I missed out on Coldplay Wembley tickets but it led to me having one of the best nights ever

I wasn’t alone that day. The statistics for the band’s current Music of the Spheres world tour are staggering. Since kicking off in Costa Rica in March 2022, it has played to more than 11 million people, become the first tour ever to gross $1 billion, and beat even Taylor Swift to become the most attended in history. On Friday, it begins a record-breaking 10-night run at Wembley Stadium, after a two-night pit-stop in... checks notes... Hull.

Yes, you read that right. A city in the north-east of England previously more famous for the Humber Bridge and Philip Larkin is the only venue in the UK besides Wembley to host Coldplay on stage in 2025. How such an unlikely event came to pass is quite the tale in itself.

Neil Hudgell is a local solicitor and owner of a rugby stadium located in the east of the city. When he heard that the socially conscious band were keen to play somewhere far away from the UK capital, he offered up his own Craven Park. As well as accepting his offer, the group pledged to donate 10 per cent of concert proceeds to local grassroots musical projects. There are no losers in this story – not even, as it transpired, me.

Because on Monday, that’s exactly where I was - along with 25,000 other fans, standing on the covered-over pitch of an ordinary-looking local rugby ground, waiting for Coldplay to drop in on their way to Wembley.

At first, there was a distinctly local feel to the event. After Hull rapper Chiedu Oraka kickstarted the support slots ahead of Ayra Starr, two local women appeared on stage to introduce the main act. And then the band arrived, and we were all transported far away from Hull, or even Earth.

Anybody who’s seen a Coldplay concert in the last 20 years will be well versed in the combination of songs, spectacle, effects, superb sound production and the expression of earnest sentiments that combine for something spine-tinglingly collective, and this tour, playing to rave reviews across the globe, has been no exception.

• Buy Coldplay hospitality tickets from £799 at Seat Unique

But here’s the thing: Coldplay play big – undaunted by numbers such as at India’s Narendra Modi Stadium where, in January, they performed to 111,000 fans on each of two nights. In Hull, for a mere 25,000 of us, they did nothing to shrink the spectacle.

We got the lights, the cascading stars and butterflies, the giant floating balloons, the fireworks, the love hearts that appeared when we put on our special 3D glasses – we even had the Wembley-sized screens at both sides of the stage, though for most of us they weren’t necessary; there they were right in front of us.

Nor did they dial down the sounds. Hit after monster hit saw Coldplay doing what Coldplay always do: three flawless musicians, drummer Will Champion, bassist Guy Berryman and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland – all of whom could probably walk down Hull High Street without turning a head - banging out tunes old and new, while their effervescent frontman Chris Martin ran between the two main stages, sat down at the piano, joined his bandmates on guitar and made up ditties on the spot about individuals in the crowd.

I’ve seen Coldplay five times now, and what changes is that on each tour a brand new banging anthem has been added to the already bulging songbook. What doesn’t change is their ease with one another and Martin’s commitment to finding and sharing the rapture of the occasion, variously throwing himself on his back on stage, or standing arms aloft. With tunes less compulsive, it could be self-indulgent. For the creator of Clocks and Viva La Vida, it seems entirely appropriate.

For two hours, they raved, they rocked, they crooned ballads, and none of the technical prowess is surprising on what Martin told us was the 212th night of the tour. What was surprising was the overwhelming sensation created by being in such a small audience watching such a big show.

The phrase “sensory overload” doesn’t do justice to the feeling of standing in that tiny ground as those big sounds and sentiments floated around us. By the time our LED bracelets lit up for the song Yellow, and everywhere I looked was a sea of flashing amber, it felt almost hallucinogenic, with Martin our puppet master.

Fortunately, he was intent on using his powers only for good, telling us all to wave at a stranger in the crowd “as if they are a best friend you’ve not met yet”. He in turn waved to a section of the seated area reserved, as he explained, for NHS workers “who look after us”, and to the people peddling at the side of the stage, creating power for one of the stages. In ways more than musical, Coldplay continue to show other bands and artists what’s possible.

This tour finishes in less than a month. By then, the band will have played to more than 12 million people, including crowds bigger than some national populations, and none so small as ours in Hull on Monday evening. It wasn’t just a pleasure to be there, it felt like a privilege.

I’m sure he says it every night along the way, but when Chris Martin told us this 212th night was one they’d had “211 rehearsals just to be with you tonight” I chose to believe him. And next time, I’m being bumped out of an online ticket queue after five hours, I promise to remind myself of what happened here and start humming, “When you try your best, but you don't succeed…”

Coldplay hospitality tickets for their Wembley Stadium dates are currently available from £799 at Seat Unique, or visit Ticketmaster to check on the availability of resale tickets

Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.