Thousands of music fans flocked to Crystal Palace to see Coldplay kick off their UK tour. They wowed a sell-out crowd at the National Sports Centre for the past two nights.
The concerts came during a packed week for the band, who headlined the Glastonbury festival on Saturday and will be taking part in the Live 8 gig in Hyde Park this weekend.
Fans descended on Crystal Palace from across the UK to watch the gigs and hear songs from the group's new album X&Y, which has topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Tickets for both nights sold out within days of going on sale, bringing 30,000 capacity crowds to the venue. Wimbledon's teenage tennis sensation Andy Murray was among those expected to be there.
Thousands more people headed to Crystal Palace Park on Monday evening to listen to the gig from outside, enjoying picnics and barbecues in the sunshine. And restaurants, pubs and bars in Upper Norwood triangle were packed, with people spilling out onto the pavements before the gig.
Crystal Palace station was packed as concert-goers tried to make their way home by train. Crowd management arrangements were put in place, with different coloured channels telling people which way to go to catch trains to Croydon, London Bridge or Victoria.
Southern Trains diverted services from other routes to cope with demand but admitted they were unprepared for the extra passenger numbers. A spokesman said: "There were more people than we anticipated using the train but we still managed to get them all away by midnight."
The level of service was being reviewed yesterday (Tuesday) with the possibility of more trains being added for last night's concert.
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre was one of just three venues chosen by Coldplay for their short UK tour, which is also taking them as far afield as Bolton and Glasgow.
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