Latest news with #Sparks'
Hindustan Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Coldplay Concerts Were Built For Viral Moments Like This
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron should have known better than to go to a Coldplay concert. PREMIUM Coldplay Concerts Were Built For Viral Moments Like This That's because the band, currently on its 'Music of the Spheres' world tour, has been turning the camera on its fans for over a year, giving lead singer Chris Martin the opportunity to ad-lib goofy mini-songs about concertgoers. Making fans the center of attention led to a wildly viral moment last week in Foxborough, Mass., when the camera trained its attention on Byron and Astronomer's chief people officer, Kristin Cabot, snuggling in the crowd, only for them to wriggle and whirl out of the frame. 'Either they're having an affair,' Martin said, 'or they're just very shy.' Byron and Cabot did not respond to requests for comment. According to a statement from Astronomer, Byron has resigned from the company. 'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,' the company wrote. When artists play arenas, all eyes are typically glued to them for hours on end. But Coldplay has strengthened its bond with its audience by briefly inverting the dynamic during this portion of its concerts. 'It makes fans feel like they are part of the show, rather than just attending the show,' says Josh Gale, a 47 year-old who saw the band for the fifth time this month in Toronto. Coldplay released its debut album in 2000—long before the concept of going viral was commonplace. Despite the band's veteran status, its ongoing tour has ignited two major viral moments this summer. After a clip of Martin looking distraught while performing the ballad 'Sparks' hit TikTok on June 7, streams of the song surged, and it went on to crack the Hot 100 in the U.S. for the first time roughly 25 years after its release. One video of the moment at Gillette Stadium has been viewed more than 120 million times on TikTok, and there are other similar clips in circulation. This attention appears to be correlated with increased interest in the band, which currently has five different songs on Spotify's Daily Top Songs ranking in the U.S. Between Thursday and Sunday, three of them reached new chart peaks. Making fans the center of attention led to a wildly viral moment last week when the camera trained its attention on Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot snuggling in the crowd, only for them to wriggle and whirl out of the frame. Martin did not address the incident directly at Coldplay's next performance on July 19 in Wisconsin. Before turning the camera on fans yet again, though, he did offer a joking warning of sorts: 'If you haven't done your makeup, do your makeup now.' A spokesperson for Coldplay declined to comment. The band started incorporating videos of fans into its shows in January 2024 at a show in Singapore, and the segment has been a staple ever since. 'We're gonna find some of you and say hello,' Martin told the audience at the time the camera was introduced. He asked the crew to dim the lights to provide a better view of his fans, who appeared on two large video screens opposite the singer. Martin seems more comfortable with silly banter than some of his more buttoned-up rock star peers. When the camera debuted, as it settled on a couple in a crowd, the singer serenaded them: 'Look at that beautiful couple, that lovely mister and miss/Do us all a favor, give each other a kiss.' After the smooch, the camera moved on to another fan, and Martin started again: 'Look at that guy, he doesn't look that taxed/Just sitting at the back so f—ing relaxed.' When Coldplay's frontman started a similar routine with Byron and Cabot at Foxborough's Gillette Stadium last week, Blake Boyer, 18, captured it on video; he later posted a clip of the couple trying to evade the camera. Martin also wished one fan a happy birthday, congratulated another on a recent graduation and sang to people dressed in banana costumes, Boyer said in an interview. 'What Coldplay does is unique,' he adds. After a clip of Martin looking distraught while performing the ballad 'Sparks' hit TikTok in June, streams of the song surged. Although artists and record labels often spend lavishly on meticulously planned advertising campaigns on social media, music marketers say that the impromptu moments captured spontaneously by fans at live shows are increasingly likely to take over digital discourse. In this climate, artists now think about two distinct audiences when they put together shows, according to Ric Lipson, partner at Stufish Entertainment Architects: the active fans, who shell out to be in the same space as their favorite artist, and the armchair fans, who experience the show through the video clips that ping pong across platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. 'The Instagram moment, as it is often called, has become more important,' says Lipson, who has helped design concerts for a range of stars, from Sabrina Carpenter to U2. 'What are the seminal moments that people will want to see? What is the TikTok video going to be?' These snippets from live shows spread widely precisely because they are not polished ad products—they might be unplanned, hilarious, or in last week's case, jaw-droppingly awkward. Fan interaction sequences can be similarly potent: A video of Usher seductively feeding cherries to a woman at his concert went viral earlier this year. 'Live show clips are more specific, more focused and they haven't been manufactured or paid for,' says Dan Roy Carter, a former TikTok executive who is now managing director of Carter Projects, a digital consultancy for labels and artists. 'They have been captured by civilians and uploaded on the merits of being relevant, exciting or compelling.' Boyer did not anticipate the explosive reaction to the video he shot at the Gillette Stadium show. He brought his grandmother to the concert because she's a big fan of Coldplay's hit 'Viva La Vida,' describing it as 'the one song she wanted to hear live before she dies.' She loved the show: 'She said this concert is No. 1 out of all the concerts she's ever been to.'
