The 2017 leg of Coldplay's ‘A Head Full of Dreams’ tour, which comes to the U.S. on August 1st, marks 15 years of Oxfam working with Coldplay.
In that time, over 60,000 Coldplay fans have signed up to support Oxfam campaigns to highlight unfair trade practices and the plight of refugees.
Chris Martin said: “As a band, we’re really proud to have had Oxfam on the road with us for the past fifteen years. It’s given our incredible fans the chance to show their support for campaigns from Make Trade Fair to supporting refugees.”
Coldplay has been among Oxfam’s most high profile and vocal supporters, using their worldwide success to help Oxfam campaign on all five of their tours in over 50 countries. Front man Chris Martin first travelled with Oxfam in 2002 to Haiti. Since then he’s visited coffee farmers and projects in India.
Oxfam first joined Coldplay on their 2003 ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ tour, then the 2005 ‘Twisted Logic’ tour, their mammoth ‘Viva La Vida’ world tour in 2008/9 and again at their ‘Mylo Xyloto’ tour in 2012. During that time, thousands of volunteers have been recruited in each country to talk to fans at the concerts.
In 2016 Oxfam campaigners launched the Stand as One campaign to highlight the need to help and protect people forced to flee conflict and disaster. So far 32,000 Coldplay concert goers have signed up to the campaign.
Rachel Edwards, Oxfam’s on tour coordinator said: “The tour is really important in creating a global movement of Coldplay fans from the Philippines to the UK who are standing with refugees and demanding that world leaders do more. More than 65 million people have been forced to leave their homes through no fault of their own, and it’s fantastic to see how the people we meet on the tour want to support our campaign for change.”
A few volunteer spots remain for music fans who’d like to join Oxfam and Coldplay at shows on this tour. Go to www.oxfamamerica.org/coldplay to apply.
