THE VIRTUAL FESTIVALLAUNCHING A NEW EVENT IN 2012

A WRISTED DEVELOPMENTRFID MAKES ITS MARK ON FESTIVAL SCENE

MARKET REPORT – FRANCERECESSION BITES GALLIC BUSINESS

THIS COULD BE PARADISECOLDPLAY’S REMARKABLE MYLO XYLOTO TOUR

HAPPY BIRTHDAY O2WORLD’S TOP ARENA TURNS FIVE

MORE THAN A MAN ON THE DOOR ROGER EDWARDSFROM ILMC TO EGYPT MOUSSA ABU TALEB

TALKING TICKETS PETER MONKSCLOUDS ON THE HORIZON GEORGIA TAGLIETTI

LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCEIssue 42

An ILMC Publ ica t ion . Ju ly 2012

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“Bigger than U2,” is one of the most often used phrases when speaking to promoters involved in Coldplay’s spectacular Mylo Xyloto tour. Comparisons to the Irish rockers’ legendary Zooropa tour abound, but with Coldplay embracing new technology to take the audience experience to an entirely new level, you won’t find too many people arguing with the assertion that they are now the biggest band in the world.

“I’ve been part of the Coldplay family in Australia for a long time and it’s been amazing to watch them grow,” says veteran promoter Michael Chugg. “They truly are one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen – and I’ve seen a few.” Phil Bowdery, Live Nation International Music’s president of touring, comments, “It’s great to see how they have evolved, especially when it comes to the

live shows. They’re certainly the biggest band in the world at the moment.” And Rob Ballantine, of UK promoters SJM, agrees. “Coldplay are easily the hardest working band on the road. In between dates they do a lot of promo and TV appearances that the band asks to do – that says it all. They’re at the top of their game – there’s not another act out there that can touch them.”

As Chugg hints, behind the scenes in the Coldplay camp there’s a distinctly familial feel. The stadium shows undoubtedly make Mylo Xyloto the biggest tour in Europe this year, but despite the tight deadlines for the massive production, backstage just minutes before the show explodes into life, there’s a heady mix of calm professionalism mixed with the excitement of what the audience is about to witness.

Coldplay’s elevation to stadium act is a direct result of their ‘hardest working band in showbiz’ attitude. Gordon Masson discovers that family commitments have made their biggest tour to date, Mylo Xyloto, a unique outing for all involved...

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Tour manager Marguerite Nguyen believes the band’s attitude toward the production crew explains, in part, why things run so smoothly. “We’re a travelling family and whatever we can do to make it easier for everyone just makes that family all the happier,” she says. “On the Viva tour we were away for months – maybe eight or nine weeks on the road at a time – and that hurts, but this tour we’re doing three weeks on, ten days off, which allows people time to go home or whatever. Although it obviously costs more to have people flying home every few weeks, it’s a much better environment and I think everyone appreciates it.”

Artist manager Dave Holmes reveals that the time-off element is a direct result of the marital status of the Coldplay principals. “The band will still end up spending about 18 months on the road, but the way we have routed the tour allows them to fulfil their family commitments. It’s a different strategy, but it’s all about keeping the band happy and it’s worked.” He observes, “The crew seem to appreciate the time off as well, but, like me, they all realise that they are part of something very special with this tour and that really shines through with the hard work and pride everyone seems to have.”

Such a timetable can have its challenges. Agent Steve Strange of X-ray Touring comments, “The band are now all family guys, so short but sharp bursts of tour energy is the best way forward for them. For the European shows they are mostly able to fly home every night: it’s a case of flying in to wherever they are playing at lunch time and after the show getting a police

escort to the airport, so wheels up can be within 45 minutes of the show ending.”

But it’s not just the artists that have to be catered for. Caroline McCann, general manager of travel organisers The Appointment Group reveals the “massive numbers” of personnel involved in Mylo Xyloto. “On the stadium legs, the band party is usually 14 or 15, then there’s the core Universal crew of 80, three steel crews of 19 each and two advance crews of nine people each. And of course you also have double drivers to look after and book hotels for, so it’s a huge undertaking,” says McCann. “In the United States there will be a few extra flights involved, but I’m glad to say that it’s all going very well and the second leg of the European stadium tour is now all in the planning stages.”

prospekt’s marchFor a Band that’s never oUt oF the spotlight, it’s quite a surprise that Coldplay’s last outing ended in 2010 when they concluded the Viva La Vida tour at the Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico. That performance was the 170th date of a jaunt that took in five continents, played to more than 1.5 million people and grossed $116million (€93m) in the process. Plans for the current excursion are limited to about half that number of shows, but as befits a band that can lay claim to being No.1, the size of the venues on this tour mean that even more fans have been able to get tickets.

