The Ghost Stories Tour was an intimate concert tour by British band Coldplay, consisting of nine shows at a handful of low-key venues, during eight non-consecutive months in 2014, reaching North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. The concerts were part of Coldplay's campaign in support of their sixth studio albumGhost Stories. All the songs on the standard version of the album were performed by group, as some of their previous songs from their five prior studio albums. The concerts mixed live and pre-recorded content in a show that worked in the more intimate settings but also produced a visually stunning finale. In selected dates, SZA, London Grammar and AlunaGeorge were the opening acts. The largely pared-down of this tour stands in stark contrast to the band's last digression, the Mylo Xyloto Tour. That tour saw the band playing 80 shows in massive stadiums and arenas across five continents, where it grossed over $192 million en route becoming one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Some critics praised the more intimate shows as opposed to their last tours to the world's greatest stadiums and arenas, though others noted that even though songs from the new album were more personal to Chris Martin, they often failed to leave a mark.
Promotion
In 21 March 2014, Coldplay debuted the album Ghost Stories at an intimate gig in Los Angeles. The band played the new album in its entirety for the first time to 800 fans on a movie soundstage at Sony Studios. The gig was being recorded as part of a DVD extra for the album, which was released on 19 May. After the release of the first two singles from Ghost Stories, "Midnight" and "Magic", a more intimate tour at smaller venues was announced. During the Australian leg of the Mylo Xyloto Tour, Chris Martin told onlookers at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium that they wouldn't play another "big show for a few years". With the smaller capacity of venues on this intimate run, Martin remains true to his word. From April to July, Coldplay embarked on a six-date promotional tour in support of the album. The band performed at E-Werk in Cologne, Germany on 25 April and performed at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, New York on 5 May, prior to the release of Ghost Stories. On 16 May, the band announced one-off show in Sydney, Australia scheduled for 19 June. After tickets for the show sold-out in just under three minutes, Coldplay announced a second date at Royal Albert Hall. The band continued the tour after the release of the album at the Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California on 19 May, the Casino de Paris in Paris, France, on 28 May, the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan on 12 June, the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia on 19 June and closing the tour at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 2 July. On 20 October, Coldplay announced the release of a new concert film and live album, Ghost Stories Live 2014, which was released on 24 November. The band recorded the concert film throughout the tour. To celebrate the release of the new live album, the band announced a one-off concert at BMW Welt in Munich, Germany on 6 December. This was the last show to promote the album.
Opening acts
Only three regions on the tour used opening acts. SZA served as the show opener at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, on May 5. In an interview on Radio.com, the singer stated "I can't even believe that was an opportunity or an option. I don't know why you would waste an opening slot on me". The British trio London Grammar opened the concert in Los Angeles, on May 19. English electronic music duo AlunaGeorge were the opening acts for the shows in Royal Albert Hall, in London, on July 1 and 2, performing songs from their debut albumBody Music.
Concert synopsis
Each concert contains a different setlist, and unlike previous tours, was not divided into sections. For the show recorded at the Sony Studios, that was released as a DVD extra on the album, the setlist consisted of the tracks from the standard album. Just four old songs of the band were performed; "Paradise" and "Clocks", opening the show, "Viva la Vida" and "Fix You" closing. The rest of the shows contained between 18 and 20 songs, mixed with songs from the new album. Prior to the start of the tour, Martin promised a set that will incorporate rarities, favorites and new songs, all of which he squeezes into a maximum efficiency and according to him, "We will never play another show like this in our lives". All the songs on the standard version of the album were performed, except the songs "Another's Arms" and "O", which were played only on select dates. The performances of the album's songs during the tour are similar to the show recorded at the Sony Studios. During the song "Midnight", Chris Martin and the bassist Guy Berryman make music using the laser harp. Martin played the piano for the mostly solo "O", with drummer Will Champion providing subtle guitar licks. In the show in London, the band performed on a circular stage in extreme proximity to the audience. Kylie Minogue made a special cameo during the show in Sydney, performing her hit single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and a cover of the Nick Cave song "Where the Wild Roses Grow". On the last show of the tour, in Munich, the band performed "Christmas Lights".
