Summary

  • Coldplay are playing Craven Park Stadium in Hull on 18 and 19 August

  • The shows are part of the band's Music of the Spheres World Tour

  • The tour began in March 2022 in Costa Rica

  • After the Hull shows, the band will perform 10 dates at Wembley Stadium

  • The final London date is 8 September

Live Reporting

by Eleanor Maslin and Holly Phillips. Edited by Mike Chilvers

  1. 'Speed of Sound': Fans ride for free on Coldplay-themed train

    Two women holding pin glowsticks stood either side of a man on a train platform. One woman has shoulder-length blonde hair and black glasses and is wearing a black dress, a denim jacket, a black bag and black sandals. The other woman has shoulder-length red hair and black glasses and is wearing a black and blue floral dress with black sandals. The man is wearing a grey checked shirt, a white t-shirt with a grey and yellow pattern on, grey trousers and white trainers. A group of people in black trousers and red t-shirts stand in a line to the left. There is a purple train on the right with a colourful design reading "SPEED OF SOUND" in capital letters.

    Those travelling to Hull from outside the city can hop aboard Hull Trains for free if they show their ticket to the conductor.

    The offer is valid for selected services today, tomorrow and on Wednesday for travel from Doncaster, Selby, Howden or Brough. More details can be found here.

    Buses from the train station to Craven Park will be running regularly.

    As well as offering free travel, Hull Trains are giving customers the chance to ride on their special Coldplay-themed Speed of Sound train.

  2. Safety first for everyone, including Joey

    Anne-Marie Tasker
    BBC Look North

    Joey is a red fox coloured Labrador, he is sitting on tarmac at the entrance to Hull KR's stadium and wearing a yellow hi-vis jacket

    Joey the five-year-old Labrador belongs to Simon Roberts, Hull Kingston Rovers' stadium manager.

    Hi-vis jackets have been required at the ground since work to build the stage started on the pitch on 9 August.

    As one of the team at Craven Park, he just had to have his own.

  3. Man takes 17-hour flight to fulfil 'lifelong dream'

    Jasmine Lowe
    BBC News

    In an earlier post we told you how a security guard had come to the aid of a cold and disorientated fan who had arrived in Hull in the early hours after travelling from China.

    Well, we've tracked down the young man who has now joined the queue for the gig.

    Raymond, 20, told us he had travelled from his home city of Chengdu by taking a 17-hour flight from Beijing to London and then getting a coach to Hull to fulfil his "lifelong dream" of seeing Coldplay.

    He said he made the journey because the band gave him "mental support".

    "When I was down, when I was in trouble, their songs fixed me," Raymond said.

    He said Hull was a "very relaxing city, but a little bit cold".

    A young Chinese man with short black hair and a full fringe is smiling into the camera. He is wearing a navy top and jacket with blurred railings behind him.

  4. Lincoln Coldplay fans board coach to Hull

    Fans from Lincoln are heading on 'An Adventure of a Lifetime' as they board the bus to Hull from St Swithin's Church.

    Robert, who is travelling on the coach, said: "Hull's not quite the venue you picture with Coldplay but it's nice that they're coming up.

    "This is probably nicer, because when you have a smaller crowd and you're closer to the stage, it feels more personal."

    A photo taken from inside a bus. Passengers fill some of the seats and are smiling or waving at the camera. The seats are navy blue.

  5. Man rocks handmade tour-inspired outfit

    Martin, 31, from Manchester, has made his own Music of the Spheres World Tour-inspired outfit with patches and paint.

    He's a huge Coldplay fan and has been to multiple concerts before. He will be singing along to A Sky Full of Stars at Tuesday's show.

    A man - Martin - standing outside, with his hands in his pockets, in front of a path, grey railings are behind him. He has short black hair and black facial hair. He is wearing black trousers and a black jacket with patches of planets on. He is also wearing colourful shoes with blue and pink laces and a blue t-shirt.

  6. Testing one, two, three...

    Hull-born rapper Chiedu Oraka, one of Coldplay's support acts, is on stage sound checking ahead of the concert later.

    He performed at last year's Glastonbury festival and has recorded many sessions for national and local BBC stations.

    Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr will also be joining Oraka as a support act.

    Starr performed at Glastonbury last year and was the first woman to win best African music act at the Mobo Awards in 16 years.

    A large stadium's stage can be seen with several stalls on it with black canopies on the top. It's an aerial image. A man can be seen stood on the walkway just in front of the stage with a microphone. No one is in the standing area.