The impression that they’ve never been away is down to some crafty planning by band members Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, creative director Phil Harvey, manager Holmes, agent Steve Strange and his US-based equivalent Marty Diamond.

“After Viva I started thinking about how rock records are set up in contrast with pop records,” explains Holmes. “With pop you release two or three singles before the album drops, but typically with a rock album just one single is released a few weeks before the album. Unless that’s a particularly great single, though, you continually see rock records fail and I

“The band are now all family guys, so short but sharp bursts of tour energy is the best way forward for them.“– Steve Strange,

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didn’t want to take that risk.”The strategy Holmes devised involved playing multiple

festivals. “We deliberately didn’t talk about the new record – we didn’t even name it,” he recalls. As well as introducing new material to Coldplay fans, the festival dates also helped build the fan base. “I thought we’d be able to get to 16-24 year olds who probably hadn’t seen a Coldplay show before and that pretty much turned out to be the case.” That success has changed his long-term strategy. “It’s wise for a band to go out and play festivals every three or four years as a way to introduce themselves to new fans,” he says. And taking a broadside at the band’s critics, he adds, “A lot of people seem to have a negative view on the band without ever having seen them. It’s great to watch those opinions change.”

Coldplay’s 2011 festival slots included Rock Am Ring and Rock in Park (Germany), Glastonbury and T in the Park (UK), Pinkpop (Netherlands), Rock Werchter (Belgium), Optimus Alive (Portugal), BBK (Spain), Main Square (France) and Heineken Jammin (Italy). “The set up for this tour and album campaign has been brilliant. It feels perfect,” says Strange. “The festivals were the best thing they could have done: the band enjoyed the no-pressure element, but they were still able to play two or three teaser songs each night to subtly introduce the album to those markets. That brilliantly paved the way for the live campaign. Dave Holmes has made a lot of fantastic decisions over the years, but that was a master stroke.”

leftrightleftrightleftAt IQ’s press time, the Mylo Xyloto tour had just passed its half way point, having made the transatlantic hop for its second North American stint where the band have 25 arena shows scheduled across seven weeks. In late August, Coldplay return to mainland Europe for ten stadium shows across seven countries, before travelling Down Under for four outdoor shows in New Zealand and Australia.

The fact that Coldplay are more than capable of filling US stadiums is not lost on Holmes, but neither he nor the band are in any hurry. That patience is praised by Live Nation’s Bowdery. “They’re playing multiple dates in arenas in America and that just makes more sense for them. It’s a quicker way of moving around the States than taking the massive stadium show on tour.”

Of course, switching from 50,000-capacity stadium shows to the more intimate indoor venues is not without its challenges and new personnel have been brought in for the Mylo Xyloto tour, with the chief changes seeing industry veteran Bill

Leabody taking on the role of production manager and Nguyen moving up the ladder to become tour manager, replacing long-time Coldplay collaborator Andy Franks.

“We have a universal crew who do everything, but we won’t be taking everyone from the European stadiums leg to the USA because those are multiple nights in arenas so the show is really scaled down,” Nguyen tells IQ. In terms of the stadium shows, she explains there are three infrastructure crews – Red Steel, Blue Steel and Green Steel – which leapfrog each other from venue to venue to install stadium flooring and build the stage, towers and other infrastructure. “We also have two advance teams who come in and flip-flop into venues for the likes of catering and rigging,” says Nguyen. “Then the production crew come in when all the backbone is built and bring in all the show’s video screens, sound and lighting.

“The set up for the arena shows is entirely different, with a scaled down stage and only one production team, loading in and out in a matter of hours. However, as the majority of the North American dates are multiple nights in arenas, the relentless build and deconstruct routine does not occur every day.”

