It was 2016. Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara was glowing with California sunshine. Chris Martin was literally bouncing on a stage made of floor screens, surrounded by kids playing violins and enough floral arrangements to stock a royal wedding. The Super Bowl halftime show Coldplay headlined was supposed to be a massive celebration of the past, present, and future. It was Super Bowl 50, after all. A golden anniversary.
But then Beyoncé walked out.
Honestly, it’s one of the weirdest legacies in NFL history. Coldplay is one of the biggest bands on the planet. They sell out stadiums in seconds. Yet, if you ask the average person what they remember about that day, they’ll probably talk about the "Formation" dance-off or Bruno Mars looking like a 90s R&B legend. It’s kinda unfair. Chris Martin and company actually put on a vibrant, musically tight set, but they got caught in the middle of a cultural moment that was much louder than their "Adventure of a Lifetime" vibes.
The Setlist Strategy That Almost Worked
Coldplay didn't just show up and wing it. They knew the pressure of the 50th anniversary was heavy. The set opened with "Yellow," though it was just a snippet. Then they dove straight into "Viva La Vida." You know the song. It’s got those big, sweeping strings that feel like they were written specifically for a stadium with 70,000 people.
They moved fast.
"Paradise" followed, and then "Adventure of a Lifetime." The stage was a riot of color. It looked like a kaleidoscope exploded. It’s worth noting that Coldplay is a "daytime" band in this context. Because the game was on the West Coast, the sun hadn't fully set. Most halftime shows rely on lasers and pyrotechnics to hide the gaps. Coldplay had to rely on pure energy and a lot of bright fabric.
Then things shifted.
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Mark Ronson appeared in a DJ booth. Bruno Mars came out with "Uptown Funk." The energy level didn't just go up; it shifted gears entirely. It went from a British pop-rock festival to a street party. And just as Bruno was peaking, Beyoncé marched onto the grass with an army of dancers in Black Panther-inspired outfits.
Why the Super Bowl Halftime Show Coldplay Headlined Felt Divided
There is a specific moment in the broadcast where Chris Martin is sandwiched between Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. He’s smiling. He’s jumping. He looks like he’s having the time of his life. But the internet, being the internet, immediately turned it into a meme. People started saying Coldplay was the "opening act" for their own show.
The contrast was just too sharp.
Coldplay’s music is about "we." It’s about universal connection, love, and colorful "Yellow" stars. Beyoncé’s performance of "Formation" was about "me" and "us" in a much more specific, political, and urgent way. She had just dropped the song 24 hours earlier. People were still processing the music video. Putting that next to a band singing about "Paradise" created a strange tonal whiplash.
It wasn't a failure of talent. It was a clash of genres. Coldplay is a band that builds a mood over a two-hour concert. In a 12-minute TV window, that slow-build approach often loses out to the high-octane choreography of a pop superstar.
The Tribute to the Past
One part people often forget is the montage. Toward the end, as Coldplay played "Fix You," the screens showed a retrospective of past performers. Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince. It was genuinely moving. It reminded everyone that this stage is essentially the Mount Everest of the music industry.
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The band transitioned from "Fix You" into "Up&Up," which is a track from A Head Full of Dreams. By the time the final chorus hit, everyone was on stage together. The message was "Believe in Love." It was scrawled across the stadium seats in a giant card stunt.
The Critics and the Data
If you look at the numbers, the show was a massive success. It pulled in over 115 million viewers. That’s more than the game itself in some markets. Musically, the critics were split. Rolling Stone was relatively kind, noting the band's "good-natured" energy. Others, like The Guardian, felt the band was overshadowed by their guests.
But here’s a fact: Coldplay’s catalog saw a massive streaming spike afterward. "Viva La Vida" jumped back into the charts. That’s the real goal for the NFL and the artists. It’s a 12-minute commercial for your brand. In that regard, the Super Bowl halftime show Coldplay led did exactly what it was supposed to do. It cemented them as one of the few "safe" rock bands that can still command a global audience.
What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
There’s a story Chris Martin tells about asking his daughter, Apple, if she was nervous for him. She said something along the lines of, "The worst that can happen is you'll get memed. And you'll be a meme by the next morning anyway."
She was right.
The band also had to navigate the logistics of the "youth orchestra" and the marching bands. It was a massive production involving hundreds of local performers. Unlike some years where the artist pays for everything out of pocket to promote a tour, the NFL’s 50th-anniversary budget was significant. They wanted a spectacle. They got one. It just happened to be a spectacle where the guest stars stole the headlines.
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Does it hold up today?
Watching the footage back in 2026, the show feels like a time capsule. It’s a bridge between the classic "rock band" era of halftime shows (think Paul McCartney or The Who) and the modern "pop spectacle" era (think Rihanna or The Weeknd). Coldplay was the last time a traditional "band" was the primary headliner until we started seeing more genre-blending sets.
The color palette alone makes it stand out. Most shows are dark, moody, or neon. Coldplay’s set was sun-drenched and flowery. It felt human.
Lessons for Future Halftime Performers
If you’re an artist looking at the Coldplay model, there are a few takeaways. First, don't bring on guests who are currently at the absolute peak of a cultural firestorm unless you want to share the crown. Second, the "stadium stunt" (the card trick in the stands) is still one of the most effective ways to make a TV audience feel the scale of the event.
Coldplay didn't try to be something they weren't. They didn't try to dance like Bruno or have the swagger of Bey. They stayed in their lane—the lane of anthemic, earnest pop-rock.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you want to revisit this moment or understand its impact, follow these steps:
- Watch the "Fix You" segment specifically. Ignore the "Uptown Funk" noise for a second and watch how the band handled the tribute to past legends. It’s the most authentic part of the set.
- Compare the audio mix. If you listen to the official NFL upload versus the live broadcast bootlegs, you’ll notice how hard it is to mix a live band in an open-air stadium during the day. It’s a technical nightmare that Coldplay’s sound team handled better than most.
- Look at the "Believe in Love" campaign. This wasn't just a song lyric; it was a massive branding push for their tour. See how they integrated their album aesthetics (the flower of life patterns) into the stage design.
- Evaluate the "Guest Star" effect. Study the 2016 charts post-Super Bowl. You’ll see that while Beyoncé dominated the conversation, Coldplay’s ticket sales for their subsequent world tour broke records. Being "overshadowed" didn't hurt their bottom line one bit.
The reality of the Super Bowl halftime show Coldplay gave us is that it was a success of "vibe" over "viral moments." They provided the heart, while their guests provided the heat. In the history of the Super Bowl, you need both, even if the internet only remembers the fire.