are only a few bands big enough to ask artists who are at the very top of their own genres to work as their support act. It tells you all you want to know about Coldplay's status that they launched a four night UK stadium excursion with the world's best known rapper as their opening act even if frontchap Chris Martin did puncture the moment by cackling, "I still can't quite believe it."
The you couldn't-make-it-up double bill was a courageous move for Coldplay, who are hopelessly outclassed by Jay-Z in the charisma and swagger department. To add to his attractions, he has just had his first UK No 1 single, Run This Town. The chance of Coldplay being upstaged by their support act was very real. In the event, they weren't. They can thank the audience's placid indifference to his urgent depictions of the world according to a bad lad made good. Jay-Z worked hard, firing out hits such as 99 Problems and Show Me What You Got and getting his guitarist to play The Star Spangled Banner. He finally got his due, leaving to warm clapping.
For all their record sales, Coldplay have little personal magnetism, which didn't bode well for a gig where the wideness of the venue demanded personalities big enough to fill it. Unexpectedly, though, they rose to the occasion, and then some. In this outdoor setting, their many hits, so mopey on record, expanded into magnificent processionals. Songs you had come to hate through perennial airplay, such as Fix You and Viva la Vida, suddenly sounded grand, in the best sort of way.
Chris Martin proved to be a bit of a wonder: the rock star who has made a life's work of walking on the mild side unleashed the brute within. There is one, believe it or not, and while Liam Gallagher can rest easy, it was still jaw dropping to look Martin racing around the stage, battering his guitar and singing more vehemently than he has ever dared in a studio. Who would have guessed he could imbue an acoustic version of Billie Jean sung on a mini stage in the middle of the crowd with double the paranoia of the original?
Was it his idea to use old X Factor picture of Simon Cowell to "critique" the audience when they sang along to Yellow? Martin urged us to bawl out the song, then Cowell appeared on screen, adjudging our effort a "complete and utter nightmare". Equally questionably, he orchestrated a "mobile phone Mexican wave", but redeemed himself by leading the group through a lovely, lilting encore of The Scientist.
"We've done 154 rehearsals around the world just to sound good in Manchester," Martin laughed. How about that? Coldplay in "surprisingly good" shock.