New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Coldplay's Chris Martin pokes fun at affair comment in viral concert video: ‘Are you two a legitimate couple?'
He never meant to cause trouble. Coldplay singer Chris Martin couldn't help but make a tongue-in-cheek comment after accidentally exposing a tech tycoon's 'affair' with a co-worker on a Jumbotron during his Massachusetts concert this week. After the clip of the two concert-goers broke the internet Thursday, internet sleuths quickly identified the loved-up couple as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company's head of human resources, Kristin Cabot. 6 Coldplay singer Chris Martin couldn't help but make a tongue-in-cheek comment after accidentally exposing a tech tycoon's 'affair' with a co-worker. @calebu2/YouTube As the fallout from the moment continues to unfold, the 'Sparks' singer wasted no time poking fun at another couple at the gig in Foxborough's Gillette Stadium. In a new clip on social media, the 48-year-old musician mocked his own gaffe later on in the show once the Jumbotron showed another couple at the concert. 'Ok, listen, are you two a couple? Are you two a legitimate couple?' he quipped, according to the fan-recorded video on X. 'Do you understand English? Hablas Español? Ok, I'm just going to risk it,' Martin added. The funny moment happened moments after the co-workers were mistakenly caught on an impromptu kiss cam as part of 'The Jumbotron Song' — which leads the band into their 2005 hit 'Fix You.' 6 The duo were caught canoodling on a Jumbotron during Coldplay's Massachusetts concert this week. Grace Springer via Storyful 6 A mortified Cabot buried her face in her hands before turning away from the crowd of 55,000 concertgoers at Gillette Stadium. Grace Springer via Storyful 6 Seconds after realizing the pair were on the big screen, the frazzled CEO was seen quickly ducking out of frame. Grace Springer via Storyful Seconds after realizing the pair were on the big screen, the frazzled CEO was seen quickly ducking out of frame, with a mortified Cabot turning away from the crowd of 55,000 concertgoers at Gillette Stadium. At first, Martin thought the camera had captured a sweet moment, saying, 'Look at these two.' But following their bizarre reaction to being on camera, Martin quickly became confused. 'Oh, what?' the 'Clocks' singer can be heard saying on stage. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' 'Holy sh-t. I hope we didn't do something bad,' he said, according to additional footage taken right after. Following the ordeal, it emerged that Byron is married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, while Cabot recently divorced her husband, Kenneth Thornby. 6 'Oh, what?' the 'Clocks' singer can be heard saying on stage. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Getty Images 6 Internet sleuths quickly identified the loved-up couple as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company's head of human resources, Kristin Cabot. Bain Capital Ventures In a further twist to the drama, the tech tycoon's wife removed her married name from her Facebook page Thursday. Kerrigan deleted her Facebook page, but screenshots show she removed her married name — Byron — from it earlier in the day. She also deleted her Instagram account.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
TikTok of couple caught on camera at Coldplay concert goes viral. The internet is determined to find 'cheaters.' Why?
