British band Coldplay has huge ambitions for touring and long-term sustainability. The band recently revealed that their next global tour will be powered by a dance floor that produces energy when fans jump on it at the venues.
According to the BBC, this initiative is part of the band’s 12-point plan to reduce their carbon footprint, which they developed two years after promising not to tour unless they could do it in a more environmentally responsible manner.
According to singer Chris Martin, there will also be bicycles that produce energy for the performances.
Martin said “The more people move, the more they’re helping. You know when the frontman says, ‘We need you to jump up and down’? When I say that, I literally really need you to jump up and down. Because if you don’t, then the lights go out.”
Coldplay isn’t stopping there; for every ticket sold, they’ll also plant a tree. To put things in perspective, the band’s previous tour in 2016-17 drew 5.4 million fans. As a result, it became one of the most successful tours of all time, grossing more than $500 million.
The artist is bracing for criticism over some of their actions, such as their continued use of private planes, which has a significant carbon impact. Marin said “I don’t mind any backlash at all. We’re trying our best, and we haven’t got it perfect. Absolutely. We always have backlash for everything. And the people that give us backlash for that kind of thing, for flying, they’re right. So we don’t have any argument against that.”
The global tour of Coldplay will begin in Costa Rica in March, a city with one of the highest rates of renewable energy production in the world.
The performances will also depend on electricity produced from solar energy, recycled cooking oil, and mains power from 100 percent renewable sources when available, in case fans grow tired of leaping on the dance floor.
