look how they shine

Coldplay clocks into Houston as part of global low-carbon stadium tour

Coldplay in all their sustainable glory.

Courtesy photo

Rock band Coldplay is coming to Houston — part of a newly launched 2022 tour to complement a new record, Music Of The Spheres, which will be released on Friday, October 15.

The tour will hit stadiums around the world, including NRG Stadium on Sunday, May 8. The band will make only one other Texas stop at the Cotton Bowl on Friday, May 6. Tickets go on sale on Friday, October 22 at 10 am.

The global juggernaut is also pledging to make tour as sustainable and low-carbon as possible.

The "Music Of The Spheres World Tour" begins on March 18, with the band's first ever show in Costa Rica, before traveling to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, USA, Germany, Poland, France, Belgium, and the UK.

It currently ends on September 10 in Rio De Janeiro at the Rock in Rio Festival. Opening acts will include H.E.R. and London Grammar at selected dates.

The band has had a commitment to make tours as environmentally beneficial as possible since 2019, and this tour will follow a set of sustainability initiatives and environmental commitments including:

cutting direct emissions by 50 percent compared to the band’s most recent tour (2016-17).
powering the show entirely by renewable, super-low emission energy — with solar installations at every venue, waste cooking oil, a kinetic stadium floor, and kinetic bikes powered by fans.
drawing down more CO2 than the tour produces with a range of nature- and technology-based solutions, including planting one tree for every ticket sold.
providing each venue with a sustainability rider requesting best environmental practices.
encouraging fans to use low carbon transport to and from shows via the official tour app built by SAP, rewarding those who do with a discount at venues.
ensuring all merchandise is sustainably and ethically sourced.
offering free drinking water and striving to eliminate plastic bottles at every venue.

They'll also put 10 percent of all earnings into a fund for environmental and socially conscious causes, including ClientEarth, One Tree Planted and The Ocean Cleanup; and establish a partnership with climate change experts at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute — Climate Change and the Environment to quantify the impact of the tour – both positively and negatively — on the environment.

To ensure tickets get into the hands of fans directly, the tour will have a Verified Fan presale available for all U.S. dates. Registration is available now through Sunday, October 17 at 8 pm via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program.

Verified Fan presale begins Wednesday, October 20 at 10 am through Thursday, October 21 at 10 pm.

Tour dates are as follows (Texas dates bolded):

March 18: San Jose, Costa Rica - Estadio Nacional
March 22: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - Estadio Olímpico
March 25: Monterrey - Estadio BBVA
March 29: Guadalajara - Estadio Akron
April 3: Mexico City - Foro Sol
April 23: Santa Clara - Levi’s Stadium
April 26: Los Angeles - SoFi Stadium
May 3: Phoenix - State Farm Stadium
May 6: Dallas - Cotton Bowl Stadium
May 8: Houston - NRG Stadium
May 28: Chicago - Soldier Field
June 1: Washington DC - FedExField
June 4: East Rutherford, NJ - Metlife Stadium
June 8: Philadelphia - Lincoln Financial Field
June 11: Atlanta - Mercedes-Benz Stadium
June 14: Tampa - Raymond James Stadium

music sustainability concerts

Movie Review

Twin sisters set out for revenge in Tarantino-esque film 'Is God Is'

Photo by Patti Perret

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson in Is God Is.

The revenge story is one of the most enduring in all of cinema as it can be adapted to multiple different genres. It most naturally fits in the action/thriller genre, but comedies, dramas, Westerns, and more have made good use of characters seeking revenge. The new film Is God Is demonstrates that malleability by detailing an intensely personal story that turns into something bigger.

Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have lived a difficult life, going in and out of foster care and forced to endure stares and taunts because each bears burn scars from a childhood attack. Racine, whose scars are “only” on her left arm, has developed into the protector of Anaia, who suffered burns over much of her face.

An unexpected call from their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), who was burned almost beyond recognition in the attack, gives them a purpose: Seeking revenge on the man who ruined their lives. Setting out in a barely working car and with only a small amount of direction, the sisters attempt to fulfill the mission without losing their souls.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Aleasha Harris, the film may remind some viewers of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and not just because Fox has small roles in both films. Harris has a knack for dialogue, especially between the twins, that ably gets across the story exposition and entertains at the same time. There are many instances where she has the sisters hold silent conversations told on screen via subtitles to convey twin-speak, a method that deepens their connection and draws the viewer in.

Harris also has her characters engage in the type of shocking violence that Tarantino has used to great effect. The difference here, though, is that even though the story is heightened to a certain degree, the egregious nature of the crime perpetrated upon the girls and their mother makes the whole thing feel bracingly real. This revenge plot is not meant to merely entertain; it’s designed to put the audience in Racine and Anaia’s shoes and fully embrace the call for justice.

There are a few times when the lack of experience by Harris shows up, especially in the climactic sequence where the stunt work could have used some more precision. But overall, it’s a self-assured filmmaking debut for the playwright-turned-director, who’s adapted her own play with a richness and depth that is not often found from someone stepping behind the camera for the first time.

Young and Johnson don’t especially look alike, but they embody the essence of twin sisters, and it’s their chemistry together that makes the story as impactful as it is. They’re joined by other strong female performances by Fox, Erika Alexander, and Janelle Monáe, each of whom brings a different vibe. And anyone who loves This is Us or Paradise should prepare themselves for a completely different kind of role for Sterling K. Brown.

Is God Is uses a variety of inspirations for its storytelling, but in the end it becomes its own thing. The filmmaking world can always stand to have another strong Black voice, and Harris has made an auspicious debut, one that should have cinephiles wondering what she’ll do next.

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Is God Is opens in theaters on May 15.

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look how they shine

Coldplay clocks into Houston as part of global low-carbon stadium tour

Movie Review

Twin sisters set out for revenge in Tarantino-esque film 'Is God Is'

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