Chris Martin addresses couple from Coldplay concert jumbotron scandal

USA Today

2 days ago

Chris Martin is setting the record straight on the "internationally massive scandal" that emerged from that Coldplay concert jumbotron "debacle" that took the internet by storm.
During the jumbotron portion of the Music of the Spheres tour concert in Kingston upon Hull's Craven Park in England on Aug. 19, the frontman pushed back against the "kiss cam" headlines about a tech CEO who resigned from his role after appearing to have an affair with a colleague.
"I'm going to say this once and once only. It's not, never will be, and never was a kiss cam. … We put one couple and you're branded a kiss cam for the rest of your life. It's unbelievable," Martin said, according to fans' videos from the show.
"This is called a jumbotron, and we've done this for a long, long time," the singer continued. "We pick people out to say hello. And sometimes they turn up to become an internationally massive scandal, sure. But most of the time we're just trying to say hello to some ... people, that's all!"
As Martin wrapped his public service announcement, he shared a sweet message to the people who were caught canoodling on July 16.
"Anyway, we send pure love to those people, and I wish them so well," he told the crowd.
Chris Martin calls CEO controversy a 'debacle'
This wasn't the only time Martin brought up the incident since the band's return to the U.K. on tour.
When introducing the jumbotron portion of the concert in which "we'll try to say hello to some of you on camera," the crowd erupted in knowing laughter as Martin chuckled, according to another video.
"You were at that Boston gig! OK, well, thank you for coming again after that debacle," Martin said in reaction to a fan's sign, according to videos and reports from the band's first night in Craven Park on Aug. 18.
"We've been doing this a long time, and it's only recently that it became a … Yeah. So," Martin added. "Life throws you lemons and you've got to make lemonade."
Coldplay wrapped its North American leg of the long-running tour in Miami Gardens on July 27 and took a three-week break before launching into its final leg in the U.K.
What happened with Astronomer CEO Andy Byron?
Martin's comments come a month after he offered commentary during the band's July 16 show at Gillette Stadium that turned uncomfortable after a camera operator broadcast a couple embracing, only for the two to conceal themselves. The woman hid her face as the man ducked down.
"Come on, you're OK!" Martin told the couple before quipping, "Uh oh. Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy."
Following the viral scandal that prompted internet sleuths to identify those seen in the footage, New York tech company Astronomer said it had placed CEO Andy Byron on leave on July 18. The next day, on July 19, the company posted on X and LinkedIn that Byron "has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted."
"As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," Astronomer's statement reads. "Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met."
After widespread criticism for how the company reacted to the controversy, Astronomer released a tongue-in-cheek video with "temporary spokesperson" Gwyneth Paltrow, Martin's ex-wife, in an effort to rehabilitate its image.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Michael Loria and Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY