MADISON — Coldplay's Saturday night concert at Camp Randall featured several Wisconsin connections, including a chance encounter that turned into an unforgettable experience for one fan.
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Carolina Oliveira and her friends unexpectedly met Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin while walking near State Street in Madison the night before the concert. The chance encounter resulted in free concert tickets and a personal shoutout during the show.
"He was walking in front of us, then he turned around, and that's when I spotted him. I said to my friends, that's Chris Martin," Oliveira said.
Her friends didn't believe her at first, but then Martin turned around and waved. She asked if they could talk to him because they were huge fans.
"We had a whole conversation," Oliveira said.
When she mentioned they would see him at the concert the next day, Martin learned that not all of her friends had tickets because the show had sold out. That's when he offered to leave tickets for them.
Watch: Madison College student and friends meet Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, near State Street
Oliveira said she was so excited she couldn't sleep. But the biggest surprise came during the concert when Martin gave her a personal shoutout from the stage.
"I never imagined he would say my first name and last name," Oliveira said.
The concert, attended by approximately 80,000 fans, featured other Wisconsin connections as well. Beth and Peter Rahko had the honor of introducing the band to the crowd. Their son, Bill Rahko, who grew up in Madison, serves as Coldplay's sound engineer.
During the show, Martin gave Bill a shoutout while he was working below stage, showing his Wisconsin pride. Martin credited Bill with bringing the band to Camp Randall.
The concert also featured a group of enthusiastic Cheeseheads who were pulled on stage by Martin and got to sing along with him for a song.
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