MCPASD is proud to share a Middleton High School connection to the recent Coldplay concert at Camp Randall Stadium: Class of 2007 graduate Bill Rahko – now a producer and sound engineer for Coldplay – was instrumental in bringing the band to Madison, and he invited Middleton High School orchestra teacher Steve Kurr to the concert as a special guest.
“It was fabulous to see Bill's parents chosen to introduce the show to the audience and for Chris Martin to give a great big shoutout to Bill during the concert,” Kurr said.
Kurr has kept in touch with Rahko since he graduated from Middleton High School, where Rahko was in the Advanced Music course and participated in Fine Arts Week. Since then, Rahko’s impressive career has included being nominated for three Grammy awards for his work with Coldplay.
“Bill has been doing some high-power music production work since Middleton High School,” Kurr said. “He went to college at the University of Southern California and has been in the Los Angeles music since.”
Kurr explained Rahko’s role as a producer and sound engineer for Coldplay: “He helps write charts, brings them to their final release version, and sits in the recording studio with Chris Martin whenever he gets an idea for a new song.”
Kurr also shared Rahko’s role when the band is on tour: “He runs the show from backstage, cuing up each new song. He also subbed in on bass for a concert in Sydney, Australia, when the bass player had food poisoning.”
Kurr enjoyed the band’s Madison concert, which he said was a blend of newer tunes and classic Coldplay favorites.
“They had an impressive amount of audience interaction, with several dozen inflatable balls floating around the audience and coordinated wristbands that created a stadium-wide light show,” Kurr said. “It was also fun that they personalized the show by bringing some audience members up on stage and showing some people on the big screen for an impromptu Chris Martin original.”
The Wisconsin State Journal noted that Martin credited Rahko with bringing the band to Madison, and The Capital Times highlighted Martin’s tribute to Rahko during the concert.
“We have had so many Middleton High School students go on to success in music, both in careers and in avocations,” Kurr said. “It is always satisfying to think that the life foundations and nudges we provide at the high school level might help open doors for our graduates later in life, even doors big enough to fit Coldplay through.”