It was supposed to be another stadium-sized singalong for Coldplay, but one awkward kiss cam moment turned the show into an unexpected headline factory.
At Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin jokingly called out a couple during the concert’s kiss cam segment, singling out a man and woman who looked visibly panicked when they realised they were being broadcast to tens of thousands of people on the big screens.
“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy,” Martin joked mid-set, watching as the man bolted from view and the woman covered her face. That man has since been identified as Andy Byron, the CEO of billion-dollar tech firm Astronomer, and the woman in question is reportedly Kristin Cabot, the company’s Chief People Officer. The problem is that Byron is married, and it did not take long for the internet to pick up the story and run with it.
Within twenty-four hours, a supposed apology from Byron went viral. It read like a classic damage control statement. It acknowledged a personal mistake, offered an apology to his wife and his team, and even quoted Coldplay lyrics. But the apology was actually fake. Byron never released it. Astronomer quickly stepped in to clear things up, telling TMZ the statement was not real and distancing the company from the drama.
Chris Martin later said on stage, “Oh shit, I hope we didn’t do something bad.” He definitely did not mean to blow up a tech CEO’s personal life, but that is exactly what happened. What started as a cheeky crowd interaction turned into a public unravelling of private lives, fake PR spin included.
Coldplay are set to continue their run of massive stadium shows, with upcoming UK dates and even a shuttle bus named after their song “Yellow” taking fans to gigs. But really, the takeaway here is simple. If you are sneaking around with your HR chief at a Coldplay concert, maybe stay off the jumbotron. Or at least brace yourself when the lights guide you home.
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