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11 ARTISTS WHO USE THE STAGE AS THEIR GYM

Written by Emilee Lindner / Photography by Larry Busacca / July 28, 2017

It's hard to sing well. It's hard to play instruments well. It's hard to exercise. And yet, there are some performers who can do all of those things at once. They are the talents in this world - the Chris Martins, the Ariana Grandes, the Hayley Williamses.

While summertime is edging closer and we're getting ready to do some outdoor workouts of our own, why not celebrate the musicians who make the stage their gym? We've gone through our Rolodex of concert memories and brought these gigs out of the woodwork. Below, here are some of the most physical entertainers,  those who not only have dope music, but have the energetic showmanship to match:

Coldplay

Coldplay's Chris Martin might be one of the most physical performers of our lifetime. At every concert, you'll see him sprinting through crowds or slamming into his piano or skipping across the stage. The dude just has boundless energy. While there are hundreds of videos of Martin running during his concerts, here's a special clip that actually shows him running himself to the limit.

Florence Welch

It's a possibility that Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine  is actually the Energizer Bunny -- if that battery-operated bunny wore flowing dresses and loved singing about water. Welch doesn't have the ability to stand still on stage, and she makes sure you have your eyes locked on her at all times. At some moments, she runs out into the crowd to get the back of the room hyped up.

Ellie Goulding

Have you ever seen those people jumping rope at the gym? Ellie Goulding does that too -- but on stage. During "I Need Your Love," she often jumps up and down for the whole song, and she's still able to sing. But since she performs every other night when she's on tour, she's used to the cardio. The fact that she's also an avid runner certainly shows.

Ariana Grande

In Ariana Grande's "Side to Side" video, she mounts a stationary bike and rides with abandon. She does the same on her Dangerous Woman Tour, where her dancers climb aboard a line of bicycles, pedalling side to side with Grande. While she's riding, she's also singing, and it's a miracle she's not breathless.

Lil Uzi Vert

You've never seen live music set into motion until you've seen Lil Uzi Vert. The rapper has a thing for making his fans chase him. He can outrun anyone (and even jump fences  if he needs to). During this performance at the 2016 Made In America Festival, he ran out into the crowd from the main stage, with concertgoers on his tail. After performing a bit on the soundboard platform, he decided to test the waters again, submerging himself into the mob again. 

Green Day

When Green Day first got their footing in the DIY punk rock scene near San Francisco, the stages they played were small and makeshift. But once they hit the big time, they had all the space in the world. They used that space by pogoing all over it and coursing back and forth to get their energy out. Although Billie Joe Armstong has perfected the power stance -- which has him standing in one spot and strumming as dramatically as he can -- you can still find him bopping around stage and burning off some calories.

Thirty Seconds to Mars

As someone who both sings and acts (and whatever else Jared Leto does), the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman understands the value in true entertainment. That philosophy commands his onstage presence. While performing with his band, Leto tends to dress in costume and keep the audience guessing with his movement. We all know Leto's a tad dramatic, and we love him all the more for it.

Paramore

Perhaps you've seen Paramore in concert? If you have, you'd know that the band, with Hayley Williams at the core, has an incredible stamina. Williams keeps pacing the stage and jumping around til the end of the show, where, often the band will take turns running around before playing an encore. Seriously, how do they do it?

U2

When U2 rolled out their 360 Tour, it was pretty evident that they were going to have some spherical set design to match. What they came up with was an orbital stage, which stretched out around the drumset like Saturn's ring. The 360-degree stage was Bono's home, and he took its shape as a challenge, running all the way around while performing. Hey, wherever you can get exercise, go for it. If Bono can work out while working, then you have no excuse.

Panic! At the Disco

As another band with a knack for aesthetics, Panic at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie is never one to let down a crowd. Wearing funky costumes and comandeering a few instruments, he can captivate any audience. But when he does an in-song backflip, he sets himself apart.

One Direction

There's an endless number of videos online showing the hijinks that went on during One Direction's four world tours. Before the band went on a hiatus, they had full reign over their transitions between songs and would often string out those breaks to rest their voices. Those breaks were filled with goofiness, and each concert, Harry, Zayn, Niall, Louis and Liam got weirder and weirder. In this clip, Niall Horan courses around the stage like he's running on a race track and Louis flags him to the end. It just one of the many funny moments One Direction has had onstage.

 

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