In a new universal chapter of sustainability for the band, Coldplay are set to go ahead with their first world tour in five years next year all part of their eco-friendly plans of reducing their carbon footprint as a music collective.
But … why even tour at all?
That’s the question. Recently, Chris Martin confessed that this was the ulterior backlash that they’ve been receiving since announcing this tour. Much to the satisfaction of those doubters, he answered quite simply, because he wants to. Which, much to the bemusement of others, I totally get. It’s been over five years since they last toured and the true connection you can feel between band and fan in a live setting is a fantastic moment that they sorely wouldn’t want to miss for another few years.
Besides, huge musicians do not even attempt to be eco-friendly or even remotely sustainable when they do their own world tours, so I say I’m all for it if bands wish to try it out.
Despite the band still travelling in their own private jets – which is, slightly ironic – Martin has informed us all that us as fans will be on “kinetic flooring,” which basically means that we’ll be powering the gig – lights and all – ourselves with our frantic movement and fanatic screaming.
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“The more people move, the more they’re helping. You know when the frontman says, ‘We need you to jump up and down’?
“When I say that, I literally really need you to jump up and down. Because if you don’t, then the lights go out.”
– Chris Martin
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For a carbon neutral tour tackling climate change, they also plan to:
- provide best environmental practices like installing aerated taps and low-flushing toilets.
- Set itself will be made of materials with perfect environment credentials like bamboo
- Lighting effects have been “modified” to be more energy efficient
- An app will allow fans to plan their journey with lowest possible emissions – and even get a discount code to use in the venue if they follow through with it.
- The big ticket: Coldplay themselves will plant a tree for every ticket sold. Based on their last tour, that would work out to be 5.4 million trees around the world.
With it being a truly “atmospheric” and “ethereal” album set to be released tomorrow by the name of Music of the Spheres, the eco-friendly tour will hopefully reflect the true idealism of the album when the guys created it.
The tour is set to start in March next year in Costa Rica, a country which is known for the highest rates of renewable energy generation across the world.
