These four superstars, they shine for you

“We exist for, and because of, you,” Chris Martin tells close to 50,000 people in the Estadio Ciudad de la Plata, Buenos Aires. Ever since they first broke big in 2000 with “Yellow”, a song that dedicates an entire night sky to an object of desire, Coldplay have betrayed a willingness to please. As deep into their career as 2016, Chris Martin was describing playing live as a “service”, viewing Coldplay as mere backing musicians in a communal, singalong experience for their fans. It’s a philosophy that rings through this companion piece to the A Head Full of Dreams documentary, recorded at their November 2017 gig in the Argentine capital. They do much to charm a noisily responsive crowd, Martin addressing them in Spanish throughout and the band playing “Amor Argentina”—a bespoke new tango in which the singer proclaims, “Porque en este lugar/Hallé un gozo profundo” (“Because in this place/I found a deep joy”)—alongside a cover of “De Música Ligera” by local alt-rock legends Soda Stereo. Around those two tracks sits a remarkable collection of tried-and-tested crowd-pleasers—each played with vitality and enthusiasm, as if they’d only just been minted in the studio. The incisive, universal longing of “The Scientist” and we’re-in-this-together optimism of “Up&Up” are potent reminders that Coldplay’s personal touch extends far beyond learning the local lingo.