Man in wheelchair crowd-surfs at Coldplay concert. Then Chris Martin makes it really special.

For Rob O'Byrne, persistence and a love for music are just part of his "new normal." But a recent Coldplay concert turned his positive outlook into a life-changing, viral experience.

O'Byrne, who has been in a wheelchair since a tragic accident, shared his story with The Guardian. Years ago, a holiday mishap changed his life. “I dived into the shallow end, banging my head and instantly damaging my spinal cord. It felt like air deflating out of a balloon. I couldn’t move my arms and everything went white,” he recalled.

The result was a harsh new reality. “I became a C5 incomplete quadriplegic, which means I have no feeling or movement from the chest down.”

After months of recovery, O'Byrne embraced his new life, gaining a unique perspective. “Walking as a kid and being in a wheelchair as an adult, I’ve seen life from two points of view,” he said. A lifelong music lover and choir member, he never stopped going to gigs, even developing a specialty. “I do a great version of Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars,” he told The Guardian.

Recently, O'Byrne managed to get tickets to see the band live in Dublin. He was just enjoying the show when a mishap with some other fans changed the course of his night.

“Coldplay released large bouncy balls into the crowd and these two well-built lads fell over me trying to catch one. They apologized and picked me up, holding me up in my wheelchair above the audience to give me a better view of the stage,” he explained.

What happened next was pure concert magic. The fans didn't just hold him up; they started moving him toward the stage. “They started moving forward and suddenly a spotlight came on me. The crowd parted like the Red Sea,” he said.

While security was scrambling, Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin, saw what was happening and did the opposite: he invited O'Byrne up. “He helped lift me over the barrier, a pure gentleman,” O'Byrne remarked.

Once on stage, Martin didn't just pose for a photo; he started an impromptu jam session. “A mic and harmonica were handed over to me,” Rob said. “I don’t play, but he said he’d look down when he wanted me to blow on it."

Martin improvised a song on the spot: “‘We’re in Dublin with Rob, he’s a PT,’ stuff like that. It was short but sweet,” O'Byrne added.

The moment perfectly captures O'Byrne's own philosophy, which he shared with the BBC: "If you get yourself out there, you never know what's going to happen." It's a fitting motto for a man who now works as a fitness trainer, helping others with similar injuries regain their confidence.

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This article originally appeared earlier this year.