Coldplay Confirm Tour Opening Acts, May Feature Noel Gallagher on Next Album

There's Coldplay news on two fronts this week: As the guys revealed the opening acts for their upcoming North American tour, reports circulated that they may feature former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher on their next record.

Coldplay's upcoming tour, which kicks off April 17 in Edmonton, will feature a rotating group of openers, including Robyn, Metronomy, the Pierces, Wolf Gang, Marina and the Diamonds, and Emeli Sande. The trek will last well into August.

Rumors about the possible collaboration between the band and Gallagher seem to have started after Coldplay frontman Chris Martin played piano during the performance by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at the 2012 Brit Awards. A roadie posted an entry on Coldplay's blog in which he wrote that Martin was blown away by Gallagher's musicianship during rehearsals.

The roadie wrote, "Noel stamps on a pedal and starts off a loop of glorious noise. Immediately Chris is on his feet and shouting 'What the hell is that?' Chris has his iPhone out to record it, excitedly proclaiming it the most amazing thing he’s ever heard."

Martin took the audio clip back to the studio and wanted to make sure it was properly recorded right away. The roadie continued, "Where it’ll end up, I’ve no idea, but if it finds its way into a song, Noel could easily be playing on the next record without ever having set foot in the studio. Wonderful madness…"