Pemberton Day 3: Coldplay Joke Their Way Through Headlining Set
As co-producers of the inaugural Pemberton Festival, it was in Coldplay‘s best interests to see the fest off in style. Once they finally got down to it after Jay-Z’s set, it was all smiles, jokes and parodied lyrics, even on the weightier songs (on “Fix You,” Chris Martin crooned, “When the festival traffic moves at the slowest pace”). And the band was not content to simply sail through material, presenting a ghostly, dance-beat version of “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face,” and even venturing out to a platform stage in the middle of the crowd for an acoustic shot at “The Scientist.” Ending on Viva La Vida‘s “Death and All His Friends,” Martin looked out, smiling, and said, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” And a good evening it was, whether anyone could be classified as ladies or gentlemen by then. Coldplay took a bow, and Pemberton prepared to shrink by 40,000 people.
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