Music echoed for blocks around Stanford Stadium Saturday evening as the venue welcomed the band Coldplay for its Music of the Spheres World Tour. The British rock band has two performances scheduled in Palo Alto, on Saturday night and another Sunday night.
Stanford Live reports the stadium, which seats more than 50,000 fans, is sold out for both nights.
Eric Groff flew in from Portland to attend.
“My daughter bought tickets for us for my 60th birthday, so I came down, we’re here, and we’re excited,” he said.
With street closures and detours, traffic slowed to a crawl in neighborhood streets as the time of Saturday’s show approached. Some fans paid up for parking near the stadium, while others opted to walk.
“Well, it was a lovely walk, we had an Uber drop us off pretty far to keep us from the traffic,” said Kanani Packer of Menlo Park.
Many fans said Coldplay strikes a personal chord with them.
“I’ve just always wanted to see Coldplay, such a fun, lively, exciting band, ” said Mindy Brandon of Sausalito, who was attending the show to celebrate her birthday with a friend.
Young fan Madyson Duckart of Modesto said her mom surprised her with tickets to see Coldplay.
“They have really great music,” Duckart said, adding that ‘Sky Full of Stars’ is her favorite Coldplay song.
Raelene Muniz traveled from Orange County with her daughter to attend.
Muniz had never seen Coldplay and added, “My husband, he loved them a lot.”
“We came here to honor him, to be here in spirit,” she continued.
Her husband passed away unexpectedly last year. Having the concert at Stanford felt especially meaningful to Muniz because she said her husband had an open heart surgery at Stanford in 2013, which she credits with giving him “almost 11 more years with us.”
Muniz added that her husband’s favorite Coldplay songs were ‘Fix You,’ ‘Yellow,’ and ‘Everglow.’
“I’m gonna enjoy the concert, for him,” she continued.
Some fans said they couldn’t afford tickets or couldn’t snag them in time. A few decided to camp out just outside the stadium with picnic blankets to listen to the concert.
Henry Riccioni-Brown of Menlo Park and a few friends brought a blanket and snacks, sitting outside the venue to listen to the show.
“Oh, it’s been great, it’s an amazing sound, even from here, we can hear everything,” he said.
“And I love Coldplay, so just being able to taste it is enough for me,” Riccioni-Brown continued.
At the end of the show, a fireworks display went off and could be seen from blocks away.
Colplay’s second show at Stanford Stadium is slated to start at 5:25 p.m. on Sunday.
