The A Head Full of Dreams Tour was the seventh

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

undertaken by British rock band

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

. It was announced on 27 November 2015 in support of their seventh studio album, ''

A Head Full of Dreams ''A Head Full of Dreams'' is the seventh studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 4 December 2015, by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and by Atlantic Records in the United States. Coldplay recorded the album from early to mid 20 ...

'', and marked a return to live performing at stadiums following the intimate shows from

Ghost Stories Tour The Ghost Stories Tour was the sixth concert tour undertaken by British rock band Coldplay. It was announced on 17 April 2014 in support of their sixth studio album, '' Ghost Stories'', and marked a return to live performing at more intimate ve ...

(2014), which saw the band playing in venues such as the Beacon Theatre and

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. With exception of "Fun" and hidden track "X Marks the Spot", all songs from the album were played. The band combined extensive use of

laser light A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The firs ...

and

pyrotechnic Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

special effects with raw, acoustic segments between stages, complementing performances with a new version of the

Xylobands Xylobands are wristbands that contain light-emitting diodes and radio frequency receivers, they were launched by RB Concepts Ltd, a company set up by entrepreneur Clive Banks with inventor Jason Regler. The lights inside the wristband can be con ...

from Mylo Xyloto Tour (2011–12). The concert run consisted of 122 shows in eight legs across five continents, starting at Argentina's

Estadio Ciudad de La Plata The Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona (''One-of-a kind Diego Armando Maradona Stadium'', formerly Estadio Ciudad de La Plata) is a multi-purpose stadium located in the city of La Plata, Argentina. It is also known popularly as the Estadio Únic ...

on 31 March 2016 and finishing at the same venue on 15 November 2017. It also marked their first solo shows in Latin America since

Viva la Vida Tour The Viva la Vida Tour was the fourth concert tour undertaken by British rock band Coldplay. It was launched in support their fourth studio album, '' Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008), becoming a massive commercial and critic ...

(2009–10). According to ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'', Coldplay grossed $523 million from 5.38 million tickets sold in total, making A Head Full of Dreams Tour the third-highest-grossing tour of all time upon conclusion. The band later released '' Live in Buenos Aires'' (2018), their fifth live album, promoting it along with ''Live in São Paulo'' and '' Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams''. The documentary featured previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage and was directed by

Mat Whitecross Mat Whitecross (born 21 September 1977) is an English film director, editor and screenwriter. He began his career working for filmmaker Michael Winterbottom and producer Andrew Eaton at Revolution Films, being also known for directing ''The Road ...

, one of their long-time collaborators.

Development

Background

Following the release of Coldplay's sixth album, ''

Ghost Stories A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...

'' (2014), the band announced they would not be making an usual tour for it, limiting themselves to one-off concerts at smaller venues around the world. On 6 November 2015, " Adventure of a Lifetime" was made available as the lead single for ''

''. The song was succeeded by the tour announcement on 27 November, which included numerous stadium dates spread across 14 countries in Europe and Latin America for the next year. During an interview for ''

The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28a ...

'', the band mentioned they would also be visiting Asia and North America. In April 2016, Coldplay announced 12 new arena shows in the United States. Months later, they published teasers on social media with dates for Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. In 2017, the band further promoted the tour's namesake album by releasing a companion piece named '' Kaleidoscope EP'', which included four new songs and a live version of "

Something Just Like This "Something Just Like This" is a song by American electronic music duo The Chainsmokers and British rock band Coldplay. It was released on February 22, 2017, as the second single from The Chainsmokers debut album, '' Memories...Do Not Open'', and ...

Promotion

Before starting the tour, Coldplay performed the

Super Bowl 50 halftime show The Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show took place on February 7, 2016, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California as part of Super Bowl 50. It was headlined by the British rock group Coldplay with special guest performers Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, who p ...

