22-Nov-08: Salt Lake City - Tickets, Preview, Meetups, Review/Photos

[busybeeburns]

Coldplay keeps crowd guessing

 

COLDPLAY, SLEEPERCAR and JON HOPKINS, EnergySolutions Arena, Saturday

It was anyone's guess where Coldplay would pop up at the EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday.

 

Sure the band — vocalist/keyboardist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, drummer Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion — cranked it out on the main stage, but they also grouped together on one of the stage extensions and even appeared in the middle of the crowd in the back corner of the arena.

 

Regardless where the band played, the nearly sold-out audience loved every note and nuance.

 

Not only did the band play the hits "Speed of Sound," a condensed version of "Talk," "Clocks" and the encore-ender "Yellow," but also pumped out "Chinese Sleep Chant," "Lost" and "Strawberry Swing."

 

Martin danced and jumped around like a frenzied Dionysus as he led the band and the audience through a communal journey of music and energy. His voice, including his smooth falsetto, was in top form as he hit the highs in "Violet Hill," "Fix You" and "The Hardest Part."

 

"God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," which segued into the aforementioned rendition of "Talk," were performed from the stage extension. And while Champion didn't have a full drum kit set up, he played an electric drum pad.

 

During the acoustic set played in the back of the arena, the band went through "The Scientist" and "Death Will Never Conquer," the latter sung by Champion.

One of the biggest cheers came during "Viva La Vida," which was played on the main stage. Champion traded his drums for massive tympanies and the audience became part of the show during the sing-a-long chant at the end of the song.

 

Throughout the evening, live videos of the band and other abstract images were projected onto six massive orbs and two video screens that hung about the arena.

 

During each dynamic song, Buckland's crisp guitar leads soared on top of the booming foundation provided by Berryman and Champion.

 

The main-stage backdrop also served as a video screen and gave all in the arena some up-close-and-personal-time with Martin and the boys.

 

Opening the evening was the restless southern-tinged tunes from Sleepercar and the chill mix from DJ Jon Hopkins, which got the audience hot and ready for Coldplay.

 

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705265400,00.html

[busybeeburns]

Well, I am fresh off the concert high. Meaning my ears are ringing and my throat hurts, and it is wonderful. Brad and I ventured up to SLC to see Coldplay tonight. They are one of those bands that I've always wanted to see, since I like them, and I've heard that they put on a great show. Oh, and I love concerts. We even managed to get a few shaky pictures. When we got there, we started walking up to our seats. And we kept climbing, and climbing, and climbing till we were three rows from the top. That's what I get for not splurging I guess. But I figured we'd just settle in, and I was glad that for once in my life I actually remembered to bring binoculars. But do you know my husband? Before we'd been in our seats five minutes, he was back down talking to an usher, and all of a sudden he was flagging me down and we were led to new seats. The handicap seats. So really, really good seats (compared to where we were). We got to sit on our own little platform with the cushy kind of folding chairs, and railing to rest our feet on. It was sublime.

 

Concert highlights for any of you interested:

-First of all there was the piano. I've never met a piano at a concert I didn't like.

-There was a little stage set up on the floor near the back that they played on for awhile.

-He was seriously funny.

-At one point they all walked off the stage, only to reappear in walking up the stairs in the audience and coming to a little stand in the middle of a bunch of seats. There they had some guitars and a harmonica waiting, and they played there in the audience for a couple songs.

 

http://hokehub.blogspot.com/2008/11/coldplay-concert.html

[busybeeburns]

Oh my gosh, I am dying. DYING over the greatness of tonight's concert. What can I say about one of my favorite bands ever??? Let's start by saying they don't disappoint!!

 

The concert started out with Violet Hill. Aaaah, such a lovely song. The band was so full of life and put so much energy into the entire performance. Chris's piano solos were truly amazing. I loved EVERY minute of it.

 

But here was the highlight of the night for me.

 

Viva la Vida came on about half way through the concert. Of course the crowd went hysterical. So in our hysterics my husband points to the exit/entrance gate RIGHT by our seats. Um, why is the roadie setting up ONE solo microphone?

 

Um, why is he bringing an acoustic guitar and setting it by the microphone?

 

Oh no.

 

OH YES!!

 

Shortly after Coldplay finished Viva La Vida, they hop off stage and come UP INTO THE CROWD, litterally 10 feet away from us.

 

I am hyperventilating at this point. They are RIGHT THERE! RIGHT THERE!! I can see the sweat on their faces!!

 

The crowd quiets down at which point Chris Martin sings The Scientist, acoustic style. Yeah, I promise it doesn't get better than that.

 

It was SO SO killer. For 3 minutes I had front row seats to see Coldplay. And Chris Martin's sweaty face:)

 

After Chris sang, Will Champion sang a little number (not sure what the song was) while Chris Martin played the harmonica.

 

When they were done, Chris tossed the harmonica into the crowd and I.......

 

...didn't catch it.

 

But oh well, it was still so awesome.

 

I am a groupie. What can I say?

 

I was star struck.

 

Freakin' Coldplay, how I love you!!

