Coldplay Light Up Lollapalooza With Fireworks, Brief Amy Winehouse Tribute

When Coldplay closed out their headlining 19-song Lollapalooza set with fireworks, things turned a little too real for those up front. As rapid-fire explosions went off above the stage to the beat of their new track 'Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,' a waterfall of tiny black gunpowder granules showered the audience. But, if you are one of the world's biggest bands and it took you "20 years to get to Lollapalooza," as frontman Chris Martin told the audience mid-set, why not go out with a bang?

Apart from a quick-yet-poignant Amy Winehouse dedication that saw Martin croon the chorus of the late soul-singer's hit 'Rehab' from his piano, Coldplay's setlist didn't steer too far away from their performance this past June at Glastonbury. The band played three other new tracks -- 'MX/Hurts Like Heaven,' 'Major Minus' and 'Us Against the World,' which Martin joked was inspired by the idea of a "potential love affair between Bill O'Reilly and Sarah Palin" -- that are anticipated for their upcoming, as-yet-untitled fifth album.

"This is the first song we ever played in America," Martin informed the crowd before hitting the falsetto chorus on 'Shiver,' off their 2000 debut album 'Parachutes.' To pump up the crowd before taking to their instruments, the show started with a two-song medley, as Jay-Z's '99 Problems' segued into the theme from 'Back to the Future.' Showing his affection for his fans and the sea of heads before him, Martin promised early on from the stage, "Every single one of you, we're going to try and rock your f---ing socks off." He twirled, somersaulted, threw his arms up into the air as the rest of the band played on graffiti-ed gear, with 'MX' drawn all over it, suggesting that perhaps the significance of the two letters was more than just a song title.

The only time the crowd wasn't singing and warranting compliments like "Beautiful!" and "F---in' fantastic singing!" from Martin for their impromptu unisons, was on the new songs. Only once did Martin egg the crowd on, during 'In My Place' on the refrain's drawn out "Yeaaaaah." On the second chorus, Martin didn't have to ask for it again: The crowd chimed in with a deafening howl. You don't have to like Coldplay to realize their live performance never fails to hit a soft spot. A few lighters even turned up during 'Everything's Not Lost,' a concert staple at Lollapalooza '94 but a practice that in recent years has fallen victim to cell phones.

"Thank you for making four young -- well not that young anymore -- but four men's dreams come true. We're going to give everything we have this evening," Martin said. Following their four-song encore, which included 'Fix You' dedicated to BP, the initials of Martin's wife's father, it was very apparent that Coldplay are a band that stays true to its words.

Watch Coldplay's Entire Lollapalooza Set


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