On the Road With Coldplay

Backstage, the four band members have just changed into the French Revolution-inspired uniforms that provide the visual theme for their tour — and inspired more discussion than Martin would prefer. "The Pittsburgh Steelers wear the same outfit every week, and no one expects them to change," he says. "But wear the same outfit on both Leno and Letterman, and suddenly it's an issue." The band plans to shift to modified versions of the get-ups when the tour continues early next year. "We're not sick of the theme — just the smell," says Martin, who actually has six or so near-identical versions of his suit — today's has Barack Obama's name written on one of the armbands.

The group members perk up when they hear the distant sound of "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)," by Martin's pal Jay-Z — the final song on their pre-show mixtape. They button their frilly jackets and march out of the dressing room, stopping just outside the curtains that lead to the stage and a crowd of 20,000 people. Their intro music — Strauss' "Blue Danube" — swells, and Coldplay gather in a huddle and join hands in a "go, team" gesture.

The band is clearly most excited about playing the Viva la Vida tunes — but it delivers enthusiastic, straightforward versions of old hits like "Yellow." Martin used to pull the Dylan move of changing that song's melody — but then he got some simple advice from Michael Stipe: "Stop doing that. People want to hear the songs the way they know them."

The show gets a lot of mileage out of simple tricks, beginning with the illuminated balls above the stage that serve as spherical video screens. And then there's the bit where the band runs into the nosebleed seats to perform "The Scientist" acoustically among the fans.

Most spectacular is the moment during "Lovers in Japan" when thousands of transparent confetti butterflies spill from the ceiling, glowing in the stage lights. It's a stunning sight, inspired equally by the Flaming Lips' showmanship and a trip Martin took to a zoo's butterfly habitat with his kids. "Even if the show's going shit, I know that there's two moments that'll be fine," says Martin. "The song 'Viva la Vida' — and when the butterflies glow in the dark."

[From Issue 1067 — December 11, 2008]

Related Stories:

• More from Issue 1067
• Chris Martin: The Rolling Stone Interview
• Review: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends