When Coldplay and their partners were at the height of their powers, they transformed their mega-stadiums into Hull rugby grounds, which felt just as epic, demonstrating how scale and intimacy can be just as potent as scale.
Despite being one of the biggest bands in the world at the very peak of their powers, Coldplay have just perfomed their smallest ever UK stadium shows.
Accustomed to filling colossal venues like Wembley, the band’s choice to play for 50, 000 fans across two nights at a modest northern rugby league ground speaks volumes about the band’s commitment to bringing world-class music to communities often overlooked on major tours.
By playing 111, 000 fans a night at India’s Narendra Modi Stadium earlier this year, Coldplay broke new records. In Sewell Group Craven Park, East Yorkshire, they performed to a crowd of roughly a fifth of that size, a bold and uncommon act of intimacy that made every beat hit closer and every lyric feel a little bit more personal.
The home of Hull Kingston Rovers was one of only two UK venues chosen for Coldplay’s 2025 Music of the Spheres World Tour dates, alongside the gargantuan 90, 000-capacity Wembley Stadium, where the band are soon to play ten nights. Hull’s inclusion, however, was more than just a token gesture. In a deliberate attempt to bring together diverse cultures, Coldplay avoided the typical football stadiums and sizable arenas and instead focused on rugby league grounds, which would have been available elsewhere in the UK. Craven Park made the shortlist, a fitting reward for a club – and a city – long starved of headline acts of this calibre.
That local connection was strengthened by the ticketing process. Fans could pre-order the then-new album Moon Music from Coldplay, but locals with HU, YO, DN, and LN postcodes had exclusive access to a regional presale.
And they were snapped up within minutes – because Coldplay are one of the best bands in the world.
For on a terribly gloomy August night, Coldplay took us on a true cosmic journey beneath a sky full of stars that we couldn’t see but could still feel. An interstellar playground of light and music that transported you away from a rugby field to somewhere far beyond.
For two hours, 25 000 hearts beat together, and everyday life vanished. Hull didn’t feel like it. It felt like a world all of its own – one stitched together by sound, stars, and something deeply human.
READ MORE: Coldplay Wembley 2025 – Start times, tickets and set list for Music of the Spheres tour
Following a slow-building ambient intro of Jon Hopkins ‘ ambient epic Life Through the Veins creating a calm before the storm, we were treated to the Flying Theme from ET before the Music of the Spheres instrumental’s swelling strings and planetary visuals created a launch-pad for Act I: Planets.
A triumphant-sounding Higher Power injected the audience with pure adrenalin before the band went onto the stage. The band’s authority is truly stamped all over Craven Park by the synth-driven anthem of renewal and human energy.
Breathlessly segueing into Adventure of a Lifetime, its funky guitar riffs and crowd-pleasing falsettos initiatied a wonderful bounce-along as the contagious groove shook the stadium.
The soundtrack to Mylo Xyloto’s epic Paradise was followed by a spine-tingling sing-along that made audiences shiver and dance before the tempo was restored with the genuinely stunning rendition of The Scientist, a piano ballad.
Act 2: Moons ushered in an euphoric rendition of “Viva la Vida,” which the audience sang along to with such gut-busting bravado that it appeared to turn singer Chris Martin upside down.
Next up was the spiritual Hymn for the Weekend, infusing the stadium with a carnival of color and infectious party spirit.
What happened next was a lovely moment. Chris Martin took a little wander around the crowd, commenting on people’s signs and even an inflatable unicorn. But he was most taken by a young chap called Ray who had travelled an incredible 5,000 miles from his China homeland to see the band in Hull.
Chris invited him to perform the heartfeltly sweet True Love, their third single from the frequently overlooked Ghost Stories album, in awe of this Herculean effort. The band had the song for the first time since 2014 when it was performed. And it sounded glorious, with Chris on piano, Jonny Buckland on guitar and Ray singing his heart out. The stunned fan was beckoned closer to the microphone because he was so in tune. A night he will never forget.
The neon energy of Charlie Brown then lit up the night, before Parachutes classic Yellow kicked the crowd further into orbit. I’ll never forget the sight of 25, 000 plus light-up wristbands (some people were fortunate to receive two) glinting through the stadium in yellow light.
Act 3: Stars began with the Pink Singers choir harmonising like angels on Human Heart, a contemplative moment as the show grew larger before People of the Pride’s massive riffs sounded like a lion as they sang from the stage. Jonny Buckland pounding his Les Paul in a cacophony of T-Rex-like magic.
Clocks from 2002’s Rush of the Blood To the Head received a lot of cheering in the presence of its instantly recognisable driving piano motif, before Chiedu Oraka from Hull from WE PRAY. The grime artist’s stellar rapping abilities were so impressed that Coldplay requested an acoustic rendition of his verse.
After the warm hues of Infinity Sign and EDM beats of Something Just Like This, the catchy My Universe (with BTS sadly not in attendance) led us into fan-favourite A Sky Full Of Stars. Just before the beat started to play, Coldplay hilariously stopped the song, urging fans to put their phones away and enjoy the moment. The band burst up again in a jumble of good-natured booing when Martin finally got the beat going.
The show was wrapped up with Act 4: Home, which saw the band journey to a tiny little stage at the back of the stadium. As they played hushed, romantic throwback Sparks before Will Champion’s drummer-led In My Place, the atmosphere was electric.
Soon it was time for Coldplay’s infamous “Kiss Cam” (though tongue-in-cheek Chris Martin advised against calling it that). This is where Martin sings the Jumbotron Song directly to fans or invents funny local lyrics, which really added a lovely touch of charming spontaneity to the night.
Our wristbands lit up in a warm candle-lit glow to end the performance as the steady tempo of the emotional ballad Fix You drew crowds to Craven Park. Unavoidably swept away by a pure emotional catharsis.
Moon Music’s instantly hummable Feels Like I’m Falling In Love brought the crowd to its knees before the gentle All My Love rounded the evening off. Every fan should hold onto someone they loved, according to Chris Martin’s song, “You got all my love, Whether it rains or pours.” I was obviously too “old” for this kind of thing as a forty-plus, but my 11-year-old son held on tightly to my side the entire time.
And this emotional resonance, free of any contrivance, is why Coldplay are still one of the greatest acts in the world today.
The band’s heavy-handed sentiment has drawn criticism from critics over the years because they have frequently used it to appeal to the masses. However, I’m trying to explain what exactly is wrong with reversing the often-forgotten good in people.
This was an unequivocally wonderful concert, and in the end, these Hull shows stand as a powerful reminder of just how long the area has been routinely starved of major acts and big-name gigs.
The touring giants’ decision to bring their Music of the Spheres tour to Craven Park reflects a sincere desire to connect with local communities that are frequently overlooked, and inspire fans who have been waiting for this to arrive on their doorstep for far too long.
The uncanny ability of Coldplay’s music to really resonate with the human condition has always been present, whether it was playing for 25, 000 or 111, 000.
And for those lucky enough to be there last night, it really was more than just a concert. A modest rugby stadium was transformed into a universe, and the stars’ voices sounded like stardust in the air.
I was completely blown away by the size of the venue where such a globe-trotting band performed.
A final note to any other big-name artists out there thinking of replicating Coldplay’s riotous success in bringing stadium-scale magic to overlooked cities: ‘ if you never try, you’ll never know’.
