During Coldplay’s recent concerts in the Philippines, frontman Chris Martin addressed the country’s traffic issue, which he deemed “number one in the world”. Martin even came up with a song on the band’s second night in which he referred to Manila’s traffic as “completely insane”. The lyrics included warnings that a two-mile drive could take a week or two and that if you want to get back home in time for a bath, give yourself about a year and a half.
Among the attendees of the show were the President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife. However, the couple’s arrival at the concert, which was via helicopter, has been met with criticism online, as it appeared to contradict with the eco-friendly initiatives associated with the tour. General Jesus Nelson Morales, the head of Marcos’ Presidential Security Group, responded to the criticism by saying that bad traffic caused the helicopter travel. The general cited an “unprecedented influx of 40,000 individuals eagerly attending a concert” that led to a security risk.
Last year, the brilliant figures showed that Coldplay’s ‘Music of the Spheres’ world tour has emitted 47% less carbon emissions than their previous world tour. After their ‘A Head Full of Dreams’ tour in 2016 and 2017, the band had stated that they would not tour again until they could tour more sustainably. Martin has since spoken about how eco-friendly tours make “business sense” in the music industry. He hopes that by proving the environmental benefits of sustainable touring, the industry will be prompted to change, and more musicians will be encouraged to tour sustainably.
Martin believes that more people are interested in taking care of the planet than is commonly assumed. “Most people, if they have the luxury of being able to care about it, care about it,” he said. Martin’s stance on sustainable touring has shown that Coldplay is not only a successful band but that they are also leading the charge for change within the music industry
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