Mylo Xyloto Tour


The Mylo Xyloto Tour was the fifth concert tour undertaken by British rock band Coldplay. It was announced in support of their fifth album, Mylo Xyloto, continuing their progression from arenas to stadiums after the Viva la Vida Tour. The concert run featured 76 shows across four continents, starting at Glasgow's SEC Centre on 3 December 2011 and ending at New York City's Barclays Center on 31 December 2012. A visit to Latin America was originally set for 2013, later being cancelled.
Prior to the tour, the band embarked on a series of promotional and festival performances, including Austin City Limits, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Rock in Rio. Coldplay held concerts in Cape Town and Johannesburg as well. They became the first musicians to make use of LED wristbands at shows, popularising them in the live music industry. According to Pollstar, the tour grossed over $181.3 million from 2.1 million tickets sold across 75 reported dates.

Background

After devoting the summer of 2011 to a promotional tour in Europe, the Americas and Africa, the band announced the tour via their Twitter account in September 2011. Initial dates revealed shows in the UK, France, Germany and Belgium. A set of rehearsal shows were added for October and November, seeing the band partake in radio festivals and fan-exclusive gigs. Due to the demand, the band added additional shows in the UK. One of those dates is a concert at Dingwalls in London. Here, the band played several shows to help finance their debut album. Later in November, more dates were added in the UK, this time, playing stadiums in June 2012. The shows in Coventry, Manchester, Sunderland and London sold out in under two hours. The tour kicked off with a live-streamed concert in Madrid. Each member of the band received £10.2 million after tax from the £118.4 million made.

Broadcasts and recordings

Prior to the tour, the band gave a promotional concert in Madrid which was streamed live on YouTube. The band performed songs from Mylo Xyloto alongside their previous hits. The concert streamed on 26 October 2011. The show was not only streamed on YouTube but was also seen in New York City's Times Square. Internet users were able to view exclusive content, including a pre-show interview and footage from the band's soundcheck, and were also able to select their camera view, spanning from "front of stage" to "aerial". The show was directed by Anton Corbijn and presented by American Express. The live webcast was reported to have been viewed by nearly 20 million people. A replay of the show on Vevo was viewed by nearly 8 million.
The 1 June concert at London's Emirates Stadium was broadcast on Absolute Radio. Titled Coldplay: Live at the Emirates, the full show was aired live and uninterrupted. Before the concert aired, DJ Geoff Lloyd hosted a "Coldplay Hometime Special". The programme featured interviews with the band, alongside the band's hits. A live album and concert film, entitled Live 2012, were released in 2012.

Reception

According to Pollstar, Coldplay grossed $181.3 million from 2.1 million tickets sold in 75 reported dates. More than $170 million came from the performances in 2012, which made the band rank at number four among the most successful tours of the year. They also became the first act to perform at London's Emirates Stadium three times on a single tour, earning $14.4 million from 173,596 tickets. It was the group's most successful boxscore engagement at the time, both in revenue and attendance.

Set list

This set list was taken from the 1 June 2012 concert in London, England. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour.
Main stage
  1. "Back to the Future"
  2. "Mylo Xyloto"
  3. "Hurts Like Heaven"
  4. "In My Place"
  5. "Major Minus"
  6. "Lovers in Japan"
  7. "The Scientist"
  8. "Yellow"
  9. "Violet Hill"
  10. "God Put a Smile upon Your Face"
B-stage
  2. "Princess of China"
  3. "Up in Flames"
  4. "Warning Sign"
Main stage
  2. "A Hopeful Transmission"
  3. "Don't Let It Break Your Heart"
  4. "Viva la Vida"
  5. "Charlie Brown"
  6. "Paradise"
  7. "Us Against the World"
  8. "Speed of Sound"
  9. "Clocks"
  10. "Fix You"
  11. "M.M.I.X."
  12. "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall"

