Coldplay Pay Millions in Settlement with Bespoke Stage Pylon-Buying Ex-Manager

The band have paid Dave Holmes an undisclosed seven-figure amount

Photo: Anna Lee

BY Sydney BrasilPublished Jul 4, 2024

Last year, manager Dave Holmes sued Coldplay over a contractual dispute, with the band countersuing shortly after, claiming Holmes grossly overspent on their Music of the Spheres tour. Now, the parties have settled out of court, and the soft rockers have paid millions to put the ordeal to bed.

As per The Sun, Coldplay have paid Holmes an undisclosed seven-figure amount not to have private details aired out in court. This was confirmed by paperwork filed at London's High Court in May.

Holmes's original lawsuit claims he was owed unpaid commission from Coldplay's 2021 album Music of the Spheres and their upcoming record Moon Music, which hadn't been announced yet. In retaliation, Coldplay's countersuit claimed Holmes was responsible for their tour's financial hole, giving birth to the iconic claim that the manager wasted $10 million on bespoke stage pylons. Ever since, the Exclaim! staff have tried to figure out what that means every few weeks.

Phil Harvey — a long-time friend often called the fifth member of Coldplay — now manages the band alongside a team.

Despite how much their tour has cost, Coldplay have at least beat their eco-touring emissions goals by cutting down on their carbon footprint by 59 percent. 

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