Coldplay's Chris Martin thanks India for forgiving British colonialism at Mumbai concert - watch video

Chris Martin of Coldplay Pic/AFP

British rock band Coldplay performed in India after nine years at the DY Patil Stadium over the weekend. The band consists of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey. While Chris captivated the audience with his humour, the singer is now making headlines for his statement on British colonialism.

What Chris Martin said about British colonialism

In a video shared by concertgoers on social media, Chris Martin can be heard saying, "It is amazing to us that you welcome us even though we are from Great Britain. Thank you for forgiving us for all of the bad things that Great Britain has done."

He further stated, "This is our fourth visit to India, the second time playing, and the first time played our show, and we couldn't have asked for a better audience."

The singer-songwriter frequently checked on the crowd and made a point to ensure that they were well taken care of, asking about their well-being and hydration.

Chris Martin speaks in Hindi and Marathi

For two hours at the packed stadium, Chris Martin belted out chartbuster tracks like "Paradise", "Viva La Vida", "Adventure of a Lifetime", "Yellow", "Fix You", and "A Sky Full of Stars", among others.

One of the evening's most stand moments came when Martin noticed a fan holding a placard that read "Jai Shri Ram." Curious, he uttered the phrase, igniting thunderous cheers from the crowd. Throughout the evening, Martin made a concerted effort to connect with the audience in their native tongues. His attempts to speak Hindi and Marathi were met with overwhelming warmth.

At the beginning of the concert, he interacted with the crowd in Marathi, Hindi, and English. He began by saying in Marathi, "Tumhee sagle aaj chaan distat" (You all look beautiful today). He then said in Hindi, "Aap sab ka bahut swagat hai humare show pe. Mumbai mein aakar hume bahut khushi ho rahi hai." (You're all very welcome to our show. We feel happy after coming to Mumbai.) "Sorry, my Hindi and Marathi are bad but I tried my best," he said, before switching to English.

As part of their 'Music of the Spheres World Tour', the British band has one more show at the DY Patil Stadium on Monday. A fourth show will be held at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on January 25.

(With inputs from PTI)