

Guy Berryman, Will Champion, Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay perform at FedEx Field. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/for The Washington Post)

One mention of Coldplay and the adjectives flow like a rush of blood to the head: jaunty, sincere, hopeful, accessible, benign, safe. The British band has spent two decades brewing this recipe for omnipresence into mega-success, coasting on their genuine harmlessness to the esteemed cushion of stadium status.

Coldplay’s aim of injecting the world with joy via the feathery falsetto of lead vocalist Chris Martin has paid off tremendously. The instant-ubiquity of 2002’s “Clocks” launched the group to superstar status which eventually ballooned into a halftime performance at Super Bowl 50 where they deployed high-profile allies such as Beyoncé and Bruno Mars to bolster the moment’s weight. Coldplay has spent nearly 18 months touring in support of its seventh album, 2015’s “A Head Full of Dreams,” bringing shows of similar scale to stadiums and arenas across the globe. Sunday night’s performance at FedEx Field was a two-hour exercise in inoffensive grandeur that once again proved Coldplay is excellent at what it does.



(Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

(Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

The band’s success can be attributed, in part, to the way it leans into its self-awareness. Coldplay is the archetypal big band, down to auxiliary tricks: the elaborate stage with the long runway to accommodate Martin’s sprints. The wristbands distributed to the audience that altered between firefly-like glow and strobe-light effect. The fireworks launched at the top of every four count on “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” and, of course, the veteran maneuver of pacing and knowing exactly when to sprinkle older hits throughout the set.

“Yellow,” the band’s first hit from way back in 2000, was unsurprisingly accompanied by yellow lights and appeared early in the evening. The gentle piano keys of “The Scientist” soon followed, Martin’s pained vocals still endearing 15 years later. The one-two punch of “Fix You” and “Viva la Vida” were reserved for the show’s final portion, when the crowd got its second wind through the cathartic, movie trailer-ready peaks at the heart of those songs.

A Coldplay show isn’t all uplift, though. Far from it. The group never shies away from subjects like heartbreak, as the optimism of “Everglow” and the Beyoncé-assisted “Hymn for the Weekend” only came after “Always in My Head” and “Magic” — from 2014’s anguished “Ghost Stories” — bringing some emotional balance. Nevertheless, the night ended on the expected high note: drummer Will Champion singing lead on “Don’t Panic” before the finale combo of “A Sky Full of Stars” and “Up&Up.” It was as uncynical a moment as could be, which made it the perfect way to end a Coldplay concert.