Coldplay’s Chris Martin Faces Backlash For “Unnecessary Politicized” Moment During London Show

Chris Martin, Coldplay’s frontman, has recently found himself in the spotlight again. This time, not for exposing a cheating couple but for how tricky handling impromptu fan encounters on stage can be.   

According to Page Six, during the band’s gig at Wembley Stadium, Martin invited two fans onstage. This is typically what you see in concerts when artists try to engage with the fans. But what he thought to be a simple question turned out to be a landmine he would have a hard time avoiding. The two fans answered “Israel,” which generated audible boos from the crowd.  

In an attempt to perhaps diffuse the moment, Martin said, “I’m going to say this. I’m very grateful that you’re here as humans. We are treating you as equal humans on Earth, regardless of where you come from. Thank you for being here. We’re grateful and thank you for being loving and kind.”  

Then, he went on to “welcome people in the audience from Palestine … although it’s controversial, maybe,” prompting cheers.  

“I believe that we’re all equally human,” Martin reiterated.

One social media user posted on X, “I’m sure Chris Martin thought he was doing the right thing when he told two Israeli girls on stage that he would ‘treat them as equal human beings.’”   

The poster also recognized that the boos were unexpected, which is why Martin quickly added, “’a shoutout to Palestine' to appease the crowd. But, at the end of the day, he took two girls who more than likely just wanted to enjoy some music and made them targets. While I genuinely and wholeheartedly believe his motives were pure, he still ended up reducing two young ladies to political pawns in a conflict.”  

Some fans didn’t quite understand the backlash and asked, “What is wrong by saying we are all humans?”  

In an interview with Times of Israel, the two fans who were invited to the stage debated “for a split second” if they should tell where they were from and considered lying and telling him they were from Malta.  

One of the women said, “We couldn’t and didn’t want to lie. It was a bit scary that 90,000 people know we are from here, but we said it.”