When was Coldplay concert in Santa Clara?

Coldplay is one of the most popular and successful rock bands of the 21st century. The British group, consisting of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion, has released 9 studio albums and sold over 100 million records worldwide since their formation in 1996. Coldplay is renowned for hit songs like “Yellow”, “The Scientist”, “Viva La Vida”, “Paradise” and “A Sky Full of Stars”.

Coldplay Concert History in Santa Clara

Coldplay has performed in the city of Santa Clara, California several times over the years as part of their world tours. Here is an overview of Coldplay’s concert history in Santa Clara:

As seen above, Coldplay has performed 6 concerts in Santa Clara between 2003 and 2017 as part of their tour for each album release. Their first performance in the city was in June 2003 at the San Jose State Event Center during their A Rush of Blood to the Head tour. They returned in 2005, 2009 and 2012 to perform at the HP Pavilion arena on their subsequent tours. Most recently, Coldplay did back-to-back concerts at the Levi’s Stadium in 2014 and 2017 for their Ghost Stories and A Head Full of Dreams tours respectively.

2003 A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour Concert

Coldplay’s first ever performance in Santa Clara was on June 4, 2003 at the San Jose State Event Center. This was part of their A Rush of Blood to the Head tour, named after their second studio album released in 2002. Some key facts about this concert:

• It was the fifth show of the North American leg of the tour, after shows in Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
• The capacity at the SJSU Event Center was around 5,000 for this performance.
• The opening acts were Mercury Rev and Midtown.
• They performed several tracks off their latest album A Rush of Blood to the Head like “Clocks”, “In My Place” and “The Scientist” as well as older hits such as “Yellow” and “Trouble”.
• Tickets were priced between $25 to $35 for this concert.

The A Rush of Blood to the Head tour ran from 2002 to 2003 and had over 150 shows across Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. Santa Clara was one of the few cities in California that Coldplay visited during this tour. It was still early days in their career but their fanbase was rapidly growing thanks to the critical and commercial success of tracks like “Clocks” and “In My Place”. The Santa Clara show in June 2003 marked the first of many more times Coldplay would perform in the city over the years as their popularity exploded.

2005 Twisted Logic Tour Concert

On July 26, 2005, Coldplay returned to Santa Clara for a concert at the HP Pavilion arena, also known as the San Jose Arena. This was part of their Twisted Logic tour to promote their third studio album X&Y which released in mid-2005. Some key details on this show:

• This was their biggest North American tour so far, visiting arenas and amphitheaters.
• The Santa Clara show was their only performance in the Bay Area on this tour.
• Richard Ashcroft, formerly of The Verve, was the opening act.
• They played several new songs like “Speed of Sound”, “Fix You” and “Talk” as well as past hits like “Yellow” and “The Scientist”.
• HP Pavilion had a 18,000 seat capacity for concerts so it was a major upgrade from their previous arena show in Santa Clara.

The Twisted Logic Tour saw Coldplay continue to break into bigger venues as their fan following kept getting larger. While they had previously done more intimate theater shows in Santa Clara during the A Rush of Blood to the Head tour, their return in 2005 was a large arena concert to accommodate all their fans in the Bay Area. It signified their status as one of the top rock bands in the world at that point. Coldplay would go on to fill even bigger stadiums and arenas with each subsequent tour leg.

2009 Viva La Vida Tour Concert

On April 25th, 2009, Coldplay performed at the HP Pavilion in Santa Clara as part of their Viva La Vida Tour. The key facts about this show:

• This tour promoted their 4th studio album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.
• It was their second time headlining at HP Pavilion, having played there in 2005 as well on the Twisted Logic Tour.
• The opening acts were Snow Patrol and White Lies.
• Notable songs performed included the title track “Viva la Vida”, “Lost!”, “Violet Hill” and “Strawberry Swing”.
• The stage production featured colorful, butterfly wing-like LED screens and lasers.

The Viva La Vida Tour ran from 2008 to 2010 and was massive in scale, with over 200 shows across 5 continents. By this point, Coldplay had truly established themselves as a global stadium rock band. Their new album showed sonic experimentation and continued their run of hit singles. The Santa Clara gig came towards the tail end of the mammoth tour. It served as a triumphant Bay Area homecoming after playing arenas and stadiums around the world throughout 2008 and early 2009 on the Viva La Vida Tour.