Coldplay's live performance of 'Sparks' went viral last month as the heartbreak anthem resonated among yearners. Now, the band is back under the spotlight, but not for Chris Martin's singing. A couple caught on camera at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 16 has the internet up in arms. With over 23M views and counting, the video shows the couple swaying and smiling, but they quickly hide from the camera after landing on the Jumbotron. 'Uh oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked. Speculation ensued in the comments, and TikTok users made efforts to identify the couple, with commenters investigating their supposed jobs, employers and marital status. USA TODAY has reached out for comment. Massive media accounts like Pop Crave and Pop Base spread the alleged affair to millions of followers on X –– along with the rumored names and titles of the couple. As we seep deeper into surveillance culture, people are subjected to increased scrutiny online. Every wrong action, suspicious glance or physical attribute can be picked apart by millions of people on social media. TikTok sleuthing, in particular, appears to have a sharp focus on exposing cheaters. Add this incident to a growing trend on social media, where internet sleuths are going out of their way to find strangers they deem deserving of a public shaming. Some on TikTok are accusing their airplane seatmates of cheating on their spouse; others post detailed accounts of meeting men on their bachelor parties to alert their fiancées they are being unfaithful. "Are We Dating the Same Guy" Facebook groups alert women to allegedly toxic men, and 'loyalty testers' have made a living off of catching cheaters in the act. Though much of this seems well-intentioned, experts say becoming an amateur social media detective isn't the greatest idea, as you might wind up causing more harm than good. "They justify violating the privacy of the alleged offender because they have accepted the story as true and, thus, prematurely judged the individual as guilty and undeserving of privacy rights," psychologist Reneé Carr previously told USA TODAY. Why do we care about these strangers' personal lives? At the surface level, spectators simply love the drama. But beneath that, psychologists say society has developed a 'gotcha mentality' that fuels this discourse. "We love to partake in other's messy lives," Erica Chito-Childs, senior associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Hunter College, previously told USA TODAY. "Partly because it makes us feel better about our own lives and/or it resonates with what we are adamantly for or against, thanks to the ever more accurate algorithms." The quick snap of a camera or even observing someone opening an app is fodder for nosy observers to gain a few details about someone's life. Nothing stops them from posting about it – and people are quick to add to the discourse, trying to right supposed wrongs. "With the birth of cancel culture and an increase in self-entitlement, a large part of society has adopted a 'gotcha' mentality as well as a hypersensitivity to offense and any perceptions of injustice," Carr explained. "For the social media audience, this is even more so." 'Loyalty tests' are viral online. Has cheating paranoia gone too far? Sleuthing can have unintended consequences Just because we have the tools to find people faster doesn't mean we should. Sleuthing and the online hate campaigns that follow can lead to negative consequences. "Sharing sensitive information that a person intended to keep private can adversely impact that person's mental health and it can put them at risk of being harassed, bullied or harmed physically," said Brad Fulton, associate professor of management and social policy at Indiana University – Bloomington. The Coldplay couple reacted suspiciously — had they simply smiled or turned their heads rather than bolting away from the cameras, people may have brushed it off as a shy duo. But even if they are having an affair, does the crime fit the punishment? "I highly caution others to not be so eager to bandwagon, pick sides and jump to conclusions when presented with limited information," Chase Cassine, licensed clinical social worker, explained. "You may be presented with a flawed, biased and one-sided perspective where pertinent information has been concealed or omitted." Contributing: David Oliver
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sparks just keep going and going in win over Mystics
