Fans in Croke Park were treated to a surprise as Aslan were welcomed on stage by Coldplay on the third night of their Croke Park gigs. Chris Martin welcomed Aslan on to the stage in an emotional tribute to late singer Christy Dignam. Dignam passed away in June last year after a long battle with cancer. Lee Tomkins joined the group as the new lead singer in February. The two bands then performed a special version of Aslan's biggest hit, Crazy World.
Legendary Irish band Aslan appeared on stage alongside Coldplay last night, playing in front of 80,000 people in Croke Park. The English band have been performing their Music of the Spheres tour to thousands of fans in Dublin since Thursday. The shows have included impressive light displays, the band’s big hits and more, but those in attendance on Sunday night were in for an extra treat.
Towards the end of the night, lead singer Chris Martin introduced the band, paying tribute to Christ Dignam, who passed away in June last year. The two bands joined together to sing a special version of Aslan’s Crazy World as the crowd sang along.
Fans of the two bands took to social media to share their delight at the news – at seeing Aslan on stage or seeing videos of it online afterwards. Under an Instagram post by MCD, one user said: “Fair play to them, but imagine if poor auld Christy was there. RIP. He deserved a big night like that.”
Another said: “Christy singing above, aw.”
Sharing a video of the performance on X, one user said: “The last time I saw Coldplay was at Oxegen 2011, when they brought out Christy Moore and I thought nothing could top that until tonight when they brought out Aslan. RIP Christy Dignam.”
Another fan said: “'Here’s a band who have had to turn a new page,' said Chris Martin as he introduced Aslan to the Croke Park stage.”
Others described it as a “goosebumps” moment and said it was the “best gig” they had been to.
Coldplay will take to the stage in Croke Park again tonight for their fourth and final show, before heading down under for the Australian leg of the tour in October.
Anyone who was at Coldplay in Croke Park on Sunday night got to witness something special. Chris Martin welcomed Dublin band Aslan onto the stage to perform Crazy World as a tribute to the late Christy Dignam. The beloved Aslan frontman passed away in June last year after a long illness. Aslan have continued to perform in the wake of Christy’s passing, with Lee Tomkins joining the group as their new lead singer back in February.
Chris Martin introduced Aslan as ‘the band who have had to turn a new page’. before the two bands came together to perform an emotional version of Aslan’s biggest hit Crazy World, while 80,000 people sang along.
A moment you’ll remember forever!
Coldplay have been playing a blinder night after night in Croke Park. They have been making sure to pay tribute to the incredible musicians in Ireland. They previously paid tribute to Sinéad O’Connor and Shane MacGowan. On Sunday night, they invited Aslan up on stage to play a beautiful tribute to Christy Dignam. Aslan frontman Christy passed away in June last year at the age of 63 from cancer.
He was first diagnosed in March of 2013 with both amyloidosis, which is when amyloid proteins build up in the body’s organs, and myeloma, a cancer that attacks plasma cells in the bone marrow. Chris Martin introduced Aslan onto the stage towards the end of the concert on Sunday. The two bands performed a heartfelt version of Aslan’s biggest hit Crazy World to over 80,000 people in Croke Park.
It really was an emotional moment as the iconic song rang out throughout the GAA grounds. Aslan have continued to perform following Christy’s passing with Lee Tomkins joining the group as the new singer in February. Fans took to social media to share the emotional video of the performance.
COLDPLAY WERE JOINED at Croke Park last night by a surprise appearance by Aslan and a performance of Crazy World. Introducing the group for the third of their four Dublin shows, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin told the crowd “here’s a band who have had to turn a new page”, a nod to the group continuing on after the death of lead singer Christy Dignam. The surviving members returned from a hiatus last December with a new singer, Lee Tomkins, who they said could in no way be a “replacement for Christy” after his death following a long illness in June of last year.
Coldplay have form as regards special guests at their Irish shows; those of a certain vintage may recall the band wrapping up the 2011 Oxegen festival in Punchestown with Kildare native Christy Moore and his song Ride On. It wraps up a busy few days for Martin after he hit Grafton Street in Dublin last week, seemingly filming a music video. Hundreds gathered last Wednesday to see Martin perform the same song – We Pray – several times as part of the recorded performance.
This tribute to Aslan is a testament to the band’s enduring legacy and the impact that Christy Dignam had on Irish music. It was a beautiful moment for the fans in Croke Park and a fitting tribute to a legend of Irish music.