  7. Listen to Radio Humberside live from the queue

    The BBC Radio Humberside team are live from the queue.

    Amy Thompson is chatting all things Coldplay and catching up with fans.

    Listen live here

    Three people, one man and three women standing on grass outside. There is a purple banner reading "BBC RADIO HUMBERSIDE" hung on metal railings. A cardboard cut out of Chris Martin is also behind them.

    Amy Thompson is chatting to Coldplay fans

  8. 'Coldplay can come here for an afterparty'

    Two people stand outside a brick building with a sign reading "THE CROWN". The building has an arched entrance, multiple windows and picnic tables. A woman on the left wears a black zebra-print shirt with sunglasses on her head. A man on the right is wearing a blue shirt with white text.

    It's not just fans who are excited about the return of Coldplay to the UK as businesses close to the Hull venue say they're expecting a "sell-out" too.

    Harry Brown, the landlord of The Crown pub around the corner from Craven Park, has ordered 100 hundred extra barrels of beer and cider. He's also hoping Coldplay might fancy a pint after the show and said they're more than welcome to use his gazebo.

    A woman with curly hair and wearing a blue striped t-shirt stands in front of a building with a red and white sign, which says Robins cafe and takeaway

    But Mr Brown is facing competition from Diane Cooper who runs the Robins Cafe and is also hoping the band might pop in to help her celebrate her 66th birthday.

    Sadly, she hasn't got a ticket for the gig but said she'll be "enjoying it in the car park".

    A woman stands in front of a black and white striped food truck named "Spud Buds" with the name in red letters. A menu board is visible in the background.

    Meanwhile, Paige Taylor from Spud Buds said she was expecting to sell about 1,000 potatoes from her food truck across both nights - she's going to be serving up inside the fan village.

    We also asked her what topping she thinks Chris Martin would go for. Her response: "I think he'd choose chilli. He's a bit rough around the edges."

  9. 'I'd choose Hull KR over Chris Martin'

    Anne-Marie Tasker
    BBC Look North

    Anne is wearing a hi-vis vest over a blue fleece gilet and white t-shirt, she's standing in front of the stands at Craven Park - the seats spell E R in red and white

    Anne O'Brien and her team will be responsible for keeping the whole stadium spick and span

    Anne O'Brien is part of the 25-person team making sure the Sewell Group Craven Park stadium is clean ahead of the concerts.

    She has worked to prep the stadium for other concerts and Hull KR games before, but she said the Coldplay shows are "very different" because of the "massive scale".

    Anne is a big Hull KR fan, always volunteering to work their games, but she isn't as excited for one of the world's biggest bands to come to the city.

    "I wouldn't be able to name any of his [Chris Martin's] songs," she said.

    "It would be Hull Kingston Rovers I would choose over Chris Martin."

  10. Radio listeners choose ultimate Coldplay songs

    Members of the All For One choir, dressed in red, smile into the camera at the Paragon Interchange in Hull. They are standing with a cardboard cutout of Coldplay singer Chris Martin.

    For the past few weeks, BBC Radio Humberside listeners have been busy choosing their favourite Coldplay songs and, to crown the winner, there was a special performance at Hull's railway station.

    The All For One choir perfomed the top pick, Fix You, live on the breakfast show with Kofi Smiles after it topped the public vote.

    The rest of the top five saw Yellow in second place followed by Viva La Vida, A Sky Full of Stars and The Scientist.

    Did your favourite make the list? Is there a hidden gem that should have been in? Let us know by clicking here.

  11. Security guard helps 'disorientated' early bird arrival

    Jasmine Lowe
    BBC News

    Security guard Michael Sergeant was doing night shifts over the weekend and had an encounter with a man at 05:00 BST on Sunday.

    He said the man was "fairly disorientated and cold" but, after a chat, found out he had come to Hull from Chengdu in China and walked to Craven Park from Hull Paragon Station at 03:00.

    Mr Sergeant said: "It was his lifelong dream to see Coldplay.

    "He's only 20, so I gave him a KitKat and told him to get some warm clothes from Primark."

    A head and shoulders shot of a man with short grey hair and a high vis jacket smiling into the camera. Behind him is a blurred path with railings each side.

  12. Traffic and travel tips to avoid 'Trouble'

    A red sign with white lettering that reads "Road Closed".

    Hull City Council said multiple road closures are in force in the area surrounding Craven Park

    For those of you who are heading to the gig (or maybe want to avoid the area) there are a few road closures to be aware of.

