FedExField

After the first two venues of this leg being ones the tour visited last year, the memories go deeper here in Washington, as Chris recalls before Everglow how they played here in 2001 on a radio festival for WHFS.

This was a bill made up of primarily metal bands, whose audience unsurprisingly were not hugely enthusiastic Coldplay fans.

The band have, of course, changed a great deal since then. You have to wonder what the fledgling band dodging projectiles on that day would think of what they’ve become. You have to wonder also, whether it was on days such as that that their resolve was set…

Either way, here they are 16 years later, filling the stadium and giving 50,000 or so folks the night of their lives. The NFL theme to the North American outdoor shows continues with a quick re-write of Green Eyes on the C-Stage (“Red…Skins… wooh-oh Red…Skins….”)

 The setlist also gets a re-write on the C-stage as a Parachutes t-shirt in the crowd prompts a spontaneous airing of Trouble. Nobody was more surprised than Mr Champion who deserves credit not just for some of the most superb perplexed facial expressions as he tried to remember the chords, but for turning in a heroically successful piano performance on the spot.

The Redskins get another nod when Chris produces a team helmet during Something Just Like This, only stopping short of donning it upon the realisation that singing through it would be impossible.

They’re a good noisy bunch here in DC. I wonder if anyone from that 2001 festival was at this show? Hell, it was 17 years ago – maybe their kids were here!

I wonder what the next 17 years will bring?

R42

Viva#ColdplayDC
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 7, 2017

A fan made this light-up guitar for Jonny and here it is gracing Charlie Brown for the second time tonight in #ColdplayDC
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 7, 2017

Chris tells a story about playing a metal festival at this same stadium in 2001 – and how the reception is somewhat better tonight….
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 7, 2017

Guess the song…#ColdplayDC
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 7, 2017

Homemade outfits rule!#ColdplayDC
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 7, 2017

#ColdplayDC is go!
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 7, 2017

Lighting Designer (“Turn the lights on please”) Graham and Head of Security Frostie keeping it low profile before tonight’s #ColdplayDC pic.twitter.com/AlKGgwZbeb

— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 6, 2017

Guitar-o-scope#ColdplayDC
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 6, 2017

Kaleido-Drape#ColdplayDC
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— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 6, 2017