.[83] According to Wall Street Italia, the shows in Naples and Milan had an overall economic impact of more than €500 million in Italy, based on expenses with tickets, hotel, food and tourism.[84]

Similarly, The West Australian commented that the double nights in Perth are set to bring $68 million to the economy of Western Australia and attract 40,000 out-of-state visitors.[85] Today estimated the group will generate S$96 million in revenue to Singapore.[86] Marketing professor Seshan Ramaswami declared that while efforts to stage international events were made by the government before, Coldplay and their six-day residency marked a significant step forward to expand the region's demographic reach to music fans from Asia and the Middle East.[87] Irish Examiner later mentioned that concert spending in Ireland had a 88% surge after the band scheduled dates at Croke Park.[88]

Coldplay's discography experienced a considerable gain in sales and streams throughout the tour, leading songs to debut and reach new peaks on Billboard Global 200.[89] Following their performances at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, they rose to number two on Spotify Mexico's Daily Top Artists chart.[90] Warner Music Group then certified "My Universe" and Music of the Spheres (2021) with 3× Platinum and Gold plaques in the country.[91] The latter returned to Germany's Offizielle Top 100 at number 19 after the impact of the nights in Frankfurt and Berlin.[92] In Belgium, the group's entire studio album catalogue plus Live in Buenos Aires (2018) appeared in the Flanders and Wallonia rankings.[93] Live 2012 was additionally featured in the latter as well.[93] As a result of the six dates at Wembley Stadium, "Yellow",[94] "Viva la Vida",[95] and "A Sky Full of Stars" re-entered the UK Singles Charts for the first time in eight, five and six years, respectively.[96] "Viva la Vida" remained on the list for more than 30 non-consecutive weeks since then.[95]

Coldplay performing "Viva la Vida" at Wembley Stadium, London

With their festival set at Rock in Rio, Coldplay became the first international group in history to top Spotify Brazil's Daily Top Artists chart.[97] In Argentina, Parachutes (2000) achieved a new peak at number six on the albums chart.[98] The same happened in Portugal, where it reached number three and was accompanied by eight other releases from the group.[99] Similarly, out of the 13 songs listed on the Portuguese Singles Chart, eight had their best weekly performance, including "Fix You", "Paradise", "Clocks", "Higher Power" and "Sparks".[100]

More countries where sales charts were flooded include Italy (7 albums and 4 songs),[101] Switzerland (6 albums and 4 songs),[102] Sweden (8 albums and 12 songs),[103] and the Netherlands (7 albums and 10 songs).[104] Despite not holding shows in Norway, Coldplay had six album and song placements on VG-Lista.[105] When they announced concerts for Indonesia and Malaysia, "Yellow", "Viva la Vida" and " A Sky Full of Stars" remained their highest-ranking tracks.[106] All of them peaked inside Singapore's Top 10, whereas "Something Just Like This" and "My Universe" reached number 20 and number 23, respectively.[107] Greece (2 albums and 8 songs),[108] Finland (8 albums and 5 songs),[109] and Ireland (5 albums and 4 songs) also had their charts saturated when the band scheduled a third European leg.[110]

In addition to donating 10% from all of their profits to charity,[111] Coldplay teamed up with Global Citizen and the Love Button Global Movement to gather volunteers in each tour stop and endorse local non-profit institutions on their individual missions, which included distributing food, creating gardens and providing shelter for refugees.[112] In Newark, participants helped with United Community Corporation's Sky Full of Stars Carnival and Distribution, an event where residents earned access to free groceries and services such as rental and bill assistance.[113] They later helped to organise a warehouse used by Team Ukraine Love in Warsaw.[114] The foundation is focused on providing aid to those who were displaced from their homes by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[114] In Bogotá, the group donated gifts to the children and health personnel at Simón Bolívar Hospital.[115] During their stay in Buenos Aires, volunteers established a partnership with TECHO, an institution focused on improving local infrastructure.[116] They also helped SP Invisível in São Paulo for the humanisation of views on homeless people and the promotion of individualised care experiences.[117] In Coimbra, various initiatives were launched in collaboration with Serve the City Portugal,[118] while Copenhagen saw a free clinic being set up.[119] Love Button then made a joint effort with Folkets Hus and Bostadsbolaget to plant trees in Gothenburg.[119] Moreover, Coldplay donated a ticket to Rare Impact Fund's October 2023 auction; the organisation seeks to expand access to mental health services for young people around the world.[120]