Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate

This article is about the concert film. For the album, see Music of the Spheres.

Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate, often referred to as simply Live at River Plate, is a concert film documenting a 2022 performance by British rock band Coldplay during their Music of the Spheres World Tour. Directed by Paul Dugdale, produced by Simon Fisher and Sam Seager, and distributed by Trafalgar Releasing, it was originally transmitted to cinemas in 81 countries under the title Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires, setting a record for live theatrical events. The final version of the project was released on 19 April 2023 and marked the debut of Infinity Station Films, Coldplay's newfound production company.^[1]

Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Paul Dugdale
Based on	Music of the Spheres World Tour
Produced by	Simon Fisher Sam Seager
Starring	Guy Berryman Jonny Buckland Will Champion Chris Martin
Cinematography	Brett Turnbull
Edited by	Simon Bryant
Music by	Coldplay
Production companies	SiFi Films Infinity Station Films
Distributed by	Trafalgar Releasing
Release date	19 April 2023 (2023-04-19)
Running time	138 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$8.4 million

Development

Background

A day before the release of Music of the Spheres (2021), Coldplay announced they would be embarking on their eighth concert tour to promote the album, consequently marking their return to live entertainment after the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] On 8 September 2022, the band revealed Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires, a global transmission of one of their 10 shows at Estadio River Plate, Argentina.^[3] It was the first worldwide event in history to be screened from Latin America.^[3] Direction was handled by Paul Dugdale and distribution by Trafalgar Releasing, which premiered Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams back in 2018.^[3]

Release

On 1 March 2023, Coldplay declared that a director's cut named Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate would be released in the upcoming months.^[4] This updated version of the film included visuals captured using 30 cameras, racing drones and 360-degree techniques.^[5] Variety also informed that the sound was remastered and there was an exclusive behind-the-scenes extra.^[5] Similarly, the guest appearances from H.E.R.,^[6] Golshifteh Farahani,^[7] and Jin were maintained.^[6] Screenings first occurred on 19 and 23 April, with panoramic and 4DX formats available in addition to the standard ones.^[5] To further promote them, the "A Sky Full of Stars" performance was published on YouTube.^[6] On 11 May 2024, Live Nation streaming platform Veep began to rent out the film.^[8]

Reception

Commercial performance

According to Boxoffice Pro, the original broadcast was held in cinemas from 81 countries around the world, the most in history for a live theatrical release.^[9] It also grossed over $8.4 million in total.^[8] Chart lists included number-one in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and the Netherlands;^[9] number two in Brazil;^[10] number three in the United Kingdom;^[11] number six in Italy;^[12] and number 10 in Australia.^[13] IndieWire observed that the transmission would have peaked at number nine in the United States if "non-movies" were counted, as it grossed $1 million from 833 theaters in two days of exhibition.^[14] CJ 4DPlex listed the film's final version among the releases which contributed to a 70% increase in their ticket sales.^[15]

Critical reception

Writing for MadMass, Mattia Salvi described the show as engaging and "technically impeccable", praising Coldplay for their musical versatility.^[16] He then concluded the review giving four stars out of five to the concert film.^[16] Movieplayer's Federico Vascotto said that the performance was a psychedelic, hyper-dynamic and breathtaking experience made to "turn heads in the cinema", rating it with three and a half stars out of five.^[17] His criticism was most prominent towards the behind-the-scenes segment, which he pointed out it should have been more detailed and interesting, since much content "was left between the lines".^[17] Nevertheless, Vascotto called the film a great gift for fans of the band.^[17]

Film set list

This set list was taken from the 28 October 2022 concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour.^[18]

1. "Flying" (from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial)
2. "Music of the Spheres" (intro)
3. "Higher Power"
4. "Adventure of a Lifetime"
5. "Paradise"
6. "The Scientist" (with elements of "Oceans")
7. "Viva la Vida"
8. "Hymn for the Weekend"
9. "Let Somebody Go" (with H.E.R.)
10. "De Música Ligera" (Soda Stereo cover)
11. "Yellow" (with elements of "Neon Forest")
12. "Human Heart"
13. "People of the Pride"
14. "Clocks"
15. "Infinity Sign" (with elements of "Music of the Spheres II" and "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall")
16. "Something Just Like This" (performed in American Sign Language)
17. "Midnight" (with elements of Lone's "Blue Moon Tree")
18. "My Universe"
19. "A Sky Full of Stars"
20. "Don't Panic"
21. "Baraye" (Shervin Hajipour cover with Golshifteh Farahani)
22. "Sunrise" (with Louis Armstrong's speech from "What a Wonderful World")
23. "Humankind"
24. "Fix You"
25. "The Astronaut" (with Jin)
26. "Biutyful"
27. "A Wave" (outro)

See also

• Coldplay videography
• List of Coldplay live performances
• List of British films of 2023
• List of highest-grossing concert films

References

1. "Exclusive: Chris Martin and Coldplay Bandmates Net Whopping Five Figure Daily Payday Thanks to Tour". Mirror. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
2. "Coldplay Announce 2022 World Tour". Pitchfork. 14 October 2021. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
3. "Coldplay Announce Live Worldwide Concert Screening from Buenos Aires". Billboard. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
4. "Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate to Screen in Cinemas Worldwide in April" (Press release). PR Newswire. 1 March 2023. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
5. "Coldplay Concert Film Featuring BTS' Jin Sets April Release Dates". Variety. 1 March 2023. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
6. "Watch Coldplay's Dazzling Live Performance of A Sky Full of Stars from New Concert Film". People. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
7. "Coldplay Perform Iranian Protest Song Baraye by Arrested Singer". The Guardian. 31 October 2022. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
8. "Coldplay to Premiere Buenos Aires Concert on Veeps". IQ. 2 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
9. "Coldplay: Music of the Spheres Live Cinema Event Breaks Record". Boxoffice Pro. 1 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
10. "Adão Negro Mantém Liderança da Bilheteria Brasileira em Segunda Semana" [Black Adam Maintains Lead on Brazilian Box Office in Its Second Week]. Omelete (in Portuguese). 31 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
11. "Cinema Box Office Top 10". Access All Areas. 1 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
12. "Incassi Italia: La Stranezza Vince il Weekend con 1.1 Milioni di Euro" [Italy Recap: Strangeness Wins the Weekend with 1.1 Million Euros]. BadTaste (in Italian). 31 October 2022. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
13. "Australian 2022 – Weekend 43". Box Office Mojo. 31 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
14. "Halloween Scares Off Audiences as Black Adam Takes #1 Again at the Box Office". IndieWire. 30 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
15. "CJ 4DPlex Reports Record Box Office for First Four Months of 2023" (Press release). PR Newswire. 8 May 2023. from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
16. "Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate". MadMass (in Italian). 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
17. "Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate, la Recensione: La Musica al Cinema" [Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate, the Review: Music at the Cinema]. Movieplayer (in Italian). 19 April 2023. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
18. Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate (film). United Kingdom: Trafalgar Releasing. 2023.

External links

• Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires at IMDb  
• Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate at IMDb  
• Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires at Letterboxd
• Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate at Letterboxd