Whether they’re the biggest fans, or casual listeners, most of the world has come across the music of British alternative rock band Coldplay. Recognized globally from billboard sensations like “Yellow,” “The Scientist,” “Viva La Vida,” and “Adventure of a Lifetime,” the band has solidified itself as a cultural sensation.

Known for their vibrant use of color, amplified pyrotechnics and songs that aim to spread love, Coldplay’s lyrical and visual musical expression has shaped the lives of its listeners, making the experience of seeing them live a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Forming in London 29 years ago, Coldplay first became a continental sensation in Europe. Attention eventually began to mount from other countries, calling on the band to share their musical majesty with the world. Their popularity has taken them to South Korea, India, Brazil, and major US cities, like San Francisco, San Antonio and Austin, Texas.

After announcing four years ago that 2025 would be their last year making new music, Coldplay has resumed their three-year-long “Music of the Spheres World Tour,” adding new tracks from their “Moon Music” album, which was released in October of last year.

Coinciding with the new album was the list of cities Coldplay would be visiting for the continuation of their world tour, and for a band tied to performing on the world’s biggest venues, seeing they’d come to El Paso, Texas, was a shock for both global and local fans.

Tickets sold out quickly, and for good reason. For Texas enthusiasts, El Paso was the only chance to see Coldplay in the state. As for the 915, it’s a city that has been longing to host large entertainment events.

So, when given the opportunity to welcome a global sensation, El Paso welcomed them with open arms by selling out over 50,000 tickets in mere hours. The response demanded that Coldplay extend their original one-night performance to two shows.

Coldplay powerfully arrived at the Sun Bowl on June 13, giving the sold-out stadium the same experience lived by those in big cities. To the spectators, it didn’t matter where they were seated, whether in the front row or in the nosebleeds, because the lights, confetti, fireworks, and vocals transmitted the bands’ love for their music from any part of the Sun Bowl.

Saturday held a similar experience. From hearing people call out others for sitting in their seats, or saying “I don’t care if I’m in the back, it’s Coldplay,” the Sun Bowl was met with lines that spanned out of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) hours after the initial “start” time of 6 p.m.

Vocalist Chris Martin dedicated some words to the crowd, saying, “Gracias por estar con nosotros por nuestra segunda noche en El Paso, el paraíso del sur.” He welcomed locals from El Paso, those crossing from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, US residents from other cities, the diehard fans traveling from other counties and shouting out those watching from the Sun Bowl’s mountain.

Watching Coldplay bring their magic to El Paso not only gave the 915 a big city feel, but it also reaffirmed that others see beauty in a city that many are obsessed with departing from.

Coldplay learned about El Paso’s sparks from their longtime friend, and legendary musician Jim Ward. Ward, who graduated from El Paso High School, was part of what Martin called “one of the best bands of all time,” At The Drive-In, and Sparta. Martin credits Ward as “being the man who told us about El Paso and made us fall in love with it from a far.”

Thanks to Ward, and the locals who embraced the band, El Paso was able to give Coldplay, and its fans from all over the world, the adventure of a lifetime.

Sebastian Perez-Navarro is the multimedia editor for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected] or Instagram and X @sebastianpn8, and on LinkedIn @sebastianperez-navarro.