Coldplay kick off their UK stadium run in Hull, address kiss-cam “debacle”
Coldplay have kicked off their long-awaited UK 2025 tour dates, and used the opening night in Hull to address their recent kiss-cam controversy.
Chris Martin and co. played the first of their two huge stadium shows in Hull last night (August 18) – kicking things off at Craven Park, before another stop there tonight (19). The dates come as part of the band’s extensive ‘Music Of The Spheres’ world tour, which began in 2022.
While on stage, Coldplay treated fans to a stacked 23-song setlist, including classics from the past 25-years. Split into four acts and across three stages, the band launched the show with ‘Higher Power’, before going into ‘Adventure Of A Lifetime’, ‘Paradise’ and ‘The Scientist’.
Act Two saw classic tracks ‘Viva La Vida’, ‘Yellow’, and more, while Act Three included ‘Clocks’, a rendition of ‘WE PRAY’ alongside Chiedu Oraka and Elyanna, ‘Infinity Sign’, ‘Something Just Like This’, ‘My Universe’ and ‘A Sky Full of Stars’.
The fourth and final part mostly took place on the C-stage, and saw performances of ‘Sparks’, ‘Don’t Panic’, ‘Fix You’, ‘feelslikeimfallinginlove’ and more – along with the return of the infamous “kiss-cam” segment.
The feature of the show, which shows unsuspecting people in the audience shown on the huge screens, made headlines last month when it took place in Boston and showed Astronomer boss Andy Byron seemingly caught in an affair with a co-worker.
The footage of the two audience members panicking after seeing themselves on the screen soon went viral, and sparked memes from people online, the Astronomer company, Oasis, and from Coldplay themselves.
Addressing the incident in Hull last night, Chris Martin said: “We are so happy to be here. Many of you have written signs. So, I’ll take some time to try and read some signs. Then we’ll see what happens.
“First of all [that sign reads:] ‘three times in three months’… You were at that Boston gig! Well, OK, thank you for coming again after that debacle.”
Addressing the Boston viral moment again, the frontman added: “We’ve been doing this a long time, and it is only recently that it became a…yeah. Life throws you lemons and you’ve got to make lemonade. So, we are going to keep doing it because we are going to meet some of you.”
Opening the show was Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr, who became the first woman to win best African music act at the Mobo Awards in 16 years. She gave an emotional performance at Craven Park Stadium last night, telling the crowd that her hit ‘Last Heartbreak Song’ was “too difficult” and emotional for her to sing (via BBC).
“Absolutely un-fucking real. One of the best nights of our lives,” wrote one fan on X/Twitter after the Coldplay headline set, while another added: “Coldplay in the UK hits on a different level.”
“Hull was chosen to bring in much needed revenue to the City. The crowd in Hull absolutely nailed it,” added a third. Check out more footage and the full setlist below.
Absolutely un-fucking real. One of the best nights of our lives @coldplay #coldplayhull pic.twitter.com/VxNHTD5ANV
— Carl (@Carlwilks2011) August 18, 2025
“That was concert 212 out of 360”.
His mood was insane – Coldplay in the UK hits on a different level#ColdplayHull pic.twitter.com/r2kQxCcATB
— Jenny
(@Jenny_SparksJoy) August 18, 2025
Weggster Live in 2025 – Gig 29
Coldplay, Hull.
Hull was chosen to bring in much needed revenue to the City. The crowd in Hull absolutely nailed it.
Pubs didn’t exploit the opportunity, really cheap drinks & their car park space fees donated to a local children’s Hospice… pic.twitter.com/Sms9cKMkOQ— Lesley – FPL
(@Weggster) August 19, 2025
This was absolutely worth the 25 year wait! @coldplay #ColdplayHull pic.twitter.com/TrcopvUlIv
— Stuart McGinley (@StuartMcGinley) August 19, 2025
My Universe
#ColdplayHull 1/2
— Coldplay Access (@coldplayaccess) August 18, 2025
Hull was all yellow
#ColdplayHull pic.twitter.com/xDsGyhHMcN
— Forum Coldplay ꩜ (@forumcoldplay) August 19, 2025
Coldplay’s Hull setlist was:
Act I: Planets
‘Higher Power’
‘Adventure Of A Lifetime’
‘Paradise’
‘The Scientist’
Act ii: Moons (B-stage)
‘Viva la Vida’
‘Hymn For The Weekend’
‘Gravity’
‘Speed Of Sound’
‘Yellow’
Act iii: Stars
‘Human Heart’
‘People Of The Pride’
‘Clocks’
‘WE PRAY’ (with Chiedu Oraka) (with Elyanna)
‘Infinity Sign’
‘Something Just Like This’
‘My Universe’
‘A Sky Full of Stars’
Act iv: Home
‘Sparks’ (on C-stage)
‘Don’t Panic’ (on C-stage; lead vocals shared by Chris, Jonny and Will)
‘The Jumbotron Song’ (on C-stage; Chris solo on acoustic guitar)
‘Fix You’
‘feelslikeimfallinginlove’
‘ALL MY LOVE’
After tonight’s gig in Hull, Coldplay will head to London and become the first to play 10 dates at Wembley Stadium – breaking records held by Taylor Swift and Take That. For all UK dates this year, £1 from every ticket sold is being donated to support grassroots venues.
In quotes supplied exclusively to NME, the members explained why it was vital for them to help support local spaces and emerging talent.
“Organisations like Music Venue Trust are even more important in this country since Brexit, because it’s so much harder for new artists to play in Europe,” said Martin. “I just know that I would always want people younger than us to have even more opportunity than we had, and certainly not less.”
Last week, Chris Martin made headlines again by performing a secret set at a pub in Yorkshire, playing to an intimate crowd as a warm-up for the huge Hull stadium shows. “I want to sincerely say thank you so much for letting me play in your garden and on Monday in Hull I’ll be thinking of you all and how kind you’ve been to a southerner. I’m very grateful,” he said, as well as poking fun at a heckler.
The post Coldplay kick off their UK stadium run in Hull, address kiss-cam “debacle” appeared first on NME.
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