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Coldplay shoutout

In Abu Dhabi, Coldplay’s Chris Martin dedicates song to Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza

Before performing “Everglow,” the British rock star invited a Pakistani fan onstage and mentioned several crises around the world including in Iran, Pakistan and the wildfires in LA

Dave Simpson/WireImage

Chris Martin of Coldplay performs at Eden Park on November 13, 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand.

During a performance on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, dedicated a song to “our brothers and sisters” in Gaza, the West Bank, Pakistan, Jerusalem and Iran.  

The British rock star’s comment introduced the song “Everglow,” when he invited a Pakistani fan onstage. Martin went on to mention several other locations around the world undergoing crises — Los Angeles, where wildfires continue to rage — but was drowned out by fans cheering at the mention of Gaza and the West Bank. 

The “Yellow” and “Viva La Vida” singer has a history of weighing in on the Israel-Gaza war at his shows over the past year. 

At the U.K.’s Glastonbury Music Festival in June, Martin called on the audience to put their hands in the air and send their love “all over the world” mentioning both “Israel and Palestine,” as well as Ukraine. 

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has been widely denounced as holding antisemitic beliefs, claimed that Martin came to his house in 2019 “to be taught.” 

Martin was married to Jewish actress Gwyneth Paltrow from 2003 until 2016. During a 2019 trip to Israel, Martin visited a kindergarten for Jewish and Arab children in Jaffa and took a tour of the West Bank. Coldplay’s first and only performance in Israel was during a human rights concert dedicated to peace in 2016. Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna is opening all four of Coldplay’s shows at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium. When illegal anti-Israel encampments overtook dozens of U.S. universities last spring, Elyanna told a group of students during a performance at Brown University that she was “inspired” to “see our generation speak their mind.”

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