Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s touching gesture to honour his old mate Shane Warne in his home town of Melbourne

International mega-group Coldplay have honoured Australian cricket legend Shane Warne for the second time on their Music of the Spheres tour.

Playing their second show at the sold-out Marvel Stadium that Warne called home with the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League, singer Chris Martin delivered a simple but meaningful gesture in tribute to his old mate. 

Chris Martin from Coldplay and Shane Warne developed a close friendship, bonding over their shared love of sports and music. 

Warne was often seen at Coldplay concerts, and Martin publicly acknowledged their friendship, describing Warne as a warm, supportive friend. 

Their connection extended beyond social events, with Martin even performing a heartfelt tribute to Warne following his unexpected passing in 2022. 

With Coldplay currently touring Australia, Martin honoured Warne with his children Brooke and Jackson in the sold-out crowd by dedicating their hit song Sparks to the late legspinner. 

‘Let’s play this for Shane and his family,’ Martin said.

‘Our brother, we miss you. Every time we come to Melbourne, it used to be fun to hang out with Shane and all the Warne family.

‘I don’t want to talk about it too much or I’ll start to cry.’

Coldplay played two shows in Melbourne this week and Martin paid tribute to Warne at both of them

Warne played 145 Test matches and 194 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia from 1992 to 2007 and took 708 Test wickets

Then, at the Brit-rocker’s second gig in Melbourne, Martin made another touching gesture.

At the end of the show, after the band had thanked the audience, the singer revealed a Melbourne Stars jersey with Warne’s iconic No.23 on the back, showing it to the crowd before hanging it on his microphone stand.

‘So good to see Chris Martin reppin the Stars jersey last night in memory of his great mate Shane Warne,’ the Melbourne Stars posted on social media platform X. 

Warne joined the Stars in the inaugural season of the Big Bash League (BBL) in 2011, bringing experience and star power to the team. 

He played two seasons with the Stars, contributing both as a bowler and mentor before retiring from all formats in 2013. 

Warne was a regular at Coldplay gigs and even got to come on stage to play with the band

‘Shane Warne was missed by a lot of cricket fans. It was great to see Chris Martin paying tribute to the late cricketer,’ a fan posted in response to Martin’s gesture.

It is not the first time that Coldplay and Martin have honoured the Aussie cricket hero.

Martin played the band’s hit single Yellow during the cricketer’s memorial at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 2022.

He also played an original song that he wrote on tour in Australia last year, which he also dedicated to Warne.