Music fans will be pleased to hear that a new Coldplay tour will soon premiere. The band’s concerts have never lacked power, but this time there will be even more. It’s all thanks to the band’s partnership with the always adrenaline-inducing BMW brand. 

The partnership between BMW and Coldplay is set to reach a new climax. Following the success of their hit song “Higher Power” and the British band’s performance in the BMW JOYTOPIA virtual world at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, BMW will now supply the world’s first portable, rechargeable show battery for the band’s upcoming Music Of The Spheres world tour. The four musicians are scheduled to perform in Costa Rica in 2022, then play in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, USA, Germany, Poland, France, Belgium and the UK.

The electricity required for the proper setting of the concerts will be provided by a special battery, thanks to more than 40 recyclable car batteries. In this way, the band’s concert series will be more environmentally friendly and one of the greenest tours in music history. The cooperation between BMW and Coldplay sets new standards and could become a model for the entire music industry.

Special energy storage technology, thanks to the partially recycled batteries of the BMW i3. will provide the necessary super low-emission electricity and replace the usual oil and petrol-powered generators. This will result in a significant reduction in carbon emissions during all the band’s live performances.

The battery will be charged using a range of renewable energy sources including solar installations, the stadium’s kinetic floor, electric bikes and generators powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil. The kinetic stadium floor and electric bikes will use the collective power provided by… the fans themselves.

These car batteries are the first in the world to be recyclable. This technology is an important part of the BMW Group’s vision of sustainability and a renewable economy.

“We are proud to be working with BMW to create the world’s first rechargeable show battery – which will allow us to power our concerts almost entirely from clean, renewable energy,” – says Coldplay’s Chris Martin. ”

“The shared awareness of sustainability, has led to an intense creative co-creation process between BMW and Coldplay over the past years” – emphasises Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer and Brand BMW. “The song from the ‘Higher Power’ campaign, celebrating the launch of our all-electric BMW iX and BMW i4 models, as well as Coldplay’s performance in the BMW JOYTOPIA virtual world at the IAA Mobility were the first highlights of our successful collaboration. By using second-hand batteries from BMW i3 vehicles, we are helping to create an even more environmentally safe tour for the band Coldplay.”

Successful collaborations: “Higher Power” and JOYTOPIA

The long-standing collaboration between BMW and Coldplay dates back to 2014, when the band, consisting of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman, played in front of 1,500 enthusiastic fans, marking the end of their “Ghost Stories Tour” at the BMW Welt in Munich. These initial contacts and a mutual awareness of sustainability eventually resulted in a partnership between BMW and Coldplay.

The campaign for the BMW iX and BMW i4 electric vehicles in June 2021 was the first major joint success for the brand and the band. BMW and Coldplay worked together to create this unique campaign. The campaign song “Higher Power” became a big hit and the phrase “This joy is electric” the perfect brand message for the two new premium BMW models.

Sustainable journey around the world as a model for the entire automotive industry

At the IAA Mobility in Munich in September 2021, held under the motto “RE:IMAGINE TODAY” and in the spirit of the BMW Groups vision of sustainability and the renewable economy, another major success of this joint creation was achieved. The newly created BMW JOYTOPIA metaversion presented a completely virtual performance by the band Coldplay. The musicians’ performance could be viewed online for 24 hours and was watched by more than 150,000 people worldwide. For the digital world, JOYTOPIA represented a milestone in marketing and corporate communication.

The successful partnership between BMW and Coldplay has now been extended, leading directly to a new highlight during next year’s world tour. As a partner and supplier of recyclable car batteries, BMW will support the British band in its goal of contributing to sustainability. This collaboration is a game changer and could become a model for the entire concert industry.

Material thanks to BMW Group