Coldplay’s ‘Moon Music’ Rockets to ARIA No. 1 Following Sold-Out Australian Tour
Coldplay’s Moon Music has landed to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart this week, rocketing from last week’s No. 6 position.
Initially debuting at No. 2 upon its release in October, the album’s resurgence reflects the impact of the band’s sold-out Australian leg of their Music of the Spheres World Tour. The tour marked Coldplay’s first in Australia since 2016, though they performed two shows in Perth in 2023 due to an exclusive agreement with the state’s tourism board.
This week’s ARIA achievement marks Coldplay’s eighth No. 1 album in Australia, a streak that began with A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2002 and includes chart-toppers like X&Y, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Ghost Stories, Everyday Life, and Music of the Spheres.
The band’s ongoing tour has been nothing short of a phenomenon. Their recent four-night stint at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 shattered attendance records for a band, with 227,000 fans flocking to the shows.
“Coldplay have officially broken our all-time largest attendance record for a band at Marvel Stadium, with 227k people attending across the four Music of The Spheres World Tour shows held at the Stadium,” the venue wrote on Instagram on Nov. 4.
According to the venue’s own history, the current record for highest-attended concert belongs to fellow English musician Adele, whose performance on March 19, 2017 was attended by a total of 77,327. Just shy of one year later, Ed Sheeran broke the record for the largest attendance for a concert series by a single artist, bringing in a total audience of 257,751 across four shows in March 2018.
Elsewhere on the ARIA Album Chart, Perth’s South Summit made an impressive debut with their album The Bliss landing at No. 25, while Make Them Suffer’s self-titled effort entered at No. 38.
On the Singles Chart, Gracie Abrams dethroned Rosé and Bruno Mars to claim her first-ever No. 1 with “That’s So True,” while the duo’s “APT.” slips to No. 2. Abrams’ hit is her third charting single this year, following “Close to You” (No. 34) and “I Love You, I’m Sorry” (No. 7).
Jessica Lynch
Billboard