Tuesday afternoon, one of my best friends texted me and asked if I would be interested in going to the Coldplay concert that night at the United Center. As a huge Coldplay fan, I didn’t think twice before I realized I had already responded to her with an ecstatic “YES!” Not to mention, the tickets were free after they were provided to her by her the company she works for (thanks Echo Global Logistics!)

As we walk into the United Center, there were employees handing out wristbands to all attendees. What’s on the wristband, you ask? Nothing other than the Twitter logo and a hashtag to use, #ColdplayFilm, when tweeting about the concert!  Twitter is one of the only platforms artists can use to directly communicate with their fans. For many artists, Twitter followers are the ones that got them to where they are today. What better way to engage thousands of concert goers than to encourage them to use a specific hashtag to connect with the artist on a more direct level? I discovered the meaning of #ColdplayFilm after some research on the Coldplay Twitter account. Apparently, they are coming out with their first concert film since 2003 this year. Very smart social media move! According to HashTracking.com, the hashtag #ColdplayFilm resulted in 464 tweets generated, 115,479 impressions, reaching an audience of 81,136 followers within the past 24 hours. And, there’s still another show tonight!

   
As an active social media user, I immediately wanted to take part. Instagramming, tweeting, and checking in on Foursquare, all with the use of the hashtag #ColdplayFilm. As the concert began, we were notified to keep the wrist bands on as they were going to be a part of the show. As soon as Coldplay came out with their first song, Mylo Xyloto, all 19,000 attendees’ wristbands became aglow displaying quite an amazing sight! Kudos to Coldplay and their concert directors for thinking of such a creative idea! The entire concert was constructed around bright colors and beautiful light shows. From the glowing wristbands to painted beach balls to multi-colored confetti drops, the concert was amazing and Coldplay puts on one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen.