From ‘Elin Williams’ (@myblurredworld)
August 25th 2019, that’s when I last penned a concert experience entry here on my blog, far too long ago if you ask me so I think it’s about time for another, don’t you?
I have attended concerts during that documenting hiatus, of course, with a second The Script show, McFly, Stereophonics, a third Ed Sheeran concert and Blossoms all added to my gig-going roster, as well as some Welsh language bands and artists.
The latest addition to that list is Coldplay who I recently saw playing Manchester’s Etihad Stadium. But unlike any other concert I’ve been to before, a touch tour featured as part of the experience.
Me being me and this being such a unique gig in terms of access and inclusion, I just had to write about it. So let’s take a little look back and talk about it from the beginning to the last note that rung out over the city.
COLDPLAY CONCERT EXPERIENCE
BOOKING TICKETS
I’m not going to dwell too much on the ticket buying process but I always like to give a little nod to the experience of purchasing as a disabled fan.
Having bought tickets to see artists at the Etihad before, I had a feeling that I was going to have to set aside a considerable amount of time to spend on hold to the disabled access ticket line. What I wasn’t expecting was for the minutes to tally up to a whopping five hours.
‘I’m 1.5 hours in, I’m not giving up now’, I told my family as the clock ticked by, finding myself having to say the same two, three, four hours later. I tweeted about this at the time, naturally, but disabled music fans cannot be expected to set aside nearly six hours of their time in order to buy tickets to a concert. Non-disabled fans can get their hands on tickets in a few simple clicks, as once Ticketmaster has shredded the remaining seconds of its the few minutes you’ve got to checkout, you either have tickets, or you don’t. No such clarity exists when you’re fed the same hold music for hours on end.
Luckily, as the existence of this post confirms, my wait was worthwhile but it does put me off the idea of buying tickets to the Etihad in the future. Then again, maybe I’ll happily endure the wait to try to secure Taylor Swift tickets when she finally announces her international tour dates.
All of this does highlight how inaccessible the process of securing tickets is for disabled people, though. I had a day off work when Coldplay’s tickets went on sale and luckily no university deadlines at the time, but the wait did have a knock-on affect on my energy levels. Disabled access tickets are not accessible if it takes over five hours to buy them and things need to change to make it a simpler and better process overall.
THE TOUCH TOUR
The music itself is naturally central to any gig but you can’t deny that it is coupled with a lot of visual elements, from the staging to the outfits. That’s why Coldplay decided to introduce the option of a touch tour in order for vision impaired fans to gain a little insight into what happens beyond the lyrics.
When I heard about the initiative, it’s safe to say that I was intrigued. Touch tours are a common feature in things such as theatre plays and musicals but I never thought it was a possibility at gigs.
I of course wanted to know what it was all about and a couple of emails later, my place was confirmed.
On the day of the gig, we met the band’s access team at the gate who, after swapping introductions, adorned our wrists with bands that would later light up, unifying the crowd in a sea of colours that flashed in time with the beats of the music.
As part of the pursuit for a more inclusive gig experience for disabled fans, sensory bags were offered to anyone who required them, consisting of fidget spinners, dark glasses and noise cancelling headphones, amongst other things.
The touch tour began with a descent into the underworld (or the space under the stage if you want to speak in uncool terms), a maze of cables, instruments, piano tuners and guitar techs.
The group, which consisted of around six vision impaired people, their friends and family, were lead through the space to firstly gain a little insight into the band’s wardrobe.
Hats, jackets and t-shirts were passed around, each with its own story which were narrated by the tour leader. A children’s precussion band played on stage overhead, soundtracking the stories of how the clothes became to be decorated with patches, stains and Coldplay’s fictional Kaotican language which was dreamt up as part of the concept of the Music of the Spheres album.
On we went to take a look at the guitars. Holding them afforded us the opportunity to inspect the instruments, their weight and the unique feeling of the straps and to feel as though we were a part of the band for just a second.
We met the band’s guitar tech who had been touring with them for over two decades, back at the time when they were huddled in tiny vans and playing much smaller venues. And then we were taken to one of the piano who’s story was narrated by the band’s resident piano tuner. Just like the guitar straps, the piano was adorned with a strip of embroidery which featured more Kaotican words, although no one seemed to know what these ones meant. The uniquely textured pattern was a vision impaired person’s best friend, as you can imagine.
