Coldplay makes Glastonbury history with ‘extraordinary’ set at iconic festival

British band Coldplay made Glastonbury history on Saturday, overtaking The Cure to become the first band to headline the iconic UK festival a record five times.

Marking their first time performing at Glasto since 2016, frontman Chris Martin was treated to unbelievable scenes of around 100,000 fans illuminating the show ground at Worthy Farm in Somerset with a sea of glowing wristbands.

Photos of the colossal audience, streamed on the BBC, are going viral on social media in the wake of the show. 

The scenes of it:

Flags, confetti and fireworks set the scene at the Pyramid Stage as Martin delivered hit-after-hit with euphoric anthems including A Sky Full Of Stars and Viva La Vida, the latter of which saw the entire crowd belt out the bridge in unison.

Audience members, including Hollywood star Tom Cruise, were also gifted with a heartwarming Michael J. Fox cameo - the Back to the Future star joining Martin onstage for an emotional performance of his tear-jerking song Fix You, strumming away on an electric guitar from his wheelchair.

Fans watching the live stream, as well as those lucky enough to attend in person, took to social media in droves to dub the set “extraordinary” and “immense”.

“Unifying. Illuminating. Uplifting,” one fan wrote.

“Has that edgy trend of hating Coldplay faded out these days? Because they’re playing an absolute stormer here at Glastonbury, hit after hit after hit,” another said.

“Coldplay’s Pyramid Stage set will live long in the memory. Amazing to see Michael J. Fox making a guest appearance,” a third wrote.

“This is something special,” a fourth added.

“This is one of the best shows of the band’s career, without a doubt,” another declared.

Coldplay first made their Glastonbury debut back in 1999. Within just three years they went on to headline, first in 2002, and again in 2005, 2011 and 2016.

The incredible show comes ahead of the beloved band’s return to Australia, with Coldplay hosting eight shows across Sydney and Melbourne from October.

Meanwhile, other big names hitting Glasto – which held its first festival in 1970 – include Dua Lipa, SZA and Shania Twain.

Sunday marks the final day of the week-long event, with SZA headlining.