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“ If you had told me a year ago that I’d be tour managing one of the biggest bands on the planet, I’d have thought you were crazy, but actually once you settle in to a routine it’s like clockwork and it helps that Coldplay are the nicest people to work for“– Marguerite Nguyen,

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brothers and sistersAs production AssistAnt on the Viva La Vida tour, Nguyen’s promotion within the Coldplay ranks highlights a progressive stance on equality on the part of the band. “It’s great – there’s me as tour manager; the head of venue security, Jackie Jackson; the girls in management; and Nicole [Kuhns] as our production coordinator,” says Nguyen. “Everyone has been super supportive, from the band downwards. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be tour managing one of the biggest bands on the planet, I’d have thought you were crazy, but actually once you settle in to a routine it’s like clockwork and it helps that Coldplay are the nicest people to work for.”

Kuhns contends that the band’s attitude towards female staff

was what lured her to jump ship from Rod Stewart’s production crew, where she had spent “eight great years”. She tells IQ, “On the Viva tour I spent a month as second assistant on the stadium run. I liked it so much that when I was asked to come back, I jumped at the chance. One of the reasons I came back was because it is a woman-heavy tour – we’re freakos about organisation and we’re women who don’t mind working in a man’s world. We’re also a lot better at multitasking than our male compatriots,” she laughs.

Highlighting the solidarity of both sexes among the crew, Kuhns adds, “We had a 17-hour bus ride from Madrid to Nice and then went straight into the load in, but because everyone loves working on this tour, there was no grumbling and we just got the job done.”

the scientistproduction mAnAger Bill leABody is one of the very few Coldplay newbies, but with decades of experience on outings such as David Bowie, The Cure, Depeche Mode, and Aerosmith, he was a natural choice and started working on the Mylo Xyloto tour in February following the departure of Wob Roberts.

“There are a lot of challenges on this tour, but probably the biggest one is that we don’t have a roof on the stage, so we have to fly lights, sound and video screens from towers,” says Leabody. “Coldplay wanted to convey the feeling that

everyone is in it together – if the audience gets wet, then so do the band. As a result, all the equipment on stage has to be protected.” He adds, “I wasn’t aware of the roofless stage when they hired me, but it just means that you have to have a different mindset.”

Drum tech Sean ‘Bash’ Buttery explains the lack of a roof can be problematic. “The rain can quickly put the drum skins out of tune, so no roof is a bit of an issue. But if the heavens do open we have a canopy to cover Will and the kit, so we can deal with it, even though a bit of rain inevitably blows

through,” he says.Jon Greaves of lighting suppliers Lite Alternative had a 12-

man crew out on the stadium leg of the tour and a smaller core crew on the American arenas leg. Talking about the outdoor show, he says, “There’s an awful lot of technology exposed to the elements and given our unpredictable European summers, there was a lot of work involved to try to minimise the effects of nature. It’s a bit whacky, having a vast open stage with no cover, and that makes it challenging for everyone involved – lighting, video, sound, pyro, everyone.”

Such an unusual set up has an impact on numerous aspects and Martin Goebbels of Robertson Taylor Insurance Brokers reports, “Coldplay’s spectacular and huge stage design, even with no roof for the outdoor shows in UK/Europe, and the co-ordinated flashing wristbands didn’t represent any problems due to their professionalism and attention to detail. I can’t speak highly enough of my dealings with them over so many years.”

troublethe diFFicUlties oF perForming oUt in the elements have also meant some unusual requests for contractors. One of the tour’s main suppliers, eps, has provided the likes of stage barriers, cable protectors and special rubber mats to provide stability on the sometimes slippery stage surface. “For some cities, like Porto and Zurich, eps additionally provides the local

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promoters with a flooring system (Arena Panels, Remopla), turf protection (Terraplas), security gates, crowd-control barriers, flag poles and production vehicles like gators and golf carts,” says eps head of marketing Yvonne Kloefkorn.

Another of the issues caused by the roofless set-up has been the carpet on stage having to be binned any time it rains. “That’s maybe something we’ll look to resolve when we come back to Europe later in the summer for those stadium shows,” notes Leabody. Tour accountant Alex Pollock is charged with dealing with any such tweaks. “If the band has an idea for the show, I can advise them of what the financial impact of that creative decision will be,” he explains. “The magnitude of putting on a stadium tour like this is phenomenal and expenses on local labour and the likes of the plastic pitch cover are considerable. We have 62 trucks on the road now, so we’re really a moving city. But on this show we build things such as plywood walls to cover stadium seating, or pens for generators and those costs all mount up.”

