Crowd Moment at Boston Show Turns Into Online Controversy
An entertaining moment at a Coldplay concert became an online phenomenon due to an awkward pause between two people in the audience.
At the band's recent performance at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, the band's frontman Chris Martin was speaking to a couple who most recently had appeared on the venue's large screen during the entertainment that's typical from the band while transitioning between songs. The "kiss cam," a playful interaction with audience members, zoomed in on the couple, but the man ducked out of sight while the woman seemed incredibly uncomfortable. Martin joked to the audience about whether both of them were just shy, or were doing something shady, to which the audience laughed.
While in real-time the joke received laughs, video of the interaction quickly made its way around TikTok and X (Twitter). Based on what users observed, they began speculating who they were and why they reacted the way they did. Eventually, online sleuthing discovered the man was supposedly Andy Byron, the CEO of tech company Astronomer, and the woman was Kristin Cabot, the Chief People Officer for the same company. Both reportedly are married - just not to each other.
The brief video sparked widespread speculation throughout social media about the relationship of the two individuals. What was likely a harmless moment shown on the big screen was before long an online storm.
Online Reactions and Apology Draw Further Attention
As the video gained traction and went viral, the public quickly took action. Byron's wife removed his last name from her Facebook profile and subsequently deleted the entire account. Cabot's LinkedIn was inundated with comments, and many were critical. She has restricted access to her edits and posts since then.
As all of this was going on, Byron issued a statement saying that he was sorry for the things the incident had brought to his family and team, and that he would take some time to think about everything. He also included in the same message that the band should think about whether or not to put audience members on camera unless they are positive interactions, and this was received mixed online.
Coldplay Responds After Viral “Kiss Cam” Spotlights Tech CEO
Neither the Astronomer nor Kristin Cabot have officially commented on the matter as of this time. Coldplay, too, has not commented on the incident.
The event has, however, sparked broader discussions on how quickly personal moments become public ones in 2023. It raises questions about the use of kiss cam and the implications of getting random members of the audience up on the screen without their consent... for mere amusement... - although, probably not meant to do anything but add to the joy of the atmosphere, it's hard to disagree that things went south very quickly once the internet found it.
Image Source: Fox News