Coldplay brings empathy — and Selena Gomez — to the band's 2023 North American tour finale

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} In 2023, a Coldplay concert opens like a triumphant finale — LED wristbands flashing, confetti canons on overdrive, a singalong of 68,000 voices repeating “You've got a higher power,” to match frontman Chris Martin's energy. Then: an explosion of rainbow lighting effects, tie-dye orbs, and wholesome bits — for “Paradise,” Martin asked the audience to engage in the “quietest singalong ever,” chanting the title in a whisper. In another, he read some of the signs held high above heads in the crowd before inviting two girls from Mexico on stage to sing “Let Somebody Go.” When he was handed a small stool, he joked, “We're the most popular soft rock band in the world and we can't afford a stool?” “This song you've chosen, we used to play it a bit, but we, when we recorded it, we recorded it with Selena Gomez,” Martin told the two girls. There is a reason is a band beloved around the world — after the encore, Coldplay played the audience out with “Believe in Love,” a welcome reminder.