The article was met with frustration by many in the live music industry . Shambala festival ’ s Chris Johnson described it as a perfect example of how journalistic thirst for an angle can undermine positive leadership , while LIVE CEO Jon Collins said , “ If perfect is the enemy of good , then we are left in a position that can , all too often , lead to paralysis .”
Explaining the move to HVO , Howell says , “ Our initial starting point was reduction ; can we reduce the amount of travel , can we reduce the number of generators and can we increase energy efficiency ? There ’ s less travel and transport of people and equipment now than previously , but it got to a point where we couldn ’ t reduce in perpetuity while still having a show .
“ We ’ ve spent a huge amount of time looking into electric vehicles ; buses , trucks and other types of personal transport , but right now they ’ re not where they need to be to be effective for a tour run . So , we looked at mitigation of impacts and alternative fuels were the best option for that . We spent a huge amount of time doing research and due diligence into all the pros and cons of alternative fuels . We landed on HVO that is sourced in the right way , virgin-palm-oil-free . We ’ re not saying
“ It has given us an opportunity to take ideas or concepts and refine them into something transformative .”
- Luke Howell
HVO is the right solution in perpetuity but it ’ s today ’ s solution . We ’ re always looking at what is tomorrow ’ s solution , because we want to adopt the best options and best practices as we go forward .”
Charging ahead Among the many pieces of tech involved in the tour that Howell is excited by are the rechargeable mobile batteries , which can be used to reduce the need for HVO .
He says , “ That ’ s a major piece of innovation , we ’ ve seen batteries in use at festivals and venues , but we ’ ve never seen a battery system designed to support touring in this way . We ’ ve condensed batteries down into a small space , so they are tourable but still have a huge capability in terms of storing energy to run a whole show .
“ A very exciting part of this whole project is the research and development of solutions . It has given us an opportunity to take ideas or concepts and refine them into something transformative , certainly in terms of the reduced environmental impact and the savings that will be generated off the back of decreases in fuel use . Even if we switch 100 % to HVO , which we ’ re doing on as many shows as we can , you ’ re still burning a fuel of some sort . So being able to negate that by utilising the batteries is really exciting .”
Solar power has also played a key role in reducing the tour ’ s carbon emissions . A mini-solar farm provides a charge station for portable batteries that have been used to provide power for applications including stage backline , LED lights and video control racks .
The tour has also seen the rollout of reusable and compostable plant-based plastic wristbands . Developed by Coldplay head of special projects Arman Chaparyan and PixMob , they feature LED lights to enable audience members to interact with the concert production during the shows .
“ On previous tours the wristbands were worn once , they flashed , the batteries died , and they were unusable ,” says Howell . “ At the end of each night we collect wristbands back in . We ’ re hitting return rates of more than 90 %. They are then refurbished , repurposed , and go out again at the following show . It feels really important we are making tangible reductions in those areas .”
In the zone Overseen by Tim Benson , Smart Power founder and ZAP Concepts technical director , the people-powered Energy Zone has seen the electrical team , under the guidance of head electrician Paul Traynor , harvest energy from the movement of Coldplay fans .
The zone features two raised platforms that work as kinetic dancefloors . Created by Dutch firm Energy Floors , the platforms produce energy from crowd movement that is used to charge Wattsun battery packs . There are also bikes fitted to Kinetic Effects ’ PedGen bike stands that house motors able to produce hundreds of watts each .
Says Benson , “ We produced the bike generators for Coldplay and used 60 bikes and three battery systems to power their performance outside Alexandra Palace for the Earthshot Prize awards . The band really liked what they saw and then asked if we could build a touring bike system , which is in the Energy Zone that sits on all the stadium floors . Zap was also commissioned by
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