Chris Martin invites the Gypsy Kings, remembers Tina Turner and marvels at the 'castellers'

Chris Martin is a proximity magician.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
25 May 2023 Thursday 10:22
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Chris Martin invites the Gypsy Kings, remembers Tina Turner and marvels at the 'castellers'

Chris Martin is a proximity magician. Even in front of 55,000 people in a huge stadium like the Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona, ​​he is capable of whispering into the microphone to give instructions to the crowd and get them to not only chant certain moments of his songs with more or less intensity, but also to perform beautiful effects. choreographies with the light bracelets worn by the public.

However, what brings him closest to the macro audience is the confidence with which he can interrupt a song because he has discovered something on the track that has left him stunned, or when he improvises as if he were in the privacy of a rehearsal or tribute. to Tina Turner, of whose death the band Coldplay had learned at that time.

It was at the beginning of the Yellow theme. At the first guitar strums of the well-known theme, Chris Martin stopped short, inviting everyone to look at a young woman who stood up with clearly towering skills on the shoulders of another boy, as in the characteristic human towers of the traditional Catalan cultural manifestation.

"I don't understand how someone can stand on top of another person. Look at that amazing girl, she's incredible, the best thing we're going to see in this concert. How does it work? Are you acrobats?" said human tower was discovered on the big screen and put her hands to her mouth excitedly. "Let's start again, I'm sorry," added the musician before picking up the song.

Already in the encore round and after a longer pause than normal, the members of Coldplay appeared at the stadium from the other end of the track where they had set up a third and unexpected stage. There they were going to invite members of the Gypsy Kings, who would end up singing Volare with Chris Martin. But first, the leader of the Britpoperos improvised a tribute to

Tina Turner singing Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary, a song she popularized in her own version. Martin invited the illustrious rumbero Nicolas Reyes, from the Gypsy Kings, to do background vocals.