Chris Martin talks about his almost missed Glastonbury debut

“The hunger to go there was so great,” said Martin, reflecting on the band’s first gig in the BBC documentary. Coldplay: Our Glastonbury“The first time we played, I think we were probably carrying around a not very good amp and we were with a drunk tour manager who, you know, obviously didn’t know what he was doing either.”

Like many people who attend the festival for the first time, Martin was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer size of the festival, but the band had very little time to take it all in. “We had a very quick look around the whole site and then started where you’re supposed to start, which is the New Bands Tent, first. I don’t think I even thought about how wild it was. It was just like we’re here and we’re late and it’s massive.”

Even though the band arrived just seconds before the end of the show, they were a real hit. Emily Eavis, who organizes the festival, was a huge fan of the group’s first EP and asked them to play a benefit concert for the family.

From that point on, Coldplay and the family enjoyed a good relationship, which was further strengthened by several appearances on the Pyramid Stage, where they delivered outstanding performances. They performed on the main stage at Glastonbury in 2005, 2011 and 2016.

Martin sees Glastonbury and the farm as a place where he can get inspiration when there isn’t a festival going on. He often climbs into the bare metal structure of the stage and relaxes there. “Even when I go there when there isn’t a festival going on,” he says, “it seems like a central place for what we stand for.”

Coldplay will headline the festival on Saturday night. You can watch the performance on BBC while Far will provide further updates on Glastonbury this weekend.

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