SAN FRANCISCO — There’s been a lot of criticism about Coldplay being the Super Bowl 50 halftime show performer, especially when some of the greatest entertainers of our time in Beyonce and Katy Perry have blown the show away in recent years.
Even if Coldplay isn’t going to be dancing around the stage or entering Levi’s Stadium on an animatronic lion, it’ll be colorful, festive and fun. And lest anyone forget, Beyonce will join them on stage.
The seven-time Grammy award-winning group gave a press conference on Thursday and they were charming and hilarious. As they walked into the packed room, Chris Martin said he felt like Donald Trump.
Here are the six best things that happened that should gear everyone up for halftime on Sunday.
1. Reporter tells Coldplay the band got her through a breakup
Reporter: “This is the best day of my life. You guys got me through a real bad breakup in 2004. It’s much better now. I’m just saying—Fix You. But how do you fix 16 years of music in 12 minutes? Because as a superfan, I need Yellow, I need Clocks, I need Magic, I need Fix You, I need Don’t Panic. And then there’s no time for Beyonce. How are you gonna do it?”
Martin joked they decided they’d play all their No. 1 hits and then figure out the rest of the 10 minutes. But in reality, the group said they’ve had discussions on how to design the show.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
2. What it’s like collaborating with Beyonce
Reporter: “I know that you’re very close with Beyonce and Jay Z and Beyonce is obviously performing with you. What’s the conversation like when you call? Is it, ‘Hey Queen Bey, I want you in a red body suit and we’re gonna do this.’ What is that conversation?”
Martin: “Just like that. I say, ‘Hey Queen Bey, I want you in a red body suit.’ Honestly, the answer to that question is…what was the question again?”
Martin didn’t actually divulge what the plan is with Beyonce. Secret safe for Sunday. He did say that the NFL asked the group to incorporate the past, present and future since it is Super Bowl 50.
3. How Coldplay got the halftime job
Reporter: “How do you get this gig? Do you campaign? How did it all come together?”
Martin: “Well, we started in Iowa three years ago. We had a bus, a small bus. And at that point, not many investors. We had barely enough money to afford one can of Pepsi. Pepsi stepped in, they were very sweet, and we got a bigger bus, got some stickers that said Coldplay for 2016, and we just got out there and we worked our little butts off. And low and behold the voters of America said all right, give it a go.”
4. Who is Coldplay rooting for in the Super Bowl?
Martin: The Denver Panthers. Put that in your paper.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
5. Coldplay’s favorite Beyonce song
“Single Ladies.”
6. Someone brought up the left shark
Reporter: “What will be your left shark moment?”
Martin: I think when we bring our sharks out, we’ve trained them so well this year …
He went onto discuss all the sharks Coldplay doesn’t actually have coming on stage before saying, “Are you saying which part of our show will (expletive) up terribly? I’ve seen the left shark so many times and he did great. Seems to be a lot of fuss over nothing. Speak to us next week.”
