‘The place went crazy!’: Coldplay singer stars at Las Vegas dive bar
The song was better than the disguise.
Clad in an ill-fitting tan suit, too-short tie, blondish wig, spectacles and clutching a red balloon, Chris Martin ducked into the fabled Dino's Lounge in downtown Las Vegas late Saturday night. The front man sang the karaoke version of the band's new song, "All My Love," from the upcoming "Moon Music" album, due Oct. 4.
Club owner Kristen Bartolo said Sunday morning that Martin and a film crew arrived at about 10:45 p.m. The unannounced visit was just after Martin's performance at iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena.
The tavern owner had been contacted by Live Nation reps (the company produced the iHeart Festival) and downtown officials about Martin's appearance. Dino's sits on Las Vegas Boulevard South, across the street from Peppermint Hippo adult club and a few somersaults north of The Strat.
Certainly dressed for comedic effect, Martin was treated as any karaoke singer is at Dino's, the fabled Las Vegas dive bar that opened in 1962. He sat at a table, alone, holding his balloon (no explanation as to why) and ordered a small glass of milk. He then quietly watched a few singers.
After a few couple of performances, Matt Woodward, the night's karaoke captain under the name K.J. Boston, finally called "Chris" to the stage. Martin then sang the song, unrehearsed, through the club's PA.
"They wanted a live moment, and it to be kept a secret so they could get a real reaction from everybody there," Bartolo said. "So it was all planned, but I didn't tell anybody, not even the staff."
Martin was bold in this decision. He's typically in control of his audio-video tech, as was the case at T-Mobile, where he held several thousand music fans with an acoustic set topped by such Coldplay favorites as "A Sky Full of Stars" and "Viva la Vida."
But Martin crushed it in his Dino's debut.
"He sounded great, especially when you are in front of a crowd who doesn't know you're coming, these were not people who had paid to see him," Bartolo said. "He was pretty vulnerable, but afterward he ripped off his wig and the place went crazy."
Martin also walked Las Vegas Boulevard, apparently for some B-roll. It looks like the neighborhood, and famed neighborhood bar, is to figure prominently into whatever Martin has devised.
Bartolo has also just bought the former Larry's Hideaway, now Hideaway Tavern. The morning after, she said of the Chris Martin Show, "He was super funny, very real and very cool."
