Chris Martin stops Coldplay show after comic tries to rush stage wrapped in Israeli flag
Chris Martin briefly paused a Coldplay concert in Greece after a man draped in an Israeli flag tried to rush the stage but instead wound up falling and taking down lighting equipment.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop,” Martin said to his bandmates at the Athens Olympic Stadium as the man — later identified as controversial Israeli comedian Guy Hochman — took a tumble after stepping into a cabled area.
Hochman said on Instagram that he suffered an injury to a rib on his right side due to the fall.
The incident occurred Sunday, midway through Coldplay’s rendition of “Biutyful,” which they performed alongside a puppet singer named Angel Moon, who was created for the band by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Angel Moon hit her high note in “Biutyful” right before the music cut off, as seen in footage from the event. Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland ran over to the edge of the stage, peering down to where Hochman had fallen. At one point, Martin extended a hand down to Hochman.
Chris Martin has lived in Los Angeles long enough to speak enthusiastically about his spiritual teachers and about the benefits of cutting sugar and dairy from his diet.
The band had no additional comment Friday, its representatives told The Times.
Coldplay will continue its Music of the Spheres World Tour through the fall. Its upcoming single, “itfeelslikeimfallinginlove,” comes out June 21.
Hochman took responsibility for the failed stunt in an Instagram post, writing in Hebrew, which was translated using an online tool, that he didn’t know any of Coldplay’s songs but was there to execute a plan.
In one part, Hochman described the steps he took to almost reach the stage. However, he said he fell and hurt himself.
The buttons have been distributed by the group Artists4Ceasefire, which, per its website, calls for the end of the Gaza bombing and the safe release of hostages.
Hochman’s plan also consisted of chanting “Bring Them Home,” a reference to the hostages held by Hamas amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
In December, Hochman received backlash for making racist jokes about Palestinians who have been killed in the war.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, leading Israel to retaliate in the Gaza Strip. The Gazan Health Ministry, an arm of the strip’s Hamas-led government, says 36,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, many of them women and children. The entire Gazan population is experiencing food insecurity, with about half facing catastrophic hunger and the risk of famine, international health officials say.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
