Music

Coldplay’s eco-friendly tour will be partly powered by fans’ dancing

Coldplay is taking on the world — and they’re doing it in a tree-mendous way. 

As a heroic effort to save the planet from environmental ruin, the “My Universe”-crooning rockstars are pledging to cut down their carbon emissions by 50% and to plant a tree for every ticket sold for their forthcoming 2022 eco-friendly world tour — which will feature a dance floor that generates electricity from the crowd’s kinetic energy. 

“When [I] say, ‘I need you to jump up and down,’ I’ll literally need you to jump up and down,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin explained to the BBC. “Because if you don’t, then the lights will go out.”

The British band’s low CO2 emissions, reusable energy-based tour — eponymously named for their upcoming album “Music of the Spheres” — was announced on social media Thursday. 

The 10-country showcase — which kicks off in San Jose, Costa Rica, in March and ends in Rio de Janeiro in September — will be Coldplay’s first tour in nearly five years. Their last global performance series was in 2017.

Martin, who previously vowed that Coldplay would not tour again until they found a sustainable and environmentally safe way to take the stage, now says the band has mapped out a 12-point plan to cut down its carbon footprint. 

“The whole show is powered from renewable energy,” said Martin, 44, noting that the show’s most interesting source of electricity will come from fans. 

“Two areas of the audience are on kinetic flooring,” the “Viva La Vida” singer added. 

The customized flooring runs on a battery Coldplay created in partnership with luxury vehicle brand BMW. The battery is charged on recycled cooking oil, solar energy and human movement.

Coldplay fans should get ready to dance — and, thereby, partly power the band’s 2022 tour. AFP via Getty Images

“And so when they move, they power the concert,” Martin continued, adding that there will also be kinetic energy bikes harnessing energy from concertgoers. “The more people move, the more they’re helping.”

The band has also teamed up with global reforestation nonprofit One Tree Planted in order to plant a tree for every ticket sold to their long-awaited tour. 

A whopping 5.4 million fans purchased seats at Coldplay’s last tour in 2016 and 2017, which was billed as one of the biggest of all time. The rockers reportedly earned more than $500 million from the series. 

Other steps to host a more earth-conscious tour include minimizing air travel and using sustainable aviation fuel when necessary. The “Hymn for the Weekend” singers will also be incorporating reusable materials, like plant-based plastic and bamboo, into their shows and venues. Plus, they’ll encourage audience members to download a transportation app that helps them travel to and from the arenas using the lowest possible emissions at a discounted price.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin says the band has made about “50%” progress in its sustainable-touring efforts. Getty Images

Despite all of their do-gooder efforts, Martin said the band has only made about “50%” of the eco-friendly changes they’re hoping to one day fully accomplish. 

“We’re trying our best and we haven’t got it perfect,” he admitted, noting that the band is prepared to face “backlash” for their sustainability shortcomings. “[But] we wouldn’t be announcing a tour if we felt like we’re far enough along and it’s OK in our hearts.” 

He even said Coldplay’s detractors are “right” when it comes to shaming them for flying in private jets — which pollute the air with harmful gases — while on tour. 

But when it comes to critics challenging them about continuing to tour despite its damage to the planet, Martin says: “We don’t really have any comeback except, we would really like to.

“We could stay at home and that may be better,” he continued, “but we want to tour and we want to meet people and connect with people — so try and do it in the cleanest way possible.”

Martin says the band’s only defense for touring despite the environmental drawbacks is that the band really likes to tour. Getty Images