2012 Mylo Xyloto Tour Concert

On May 3, 2012, Coldplay returned to the familiar HP Pavilion in Santa Clara as part of their Mylo Xyloto Tour. Some key details about this show:

• They were touring in support of their 5th studio album Mylo Xyloto, released in 2011.
• This was their first tour with three back-to-back shows at HP Pavilion on May 1, 3 and 4th.
• The opening act was Marina and The Diamonds.
• They played many new songs like “Paradise”, “Princess of China” and “Charlie Brown” alongside past hits.
• This tour featured a massive Xyloband wristband light show along with colorful graffiti-style production.

The Mylo Xyloto Tour saw Coldplay cement their status as an elite pop/rock arena act on par with U2 and Muse. They opted to do multiple nights in major markets like Santa Clara to meet ticket demand. The wristband powered light show production made Coldplay concerts a standout visual spectacle. Even though it was their fourth time playing Santa Clara, the Mylo Xyloto Tour concert saw the band up their game yet again both sonically and visually.

2014 Ghost Stories Tour Concert

On July 5, 2014, Coldplay headlined their first stadium show in Santa Clara at Levi’s Stadium as part of the Ghost Stories Tour. Some key details:

• They were now touring behind their 6th studio album Ghost Stories, which had a more somber, atmospheric tone.
• This was a major milestone as their first concert at the newly opened Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
• Avicii and Alesso were the opening acts, indicating Coldplay’s expanded appeal.
• They played new songs like “Magic” alongside acoustic versions of older hits.
• The stage setup was stripped down compared to the colorful Mylo Xyloto Tour.

Playing the new Levi’s Stadium instead of the usual HP Pavilion signified Coldplay solidifying their status as an elite rock band selling out major stadiums. Despite the more intimate, melancholic tone of Ghost Stories, they managed to step things up in Santa Clara by booking the area’s newest and largest outdoor venue. The concert marked a continued evolution for the band as they toggled between arena and stadium tours.

2017 A Head Full of Dreams Tour Concert

Most recently on April 8, 2017 Coldplay returned to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara as part of their massive A Head Full of Dreams Tour. Some details on this show:

• They were now promoting their 7th and most optimistic, colorful album, A Head Full of Dreams.
• For the first time, they played two consecutive shows at Levi’s Stadium on April 7 and 8.
• Support acts were AlunaGeorge and Izzy Bizu.
• The setlist spanned their entire discography along with newest songs like “Hymn for the Weekend”.
• The production featured rainbow colors, lasers, confetti and rotating kinetic light-up wristbands.

The A Head Full of Dreams Tour saw Coldplay cementing their status as an elite pop-rock act now selling out multiple stadium shows across the world. After their stripped back Ghost Stories tour, they returned with an upbeat, colorful explosion to delight their legions of fans. The back-to-back Levi’s Stadium shows marked a new high point, capping off their six performances in Santa Clara to date and showing how far they had come from playing theaters and arenas.

Conclusion

In summary, Coldplay has performed 6 fantastic concerts in Santa Clara, California between 2003 to 2017. These shows were part of each tour supporting their album releases from A Rush of Blood to the Head right up through A Head Full of Dreams. They played their first Santa Clara show in 2003 at the intimate SJSU Event Center before graduating to the HP Pavilion arena in 2005 and 2009. Their popularity boomed even further with 2012’s Mylo Xyloto Tour leading to their first stadium headlining show at the new Levi’s Stadium in 2014. Most recently they doubled down with 2 consecutive Levi’s Stadium shows in 2017, demonstrating their elite status as a stadium rock band selling out multiple nights.

It’s been an incredible journey watching Coldplay evolve from packed theater shows to selling out the Bay Area’s biggest outdoor stadium. Each and every concert in Santa Clara has marked a major milestone in the band’s growth to becoming one of the world’s most popular acts. Hopefully it won’t be too long until Coldplay returns for their 7th show in Santa Clara, continuing their history of incredible concerts in the city since 2003!

Key Highlights

• First Santa Clara show was in 2003 at small SJSU Event Center
• Graduated to HP Pavilion arena in 2005 and 2009
• Played 3 nights at HP Pavilion in May 2012 during Mylo Xyloto Tour
• First headlined Levi’s Stadium in July 2014 for Ghost Stories Tour
• Most recent shows were 2 nights at Levi’s in April 2017 on A Head Full of Dreams Tour

Coldplay’s 6 concerts in Santa Clara between 2003 to 2017 capture the incredible growth of the band from packed theaters to selling out massive stadiums. Each performance marked a new milestone as they exploded in popularity across the 2000s to become one of the biggest rock acts in the world. Hopefully their history of fantastic shows in the city will continue with more unforgettable concerts in Santa Clara for years to come.