, which included guest appearances from

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, R ...

and the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, earning the biggest audience in history for a group and male act performing at the event as well. The band later appeared in multiple festivals, including the

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) (previously known as One Big Weekend, for 2012 as Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, and for 2018 as BBC Music's Biggest Weekend) is a British music festival run by the BBC's radio station. It is held once a year, in a ...

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

. Lead singer

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Uni ...

said he lived "the first few years of my life less than 500 yards from where we'll be performing so this couldn't be more of a homecoming for me". In 2016, they were announced as headliners for

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

, setting the record for most headlining sets ever by any act. Months later, the band appeared at

Global Citizen Festival The Global Citizen Festival is an annual music festival started in 2012 and organized by Global Poverty Project. It was founded by Ryan Gall and Hugh Evans. Gall said he was inspired by visiting Austin City Limits and seeing the branding on the ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

, where they played " Maa Tujhe Salaam" with

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...

. Martin has been the event's curator since 2015 and plans to fulfil the role for the next 15 years. He invited Colombian singer

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular ...

for the

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

edition. In 2017, Coldplay were part of the

iHeartRadio Music Festival The iHeartRadio Music Festival is a two-day music concert festival held every year in September since 2011 by iHeartRadio along the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. From 2011 to 2015, the festival was held at the MGM Gra ...

Opening acts

Most of the tour included two supporting acts on each concert, with British singer

Lianne La Havas Lianne Charlotte Barnes (born 23 August 1989), known professionally as Lianne La Havas ( ), is a British singer-songwriter and record producer. Her career began after being introduced to various musicians, including singer Paloma Faith, for who ...

opening all performances held during the first Latin American and European legs, marking the first stadium shows of her career. She noted being a fan of Coldplay for many years and grew up listening to them. Canadian singer

Alessia Cara Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, to Italian Canadian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploadi ...

supported the first European and North American runs as well, which additionally included

Foxes Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

and Birdy. In selected dates, local artists from their respective country were invited to serve as opening acts:

Ximena Sariñana Ximena Sariñana Rivera (; born October 29, 1985) is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress. In 2009, she received critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for her debut album, '' Mediocre''. Early life Ximena Sariñana was born in Guadalajar ...

and Hana Ciliberti performed in the

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

shows, while

Radwimps is a Japanese rock band who debuted independently in 2003 and signed with Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band's name, Radwimps, was formed from two English slang terms, " rad" and " wimp". According to the band, the coined word had several meanings, ...

played at the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

on 9 April 2016. Remaining dates for the Asian leg were supported by Jess Kent, who also participated in the concerts held in Australia and New Zealand. For their second run in Europe, Coldplay included

AlunaGeorge AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. Career 2009: Formation The duo first met in June 2009, when Reid remixed Francis' band My Toys Like Me's trac ...

and Swedish singer

Tove Lo Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been called "Sweden's darkest pop export" by ''Rolling Stone.'' She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take o ...

, with whom they collaborated on the song "

Fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...

", from ''

'' (2015). The local acts invited for

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

and

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

were German singer Femme Schmidt, Danish group Mew and English band

Embrace Embrace may refer to: * A hug, a form of physical intimacy * Acceptance Music Bands * Embrace (American band), a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. * Embrace (English band), a post-Britpop band from West Yorkshire * Embrace (duo), a Dan ...

, respectively. Meanwhile, the second leg in North America featured singers

Izzy Bizu Isobel Bizu Beardshaw (born 28 April 1994), better known as Izzy Bizu, is an English-Ethiopian singer-songwriter signed to Epic Records. Bizu has garnered mainstream radio support from BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac and Phil Taggart and BBC Radio 1Xtr ...

and

Alina Baraz Alina Baraz (russian: Алина Бараз; born September 24, 1993) is an American singer from Cleveland, Ohio. In 2015, Baraz and electronic producer Galimatias released a collaborative EP together titled ''Urban Flora'' through Ultra Music a ...

