12.55am: Up&Up: the final song of the final show of the A Head Full Of Dreams Tour. What a way to go out. And what a truly wonderful tour it’s been.
12.43am: Back online! Here’s a photo of Chris on the runway amidst the confetti during A Sky Full Of Stars…
And an end-of-tour backstage crew group hug as that confetti rained down. It’s very clear that the members of this close-knit touring family are going to miss each other.
11.19pm: Something Just Like This is beginning, which means sadly I need to say goodnight for now, and head to get our ride out of here, which leaves straight after the show. But will post more when back online. Huge thanks to everyone who’s been reading this from around the world. Hope you got a flavour of what an incredible finale this show has been.
Here’s a pic from SJLT yesterday…
11.16pm: The band’s newly-created tango song, Amor Argentina, which just went down a storm on the C-stage.…
The band’s newly-created tango song, Amor Argentina, is going down an absolute storm tonight. A #ColdplayBuenoAires pic.twitter.com/9xzj5exLQj
— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 16, 2017
11.09pm: There is joy in the air tonight. (And giant balloons.)
11.07pm: That’s quite a ball pool…
11.04pm: Another absolutely wonderful rendition of Soda Stereo’s De Musica Ligera, which got the entire stadium bouncing.
What a way to close a tour!
R42#ColdplayBuenosAires pic.twitter.com/qcN1ze4rnr— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 16, 2017
10.56pm: Amazing. (And spot on.)
Incredible crowd!
R42#ColdplayBuenosAires pic.twitter.com/rpGbgdskuL— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 16, 2017
10.53pm: A sky full of giant balloons just now, for Adventure of a Lifetime.
10.50pm: They’re playing Viva now and the crowd’s Viva chant can probably be heard back home in London.
10.47pm: Fix You…
10.45pm: Hymn For The Weekend
10.33pm: This is no time for a mid-show snack…
10.31pm: Charlie Brown from up above. What a sight. Truly, the audience is such a crucial part of this show.
10.21pm: Everglow on the B-stage
10.09pm: Apologies for the gap in service. The internet connection seems to have gone and watched the show (which is fair enough, as it has been pretty great)…
That moment when you realise you’re on the big screen…
9.48pm: This audience really is incredible. They’ve suffered some pretty bad weather this afternoon, but it’s dry now and their energy is something to behold. It’s going to be a special one.
9.47pm: “Still I raise the flag…”.
9.43pm: “Look at the stars…”
9.40pm: Let’s do this!
9.30pm: The final pre-show band huddle of an incredible tour.
9.24pm: Buenos Aires is READY…
9.17pm: Julie from Colorado’s dog Ace is definitely not as enthusiastic a Coldplay fan as the crowd tonight (currently bellowing the Viva chant).
9.12pm: Mics at the ready. Coldplay up next…
9.07pm: Who run the world? #AHFODtour girls (without whom, this tour would quickly grind to a halt).
8.52pm: Excitement levels = high
8.45pm: Shout out to all the people from Europe who are emailing anchorman@coldplay.com to say that it’s past midnight where they are, but they’re sticking with the blog. To all of you where it’s already Nov 16, we salute you.
8.42pm: Here are some Dua Lipa pics – she’s going down an absolute storm with the Buenos Aires crowd, as she has at all the dates she’s played on this trip.
And one photo from Dua Lipa’s performance yesterday, where she demonstrated her incredible glowing fingers…
8.35pm: Two bits of very good news. 1) Dua Lipa is on and she’s sounding great. 2) The rain – which came down pretty hard for a while – has stopped.
8.16pm: Here’s Jonny! (As we’ve said in every live blog ever.) We’ve just been talking about the band’s cover of De Musica Ligera – see 5.40pm post – which he really enjoyed playing. It really did rock.
8.01pm: Here’s an arty B&W shot of the band’s security chap, Frostie. (He’s not nearly as stern as he looks in the pic. Lovely man.)
7.52pm: OK, this is just too cute. Terry wearing Paula from Costa Rica’s xyloband.
Thanks to everyone who sent pics – sorry we couldn’t post them all. We can hear that Dua Lipa is just about to come on…
7.45pm: Last ones for now, Saad’s cat Mila (from Morocco) “is having a hard time accepting this is the end of the era so she watches ALIENS”. Which is fair enough.
And Jack Daniels the dog has a Coldplay T-shirt
And here’s Kahlúa…
7.44pm: And here’s Clare from Coldplaying’s “Ghost Stories Dog Jumper”. Quite special.
7.43pm: Julia from Michigan has been busy working on her Coldplay Pets submission. Or maybe she just had this already.
7.39pm: Great “Coldplay pet” submission from Prii, whose dog is glowing in dark.
And here’s Pam’s dog Lucas (not sure he’s totally thrilled with his new headband, Pam).
7.35pm: Here’s a couple of photos from Oriana’s performance yesterday. She’s just finished her set today, next up is Dua Lipa.
7.33pm: So, normally when we do a live blog we set you a photo challenge. How about “Coldplay pets” – ie, your pets in a Coldplay context of some sort. Send your submissions to anchorman@coldplay.com (please don’t make the pics too large – the internet here isn’t the quickest…). We’ll post some here on the blog.
