Coldplay Covers 'Billie Jean,' Outshines Fireworks at Osheaga

You know a band are pros when they don't get thrown off by surprises. At Montreal's outdoor Osheaga festival last night, headliners Coldplay didn't even blink when an ill-timed fireworks display at a neighbouring amusement park threatened to steal the spotlight during their moonlit performance.

When those explosions in the sky began, Coldplay had just moved from the main stage to a small platform for a few acoustic numbers evoking an old-fashioned troubadour vibe. Undeterred by his pyrotechic rivals, a beaming Chris Martin busted out an improvised ditty about the occasion.

"Just to give you an extra thrill, we've got the moon, we've got the fireworks and we've got our drummer Will / We got the love and we got respect, we love playing in Quebec," sang the purple-shirted frontman as he galloped around the stage with goofy, sexy gusto. His energy was contagious, managing to coerce 30,000 fans into a synchronized cell phone wave. "We'll make our own fireworks," he declared. "Let's see those cell phones, let's see all those little lights!"

Next, the band fired off an equally unexpected acoustic folk cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." Of all the recent tributes to the late king of pop, this had to be one of the weirdest and most whimsically fun.

Featuring drummer Will Champion on guitar, the fast-paced folk cover of the 1983 hit made fine use of Chris Martin's impressive falsetto prowess, particularly during the, "She said I am the one, but the kid is not my son" chorus. The audience, delirious with glee, provided enthusiastic woo-hoos that echoed bizarrely through the night sky.

Take that, fireworks!