    They are:

    • Preston Road - from the Aldi store to Stockbridge Avenue
    • Annandale Road - from Preston Road to Falkland Road
    • Poorhouse Lane
    • Wansford Grove - at the junction of Marfleet Lane
    • Marfleet Lane - from Acasta Way to 102 Marfleet Lane

    The closures came into force at 08:00 BST and will be in place until 01:00 on 20 August.

    An exterior view of Hull Paragon Interchange. The building has large arched windows with colourful stained glass, white entrance doors and black metal support columns. Above the entrance a sign reads "Hull" with the British Rail logo and "Paragon Interchange". A person is walking past the building, pulling a suitcase.

    If you're thinking of taking public transport, Stagecoach is running a special Yellow Shuttle between Hull Interchange and Preston Road. The park and ride at Priory Park is also running but tickets for that have sold out.

    If pedal power is your thing, then you can take advantage of 250 free cycle spots next to the venue.

    Fans heading to Hull from outside the city are being given free train travel if they flash their concert ticket to the conductor.

    Hull Trains said the offer is valid for selected services today, tomorrow and on Wednesday for travel from Doncaster, Selby, Howden or Brough. The full details are here.

  13. 'I've travelled from Germany to see Coldplay'

    Jasmine Lowe
    BBC News

    Cassandra Pester, 45, from Germany, endured "planes, buses and cars" to get to Craven Park Stadium just before 07:00 BST.

    She had travelled by herself from Dresden in Germany after being the only person lucky enough in her friendship group to secure a ticket.

    She said she had queued for gigs before "so 10 hours is not that bad," and brought her "travel edition" blow-up pillow and snacks to make the wait fun.

    A head and shoulders shot of a woman with short brown hair smiling into the camera. She is wearing a black fleece and top with a purple strap across her shoulder. The background is blurred with metal railings and cones.

  14. Where has the Music of the Spheres tour been?

    A band playing drums and guitars stand on a stage. A large screen covered in blue, white and pink lights is in the background.

    It's been a long road to Hull for Coldplay who will perform in the city tonight and tomorrow before they make their way to London for a record-breaking 10 nights at Wembley.

    Those concerts in the capital will mark the end of the Music of the Spheres tour which started in Costa Rica in 2022.

    Since then, the band have performed to millions of people in 43 different countries.

    They've performed two stints in Europe taking in places like Italy, France, Netherlands and headlined Glastonbury. They played to almost 250,000 people over two nights in Ahmedabad, India and also performed sold-out shows in South America and Asia.

    On top of all the travelling, Coldplay have beaten eco targets that they set in 2021 and planted more than seven million trees along the way.

  15. Nobody said it was easy... to be at the front of the queue!

    Jasmine Lowe
    BBC News

    Colleagues Aggy and Joanne were up bright and early to get in the queue for Coldplay at around 04:00 BST.

    They took a day of annual leave from Scarborough General Hospital to travel to Craven Park, hoping to get close to the stage and be "face to face" with Chris Martin.

    Cara Broome, 38 and her 14-year-old daughter Laylah Beecher were also early birds equipped with plenty of snacks, blankets refreshments and gossip to get them through the long day ahead.

    Doors for the concert at Craven Park Stadium open at 16:00.

    Four ladies look at the camera as they sit in deck chairs surrounded by metal barriers at the side of a road. One woman has long dark blonde hair and a grey hoodie, another has short blonde hair with a yellow hoodie and blue jeans. Another lady has a black jacket on with brown trousers and another with a grey hoodie and blue jeans.

  16. How well do you know Coldplay's biggest hits?

    Locals take on the Coldplay lyric challenge ahead of the Craven Park gigs.

    To say people in Hull are excited about the arrival of one of the biggest bands in the world is a bit of an understatement.

    But are people true fans or are they just jumping on the bandwagon?

    We sent reporter Isabella Norrison out with a special challenge for shoppers in the city centre.

  17. Countdown begins as Hull welcomes Coldplay

    Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin on stage holding microphone and pointing upwardsGetty Images

    The skies may be overcast in Hull today - but the city is warming up for the hottest show of the summer - Coldplay are in town.

    Tonight's gig at Craven Park sees the return of the Music of the Spheres tour to the UK for the first time since 2023 and the first time Chris Martin and company have performed in East Yorkshire.

    We'll be bringing you all the build-up and "Magic" throughout the day. "The Hardest Part" will be fitting in all of our Coldplay puns!