An adventure of a lifetime: Looking back at Coldplay's concerts in the UAE

It's been 15 years since their first Abu Dhabi gig helped cement its status as a global music hub

Since 2009, Coldplay have performed in the UAE four times. Navin Khianey for The National

Coldplay’s concerts in the UAE have not only inspired memories of a lifetime for fans but underscored the steady evolution of the country’s live events sector.

Their return to Abu Dhabi next year as part of their blockbuster Music of the Spheres World Tour reflects the fortunes of both the Grammy winners and the UAE’s seasoned and dynamic concert scene. The British band will perform at Zayed Sports City Stadium on January 11.

When they made their Middle East debut at Emirates Palace in 2009, their ambition to become one of the world's biggest rock bands was clear to see and hear. The tour was their first foray into creating an immersive concert spectacle, including the main and intimate satellite stages, the French Revolution-inspired costumes and the surrealistic lighting design and imagery.

Abu Dhabi was also itching to be recognised as a global music hub. When Coldplay took to the outdoor stage, both the band and the city were united in making a grand statement to the industry.

The only thing was, the night was overshadowed by the rumbling sounds of nature. Their show was not held under a sky full of stars, but under enveloping clouds erupting in lighting and thunder.

The near-20,000 fans and band seized the moment and the show is now part of modern UAE folklore, with drenched frontman Chris Martin’s crooning Singing in the Rain an enduring image from the evening.

"I remember the Abu Dhabi show very strongly," guitarist Johnny Buckland told The National in 2011. "I could feel the metal in my belt pack, on stage, you wear one, and I could feel it rumbling as the static was going off it."

He was speaking ahead of the band’s next Abu Dhabi show: a New Year’s Eve slot at the Corniche. By then, both the group and the city‘s stature for entertainment were well established. Coldplay were on the cusp of conquering stadiums with the successful 2011 album Mylo Xyloto.

Fast forward five years and Coldplay's 2016 New Year's Eve concert in Abu Dhabi had the band and city at the top of their game. Touring on the back of their album A Head Full of Dreams, the band were selling out stadiums from the US to Australia.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi firmly established Etihad Park as one of the region’s leading concert venues, having already hosted sold-out shows by Sir Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Eminem and Metallica.

As The National declared in its review, Coldplay’s spectacular gig was the “real deal”. The report praised the large-scale production featuring three stages with cutting-edge production – lighting rigs beaming out swirls of colour, as wristbands – which were worn by more than 25,000 fans – lit up in hues to complement songs.

“There were also cannons that shot lorry-loads of confetti, giant balloons and so many fireworks that the pyro display by the Rolling Stones in 2014 seemed tame in comparison,” it read.

Their most recent UAE performance took place in 2022 when both the band and country were taking leading roles in encouraging the global live events sector’s recovery in the wake of the pandemic. Performing as part of Expo 2020 Dubai, the free concert was an abridged version of the current Music of the Spheres show and provided a clear example to the concert industry on how to execute a high-end production with appropriate crowd safety measures in place.

Coldplay’s coming concert at Zayed Sports City Stadium once again reflects the symbiotic relationship between the group and the UAE’s event sector. The group will return with a roster of new hits, courtesy of their coming album Moon Music (out on October 4).

As for one of their favourite countries to play, Coldplay will be met with the same adoring fans, only this time in a historic venue in need of some revitalisation. It’s a relationship that seemingly grew with the speed of the sound and filled with memorable moments that fleetingly felt like paradise.