. In November 2017, Coldplay finished the tour with shows in Brazil and Argentina, which were opened by

Jon Hopkins Jonathan Julian Hopkins (born 15 August 1979) is an English musician and producer who writes and performs electronic music. He began his career playing keyboards for Imogen Heap, and has produced but also contributed to albums by Brian Eno, ...

and

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco-pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Grammy A ...

. The former has been a collaborator of the band since their fourth album, ''

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'', often referred to as simply ''Viva la Vida'', is the fourth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 12 June 2008 on the Parlophone label. "Viva la vida" is a Spanish phrase that tr ...

'' (2008), while Martin co-wrote the song "Homesick" for the latter's debut album. After being asked about the experience, she commented it was "amazing" and "surreal to get to sit next to him on the piano and hear him perform so close to me" and thanked the singer for the opportunity, adding she learned a lot from him when they were on studio.

Concert synopsis

A Head Full of Dreams Tour, Wembley Stadium (cropped)

Similar to Mylo Xyloto Tour (2011–12), the band combined performances including

and

visuals at the main stage with intimate sets at the B-stage and C-stage. During the latter segment, songs were played strictly in acoustic renditions. Shows usually featured between 22 and 25 tracks, which sometimes incorporated new intros and outros: "

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in para ...

" started regularly but ended in its

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was v ...

remix version, while "

Fix You "Fix You" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all four members of the band for their third studio album, '' X&Y'' (2005). It was released on 5 September 2005 as the second single from ''X&Y'' and reached number 4 on the ...

" was performed with an additional instrumental background from "

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours ...

". * Before the tour began, Martin said Coldplay would "finally have a set list where we feel good about it from start to finish". He joked about being "at the point in our career where we can get through a concert without playing anything shit" as well. Aside from their own catalogue, the band often covered songs from other artists, most notably " Heroes" by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

during the first four legs of the tour. According to Martin, they were good friends with Bowie, though he rejected a collaboration for "

Lhuna British rock music, rock band Coldplay have released nine studio albums, six live albums, 11 compilation album, compilations, four video albums, 18 extended plays, 41 single (music), singles, 13 promotional singles, four Charity record, chari ...

", a charity single released with Australian singer

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

in 2008, claiming the track was "not one of your best". The band also performed

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

's "

Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring ...

" in selected shows. Coldplay originally wrote " Til Kingdom Come" as a collaboration with the singer, but he died before being able to record it. Additionally, the band had a "Fan Dedication Song" segment at the C-stage: "We'd ask people to give us a reason why they want us to play that song so there is a purpose behind why we play it".

Reception

Commercial performance

Fans who pre-ordered ''

'' (2015) from

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

were given early access to buy tickets for the United Kingdom shows on 26 November 2015, with general sales for the entire first European leg being opened in the following day. Due to high demand, Coldplay announced new dates in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, Zurich,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

. Over 900,000 people attempted to buy tickets for the concerts in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, leading online servers to crash. The band's 17 April 2016 performance at

Foro Sol Foro Sol is a sports and entertainment venue built in 1993 inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in eastern Mexico City. It is located near the Mexico City International Airport and is operated by Grupo CIE. The venue was originally built fo ...

earned the venue's biggest ever single-day attendance (67,451 tickets), a record also broken at

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Rajamangala Stadium The Rajamangala National Stadium ( th, ราชมังคลากีฬาสถาน; , ) is the national stadium of Thailand. It is part of the Hua Mak Sports Complex, and is located in Hua Mak Subdistrict, Bang Kapi, Bangkok. It offici ...

(62,068 tickets). Additionally, they registered the highest-grossing show of Singapore's history ($12.4 million). In Taiwan, the band achieved the biggest ticket sales of all time for an international act, a record broken by

Blackpink Blackpink (, commonly stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album '' Square ...

in 2023. The concerts at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

and

Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foo ...

were the most prolific of their career in both attendance and gross according to ''

Pollstar ''Pollstar'' is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by Oak View Group, a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, in July 2017. History and profile Founded in 1981 in Fr ...