When it comes to generators, Fourth Generation became part of the Coldplay family when it supplied power for Viva La Vida - the band’s first stadium tour. Company MD Tweed Hurlocker says, “With production load-in times and touring schedules extremely tight in nature, multiple systems were essential. Two 440 kVA twinpak generators and two 325 kVA twinpak generators provided over 3,600 amps of power, whilst two systems of five kilometres of mains cable, were utilised on each show.”

The response to the show from venues and promoters is nothing but positive. Liz Cooper, marketing director at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena reveals Coldplay now hold the record attendance for a single gig at the stadium. “Every ticket was sold whether it was standing on the pitch or the 2,000 hospitality packages we had in our corporate lounges. This was the first time we had kicked off a band’s [UK] tour and everyone had a fantastic night.”

Portuguese promoter Everything Is New hosted the first night of the stadium tour in Porto and as a result had the band in town for rehearsals as they configured the show for outdoors. “They played a festival in Portugal less than a year ago, so they’ve basically played to more than 100,000 people here within 12 months and I don’t know if anyone else could do that,” says company MD Alvaro Covoes. Indeed, Covoes tells IQ that the only other stadium show in Portugal this year is Madonna and just two weeks before that date, tickets were being advertised on TV at a 20% discount. “We went on sale with Coldplay in December and sold about 90% of the tickets

“Coldplay hit you with lots of their effects within the first five songs, so you’ve got pyro, confetti cannons, balls bouncing around the audience and the Xylobands lighting up all at the start of the show.“– Bill Leabody,

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in two weeks. The rest were production holds, but following rehearsals they sold in one day,” he adds.

Australian promoter Michael Chugg has been working with the band since the late 1990s, but when they bring the tour to an end in November, it’ll mark the first time they’ve played stadiums Down Under. “We sold 180,000 tickets in the first day, but I wasn’t surprised – I expected to do the business,” states Chuggy, who reveals that apart from production holds, the tour has now sold out with more than 210,000 tickets snapped up. “We’ve got people travelling from all over Australia for the shows, plus quite a number of Coldplay fans from Asia because they’re not playing there on this tour.” He adds, “I saw the arena show at The O2 last year and I also saw them play outside at the Hollywood Bowl and it has to be one of the most spectacular shows that anyone has ever put together.”

While most of the global shows have a single promoter –

with the majority being Live Nation – the band decided to reward Polish promoters Alter Art with one of the very few co-promotes after being impressed by their professionalism on a festival date last summer. “It’s an honour and pleasure to be a part of this tour,” says Alter Art’s Mikołaj Ziółkowski. “Thanks to the band, the managers and Steve Strange, just a year after their first visit and an amazing concert for 60,000 at Open’er Festival, we will co-promote the show at the new National Stadium in Warsaw. It’s really great and I really appreciate it.”

“ xI saw the arena show at The O2 last year and I also saw them play outside at the Hollywood Bowl and it has to be one of the most spectacular shows that anyone has ever put together.“– Michael Chugg,

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fix youWhile the VIVa la VIda toUr Was renoWned for its pioneering use of projection spheres, Mylo Xyloto has a circular theme, providing those working on the visual aspect of the show with a new set of challenges. “Everyone else was using 4:3 screens and then moved to 16:9, so to be using circular is unusual,” says Ben Miles of MixedEmotionsLondon, who handles the show’s visual effects and graphics. “Outdoors we use pure LED lights, so keeping the screens circular is quite different. Tiles of LED are square, but we map them to be as close to a circle as possible then put a mask frame around them to create the circular shape. As far as I know, nobody has done that before.”

Video director Andy Bramley states, “Our job is to make the audience at the back feel as though they are in the first ten rows. The lovely thing about the set up for the stage outdoors

is that when it gets dark, the five main screens look like they are floating. In the arena shows there are six screens – five projections and one central, custom-made LED screen.”

Renowned for their production innovation, Coldplay always push the envelope for their live shows, prompting video engineer Ed Jarman to comment, “We’re constantly hiring or buying stuff that hasn’t been tested properly and that means battling with the technology to get it right for the shows. Using the round screens has been challenging, but we’ve been doing it for a while now so we’ve got it down to an art.”

Such is the camaraderie among the vast Coldplay production team that buses supplier Beat The Street’s drivers actually ask to get involved when the band goes on the road. “The nice thing for us is that the production people also request certain drivers,” says the company’s Tim King who had five 45-foot double-deckers, three high-deckers and a 45-foot support bus out on the European tour, plus three VIP day buses for the UK shows.

