Viva la Vida
Date : Friday, 24.11.2023
I finally snagged those Nike sneakers I’ve been hunting down for ages from the Pavilion mall.
After some more shopping, I finally take a Grab to my Airbnb.
The street is busy and there is traffic but there is no honking on the road like we have in India. Everything is still and there is silence inside the car.
But my brain decides to replace this silence with a chant. A chant that makes me travel deep inside a memory which I was a part of just 2 days back.
Let’s turn the clock like The Scientist and go back to 22.11.2023.
Date : Wednesday, 22.11.2023
I am in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I wake up feeling grateful that this day has finally come. The day that I had been waiting for, since months. The fact that I am in a foreign country is not the reason for this excitement.
My AirBnb is on the 14th floor having an amazing view of the whole cityscape. After waking up, I step out on the balcony and admire the view. I have these butterflies in my stomach which make me nervous about how I am gonna feel in the stadium. I do not fear doing things alone but attending a concert alone in a different country is a step up from my usual solo adventure tales.
I had intentionally kept the visit to Petronas Towers in the morning so that I am busy and don’t waste time thinking about such endless possibilities.
I book a Grab, and end up at Petronas.
Witnessing Petronas in person is a profoundly humbling experience, underscoring the truth that merely reading or watching countless YouTube videos about something falls short until you witness it firsthand.
Petronas is so tall that I am immediately lost in the thoughts about how they must have created it in the 1990's.
I take the tour and go to the top floor to admire the cars on the roads as ants. I pondered whether someone residing on the highest floor would regard their living situation as akin to being in Para Para Paradise.
I came back to my AirBnb to change into the Coldplay t-shirt that I had specially bought for the concert. It was a blue t-shirt with the lyrics of Yellow written on it.
The clock was ticking and it was finally the ideal time to book the ride to the stadium. The stadium was actually nearby but everyone was heading to the stadium and on the Maps it showed it would take me 2.5 hours to reach the stadium. I saw this coming and that is why I had started early for reaching the stadium.
As I entered the cab, I found an old Chinese uncle as my driver. He greeted me with a warm Hello 👋 as I entered the car.
He asked me :
“Are you also going to the stadium today? I heard that the cars leading to the stadium are moving very slow. I hope there is enough time and you don’t end up missing anything important.”
I told him that I already factored in the traffic and even a 2.5 hours delay can’t stop me from reaching on time.
He smiled with a nod and proceeded to turn on the radio.
The radio was playing Hymn for the Weekend.
The thought that I would be hearing the same song being sung live in a stadium filled with 80,000 people in the next few hours was chilling.
The RJ was talking about Coldplay and said that the band was formed in 1996 and it was the first time that Coldplay was coming to KL.
I had a smile on my face because 1996 is also the year when I was born and Coldplay were gonna meet both me and the city of KL for the first time, after 27 years.
The whole road was filled with cabs and cars which were going to the same destination. Driver uncle was very patient and not at all complaining.
We reached mid way and he got a call from his son. He was telling his son on his phone about the traffic for the concert and that he would be reaching home a bit late because of it.
After disconnecting the phone, he politely inquired me the cost for my concert ticket. I had no hesitation and told him about it.
He mentioned that perhaps his son would appreciate attending a similar concert in the future, and he expressed the intention to gift him a ticket. Despite not being acquainted with his son, I assured him that the gesture would undoubtedly be treasured.
20 minutes left to reach the stadium.
I notice that people are getting down from their cabs and are walking(actually running) towards the stadium.
I decide to do the same.
I say thank you to the driver uncle and start walking towards the stadium.
People are dressed in Coldplay tshirts. There are stalls on the way selling merch. I decide to stop on one of them and get myself a Coldplay card as a memoir.
I wear the card like an ID card to complete my look and rush towards the stadium.
I can finally see the stadium. I can see people everywhere. It’s been a while that I had seen so many people together. It only makes me excited about the things that all of us are gonna collectively experience soon.
I show my ticket and get in through the turnstile. I am immediately given a LED bracelet to be worn and am told to go to entry gate 105.
I head to 105.
As I take my steps towards the entry to the stadium, I see people like a sky full of stars. The stadium is jam packed and there are no vacant seats anywhere. I proceed to the front row for my seat and settle down.
The opening act just started and Coldplay were set to take the stage at 9pm.
My heart was beating faster with each passing minute. I try to take a video of the stadium but the video doesn’t do justice to what I see in real life.
The countdown started and Coldplay were going to be live any mili second now.
The side screens cue the intro and I can see Chris, Jonny, Guy and Will taking the stage.
There is complete darkness now. The screens are off, the wrist bands too have gone visually silent.
All the external lighting is off. It’s like a big black void.
Strobe lights come up.
And then boom the iconic 3 2 1 *HIGHER POWER OPENING RIFF*
It only goes Up & Up from there.
Paradise comes up and everyone is singing it word by word. The aura of that moment was so overwhelming that I have a tear in my eye while simulataneously singing and being in Para Para Paradise…..
The musical unfolds with an increasing array of elements. First, the synchronized light display on wristbands captivates the audience, followed by the release of balloons, and the entrance of lasers into the visual spectacle. Fireworks add a burst of excitement, and planet-like sphere balloons grace the atmosphere, accompanied by an additional shower of confetti.
People are singing their heart out to Yellow, A Sky Full of Stars, Adventure of a Lifetime, Charlie Brown one after the another.
There is no network on my phone. There are no responsibilities. There is no pending office work. There is no tomorrow.
I am just in that moment, enjoying and relishing every second of it. This is a unique kind of high that I was experiencing from this frenzy euphoria.
For the special song of the night, Chris sings Magic for a couple who dedicate this song to their 3 year old daughter.
After that it starts to rain and Chris decides to impromptu sing a song for the Malaysian Rain :P
Everyone in the stadium felt like a big happy family enjoying their favourite band live.
The highlight of the night would truly be Viva la Vida for me because of the way everyone sang the chorus in unison. Even when there was a gap for a minute between 2 songs, the whole stadium started humming Viva la Vida.
The same chant that would form a core memory in my head.
I do not have a video for that because I was living in the moment :)
But this 2011 live video is pretty much what went down then.
I then proceed to approache a person to click a picture for me. The guy was really enthusiastic and took 2–3 photos of me while expressing why coming to see Coldplay live is a solid YOLO experience!
My head was still buzzing with joy even though the concert had ended. I started to make my way out of the stadium and it started raining again.
People were wearing their ponchos or were using their umbrellas. But there were also people like me who did not mind the rain.
My mind was anyway occupied, reflecting internally as I sought the appropriate words to capture the experience I had just witnessed.
While going back there was a shortage of cabs and I had to wait for some time to get one. Everyone on that street were wearing a Coldplay tshirt. I was unable to get a cab and it is then when I made another friend called Richard who had come all the way from Indonesia for the show to KL, because he did not get the tickets for the Jakarta show.
Both of us had a chit chat about the show and then found a cab to go back to our respective AirBnb and hotel.
It’s unreal how art in any form can open the doors to unexpected but equally cool friendships.
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin’
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the worldOh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
I couldn’t help but think later on — maybe music is the secret key to world peace?