''. After the last show in

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

, ''

'' reported the A Head Full of Dreams Tour was the third-highest-grossing tour of all time, earning $523,033,675 from 5,389,586 tickets.

Critical reception

The tour was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, with Ludovic Hunter-Tilney from the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' describing it as a "bubble of positivity making its way around a turbulent world". He stated large venues were a "natural home" for Coldplay and where their "uplifting platitudes make most sense". Writing for ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', Bernard Zuel commented the concert was "very big, but just on the right side of huge. They get loud and in your face but never up your nose. They grab for audience participation but collegially rather than greedily", praising how they crafted a "continuously satisfying pop show that has elements of U2 and

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

and Kylie, but somehow retains a sliver of modesty". In his five-star

review for the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', David Smyth stated Coldplay were "playing more stadium shows in London than anyone else this summer because no one else is doing this kind of thing better. Long may they shine". Similarly, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain ...

rated their

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and h ...

performance with 4/5 stars and mentioned it felt "like the encore, the kind that sends you out into the night streets, hollering the chorus" even when the band were "just two songs in".

Accolades

Live album

After the tour was finished, Coldplay released '' Live in Buenos Aires'' (2018), their fifth live album. It consisted of two CDs with songs played during their last show in

. The record was marketed along with ''The Butterfly Package'', a set which additionally contained ''Live in São Paulo'', their first music film to include a concert in full, and '' Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams'', a documentary featuring previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage. A one-night-only premiere for the latter was held at selected cinemas across the world one month earlier, grossing $3.5 million from over 300,000 tickets sold and reaching number one at the box office of Netherlands; number two in Australia, Italy and United Kingdom; and number five in the United States. Both projects were directed by

, a long-time collaborator of the band. Sam Sodomsky from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' stated ''Live in Buenos Aires'' made "a strong case for the legacy of one of the 21st century's most enduring live acts", while ''Live in São Paulo'' was nominated for a UK Music Video Award.

Set list

This set list was taken from the band's 7 November 2017 concert in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

, Brazil. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour. ;Main stage #" O Mio Babbino Caro" #"

" #"

Yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In th ...

" #"

Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" is a song by British rock band Coldplay, it was released as the lead single for their fifth studio album ''Mylo Xyloto'' on 3 June 2011. An exclusive digital EP version of it, with the B-sides "Major Minus" and "M ...

" #" The Scientist" #" God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" #"

" ;B-stage #

"Always in My Head" #" Magic" #" Everglow" ;Main stage #

Clocks A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

" #"

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...

" #"

Hymn for the Weekend "Hymn for the Weekend" is a single by the British rock band Coldplay from their seventh studio album ''A Head Full of Dreams'' (2015), featuring uncredited vocals from American singer Beyoncé. It was written by the band's members (Guy Berryman ...

" #"

Viva la Vida "Viva la Vida" (, ; ) is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008). The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian refe ...

" #" Adventure of a Lifetime" ;C-stage #

"Colour Spectrum" #"Us Against the World" #"

In My Place "In My Place" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. The song was written collaboratively by all the band members for their second album, '' A Rush of Blood to the Head''. The track is built around thumping drums and chiming guitars. It was ...

" #"Til Kingdom Come" ;Main stage #

"Life is Beautiful" #"

" #"

A Sky Full of Stars "A Sky Full of Stars" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay. It was released in May 2014 as the second single from their sixth album, '' Ghost Stories'' (2014). An exclusive digital EP version of it, with the B-sides "All Your Friends", ...

" #" Up&Up"

Tour dates

Cancelled shows

Personnel

Credits taken from the band's official tour book, which was sold exclusively on merchandise booths and their online store. ;Performing members *

– lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar * Jonny Buckland – lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards * Guy Berryman – bass, backing vocals, keyboards, percussion *

Will Champion William Champion (born 31 July 1978) is an English musician and songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Southampton, he learned various instruments during his childhood, being influenced b ...

