Go, Johnny, go! Coldplay brought Michael J. Fox to the Glastonbury stage on Saturday night to play guitar during the band’s headline performance.
“The main reason we’re in the band is because of ‘Back to the Future,’” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said after the performance. “So thanks to Michael, our hero.”
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Before Martin began singing “Humankind,” he freestyled the lyrics to reference members of the crowd—including Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis and Fox. Fox played with the group for the song and stayed on for “Fix You” as well.
“In the voice of Chuck Berry and the way he punched Biff: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Michael J. Fox,” Martin announced as the actor took the stage. Fox, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 1991, was in a wheelchair during the show.
The band also had rapper Little Simz perform as a surprise guest earlier, introducing a new collaboration. The song is said to be titled “Supernova”, with the lyrics “and so we pray” prominently featured in the clip. Burna Boy also featured in a clip of the song, although he was not present at the Glastonbury show. Palestinian singer Iliana was also on stage to help with vocals.
Sims’ surprise appearance came after she played the Pyramid stage right before Coldplay’s appearance. Before Sims took the stage, the band performed a medley of their biggest hits, starting with “Yellow,” slowing it down with “The Scientist,” and then performing “Viva La Vida” with a live orchestra.
As Coldplay’s concert drew to a close, after playing “Sparks,” bandleader Chris Martin asked the audience to raise their hands and send their love to “Israel or Palestine, Ukraine or Russia, or wherever they want.”
Earlier in the show, Coldplay welcomed singer Victoria Kanal to the set of “Paradise.” The 25-year-old singer-songwriter joined the band on vocals and piano.
Coldplay are Glastonbury legends, with the Chris Martin-led rock band making their debut at the festival in 1999 and continuing to appear in 2002 (replacing the Strokes at the last minute), 2005, 2011 and 2016. This year’s performance marks the fifth time Coldplay has won the main chart, making the band the first to do so.
Saturday night’s show came on the heels of last week’s news that the band had joined The tenth album is titled “Moon Music”. The album is scheduled to be released on October 4th. The first single from the album, “Feels Like I’m Falling in Love,” was released on Friday. “Moon Music” was produced by hitmaker Max Martin, who has worked with everyone from Britney Spears to The Weeknd. The album will be the band’s first since the album “Music of the Spheres” released in 2021.
Still currently on their “Music of the Balls” tour, Coldplay have made significant efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, so far producing 59% less CO2 emissions than their last stadium tour. With revenues exceeding $810 million, the Music of the Balls Tour became the third highest grossing and second most attended tour of all time. The trip is scheduled to end in November in New Zealand.
Coldplay was formed in 1997 at University College London, and the current lineup includes lead singer Martin, guitarist Johnny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion. The band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.
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