There was an awful lot of discussion about the influence of this trip on the Viva album (which was being written and recorded at the time). The exuberance and richness of spirit was evident all around. Indeed it’s impossible to watch this video and imagine scenes like this leaving a hotel for a show in the UK – or truth be told – anywhere else in the world.

Most significantly, the band’s visit to the Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera museum put them in front of the painting entitled Viva La Vida which gave the album its name.

If the title Viva La Vida is all about celebrating life, then the audiences at these shows couldn’t have been a more powerful reinforcement of the message. Night after night the band were treated to the most incredible displays of passion one could ever imagine – from some of the loudest crowds ever heard.

All of this was soaked up and stored by the band, ready to be splashed on the canvas of the Viva recordings in broad and bold strokes.

Travel broadening the mind isn’t a new concept. This trip, though, was all about enriching the soul.

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