Coldplay’s final India concert: Chris Martin celebrates Republic Day; Bumrah surprises fans in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Fireworks at the Narendra Modi Stadium during a concert of British rock band Coldplay, in Ahmedabad, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

“Happy Republic Day, India!” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin greeted the crowd as he kicked off his final performance in the country at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadiumwhere he touched many hearts by singing the patriotic anthem “Vande Mataram.”

It looked like a confetti of lights had spread throughout the stadium as fans switched on their flashlights to groove to the band’s tunes in their last concert in India, which was streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar.

The atmosphere inside the stadium, with a capacity of over 1.25 lakh, was electric with excitement as the show began exactly at 8 p.m.

Martin, dressed in a sea blue T-shirt and jeans, opened the show with “High Power,” which had the audience singing along in unison. This was followed by two other hits — “Adventure of a Lifetime” and “Paradise.”

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Taking a break from back-to-back tracks, Martin addressed the audience in Hindi and thanked them for turning up in large numbers from different corners of the country.

“Dhanyawaad ​​Pyaare Dosto. te aap sabko jo hume live stream par dekh rahe Hai, “He said, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

“That is the every Hindi word I ever learned in my whole life. So thank you,” Martin said, before briefly switching to Gujarati.

Martin also greeted Indian fans on the occasion of India’s 76th Republic Day.

“We are so happy to be here, so grateful to be here. Happy Republic Day to everybody in India. We know how lucky we are to play in your beautiful country, especially on a day when all the planets are aligned and we have the best audience in the best stadium in the whole wide world,” he said.

The singer took a break from his playlist to hum a few lines from music maestro A R Rahman’s 1997 patriotic track “Maa Tujhe Salaam.”

Martin kept the energy high by constantly engaging with the crowd and taking time to read the signs they held up. He also noted the song requests that the audience had put up and assured them their favourite tracks were on the way.

He performed tracks like “Yellow,” “Charlie Brown,” “All My Love,” “Clocks,” “People of the Pride,” “Hymn for the Weekend,” and “Long live life.”

While performing “Everglow,” Martin invited a young couple onto the stage to sing the song with him, saying they were there to represent every concertgoer.

At one point, Martin announced he would sing for whoever appeared on the screen, as cameras panned across half a dozen faces. In a playful twist, he customised the lyrics of his song “Yellow” to captivate each of them.

A major surprise for fans came with the presence of Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the crowd. Adding to the excitement, Chris Martin once again altered the lyrics, this time to honor Bumrah’s incredible cricketing achievements.

He sang, “Well Jasprit, my beautiful brother. The best bowler in the whole of cricket. We do not enjoy watching you destroy England with wicket after wicket after wicket.”

The stadium erupted in cheers as the screen displayed clips of Bumrah bowling out England batsmen during a test match.

The band had teased Bumrah’s presence earlier in the concert. Many fans took to social media to post photos of Bumrah’s 93-number jersey draped over the piano.

In the final moments of the show, Martin belted out hits like “My Universe,” “A Sky Full of Stars,” “Fix You,” “Good Feelings,” and “Feelslikeimfallinginlove.”

He thanked Indian fans for “treating us like your own.”

“Thank you for letting us feel what it’s like to be an Indian… We had the best time and we are going to miss you. I hope we come back soon and hope to see you again,” he said.

As Martin wrapped up the final song, the screen behind him lit up with a powerful message for the fans: “Believe in Love.”

Moments later, the night sky erupted into a spectacular display of fireworks, leaving the audience in awe and bringing the unforgettable concert to a magical close.

The show marked the band’s concluding performance in India as part of their ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour.’ They had earlier performed at three sold-out shows in Mumbai and held their fourth concert in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Coldplay previously performed in the country in 2016 at the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai.

The British rock band also includes guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey.