The Thrill of Going to a Coldplay Concert
By: Arabella
Excitement boiled over as my parents told me we were going to watch a Coldplay concert. The last time I had gone to a concert was when I was just 8 years old, watching Bruno Mars perform, which I barely remember. But now, the thought of going to a Coldplay concert had me beyond ecstatic. The day before the concert, we played only Coldplay music, and I practiced singing along to the lyrics so that I wouldn’t embarass myself by belting the wrong lyrics at the top of my lungs. The excitement that I felt was so intense that I shivered with anticipation like a leaf quivering in the wind. Although I kept dreaming and imagining the concert, I knew that nothing could prepare me for the real thing.
On the day of the concert, my mind was racing with thoughts of what songs they would play and what kind of performance they would have in store for us. In my excitement, I selected my “rockiest” clothes and left the boat to head to the concert. Upon arriving, we had to walk for 15 minutes through a sea of people to get to the gate that was allowing people in. There was a shorter line for those without bags, and a line 5 times longer for those carrying bags. In our eagerness to enter the stadium, we shoved my mom’s purse into my dad’s shorts pocket and entered the no-carry-on lane. Once inside, they handed each person a LED light bracelet, and I realized that this was not just any concert, it was a light show! As we looked around, the sheer number of seats in the stadium was staggering. I took in every detail of the stage and its surroundings, as though I was preserving its beauty and brilliance with fascination, like a firefly in a jar.
We walked over to our seats and joined my Uncle Cheese (Alex’s Godfather) and Auntie Qian Qian (his wife). Suddenly, all of the lights went off, and the stadium was plunged into complete darkness. The silence was deafening. Then, the lights went on from everybody’s LED light bracelets, and the stage illuminated. Standing there was lead singer Chris Martin with the rest of the band. The stadium erupted with a thunderstorm of screams and applause. They started the night with “Higher Power”, and as he sung and danced across the podium, the audience lit up with colors ranging from red to green to blue. Flashes of light came from the stage, confetti flew across the amphitheater, and melodic music filled the air. This was way beyond what I had anticipated, and far better than I thought this concert would be. I mean, it’s Coldplay! I should have had higher expectations.
Throughout the night, they played all their biggest hits, from “Viva La Vida” to “Yellow”. There were details that made the concert even more special, such as the whole stadium lighting up yellow and hearts drawn on the crowd with their LED bracelets. As each song ended and another began, a buzz of anticipation and excitement went through the crowd. And when the next song started playing, the screams of fans resumed. I and everybody else were dancing and waving our arms around in the air. As well as that, I was singing and screaming at the top of my lungs. Oh and crying. I don’t know why, but every time a song started, I would start sobbing uncontrollably. I absolutely did not expect to cry at the concert, yet I bawled until it ended. The music wasn’t sad, there was nothing depressing about the moment. I think I just realized that I was actually watching a Coldplay concert and how utterly lucky I was to be there. The beauty of the music just amplified all these emotions coming out and creating a rainstorm of joy and happiness. By the end of the concert, I was completely exhausted from singing (and crying) that I could barely talk, and my voice became hoarse.
As we were leaving, I made a point to try and pick up a few pieces of confetti as a souvenir. The only problem was that all the confetti was on the floor where the standing tickets were, and we had seated tickets. But I was determined to get some. So I hopped over the gate separating the seaters and the standers which had a big sign saying “DO NOT PASS”, ignored it, and ran over to the floor to pick up some confetti. I managed to get my hands on two pieces of blue confetti before a security guard started walking towards me. I quickly ran back to the gate, pulled myself over, and disappeared into the crowd, clutching my precious souvenirs.
I am so incredibly grateful to have gone to this Coldplay concert with the people I love because it was an unforgettable experience that filled me with bliss and tears of joy. I was surrounded by incredible music and a vibrant atmosphere that will forever hold a special place in my heart.