Woman Stays at Apartment by Arena—Bags ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience’

A video capturing a unique perspective of a Coldplay concert at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium from a high-rise apartment overlooking the venue has stunned viewers on TikTok.

The clip, shared by user Leela (@leela.l35), highlights the view from an apartment decked out with synchronized LED lights that mirror the colors of Coldplay’s signature light show below. Since being posted on November 1, the video has garnered over 885,000 views, as fans of the British band and viewers alike expressed amazement at the creative setup.

Leela, who is in her late 20s and did not share her last name, told Newsweek that the video was recorded on Oct. 30, the first night of Coldplay’s Melbourne concert series.

“I was staying temporarily with a friend, and the apartment overlooks Marvel Stadium. I was able to watch two nights of Coldplay’s Melbourne shows from the balcony,” Leela shared. She said the experience was so compelling that she attended the final two nights of the concert inside the venue for a more immersive perspective.

“I knew they put on the best light show,” Leela said, noting she had seen Coldplay live before. “Initially, I didn’t think I would be able to hear the concert very well and assumed all audio would be distorted, so to add some fun, I decided to put up some RGB fairy lights and match them to the concert lights by making some pre-set settings in the app, like green for ‘Clocks’ and yellow for ‘Yellow.'” Leela added that being a dedicated Coldplay fan, she was familiar with the timing of each song, which helped her synchronize the lights to the performance.

Leela also emphasized that while watching the concert from the apartment offered a one-of-a-kind view, it did not replace the experience of being inside the stadium.

“From above, Chris’ [Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay] talking on the mic was indiscernible and only clear when you could hear him singing the songs,” she explained. “This is why I had to see the show from inside the stadium as well. Watching from that perspective was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The viral post comes at a time when live music has seen a resurgence in popularity worldwide, with 70 million music tour tickets sold in 2023, marking an increase of more than 18 percent compared to 2022, according to data compiled by Statista, the global data firm.

In a report in May, Statista noted that the top 100 highest-grossing music tours generated nearly U.S. $9.2 billion in revenue globally in 2023. The firm noted that “the gross revenues of the global live music industry, earned by the top 100 best performing worldwide tours, have not only recovered from the impact of the restrictions in 2020 and 2021, they have also outshone their results from pre-pandemic years.”

The popularity of the unique Coldplay concert footage shared on TikTok reflects the broader surge in live music interest as more people turn to concerts for memorable experiences. One in three concert-goers in the United States said last year that they intended to increase their spending on live music events within the coming year, compared to less than one-fifth who said the opposite, according to Statista.

‘Insane’ View

Leela explained that the audio quality of the concert from her vantage point was unexpectedly impressive. “When the show started, I was blown away and surprised by how well I could hear the songs from the apartment,” she said, adding that the crowd’s volume added to the experience. She described how certain moments left her deeply moved, particularly during Coldplay’s ballad “Fix You.”

“When the organ sound began, vibrating through the balcony and into the apartment, followed by Chris’ voice, and then the crowd, it was indescribable,” she said. “Coldplay often talks about being one big band when the crowd sings along with them, and from up there, that unity was palpable.”

She added that “the reverb, echoing, and unity added to the emotion,” explaining that the TikTok video did not fully capture the atmosphere that night. “It was incredibly moving, and I was a mess in tears,” she noted.

Despite her fondness for the view, Leela admitted that living permanently in the apartment overlooking the Marvel Stadium would pose challenges. “Even with double glazing, you would often need noise-canceling headphones to be able to sleep,” she said.

She encouraged other fans to experience a Coldplay concert firsthand, if possible, noting that “it truly is an unforgettable experience that you will look back on,” she concluded.

Many viewers on TikTok were struck by how effectively the apartment setup captured the concert experience.

User becsfayex said: “That view is INCREDIBLE Damn how much does that place cost.”

Julia Litsch noted: “Omg. I’m so jealous” and Nikheil Singh said: “That is an insane apartment view omg.”

“Matching the lights is the best thing ever,” said dikka_007 and jani wrote: “seeing the lights from this angle is amazing. goosebumps.”

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