Coldplay have made a subtle but noticeable change to their live shows—just days after a kiss cam moment spiralled into unexpected chaos and ended with a corporate resignation. It all began on July 16, when the band played Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. During the show, a man and a woman were shown together on the venue’s giant screen as part of the crowd interaction segment. But instead of waving or smiling, the pair looked visibly uncomfortable, sparking questions about the pair’s relationship from the crowd and beyond.
Spotting the awkward moment unfold in real time, frontman Chris Martin chimed in from the stage. “Oh, look at these two. All right, c’mon. You’re okay… Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” he joked. The clip quickly went viral—but it didn’t stay in the realm of harmless concert banter for long. The man caught on camera was Andy Byron, CEO of tech company Astronomer. Just days later, the company confirmed it had launched a formal investigation into the incident.
On July 19, Astronomer announced Byron’s resignation, stating that its board had accepted his departure and reiterating its standards for leadership behaviour. According to Axios, the delay in response was due in part to ongoing negotiations around Byron’s exit.
Hours after the announcement, Coldplay performed again—this time at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. And it was clear the band had learned their lesson.
In a video shared from the concert, Martin introduced the crowd camera segment with a cheeky grin and a more cautious tone.
He added: “We’d like to say hello to some of you in the crowd. How we’re gonna do that is we’re gonna use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen.”
Then, throwing in a subtle warning, he added: “So please, if you haven’t done your makeup, do your makeup now.”
But fans quickly noticed something else. This time around, the jumbotron featured only safe crowd shots—no kiss cam-style close-ups, no couples, no zoom-ins. Just a sea of smiling fans waving and cheering from their seats.
The subtle change clearly keeps the fun alive while avoiding another PR nightmare.
Coldplay hasn’t issued an official statement about the shift, though fans have been monitoring the band’s social media accounts.
Fans have been sharing their thoughts on the Kiss Cam saga online. One fan said: “This is for the CEO: When you try your best but you don’t succeed,” referencing lyrics from the band’s hit song Fix You.
“Give the cameraman a raise”, joked another, while a third added: “The chances of your career and marriage being destroyed at a Coldplay concert are extremely low…..but never zero.”