Coldplay Returns to the Stage

By Courtney Rubin

06/17/2008 at 03:10 PM EDT

Kelly Osbourne, Stella McCartney – and of course, Gwyneth Paltrow – were among the 5,000 fans in London singing their way through Coldplay's first live show since 2006.

"Thanks for coming to see us after such a long time!" lead singer Chris Martin told the crowd Monday, alternately skipping, dancing and twirling around the Brixton Academy stage.

Martin's wife Paltrow stayed hidden from the audience (and photographers). She previously turned up at the band's rehearsal-with-friends-and-family-show at Wembley Arena June 13, where she sang along to every word of the 90-minute performance.

The band's set included old favorites such as "Fix You" and "Clocks" along with songs from the new album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.

A minute into "Trouble," Martin paused to congratulate himself ... and to consider his future.

"Wasn't that a seamless crossover?" he said. "In years to come when the band splits up and I'm doing a piano turn on a cross Channel ferry to Calais or wherever ferries go, you can say to me, 'Chris, I remember when you used to be a pop star, you used to do great crossovers between songs.' And I'll say, 'Thank you!' "

He added: "What a ferry journey that will be."

The band plays a free show in Barcelona June 17 and another in New York's Madison Square Garden June 23.