Once we were out of the underworld, we found ourselves stage-side, tracing the outline of the uniquely shaped confetti that would later rain down on the crowd with our fingertips. Why have normal confetti when you can have some that are shaped like stars, right?
The tour was cut short there as the first support act, local Manchester band, Porij, were set to take to the stage in a matter of minutes but it’s safe to say that the team didn’t cut any corners when it came to access and inclusion.
It was so refreshing to see consideration being given to disabled fans and for a myriad of access options to be available, ensuring inclusion was at the heart of the show. More of this, please!
THE CONCERT
‘This is show number 84 of our tour. We said we need to do 83 rehearsals to be good enough for Manchester,’ Coldplay frontman, Chris Martin, tells the crowd of 60,000 at Manchester City’s home of football in the first of four shows they’d perform at the stadium.
Higher Power was the night’s opener, a tune that injected the first jolt of energy that would be felt throughout the stadium for the next hour and a half. Adventures of a Lifetime and Paradise completed a trio of lively performances which were a riot of colour and featured the signature giant bouncing balls which were launched into the crowd, a detail I couldn’t see of course but fun to imagine nonetheless.
Things slowed down a little for The Scientist, after which Chris thanked the crowd for making their way to the gig despite the train strikes that plagued much of the UK that day.
‘All we can do in return is the best show we’ve ever played in our lives,” he said along with a promise for “the biggest singalong in the world,’ something we all delivered on as crowd favourite Viva la Vida vibrated around the stadium.
The energetic vibes bled into a performance of Something Just Like This before I found myself asking for a description of what was happening as a member of the crowd was coaxed onstage for a quiet piano version of Green Eyes.
The subdued tones continued as Lauren Mayberry of the second support act, Chvrches, joined the band onstage for a cover of Graham Lyle’s What’s Love Got to Do With It which was simply stunning.
As the final notes of In My Place dwindled, everyone’s wristbands turned yellow and we all knew what that meant. Although I couldn’t see the stage, a glimpse of the unified sea of colour that framed it was touching. As the performance of the song came to an end, Chris prompted the standing crowd to turn around and wave at those in the stands, encouraging everyone to sing to each other in a spectacle he said you would never normally see in a football stadium courtesy of two opposing teams. I naturally couldn’t see the movement but in that moment, the music was a tether between everyone in the stadium, as it often is at concerts.
Human Heart, Clocks and Hymn for the Weekend were amongst the next few songs before the band stopped their performance of A Sky Full of Stars, asking us to ditch our phones to enjoy the moment.
‘All you need for this song is you and everybody else around you. We’re never gonna get this moment together ever again, just the 60,004 of us so we wanna remember it as just human connection,’ Martin said.
When they came back onstage for the encore, I was told that they had made their way to the C-stage where, after taking a trip down memory lane to recall one of the first times the band ever played in Manchester in a small cafe in 1998, they ditched the flashing lights for a stripped back version of Sparks.
Remembering the significance of the One Love Manchester concert that was arranged as a response to the horrific events at the Ariana Grande concert in 2017, a cover of James’s Sit Down enchanted the crowd.
Back on the main stage, Fix You had everyone singing at the top of their voices again before loud bangs and pops signalled the fireworks which were launched into the air as Biutyful closed the show.
Throughout the evening, the Etihad was a capsule of colour and unity. I will admit that the flashing lights proved a little too much for me to bare at times and my singing was directed to the floor as I looked down in avoidance. But apart from that, it’s safe to say that Coldplay hit all the right notes in terms of access and inclusion at this gig, in my experience, at least.
The band definitely delivered on their promise for the biggest singalong and also on their mission to create an accessible experience. I’d love to see more bands and artists following suit in terms of pursuing a more inclusive experience for disabled fans. The music unites everyone on the night but small changes can make such a big difference, ensuring everyone enjoys it in a way that’s accessible to them.
This gig has shown that it is possible and when you put access and inclusion at the top of your priority list, you’ll always be singing the right tune.
Have you ever seen Coldplay in concert, or do you plan to as their tour continues? If you’re a fellow disabled gig-goer, I’d love to hear if you feel as though their inclusion efforts are up to scratch and if there are any other bands and artists you feel are setting good examples for an accessible concert experience. We know it’s possible, we just need others to realise that too.
Elin x