Personnel

Credits adapted from the band's official tour book, which was sold exclusively on merchandise booths and their online store.
Performing members
Main crew
  • Dave Holmes – manager
  • Phil Harvey – creative director
  • Marguerite Nguyen – tour manager
  • EJ McDonald, Jessie Collins – artist assistant
  • Dan Green – sound engineer and producer
  • Miller – Pro Tools, website
  • Rik Simpson – record engineer and producer
3D Management
  • Arlene Moon
  • Mandi Bursteen
  • Aziyn Babayan
Production
  • Bill Leabody – production manager
  • Steve Iredale – stadium site coordinator
  • Craig Finley – stage manager
  • Nicole Erin Kuhns – production coordinator
  • Tiffany Henry – wardrobe
Backline
  • Matt McGinn, Craig Hope – guitar tech
  • Sean Buttery – drum tech
  • Neil Lambert – keys and digital tech
  • Paul Newman – bass tech
Sound
  • Chris Wood – monitor engineer
  • Tony Smith – FoH assistant
  • Nick Davis – monitor assistant
  • Ali Viles – RF tech
Sound crew
  • Sid Rogerson
  • Kyle Walsh
  • Nick Mooney
  • Conor Dunne
  • Josh de Jong
  • Craig Gordon
  • Matt Latham
  • John Switzer
  • Victor Arko
  • Jordan Kolenc
  • Kurt Wolf
Lighting crew
  • Mick Stowe
  • Graham Feast
  • Phil Sharp
  • Ricky Butler
  • Kris Lundberg
  • Wayne Kwiat
  • Marta Iwan
  • John Bailey
  • Gareth Pritchard
  • Paul Burke
  • Ben Rogerson
  • Mark Goodwall
Video crew
  • Andy Bramley
  • Ed Jarman
  • Ben Miles
  • Phil Johnston
  • Pieter Laleman
  • Sacha Moore
  • Robyn Tearle
  • Chip Wood
Rigging crew
Carpenters
  • Pat Boyd
  • Mike Humeniuk
  • Andy Pearson
Special effects
  • David Kennedy – laser and pyro designer
  • Mike Hartle – lasers
  • John Lyons – pyro
  • Derek Purciful – confetti
Security
Stage
  • Paul Normandale – lighting and production designer
  • Misty Buckley – stage and prop designer
  • Paris, Reggie Matherson, Lynden Mallinson – painter
Trainer
  • Dan Portanier
Catering
  • Soozie Coll
  • Alicia Boardman
  • Pauline Austin
  • Jesse Davies
  • Piers Dawson
  • Sharon Jackson
Stadium dressing rooms
  • Dave Loudon
  • Ian Thomason
Representatives
  • Hal Hamer, Dan Vitt – merchandise
  • Paul Nolan – merchandise
  • Julie Matway – Live Nation
  • Rachel Edwards – Oxfam
  • Gavin Maude, Jonathan Petch – legal
VIP ticketing coordinator
  • Tiffany Hiliard
  • Arman Chaparyan
Xylobands
  • Jason Regler
  • Hillside Design
Accounting
US Accounting
  • David Weise & Co.
  • Sue Davidian
  • Diana de La Cerda
  • Laurie Wolf
UK Accounting
  • Headlong Tours
  • Dale Evans & Co.
  • Lester Dales
  • Paul Makin
  • Tracy Lawson
  • Debbie Johnson
Booking agents
  • Steve Strange, Josh Javor – X-Ray Touring
  • Marty Diamond, Larry Webman – Paradigm
Record company
Suppliers
  • Champman Freeborn Airchartering – aircraft charter
  • Beat the Street, Senators Coaches – bussing
  • Eat to the Beat – catering
  • Cube Services – credentials
  • Global Motion – freight
  • Moorcrofts of London – UK ground transport
  • Daitz Personal Logistics LLC – US ground transport
  • Stars and Cars – Europe ground transport
  • Robertson Taylor – insurance
  • The Factory – itinerary books
  • Lite Alternative, Upstaging Radios, Road Radios – lighting
  • Celebrity Protection, Keleca Associates – security
  • Brilliant Stages, Hangman, Specialz, Air Artists – set building
  • Strictly FX – special effects
  • All Access – staging
  • Wigwam Acoustics, 8th Day Sound – sound
  • XL Video – video
  • Stagetruck, Upstaging – trucking
  • The Appointment Group – UK travel
  • Altour – US travel
  • The Event Safety Shop – health, safety
Website
  • Brian Schulmeister, Wendy Marvel – design
  • Chris Salmon – editor
  • Debs Wild – ambassador
Tour book
  • Wendy Marvel – designer
  • Chris Salmon – interviews
  • Paris, Coldplay, Tappin Gofton – original album artwork
Tour book production
  • Jeremy Joseph
  • Dell Furano
  • Rick Fish
  • Pete Weber
  • Tanya Davis
  • Emily Theobald
  • Kate Stretton
Photos courtesy of