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16-Jun-08: London - Brixton Academy


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Guest LiquidSky

I'm curious about the magic balls but I kinda don't want to watch anything of the tour 'cause it's not gonna surprise me anymore when I see them live.

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Coldplay review: the old ones are still the best

By Neil McCormick

Last Updated: 12:14AM BST 17/06/2008

At the end of a gig heralding the comeback of Coldplay, the anointed heirs of U2 for the title best band in the world - a group on whose slender shoulders rest the hopes of ailing record company EMI; singer Chris Martin enthusiastically announces the unveiling of "something super extra double special".

 

This turns out not to be a duet with Gwyneth Paltrow or a version of Let It Be with Paul McCartney on bass but drummer Will Champion offering a fragile vocal to an obscure acoustic ditty.

 

For a 30 million selling supergroup, there is something endearingly gauche about Coldplay.

 

The 5,000 capacity Brixton Academy may qualify as a small venue for an arena band with stadium ambitions, but they tackle it with the slightly gormless enthusiasm of a college group playing for friends in a student bar (albeit with a better light show).

 

When not playing keyboards or guitar, Martin hops around on one leg and waves his arms about, like a cross between an over-excited child and a bad mime.

 

He forgets lyrics, tells jokes punchline first, hits bum notes and makes the cardinal showbiz sin of drawing attention to mistakes by apologising for them. Even when he does pull off a seamless segue into Trouble, he is so pleased he interrupts the song to boast about it, thus ruining its seamlesness.

 

All of this is to their benefit. Coldplay have a strength of character – friendly, excitable, charming and passionate – that success cannot erase.

 

It is one of the reasons their audience feels so connected to them, reacting warmly to their unstarry anti-charisma. The other (and more significant) reason lies in Martin's songs, carrying noble, passionate sentiment on waves of melody and monster choruses.

 

Wisely, despite having a new album to promote, they deliver most of their big hits, albeit not always as the audience might expect to hear them.

 

Taunted by critics for their soft rock comfort zone, Coldplay are in a bit of an experimental phase, which stretches to playing Yellow as a country ditty on banjo and harmonica.

 

But as long as the audience can sing along, these songs carry the day.

 

The new material is not always so effective. A few songs (notably Lost and Viva La Vida) have tunes that will break through any layer of sonic obfuscation but others just feel like self regarding padding.

 

Concluding with the childlike African influenced ditty Strawberry Swing is distinctly underwhelming and the mood was only restored by an exultant singalong version of their hit Fix You.

 

This is a set that is rough around the edges and has some way to go before it will be ready to take around the world but it was impossible to escape the conclusion that the old ones are still the best.

 

I suspect the new album may come to feel a little thin on repeated play. Coldplay have all the tools to be the biggest band in the world but they will have to decide whom they serve: their muse, the critics or an audience that, on this evidence, just want big songs they can sing along to.

 

Coldplay need to realise there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and stop trying to fix what ain't broke.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2141900/Coldplay-review-the-old-ones-are-still-the-best.html

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Hey guys just got back!

 

What a gig, ranks alongside the best I've seen them (6 or so times, stretching back to the Rush tour)

 

No Politik (really missed that!) very little X&Y. No SoS thank the stars, Sqaure One was a revelation mid-set. The other highlights for me were Yellow (Acoustic) - was a bit iffy at first but to be honest by the end I was stunned, it's incredible and Lovers in Japan (of course!) with the confetti. Cheesy on MTV, wicked in person!

 

42 was AMAZING live till Chris messed up the end lol. Clocks was slightly understated, which was fine. VLV not my fave so I made a break for the bar and missed it really talikng about extortionate water prices with the great staff :D

 

The crowd were rotten, far too many people who obviously got there tickets online for a huge sum. The exceptions were the guys I met from here who were all stellar, especially my dance partner (he knows who he is!) and some other guys dotted around who were obviously huge fans (and they were probably from here too hehe).

 

Guys, we have one hell of a tour to look forward to :)

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magic balls??

 

how was the ID checking process? was anyone denied entry?

 

Pretty strict I thought, but not unassailable if you had the 'magic balls' to produce decent fake ID and stand firm.

 

Thanks! :D I have a question, a slightly silly one at that :P Who was Chris asking if they wanted to kiss him? :blush:

 

I thought it was Will myself, and he backed away from Chris pretty quickly, but may well be wrong, delirious as I was :)

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Pretty strict I thought, but not unassailable if you had the 'magic balls' to produce decent fake ID and stand firm.

