Actor and comedian Steve Coogan joined Coldplay on stage for the band’s penultimate show at Wembley Stadium in London Saturday night. Coogan appeared in character as Alan Partridge to sing covers of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and ABBA’s 1976 hit “Knowing Me, Knowing You.”
Coogan appeared on stage as the host of an erratic talkshow from his BBC sitcom series for night five. Coogan was dressed in a flashy red tracksuit and the words “Snow Patrol”Stitched to the back Chris Martin was joined by Partridge to singThe frontman was happy to take the backseat and play guitar as backup.
Jacob Collier, who performed piano, and Nicole Lawrence (who assisted Martin on a pedal-steel guitar), also made surprise appearances. According to the Evening StandardPartridge cracked a few jokes about it. “Running Up That Hill,” asking the audience and Martin to contemplate what the song’s meaning is.
“Because it can’t just be about running?”He asked.
Coogan’s Partridge character has made references to both ABBA and Bush’s music in the past, most famously with Partridge performing a Bush medley for “Comic Relief”1999. “Knowing Me, Knowing You” was also the name of one of Coogan’s many comedy shows on the BBC and featured various ABBA songs.
Partridge’s surprise addition to Coldplay was not unexpected. “Music of the Spheres” tour. For previous Wembley shows, they brought out R&B star Craig David, who played the best of his 2000s hits, and Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, who honored the late Olivia Newton-John with a cover of “Summer Nights.”