Lititz, PA (June 3, 2025)—For Coldplay and its Music of the Spheres world tour, the band’s production manager, Chris Kansy, called upon Clair Global for comms solutions and IT deployments.
Clair Global designed a comms system comprising two Riedel Communications Artist64 digital intercom network frames, 50 Bolero wireless beltpacks and six panels. The band’s busy Showcaller, Julia Whittle, communicates via Clair’s main show channel, which has a one-way transmit to Motorola radios, while multiple radio interfaces are deployed to offer seamless coverage for distant positions, such as pyrotechnic gags, which on a production of this size, can be fired from up to 1,300-plus feet away from the stage.
Clair Global also provided 200 x Motorola XPR 3500e radios that can be reprogrammed over Wi-Fi utilizing the IT network installed.
When the large-scale tour visited India, the band performed for almost 223,000 fans over two nights at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the world’s largest cricket ground.
Clair Global RF technician, Turner Pollari, says, “Each of the Motorola base stations offer two-way communication from our Artist system, Bolero and radios. With simple fiber runs, it offers us the ability to easily change how we deploy the system. For the show in India, production kept the cricket pitch uncovered for as long as possible, and the cable runs to our two FOH positions were adjusted.
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“Additionally, with the support of Luminex switches, we can be flexible and quick with changes. We take an uplink from the IT printer rack at the stage that provides internet to each Luminex in the comms system, making it easier in a crowded stadium to access apps and other means of communication.”
At every Coldplay show, a third Reidel Artist64 system lives in video world, managed by the band’s video systems engineer Chris Farrants. A further 8 x 4 wire lines are shared with audio/RF tech James Smallwood, who runs yet another Artist system that provides panels for the audio and backline departments. The AES67 trunkline also ensures the crew can use the Bolero antennas.”
A key requirement for the huge shows in India was to accommodate a 100-person live stream crew, the Disney+ Hotstar’s team, which livestreamed from Ahmedabad for a three-hour broadcast. Clair Global interfaced 8 x 4 wire lines to keep this team in the loop on how the live concert production was unfolding. The Disney+ team had 30 Bolero on their own network.