7.25pm: Here’s Guy in the dressing room, relaxing ahead of the show. He’s really enjoyed this visit to Latin America, and had a great trip to watch the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo at the weekend.
7.14pm: Tonight’s opening act, Oriana, is on stage and going down well with the crowd.
6.56pm: The rain has eased off, and support act Oriana is due to take the stage soon…
6.52pm: A little Spanish lesson for you from the corridor outside…
6.43pm: You folks have sent more than 700 emails to anchorman@coldplay.com since 3pm. Thanks for keeping us company. It’s lovely to hear from you.
6.36pm: “Hey Anchorman, what is your favorite moment of the show?” asks Laura to anchorman@coldplay.com.
Just asked Marcus Haney, who directed the A Head Full Of Dreams and Birds videos and happens to be here. He says, “Honestly, Fix You still gets me, when he runs back and you get the amazing pyro moment.” Good shout.
Oh, and here’s Mat Whitecross who has directed a whole bunch of Coldplay videos (including Paradise). “That opening bit in A Head Full Of Dreams where Chris gets the crowd to sing back to him and then you get the big confetti hit. Love that.”
6.33pm: Here’s Will in the dressing room, with an incredible gift from OleOleColdplay – who made a popup book celebrating the band’s entire career. “Isn’t it amazing?” says Will. “We love it.”
You can see more of the book below…
Gracias especialmente a todos los fans que participaron con sus historias y fotos pra este regalo especial para @Coldplay #AOALPopUpBook ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RL6SJCGFyx
— OleOle Coldplay! (@OleOleColdplay) November 12, 2017
6.24pm: “Will there be a parade in Harveytown to commemorate AHFOD?” asks Emma, to anchorman@coldplay.com.
Definitely! (And to celebrate the fact that the band went past 25 million followers on Twitter overnight.)
6.14pm: And we’re back! Dinner was very nice (lots of options, including steak, gnocchi, chicken and veggie burgers). Ate with Chris’s old friend from London who actually came up with the name Coldplay all those years ago. Lovely chap.
5.46pm: What’s the food on catering today? asks Christine. A very good question. Off to find out (and eat some). Back soon…
5.40pm: “How did the band feel about the reception of their Soda Stereo performance?” asks Ana, to anchorman@coldplay.com. I saw Jonny and Will after the show last night and they were – understandably – blown away by it. It really was quite a moment. If you didn’t see it yet…
5.36pm: R42’s busy posting more crew videos on Twitter – this one with video director Ben Miles is great.
#AHFODCrewOut
R42 pic.twitter.com/BNGW7klyTL— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 15, 2017
(Apologies if you’re seeing these Twitter embeds off to the left. Our website is resolutely refusing to let us centre them.)
5.32pm: Updated list of countries where people are reading this blog!
Russia, Greece, Puerto Rico, Wales, Czech Republic, Serbia, Paraguay, Indonesia, Guatemala, Ukraine, Norway, Malta, Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Zambia, Honduras, Denmark, Syria, Australia, Costa Rica, Slovenia, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, India, Brazil, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Canada, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, Mongolia, Romania, USA, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Uruguay, England, Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Switzerland, Mexico, Israel, Peru, Lithuania, New Zealand, Egypt, Philippines, China, Hungary, Finland, Austria and Singapore.
5.31pm: The front rows are already packed with some very excited fans (with some impressive banner-making skills)
5.18pm: Gates are open!
5.08pm: “Who is the undisputed champion of backstage table tennis? 😉” asks Stefanie. I know from bitter experience that Will is frighteningly good, but we’re told that Chris is pretty hard to beat.
5.05pm: The view down the tunnel fans will be entering the venue into…
5.00pm: Gates are due to open any moment. Merch is at the ready…
4.56pm: More of R42’s crew videos just posted on Twitter
#AHFODCrewOut
R42 pic.twitter.com/tqzx36rWnB— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 15, 2017
4.54pm: The view up the runway…
4.50pm: Latest list of countries of people reading this (who’ve emailed – in their hundreds – anchorman@coldplay.com).
Czech Republic, Serbia, Paraguay, Indonesia, Guatemala, Ukraine, Norway, Malta, Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Zambia, Honduras, Denmark, Syria, Australia, Costa Rica, Slovenia, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, India, Brazil, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Canada, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, Mongolia, Romania, USA, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Uruguay, England, Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Switzerland, Mexico, Israel, Peru, Lithuania, New Zealand, Egypt, Philippines, China, Hungary, Finland, Austria and Singapore.
Thanks to everyone who’s emailing.
If in doubt, head that way…
4.43pm: The backstage ping pong table, ready for action…
4.35pm: Gates open in 25 minutes. Here’s a photo of the very cheery distribution team from yesterday, just before they did…
4.30pm: The calm before the snack-buying storm…
4.24pm: You might remember that earlier Fiona emailed to ask for our favourite memory of the tour. Well, R42 has been asking the crew that very question…
#AHFODCrewOut
R42 pic.twitter.com/dKLqMoltpM— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 15, 2017
You can see lots more over on the Coldplay Twitter and Instagram.
