Coldplay's Music of the Spheres is the first tour to feature Pixmob’s 7-LED wristband, the world’s first compostable, plant-based plastic wristband, sourced from renewable sugarcane.
Hours before doors opened at Etihad Stadium, a backstage workforce of over 100 local freelancers ensured that the wristbands used for the previous show were sanitised and refurbished for continued use, prior to redistributing them on point of entry that night and then collecting them again upon exit. “They’re designed to last hundreds of shows,” informed PixMob’s Samantha Torres. “Then, after the tour, the plastic casings are removed and they are sent away to break down naturally in compost . The wristbands aren’t branded like band merchandise, which means that most fans are happy to hand them in to us after the show. We’ve been averaging around 90% with the returns.”
“Every song has its own theme and I’m adding creative depth to the journey attached to it," said Shaheem Litchmore, lighting director and programmer. "We incorporate the wristbands just like any other lighting element, and it’s all about dynamics and balance. There are some songs that don’t require anything from them. At other times, they have a subtle effect where they shine and kind of bounce around the audience, or they do accents here and there.
“For something like ‘Paradise’, the lights go out and the wristbands are left to provide the sparkle, which I really love. We also do cool things like form hearts and other shapes in the crowd, and then there’s the extreme when they are lit solidly and it’s an incredible, full bore effect. Everything is based upon the narrative of the song.”
Launched in March 2022, Music of the Spheres will have played to audiences well in excess of five million by the time it loads out for the final time.
pix: PixMob