Publications have widely documented and analysed the environmental, cultural, economic, commercial and philanthropic influence achieved by British rock band Coldplay with the Music of the Spheres World Tour (2022–24). Described as a media phenomenon, the concert run marked their return to live entertainment after the COVID-19 pandemic and was said to be responsible for a shift in public attitude towards them, further illustrating the impact the group had on popular culture. The Times praised it as "the greatest live music show that humans have yet devised" in visual, emotional and melodic terms.
While announcing the first performances, Coldplay also revealed a series of sustainability efforts to reduce their CO2 emissions by 50%, in comparison to the A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2016–17). Those included the creation of brand new LED stage products and a partnership with BMW to design the first mobile rechargeable show battery in the world. This association, along with the fact that Neste was their biofuel provider, led to criticism and greenwashing accusations. Nevertheless, the band managed to reduce carbon footprint by 47% during their first year of activities and planted over seven million trees on forest reserves. Pollstar credited them with ushering into "a new era of sustainable touring".
Beyond sold-out stadiums, Coldplay attracted crowds of ticketless fans in cities including Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and Zürich. Interest in the shows was considered unprecedented across Asia, Europe, Latin America and Oceania, prompting measures against ticket scalping and debates about pricing. The government of countries such as Indonesia decided to make their event permit process more flexible after the band could not schedule enough concerts to meet demand. Moreover, cities visited by the tour experienced financial boosts in hotels, restaurants, bars and many other services. A macroeconomic impact was similarly registered in regions like Argentina and Singapore. On music charts, Coldplay's catalogue enjoyed a resurgence in sales and streams. They endorsed non-profit institutions by teaming up with Global Citizen and the Love Button Global Movement as well.
Sustainable touring
Industry response
Following the release of Coldplay's eighth album, Everyday Life (2019), Chris Martin said the band would not be touring until they could ensure their concerts are environmentally friendly. The record was promoted with small shows for charity and a performance at the Amman Citadel in Jordan, broadcast by YouTube. On 14 October 2021, a day before Music of the Spheres was made available, the group posted on social media they were returning to live entertainment after the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement also included a series of environmental plans developed in two years with help from sustainability experts; they were aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by 50% in comparison to their previous tour. Furthermore, the group established a partnership with BMW to create the first mobile rechargeable show battery in the world.
Le Soir Didier Zacharie affirmed that the efforts proposed by Coldplay were unprecedented for a stadium concert run and added their initiative was commendable. Alex Duke from Impact said the band were "redefining the rulebook" in a world that "desperately needs radical climate action" and praised them for bringing environmental issues to the forefront of international music news through a pioneering endeavour. In an article for Vogue Scandinavia, Doris Daga observed the tour set the bar for how artists could contribute to mitigate their environmental impact and complimented the band's transparency on "the reality that no [show] will be carbon negative in 2022".
According to Lucy August-Perna, the sustainability director of Live Nation, Coldplay's proposal helped to "build on the framework [the company] had been developing over the past five years on their tours and venues". She also described the measures created by the group as "impressive and forward-thinking", since they focused on concrete solutions. Additionally, the director claimed she was working to adopt their plans, institutionalise what they learn and provide environmentally conscious options for more live performers worldwide.