4.19pm: Here’s the view from the stage just now. It’s gone quite cloudy – which is actually a relief from the blazing heat we’ve had over the last couple of days. Just as long as those clouds don’t start leaking…
Although if they do…
4:17pm: More new countries added to the list of where you’re reading from…
Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Zambia, Honduras, Denmark, Syria, Australia, Costa Rica, Slovenia, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, India, Brazil, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Canada, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, Mongolia, Romania, USA, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Uruguay, England, Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Switzerland, Mexico, Israel, Peru, Lithuania, New Zealand, Egypt, Philippines, China, Hungary, Finland, Austria and Singapore.
4.16pm: It’s just under 45 minutes until the doors open, and there’s plenty of hustle and bustle as final preparations and adjustments are made.
4.11pm: “Is there a feeling of sadness from everyone for the final show of the tour?” asks Ineke from Australia. There is definitely a bittersweet vibe among the crew today. Sad that we’ve reached the end of this incredible journey, but also delighted that it’s all gone so well and so many amazing memories have been made. I remember there being a similar feeling at the end of the Viva and MX tours too. A bit like the last day of term at a school where you really liked all your classmates *and* the teachers.
In the car on the way to the venue today – with Dan Green (soundman/producer), Rik Simpson (producer) and Mags (tour manager extraordinaire), we were working out exactly when the AHFOD campaign began. We settled on 6 November, 2015. It really has been a phenomenal two years since then.
4.03pm: Updated countries list of where people are reading this blog (and have emailed anchorman@coldplay.com).
Australia, Costa Rica, Slovenia, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, India, Brazil, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Canada, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, Mongolia, Romania, USA, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Uruguay, England, Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Switzerland, Mexico, Israel, Peru, Lithuania, New Zealand, Egypt, Philippines, China, Hungary, Finland, Austria and Singapore.
4.01pm: “I was wondering have you been covered in confetti from head to toe and still find it on you days after?” asks Shreya from India. Absolutely. Found some in the hotel room this morning. And think I’m right in saying that R42 once discovered some in his refrigerator…
4:00pm: Five hours until stage time. And these beauties are poised to blast out some serious confetti…
3:56pm: Just for those asking, we won’t be live streaming the entire show tonight – but we will be posting pics and videos here and on the Coldplay Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat right up until the end of it.
3:53pm: A fan before yesterday’s show with a sign I think we can all agree with…
And R42 will be posting more (no doubt amazing) stuff today – we’ll embed it here on the blog too.
3:50pm: Wow, you’re sending a lot of emails to anchorman@coldplay.com. If you’re emailing to say where you’re reading from, please could you put the country as the subject of your email? So far, we already have…
India, Brazil, Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Canada, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica, Mongolia, Romania, USA, Italy (good luck with your test tomorrow Valeria), Germany, Belgium, Uruguay, England, Spain, Ireland, Argentina, Switzerland, Mexico, Israel, Peru, Lithuania, New Zealand, Egypt, Philippines (where it’s 3am!), China, Hungary, Finland, Austria and Singapore.
Just amazing.
3:42pm: Here’s a little peek inside the band’s dressing room…
3.33pm: Fiona from the ColdplayFrance fan account has emailed to ask “What’s your favourite memory from this tour?”. Sure everyone involved with the band has lots – and last night’s show was no doubt a new entry in plenty of those “top lists” – but the Glastonbury performance definitely stands out for me as a particular highlight from this tour. A very special and moving night. But then, so many of them have been.
3.25pm: As always in live blogs (which we’ve been doing here on Coldplay.com since right back in the Viva days), you’re very welcome to email anchorman@coldplay.com to ask a question or to let us know where you’re reading this blog from.
3:22pm: Some good advice from a sign in the corridor outside the offices where we’re blogging from today, which is next door to the band’s warmup room. The band themselves are not here at the venue yet, but should be soon.
(Which, for non-linguists out there, means “no smoking”.)
3:07pm: Hello! We’ve arrived at the venue and we’ll be here blogging right through until the end of the show. Which is also the end of the tour. But let’s save those tears for now.
Tonight’s venue is the the Estadio Unico de La Plata, which is about an hour’s drive from Buenos Aires, and is home to two football clubs Estudiantes de La Plata and Gimnasia y Esgrima de la Plata. This is how it looks from the outside…
And this is how it looks from the inside looking up…
12:22pm: For those of you asking on Twitter, the live blog will begin sometime around 3pm Argentina time – which is 6pm in London and 1pm in New York. Click here to find out what time it is where you are. While you wait for the blog to start, why not check out the A Head Full Of Dreams Tour map on the Timeline, to see how far we’ve come…
12:07pm: Hello! And welcome to the live blog preamble.
Tonight in Argentina, the band play the 115th and final show of the record-breaking A Head Full Of Dreams Tour in the same Buenos Aires stadium where the tour started back in March 2016. We’re going to blog live from backstage to mark the occasion – as well as posting to the band’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat.
Do join us for the ride.
Anchorman