TORONTO – Chris Martin and Johnny Buckland of Coldplay literally stopped traffic with their appearance at 102.1 the Edge’s street-level broadcast studio at 228 Yonge Street yesterday. So many fans gathered that the band’s SUV had to be escorted down the street by mounted police officers.
Just days after tickets for Coldplay’s Kool Haus show sold out in minutes, 102.1 the Edge announced that Chris and Johnny would drop by for an exclusive performance. This would be the first time Canadian Coldplay fans would have a chance to hear material from the group’s much-anticipated new album, X&Y, which isn’t due in stores until June 7th.
Not only did Chris and Johnny play acoustic versions of two new songs (“A Message” and the hidden track on the album, “Til Kingdom Come,”), they decided to continue with impromptu performances of “Clocks,” “The Scientist” and “Don’t’ Panic.” They even continued to perform for the fans after the scheduled interview with Edge afternoon drive host, Dave Bookman. Examples of the performance can be streamed at www.edge.ca/
This is not the first time that a band like Coldplay has stopped by the Edge studios to perform. In 1999, Stone Temple Pilots made history by turning a scheduled two-song performance into an hour long concert for hundreds of fans. Other bands that have performed live in the Edge studio include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nickelback, Billy Idol and Queens of the Stone Age.
102.1 the Edge has a long history of bringing live music to its listeners, with features such as Edge Session performances at the storefront studios at 228 Yonge Street and on a larger scale, the live broadcast of Coldplay’s 2003 performance at the Molson Amphitheatre.