And the band’s loyalty doesn’t stop there. Mary Shelley-Smith of caterers Eat to the Beat, says, “[We] are proud to have been working for Coldplay since October 2000. Over the years as the band have continued an ever upward spiral of success, so have we continued to mature and grow. Our crew always really enjoy Coldplay tours as everyone of the touring entourage supports each other, which is something that comes from the top down.”

Acoustics specialists Wigwam Hire is another long-term supplier, having worked with Coldplay since 2002. “We’ve seen the band grow into one of the biggest acts in the world, says director Chris Hill. “We have a great relationship with the band, management and crew and it’s a pleasure to be involved with a band who know what they want and will do everything to achieve a result. Coldplay have supported some great charities over the past years, and, as we do the same here at Wigwam, it is great to see people putting something back into the system.”

speed of soundapart From the aWesome spectacle of the Xylobands which turns audience members into a living light show (see breakout, page 49), Coldplay’s show has a whole host of special effects to wow the audience. “The wristbands are very effective, but unlike other acts, Coldplay hit you with lots of their effects within the first five songs, so you’ve got pyro, confetti cannons, balls

“They are a promoter’s dream because they have that ability to sell out everywhere... I’ve seen them in most territories now, but the reaction is universal: people love them.“– Phil Bowdery,

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bouncing around the audience and the Xylobands lighting up all at the start of the show,” says Leabody. “As a production manager, staying on top of the latest technology is part of our remit, so I’m constantly having discussions with production designer Paul Normandale to see if there’s anything new we can use to improve the show.”

Such improvements keep accountant Alex Pollock busy, but he contends that one of the most intriguing elements of the Mylo Xyloto production is that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. “Depending where you are sitting, you get a completely different show from others in the audience,” he says. “If you are at the very top and back, that perspective lets you see the entire stadium lit up by the wristbands. If you’re up high, the lasers below are like a floor leading to the stage, whereas down low they are above your head, so there’s a big contrast in audience experiences and the band and creative people have spent a long time planning those elements.”

The band’s trio of London shows were something of a risk for the promoter. When Bruce Springsteen played Emirates Stadium – home of football club Arsenal – in 2008, the local authorities imposed a strict 75 decibels noise limit. Ballantine reveals that SJM liaised with the council for months to allay concerns. “We spent extra money on special directional speakers, so instead of just cranking the sound up to 11, we flew speakers from the stadium roof to direct the sound down to the audience.”

Live Nation’s Bowdery admires the band’s approach to new

markets and venues. He first worked with Coldplay in 2009 when they played Hong Kong, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. “They are a promoter’s dream because they have that ability to sell out everywhere,” he says. “They played Turin on this tour because we couldn’t get Milan for [soccer] reasons, but they were still able to sell out 40,000 tickets. The same was true in Spain – last time they played Barcelona and this time they did Madrid, but it was the same sell-out situation – they’re unbelievable. I’ve seen them in most territories now, but the reaction is universal: people love them.”

the hardest partalthoUgh some acts WoUld Be relUctant to step back a level after such an overwhelmingly successful stadium leg, Holmes is adamant that the move to stadiums in North America would still be premature for Coldplay, and the band has not been swayed by a temptation to cash in. Agent Marty Diamond says, “They haven’t yet staged a proper stadium tour in North America, but that’s under discussion and they’re certainly ready for that next level. On Mylo Xyloto we could definitely have toured wider, because there’s a lot of territory still uncovered, but the plan was based on the band’s touring schedule. Obviously, I would love to have more dates with them, but they always leave people wanting more and that’s a great achievement.”

Holmes confirms those preliminary stadium talks for America. “Looking at how fast the arena shows sold out, we would definitely be able to sell stadium shows,” he says.

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“But I’m just not convinced that the American audience likes stadium shows that much. They are more accustomed to watching sports in arena settings and I think they prefer concerts that way as well. But we’ll definitely go outdoors in America at some point. That might not be on the next album – maybe the album after that.”

