Touched by the trans fan's sign during a concert, Coldplay's lead vocalist decided to make his day.
Sometimes, all it takes to brighten a tough day is listening to soulful music with powerful lyrics. That was the case for James, a transgender Coldplay fan who attended their concert in Dublin this September. Determined to express his gratitude, James held up a sign at the show, and to his surprise, it caught the attention of lead singer Chris Martin. What followed was a heartwarming moment. James’ sister, Hannah (@hwalls_ on X), shared the experience online, and it quickly touched thousands of hearts.
Hannah posted a photo of her brother James on stage with Coldplay’s lead singer and wrote, "This is my brother, James. He got taken on stage at the Coldplay show last night in Dublin, with the trans sign." Many who witnessed this touching moment shared their own snapshots in the comments. One X user, Jade (@_jademichellec), posted a video of the heartwarming exchange. It turns out James’ sign read, "Trans fan. Coldplay saved my life. It's my dream to come on stage."
This is my brother, James, he got taken on stage at the Coldplay show last night in Dublin, with the trans sign 🏳️⚧️
— hannah. (@hwalls_) September 2, 2024
If anyone has any videos/pictures of his incredible and well deserved moment we’d love them! Thank you so much 💖 #onebigband #coldplay #ColdplayDublin @coldplay pic.twitter.com/WwjK5LI1Ki
In an adorable moment, after inviting the fan on stage and offering him a seat by his keyboard, Martin dusted off the confetti from James' hair. The lead singer realized that James was a bit nervous to be on stage and helped him get comfortable with the massive audience. The trans fan was overwhelmed with tears of joy as the crowd cheered for him. "So, I'm going to say thank you for giving us this honor, okay?" the "In My Place" singer told James. Then, a magical moment unfolded for the trans fan who dreamed of sharing the stage with Martin—he got to sing along with him.
I’m sure you have tons of pics and videos now but thought I’d add mine on anyway, it was such a beautiful moment 🥺💖 pic.twitter.com/OqzQ5ycvED
— jade✨ (@_jademichellec) September 3, 2024
As Martin performed the song, "Magic," James joined in with the singer and it was nothing short of heartwarming. Hannah's post garnered huge attention on the platform with over 3,74,000 views in a week. People were happy that James was living his best life and some were overwhelmed witnessing it. "Watching this actually made me cry! Acceptance that's all we want for our kids! Such a beautiful thing to do for him Coldplay," said @sophiamcdowell. "I was too busy tearing up at how beautiful a moment it was. My friends and I were so pleased for James, it was like we knew him personally," chimed in @TreasaNealon.
Here’s the video Coldplay shared pic.twitter.com/EZ0QPD9wDk
— Coldplay United Kingdom (@ColdplayUK_) September 2, 2024
Go on James, what an unbelievable moment that must have been! ❤️🏳️⚧️
— 🏳️⚧️ Jess #HerGameToo 💛💚 (@FPLJessx) September 4, 2024
Martin's heartening gesture for the trans fan garnered much love and adoration from the LGBTQ+ community. Amid some backlash over the band's support for the queer community, hundreds of supportive words came in, overpowering the negativity. "I'm trans myself and seeing this meant the world to me. Fortunately got to talk to James after the show a bit too," said @gothcoldplay. "I’m so sorry this reached the wrong type of people. This is such a cool thing to have happened. I just wanted to comment on how amazing it is from one trans guy to another," added @chrisphant.