 

haha, these magic balls have me so confused!

looks like i'm going to have to work on a decent excuse for MSG.

thanks for the info, glad to hear everyone had a good time!

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Question About Tix for Those Who Went to Brixton Show!!!!

 

Question about the free show tix.

 

Were people who were not the original contest winners of the free tix able to get in to the show? They note that they will be "checking tickets" in the winners' letters and I want to know what that exactly means. I ask bc I can get tickets from a friend who won them, but dont want get denied at the door for the NYC-MSG show bc I was not the original winner and he wont be there if I go. Any info on how they handled this situation at the Brixton show would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

Thanks!

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Stephie you have one of the nights of your life to look forward to, I'm listening to the radio now and it just doesn't do it justice (but thanks so much to the people who posted it here, it means the world to hear it again and leap around my bedroom to the Osaka sun yet again)!!

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Forgot to mention, but an extremely honourable mention has to go to CSC - it really mixed things up (which is what the whole setlist was about to be honest :)) and the solo was of course, mesmerising. A few more pre-recorded bits in this (but nowhere as bad as LiT or VLV) but it didn't matter one jot.

 

Phenomenal :)

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:sleep:AGGHHHH I just typed a big reply, then my internet crashed. ugh.

 

Back from Brixton!!

A good journey back, apart from leaving my local train station and being slowly chased by a weird man!!! :( who was drunk and only said he wanted a cigarette.... :bigcry:

he left me alone after i said I don't smoke...still scaaary!

 

Back to the gig.......I got there at about 4...later than I was originally planning, but the queue was not that long really! I was in the first 25 people.....we got a little booklet titled 'Politik'...full of writing and wisdom, heh. I met Sandi in the queue, lovely lady, nice to meet you! :nice:

Also found out that Pete (Kimchi) had got tickets... :dance: and saw him and Aakash when they arrived :D

 

The tickets went smoother than I thought! and everyone found it weird that I didn't have an extra person.....hey ho! Quick-footed it to the front of Brixton (my fave venue) and grabbed the perfect spot right in front of Jonny! WOOOOOO!

 

Thought that the support guy was cool...Im interested in animation and that stuff was just crazy!!! It seemed like a weird but nice decision for him as support.

 

Yeaaaah when Coldplay came on, it was crazy to be seeing them in Brixton. I had to blink really.....make sure I was seeing correctly...ahaha!

My favourites of the set were, GPASUYF, the unexpected but truly awesome Square One....the long awaited Trouble for myself, the impromptu balcony rendition of Yellow, Lovers in Japan with the falling u.v butterflies!

Being in front of Jonny and seeming like the only one taking notice of him was a bit sad....everyone was just all eyes on Chris :rolleyes:

Jonny was amaaaazing. William was soo so powerful and his solo was so cool! Guy.....smouldering, sorry can't help myself! Chris--hilarious and such a joker, haha.

 

Oh....and I got Jonny's setlist. WOOHOOOOO!!!

 

Pics and videos will follow tomorrow hopefully! think Im off to sleepies.. :sleep:

sorry that was so rushed, but its nearly 3am :\

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So glad you got home ok Kara :)

 

What a night we had eh?!!

 

I only met Sandi and her good fellow briefly, alas, but I have to agree - she seemed lovely!

 

Kash was great company even though we confused each other quite a lot in our excitement, hehe, and I was so glad I gave my ticket to him. A true fan, and some of the things we talked about (his experiences in Nairobi, Kenya, where my Mum was born and raised especially) only reinforced my belief that everything about today was meant to be, and worked out just as they should have. Getting tickets this morning was just the start of it, and I'll look back on this day for the rest of my life. Extraordinary.

 

I truly have come to the conclusion it was all written in the stars for tonight, and can't wait to see you all again very very soon at the BBC. If all the members here are as fine as the good folk I met tonight then...my word..I have so many good people to hope to meet one day :)

 

Oyasumi nasai (that's 'goodnight' in Japanese!)

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Photos From Front Row

 

Hi all... met a couple lads from here (I think) today. Thought I'd drop a link to my photos from what was, for me a very, very manic day- I'm probably the unluckiest lucky guy you'd ever wanna meet, but it was nice meeting everyone in the queue.

 

2586086284_a5bbc9a257.jpg

 

Coldplay @ Brixton Academy

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