That cautiousness in maintaining the relationship with their fans is an ethos that runs throughout the Coldplay camp, from the band right through to the roadies and merch vendors. Holmes underlines that approach. “In arenas, [the audience seating is] almost 360-degrees. One of the biggest challenges is that we don’t want to price the seats round the back of the stage too high – and there are a number of seats that don’t have good sightlines that we’re blocking off, because it just wouldn’t be fair to sell them at all.”

god put a smile upon your faceclose to 2 million people Will have Witnessed the Mylo Xyloto tour by the time it winds up in November, but as the band quietly continues to build its fan base, the word of mouth about the shows is anything but hushed.

“Coldplay have taken the live experience to a new level,” says SJM’s Ballantine, applauding the way they continually visit new markets. “In terms of the UK leg of the tour they have gone against the mould to take the show to as many people across the country as possible, playing Coventry in the Midlands and Sunderland in the north east, which are fairly under-served markets.”

Diamond concurs. “I’ve never seen a set-up as impeccable and well thought out.” And praising Coldplay’s long-term vision for breaking the lucrative American market, he adds, “When Coldplay first came here they played the clubs and they’ve never left a step out along the way. They are always very conscious in terms of ticket prices for their fans, but also the way in which they engage and remain responsible to those fans. Everyone on the tour is friends and a lot of people see Coldplay as family – I certainly see myself as that. The whole production has a very familial feel to it, from top to bottom.”

“The inner sanctum of their crew has been with them since day one and that definitely has helped foster that familial feeling,” observes Strange. “It’s a great production team and they know each other well. Bill [Leabody] is new, but [stage manager Craig] ‘Fin’ Finley used to be the production manager; [head of venue security] Jackie [Jackson] has been there forever and knows the structure inside out, and the whole management side of things is hugely impressive.”

Indeed, Strange admits that even he was surprised by the speed of ticket sales for the Mylo Xyloto tour, “We were into our options sometimes within an hour or two of the on-sale.” But despite the effects, such as the Xylobands, Strange concludes that the reason for the band’s success is simple. “It’s all down to consistently great songwriting and that powerful creativity,” he states. “I’ve watched them develop as a live act and just get bigger and better every year. But this show is just spectacular and I never tire of seeing it – there’s so much going on that every time you see it, you discover new elements.”

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one oF the Biggest talking points on coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto tour is the show’s use of thousands of Xylobands, which effectively turn the audience into a living light show. The flashing device has gone down a storm amongst fans, with the wristbands distributed free to ticket holders as they enter a venue, although guitarist Jonny Buckland recently claimed that the cost is a staggering £400,000 (€500,000) per show.

Xyloband inventor Jason Regler, of RB Concepts, tells IQ he was inspired by Coldplay’s Fix You performance at Glastonbury 2005: “[The idea] was put on the backburner as I had other projects going on at the time. I also had to make it work, which I did not have time or resources to do back then,” recalls Regler. Nonetheless, he proposed the idea to creative director Phil Harvey at a Coldplay rehearsal in 2011. Hooked on the concept, the band invested in the technology to help realise Regler’s vision. As a result, the wristbands are being used for the entire Mylo Xyloto tour, with nearly two million units ordered.

Each recyclable Xyloband contains a radio frequency device. Batteries are activated upon entry to the show and the device allows Regler and the band to dictate when and how often its LED lights flash. The wristbands are manufactured in five different colours: red, white, yellow, purple and green to create a stunning visual effect when they are synced to the music.

“People are blown away by the wristbands,” says North American agent Marty Diamond. “It’s a very interesting way to

involve the audience and I can see others wanting to use it in a different way – possibly the electronic and dance community – but there could be a tremendous number of uses.”

However, the band’s manager, Dave Holmes, reveals that there’s one stumbling block to other acts and events using Xylobands. “There have been a lot of enquiries about the wristbands, but those tend to tail off when people find out the costs,” he says. “But as the technology becomes more affordable you might see them being used elsewhere.”

Production manager Bill Leabody reveals that each show uses about 60,000 wristbands. “There are big deliveries coming in constantly because the suppliers can only make a certain number per day. We have a guy whose sole task is to look after the wristbands, activate them and make sure they are distributed to all venue entrances so that they can be handed to the audience as they come in.”

And the effectiveness of the gimmick is just another element of Coldplay’s dedication towards their fans, according to international agent Steve Strange. “The fact that the band have deliberately put themselves in a position where if it rains they get wet is really embraced by the audience and the wristbands idea just takes that another step further – it’s not cheap, but by God it works. Also, they keep the ticket prices reasonable – a general admission ticket for under £50 for a show of this size is really good.”

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