Monday, June 27, 2016

Glastonbury Trip, Day 7: One Word, "Coldplay"

Sunday at Glastonbury was a more relaxing day as we slept in and decided to plant ourselves at the Pyramid Stage. We caught sets by Laura Mvula, ELO, Beck, and the headliner, Coldplay.

All I can say about Sunday's gigs is that my expectations were blown away. The only one that suffered was Beck who struggled more to whip up a tired rain-soaked crowd. It rained most of the day, but I enjoyed every second of it.

Beck:



ELO - which happened to be my first concert ever in 1978 - brought me to tears with memories of my youth.

ELO:



And what can I say about Coldplay's set? There are just no words. I cried through "The Scientist" and was thankful that Caroline put her arm around me and pulled the four of us together. It was one of the greatest single moments I've experienced - a deep feeling of community and love and friendship.

Andy declared Coldplay's set the best thing ever done at Glastonbury (and he goes every year). It included no less than three show-stopping moments. The first was a heartfelt tribute to Viola Beach, letting them "headline Glastonbury in an alternate future." The second was Barry Gibb joining them on stage for "To Love Somebody" and "Stayin' Alive" (which Chris Martin declared "the greatest song ever"). And the third was Michael Eavis himself joining them on stage to sing "My Way." I couldn't take much more. It was stunning to say the least.

All I know is that when Coldplay throws out "Yellow" as the second song in their set, you're in for something special indeed. It was beautiful and full of heart. And there were lasers and light-up wristbands and star-shaped confetti and giant balloons everywhere.

Coldplay:






And then it stopped raining. Yet another Glastonbury miracle.

Once I properly compose myself and work out all my emotions (and take a shower), I will make my best attempt to summarize what these past five days really meant to me.

Here's a photo that captures some of it:


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