Marcos gushes over Coldplay’s‘spectacular, unmissable’ concert

Avid “music lover” President Marcos said he had a great time watching Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” concert at Philippine Arena in Bulacan province over the weekend.

Speaking to reporters in Quezon City on Tuesday, the President gushed over the British rock band’s “spectacular” and “unmissable” performance.

“You know, I’m a music lover. I’ve been for a long time. I’ve studied music for many years. And to have somebody like Coldplay here… that should be unmissable. You cannot miss it,” the President said.

On Friday night, social media users posted photos of Mr. Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos and their youngest son William Vincent at the concert along with thousands of Filipino fans.

The first family was seated in the stadium’s VIP gallery.

On Sunday, the first lady posted praises for the “awesome” Coldplay on her Instagram.

“I went there and by the way, it was fantastic. It was great. You can ask anybody who attended the concert, it was extraordinary. It’s unlike other concerts that we watched,” the President said.

“It showed that they are spectacular. I have not seen anything like it. We don’t have those in Batac,” he quipped, referring to his hometown of Batac in Ilocos Norte province.

The band’s lead vocalist Chris Martin’s comments during the concert stirred controversy when he described the country’s traffic as “No. 1 in the world.”

The President’s entourage had also drawn criticism, including from Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, who called out the “out of touch” use of presidential helicopters, while the rest of the crowd had endured an hourslong traffic gridlock.

Earlier this month, traffic navigation company TomTom said Metro Manila had the worst traffic congestion among major metro areas in the world in 2023.

In an exclusive interview aired over GMA 7’s “24 Oras” on Tuesday, Mr. Marcos admitted that he sometimes feels embarrassed that he inadvertently causes temporary gridlocks whenever his convoy passes by.

“You cannot avoid traffic…. And the other thing I try to avoid is causing traffic. Because when I go, it’s sometimes embarrassing, because when I go places, everybody has to stop. So I try as little as possible to cause traffic. And then of course, I’m trying to maximize my time,” he said.

According to Mr. Marcos, he does not ride the presidential helicopter when he’s just traveling within Metro Manila.

Low return rate

Besides the spectacular show and its front man’s comments on the traffic, Coldplay’s two-day Philippine stop on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 also made headlines due to the country’s low return rate of the reusable LED wristbands worn by the audience.

Since 2011, Coldplay’s management has been distributing interactive wristbands with LED lights that change color to the music to concertgoers, who are encouraged to return them upon exiting, so these could be sterilized and recharged for the next shows.

According to the “wristband recycling leaderboard” displayed during each show, the Philippines registered a return rate of 87 percent—lower than the likes of Tokyo, Japan (97 percent), Copenhagen, Denmark (96 percent) and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (90 percent).

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The result drew mixed reactions on social media: some found it amusing; others, embarrassing. And there were those who were not in the least surprised.

Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon was even quoted as saying at a flag raising ceremony on Jan. 22 that the issue was a matter of “integrity.”

Visual eye candies

Since its launch in March 2022, the “Music of the Spheres” tour has been dazzling audiences around the world with spectacular lights, pyrotechnics and myriad visual eye candies.

In an effort to make the elaborate production as eco-friendly as possible, the British act has employed various measures to reduce the tour’s carbon footprint, and supported initiatives that promote sustainability, including the reusable wristbands.

This practice, according to Coldplay’s official website, has reduced wristband production by about 80 percent.

Made from “100 percent compostable plant-based” materials,” the system-controlled wristbands emit lights in various colors and patterns, depending on the song being played.

As such, not a few fans see the item as a nifty souvenir.

While the Philippines’ return rate seems relatively low in comparison to the top countries, it’s actually within the average 86 percent rate the tour logged in its first year. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH INQ