– drums, backing vocals, percussion ;Band party * Dave Holmes – manager *

Phil Harvey Phil Harvey (April 25, 1938 – December 2, 2021) was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and libertarian who set up large-scale programs that delivered subsidized contraceptives in poor countries. Harvey was the founder and former preside ...

– creative director * Arlene Moon – management * Mandi Frost – management * Marguerite Nguyen – tour manager * Bill Leabody – tour production manager * Craig Finley – stage production manager * Nicole Erin Massey – production coordinator * Misty Buckley – production designer * Paul Normandale – production designer * Andy Frost – road manager and head of security * Kim-Maree Penn – security * Jessie Collins – band assistant * Ej Randall – band assistant * Dan Green – audio director * Rik Simpson – broadcast engineer * Matt Miller – pro tools director * Tiffany Henry – dressing rooms and wardrobe * Megumi Kusano – Dave Holmes assistant * Roxy Pope – management assistant * Tiffany Hudson – band tour assistant * Dan Portanier – trainer * Carys Moggridge – physiotherapist * Jeff Mauss – tour accountant * Dick Massey – utilities * David White – venue security ;Backline * Matt McGinn – guitar tech * Craig Hope – guitar tech * Sean Buttery – drum tech * Paul Newman – bass tech * Andy Henderson – keyboards tech and digital tech * Bill Rahko – pro tools tech * Leonel Neto da Rocha – piano tech ;Audio * Chris Wood – monitor engineer * Tony Smith – FoH tech * Nick Davis – monitor tech * Ali Viles – RF tech * Nick Mooney – audio crew chief ;Audio crew * Jack Murphy * Brett Taylor * Alex Fedrizzi * Tyler Clapp * Damian Burns * Peter Smith * Adam Banister ;Lighting * Graham Feast – lighting director * Mick Stowe – lighting crew chief ;Lighting crew * Phil Sharp * Rick Butler * Gareth Horridge * Paul Burke * Adam Morrison * Colleen Wittenberg * Kenny Rutkowski * Tony Quinn * Pip Schulte * Matt Helmick ;Video * Ben Miles – video director * Phil Johnston – video crew chief * Oli Derynck – video engineer * Leo Flint – video programmer ;Video crew * Pieter Laleman * Saria Ofogba * Chris Farrants * Ed Prescott * Graham Lambkin * Marcus Wareham * Jeroen Mahieu * Mark Cruikshank * Niall Ogilvy * Michael Cordier * Hamanshu Patel ;Video content produced by * Ben Miles * NorthHouse Films * Shop * Hello Charlie * Marcus Haney *