Dearica Hamby lined up for one of those last-second launches as the first-half clock dipped toward zero. The ball clanged off the front rim, appearing short — until backspin carried it to the back iron for a second bounce. With Julie Allemand holding her knees and Kelsey Plum already prancing away, the ball kissed the rim twice more. And, finally, after a two-second pause that held the whole arena hostage, the ball dropped. Hamby fell with it, her teammates swarming to lift her as Arena erupted for what was perhaps the Sparks' finest half of basketball of the season in a 99-80 stomping of the Washington Mystics. Hamby's arena-triggering triple capped a solo 10-point scoring spree and a 20-minute performance where the ball zipped across the hardwood, the defense suffocated and every Spark had their fingerprints on a rout of the WNBA's seventh-best team. By the end of the first half alone, Hamby had piled up 18. Plum chipped in 14. Jackson poured in nine and Stevens poured in eight. Facilitating it all, Allemand dealt eight assists. And — in what didn't reflect itself on the box score the way it did on the hardwood — the Energizer Bunny chimed in with four. Energizer Bunny? Coach Lynne Roberts awarded that label to Rae Burrell before Tuesday night's showdown, adding that 'she brings life and energy' to the squad. When Burrell picked off her first pass of the night, she orchestrated a play that would lead to Julie Vanloo finding a wide-open Sania Feagin in the paint, capping off a clinic in ball movement. When Burrell stole her second pass of the night, she took matters in her own hand, going coast to coast for an and-1 layup in the paint. And each time, it seemed as though everyone profited off the Bunny. Her contagious energy seemed to leak on to each of her teammates, who sliced through gaps on offense and brought out the clamps on defense to limit the Mystics (11-11) to just 12 points in the second quarter. In the process, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen — the Mystics' rookie duo who will compete in the All-Star game this Saturday — were held to a combined two points. Meanwhile, Plum — the Sparks' All-Star — seemed to have a dress rehearsal Thursday night, tuning up her shot ahead of Friday's three-point contest and Saturday's All-Star Game. Plum opened the night on a tear — nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 start, including one from beyond the arc. With cutters carving up the defense and her bigs sealing space down low, she shifted gears into facilitator mode as well, racking up six assists by game's end. And this time, the Sparks (8-14) didn't let their scoring avalanche slip through, cruising into the All-Star break with a wire-to-wire double-digit buffer.
Los Angeles Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
After fast start, Sparks fall to league-leading Lynx at home
For nearly four magical minutes in the first quarter, an upset of the WNBA's best team seemed scarily possible. What seemed scarier, perhaps, was that the team doing the damage spent most of the season fighting to crawl out of the league's cellar. For those 3:59 minutes, the Sparks rattled off 16 unanswered points as Arena transformed into both a basketball spectacle and animated musical. The children in nearly every section of the Sparks' home smacked their thundersticks like war drums as tiny voices belted out lyrics to SpongeBob SquarePants, Moana and Frozen. It was a mini-Disneyland inside the Sparks' building on Kids Day, the entire bowl pulsing with shrieks, slaps and sugar highs. For a fleeting stretch, it felt like an exhilarating return to the mid-2010s. Yet just as quickly as the magic appeared, it vanished. So suddenly, and so drastically, the newest 'happiest place on earth' lost its shimmer, replaced by cross-court turnovers, limited looks at the rim and the deflation of momentum as the Lynx (18-3) steamrolled to a 91-82 victory over the Sparks (6-14) on Thursday afternoon. What had been a 16-0 run through 3:59 minutes of play to build an 18-7 lead in the first quarter turned out to be the only bright spot amid an otherwise sore 36 minutes. Not just for the players, but for the children with their thundersticks that had less and less reason make noise. After Lynx guard Alanna Smith propelled her team to an early 7-2 advantage with a three-pointer and a layup — exhibiting the pace and precision of a team that's lost only three games all season — the momentum became all purple and yellow. Spurred on by a three-point barrage from guards Kelsey Plum and Julie Allemand as well as forward Rickea Jackson, the Sparks racked up 16 straight points — keeping All-Star captain Napheesa Collier and her Lynx teammates silent through the process. But the lopsided scoreboard would have a short lifespan. What looked like a cushion turned into a trap. After the 16-0 run, the Sparks eased up and the Lynx pounced, trimming their deficit to four by the end of the first quarter as sloppiness and defensive lapses by L.A. mounted. The Lynx erased 'deficit' from their dictionary — and just about everything from the Sparks' playbook. Fueled by nine L.A. turnovers in the second quarter, Minnesota made 11 baskets — nearly as many as the Sparks had shot attempts for a 50-40 halftime lead. The Lynx outscored the Sparks 30-19 in the third quarter to take a commanding 80-59 lead that proved insurmountable.
