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This was the first of multiple jabs that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin directed at ɫɫ��’s new Rogers Stadium while playing the first of four sold-out shows on Monday night.

He had, no doubt, been briefed on the abysmal feedback from the venue’s inaugural show. Massive lines, bottlenecked transit and safety concerns were among the critiques making headlines following a Stray Kids concert on June 29.

As excited as the 50,000 fans were for Coldplay’s return — the band’s first ɫɫ�� show in eight years — these warnings brought with them a sense of anxiety and dread. Would it take them two hours to get out of the venue? Would their seat, as some had previously claimed, not be properly fastened to the stands? Would they have to miss large portions of the show while waiting to access water or bathrooms?

To the folks who plan to see the British rockers this week, or who have tickets to one of the venue’s other shows this summer, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that the venue seems to have rectified the crowd control and transportation issues. It took me less than 25 minutes to get from my seat to one of the many subways that were running smoothly, and free of charge, from Downsview Park Station. Rogers Stadium also seems to have improved water access, with ample stations set up throughout the venue’s “Fan Zone.” (Bring your own water bottle, fill up closer to the stage, and save yourself the $7.) The seats didn’t appear to be coming loose, though the stands did shake as people danced and jumped — an unsettling feeling, to say the least.

The real bad news, at least for Coldplay fans on Monday night, was a series of production misfires. First, Martin himself came out before the show to announce a “four minute” delay due to a malfunctioning lighting tower. (The show was up and running within 15 minutes of roadies frantically wheeling road cases.)

The less forgivable technical mishap was the sound. From Martin’s very first note, his audio was badly blown out. Throughout the course of the evening, beautiful moments were compromised by the singer’s mic often jumping from clear to fuzzy and distorted.

Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour is the second-highest-grossing tour of all time. When they conclude their years-long journey in September, they’ll have played 225 shows across 43 countries. This well-oiled machine makes it tempting to assume that such technical mishaps were less the fault of the crew and more a problem this new venue, which in Martin’s words, is “only accessible by skateboard.” (Are we embarrassed that one of the world’s biggest bands is making our new live-music venture the butt of their jokes? We should be.)

But when the band played “Sparks” on their smaller, B stage near the end of the show, the audio was briefly fixed, offering one of the most beautiful moments of the evening and suggesting what fans on the remaining nights might expect should these issues be corrected.

Sound was certainly the evening’s major setback — the difference between a three- and four-star show. But if the band could hear how poor the audio was, they played it off like they were having the time of their lives. And so did their fans — the type of folks who would cheer in unison for a lighting tower being powered back on before the show even started.

Ever the optimists — but, then, optimism has long been Coldplay’s message. Over the course of their nearly 30 years as a band, the foursome has been ribbed for wherever they sit on the emotional spectrum. In their early days, they were the sad rockers who were too in their feelings. Now, the knee-jerk criticism tends to go the other way. They’re just too happy. Too hopeful. Or, as some might put it, too corny. As a collective, we don’t seem to know how to handle earnestness. But with this tour, the band offer a timely lesson on just that.

“You make me happy to be alive,” Martin sang to a young boy captured on the video screen, the frontman’s permanent, toothy grin always seeming to suggest a cheeky joke is next. The 48-year-old’s energy reserve is infinite. As he shimmies and grapevines down the runway in his trademark patchwork outfits, coloured confetti in his hair, it’s hard not to be charmed.

If pessimism isn’t a word in Coldplay’s vernacular, neither is restraint. Martin’s very first syllable of the night was synchronized with a cascade of fireworks (“Higher Power”). By the end of the second song (“Adventure of a Lifetime”), fans were treated to walls of pyrotechnics and the release of gigantic beach balls. LED wristbands, which are now stadium-show staples but were first used by Coldplay on their 2012 Mylo Xyloto tour, frequently transformed the audience into a sea of flashing colours and patterns.

It was a multi-sensory, maximalist feast topped with “moon goggles,” which were distributed upon entry. When worn, their coloured lenses overlayed your surroundings with kaleidoscopic hearts. In these moments, it was particularly moving to watch grown adults become as giddy as the children next to them. 

Coldplay is one of the music industry’s best arguments for the adage “evolve or die.” This was plainly laid out in their 22-song set list, which jumped from tear-jerking early-aughts soft rock to EDM-fueled contemporary hits. Though it can be jarring to go from wiping your “Fix You” tears to fist-pumping to “Something Just Like This,” the contrast is also impressive. It’s an evolution that undoubtedly lost the band fans along the way — those who might’ve preferred crying along to “The Scientist” over pogoing to “My Universe.”

But it’s also why this crowd of 50,000 concertgoers spanned from toddlers in noise-cancelling headphones, to Gen Zers won over by the band’s BTS collaboration, to Gen Xers old enough to have had to secure the band’s first album on CD. Coldplay are part of a very small group of artists who continue to attract new generations of fans while holding onto older ones.

And after nearly three decades together, they seem to be having more fun than ever. Bassist Guy Berryman smirks as Martin quips about him being the “most beautiful man on the planet.” Guitarist Jonny Buckland audibly laughs behind the keyboard as the frontman labels him “the fourth best piano player in the band.” Drummer Will Champion commits to the bit when Martin stops midsong to ask him whether he can sort out his expired Green P Parking spot.

“Green P is complicated for foreigners,” Martin told the crowd.

It’s hard not to position Coldplay’s live show as a refreshing antidote to the times we live in. In the face of sweeping climate crises, the band have prioritized sustainability within their touring model, reducing their carbon footprint by 59 per cent compared with their previous tour via methods like kinetic dance floors and bicycles that fans can use throughout the show to generate their own electricity.

At a time of increased division, Martin makes a point of referencing the unity within the venue. “Welcome from India. Welcome from Palestine. Welcome from Brazil. Welcome from Israel,” he said, reading fan signs that revealed their country of origin. “We welcome all people.”

And at a time of endless negative news cycles and anxiety, the band leans all the way into the wholesome. “Wave to someone across the stadium like they’re your best and oldest friend,” Martin directed at one point. Everyone eagerly obliged.

Egregious audio issues aside, Coldplay delivered on every other level. Over the course of two hours, they managed to carve out their own, idealistic world within a world. The video screen consistently revealed fans smiling ear to ear — kissing, hugging, laughing.

The band’s optimism and joy was clearly contagious, but will it be long-lasting? If there’s one thing that became clear throughout the evening, it’s that Coldplay cares. Deeply. If there’s one thing that they want their fans to take away, it’s that they should too.