;Special effects * David Kennedy – laser and pyro designer * Reid Nofsinger – pyro designer and lead SFX ;Special effects crew * Scott Allen * Alan Grant * Brook Blomquist * Jeremy Fox * Justin Seedle * Mike Hartle * Joey Atkinson * Jeff Jowdy ;Rigging crew * Russel Glen (head rigger) * Bjorn Melchert * Matt Rynes * Jerry Ritter ;Carpenter crew * Jack Deitering (head carpenter) * Pat Boyd * Shawn Saucier * Dale Bryant * Andrew Pearson * Lennie Watson * Jeroen Padberg * Ryan Floyd ;Wristbands * Jason Regler – tech * Antony Burry – tech * Arman Chaparyan – coordinator ;Set design assistants * Richard Olivieri * Laura Woodroffe ;Site coordinators * Toby Fleming * Bart Durbin ;Lead electrician * Paul Traynor ;Barricade * Paul Lincoln * Chris Kordek ;Drapes * Steve Capaldi * Daniel Roquero Lopez * Tom Drury ;Catering crew * Susan Power (chief) * James Morries * Brendan McKenzie * Daniel Gamble * Hannah West * Sarah Money * Lulu Foster-Young * Cherry Pashby * Alicia Boardman * Alison Higgins * Pauline Austin * Sally Cureton * Molly Gallagher ;Bus drivers * Sven Schendel * Jan Sven Berse * Joachim Wolfram * Matthias Gerstmann * Scott Pickering * Helli Windisch * Uwe Scholz * Chris Templar * Paul Kakasiouris ;Truck drivers * David Ballantyne (chief) * Mark Coleman (chief) * Roger Bungay * Andrew Mellor * Robbie Jones * Mel Bentley * Tristen Bond * Grant Sharkey * Jimmy Greives * Leon Creswick * Mike Osbourne * Paul Chapman * John Stanmore * Ian Greenwood * Jason Smith * Mark Schubert * Mike Williams * Steve Dunne * Jon Baldwin * Dave Hayhurst * Albert Golon * Dougie Miller * Mark Cameron ;Tour book * Pilar Zeta – artwork and tour book design * Chris Salmon – digital director and tour book interviews * Debs Wild – web ambassador ;Management * Marty Diamond – North America booking agent * Larry Webman – North America booking agent * Steve Strange – ROW booking agent * Josh Javor – ROW booking agent * Gavin Maude – legal * Ryan Vince – legal * Lester Dales – business management * Paul Makin – business management * David Weise – US business management ;Photography by * Matt Benton * Marcus Haney * Phil Harvey * Pilar Zeta * Ollie Smallwood * Ultramajic * Chris Salmon * Marguerite Nguyen * Julia Kennedy * Matt Miller * Mariana Miranda Pedroza da Silva * Irwing Heinz ;Others * Ken Macalpine – merchandise * Anna Roguski –

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

representative * Phoebe Baldwin – Global Citizen representative * Hannah Riley – Innocence Project representative

Gear

Credits taken from '' Projection, Lights & Staging News'', with product quantities being represented between parenthesis whenever possible. * HES Whole Hog 4 Consoles (2) * Martin MAC Vipers (16) * Martin MAC Viper AirFX (18) * Martin MAC Axioms (12) * Vari*Lite VL3500 FX (18) * Martin MAC Auras (45) * Martin MAC Quantum Washes (14) * Clay Paky Sharpys (74) * Ayrton MagicDot-Rs (52) * Color Kinetics iW Blasts (18) * LadLED RGBW Washes (62) * LadLED DWE Washes (16) * 4-lite Linear Mole Feys (64) * 8-lite Mole Feys (8) * Solaris Flares (29) * Prolights Lumipix Battens (12) * Novalite Super Novas (6) * Prolights StudioCOB UV (49) * 4K Robert Juliat Spots (6) * 1.8K Truss Spots (8) * DF-50 Hazers (4) * Kinesys Motors (6) * Custom Torm Racks (62) * 85' HUD Truss * 165' Tomcat 20" Box Truss

Notes

References

External links

Coldplay Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Head Full of Dreams Tour 2016 concert tours 2017 concert tours Coldplay concert tours Concert tours of Asia Concert tours of Australia Concert tours of Austria Concert tours of Belgium Concert tours of Canada Concert tours of Denmark Concert tours of Europe Concert tours of France Concert tours of Germany Concert tours of Ireland Concert tours of Italy Concert tours of Japan Concert tours of Mexico Concert tours of New Zealand Concert tours of North America Concert tours of Oceania Concert tours of Singapore Concert tours of South America Concert tours of South Korea Concert tours of Spain Concert tours of Sweden Concert tours of Switzerland Concert tours of Taiwan Concert tours of Thailand Concert tours of the Netherlands Concert tours of the United Kingdom Concert tours of the United States

Development

Background

Promotion

Opening acts

Concert synopsis

Reception

Commercial performance

Critical reception

Accolades

Live album

Set list

Tour dates

Cancelled shows

Personnel

Gear

See also

Notes

References

External links