 

http://rebekahwestover.blogspot.com/2008/11/hello-coldplay-i-love-you.html

[melanieau]

:(

[Mimixxx]

Coldplay rocks but show is 'anticlimactic'

 

For one of the largest crowds at EnergySolutions Arena in recent memory, the British rock quartet Coldplay packed as much punch as they could in a surprisingly short set Saturday night.

 

The show aspired to be one of the biggest spectacles Utah had ever seen, as frontman Chris Martin said himself during the show. While it ultimately fell short of fulfilling Martin's prediction, it was nevertheless a performance with moments that would make even Bono envious.

 

The 100-minute show, with two encores, certainly showed a band trying hard to become the biggest band in the world. There was an elaborate stage production featuring six revolving globes and two video screens high in the rafters that showed images that were more like artistic concert film footage than the standard visuals of the lead singer singing. And near the end of the set, thousands of flourescent paper butterflies, reflected in the stage's lights, floated onto the crowd that created one of the most dazzling scenes of any concert this year.

 

But some problems popped up. For all of Martin's amiability, the band seemed to try too hard. The concert was bookended by pretentious recorded classical music accompanied by rising and falling curtains. Some of the more intimate songs, such as "Yellow" and "In My Place" were transformed into bombastic anthems that didn't suit the spirit of the simple love songs on record. Compounding the situation was the notorious sound problems of the arena which muddied the more orchestral numbers of the band like "Viva La Vida" and "Politik."

 

Martin was talkative, but it was difficult deciphering what he was saying. And while drummer Guy Champion (:dozey:) was an amazing, hard-hitting musician, sidemen Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman showed neither the personality nor the stagemanship that elevated the rest of the band.

 

That is not to say that the show was disappointing. Martin is a frontman in the best sense of the word, when he isn't playing piano or guitar. He frequently twirled around in circles with arms flailing, stopping only to thrust his fingers into the air as if he was the conductor of both his band and the adoring audience. The huge backdrop behind the stage changed regularly between video screens, complete darkness, the album cover and the slogan "Viva." Rather than staying in place for the entirety of the show, the band regularly used two side stages that extended into the audience. In one of the most unusual but fun parts of the concert, the band went to seats near the rear of the arena and performed two acoustic songs, including the gorgeous "The Scientist," while surprised fans surrounded them.

 

For all of the buildup, the concert seemed to end too soon, as the classical music blared and the house lights came up. It was as if the crowd had been promised a life-changing experience, but in the end, the show was anticlimactic.

 

http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_11057306

[KissesBirds]

:(

 

:(:kiss:

 

.

[slccoldplay]

Please tell me there's a place online where I can download the live music from last nights (11/22) concert in Salt Lake. I went, was within 30 feet of Chris Martin and couldn't believe how awesome they sounded live!

[busybeeburns]

no recordings yet but keep an eye on the first post for a full set of videos soon ;)

[busybeeburns]

Coldplay rocks but show is anticlimactic

 

For one of the largest crowds at EnergySolutions Arena in recent memory, the British rock quartet Coldplay packed as much punch as they could in a surprisingly short set Saturday night.

 

The show aspired to be one of the biggest spectacles Utah had ever seen, as frontman Chris Martin said himself during the show. While it ultimately fell short of fulfilling Martin's prediction, it was nevertheless a performance with moments that would make even Bono envious.

 

The 100-minute show, with two encores, certainly showed a band trying hard to become the biggest band in the world. There was an elaborate stage production featuring six revolving globes and two video screens high in the rafters that showed images that were more like artistic concert film footage than the standard visuals of the lead singer singing. And near the end of the set, thousands of flourescent paper butterflies, reflected in the stage's lights, floated onto the crowd that created one of the most dazzling scenes of any concert this year.

 

But some problems popped up. For all of Martin's amiability, the band seemed to try too hard. The concert was bookended by pretentious recorded classical music accompanied by rising and falling curtains. Some of the more intimate songs, such as "Yellow" and "In My Place" were transformed into bombastic anthems that didn't suit the spirit of the simple love songs on record. Compounding the situation was the notorious sound problems of the arena which muddied the more orchestral numbers of the band like "Viva La Vida" and "Politik." Martin was talkative, but it was difficult deciphering what he was saying. And while drummer Guy Champion was an amazing, hard-hitting musician, sidemen Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman showed neither the personality nor the stagemanship that elevated the rest of the band.

 

That is not to say that the show was disappointing. Martin is a frontman in the best sense of the word, when he isn't playing piano or guitar. He frequently twirled around in circles with arms flailing, stopping only to thrust his fingers into the air as if he was the conductor of both his band and the adoring audience. The huge backdrop behind the stage changed regularly between video screens, complete darkness, the album cover and the slogan "Viva." Rather than staying in place for the entirety of the show, the band regularly used two side stages that extended into the audience. In one of the most unusual but fun parts of the concert, the band went to seats near the rear of the arena and performed two acoustic songs, including the gorgeous "The Scientist," while surprised fans surrounded them.

 

For all of the buildup, the concert seemed to end too soon, as the classical music blared and the house lights came up. It was as if the crowd had been promised a life-changing experience, but in the end, the show was anticlimactic.

 

http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_11057306

[KissesBirds]

 

drummer Guy Champion

 

 

but in the end, the show was anticlimactic.

 

http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_11057306

 

 

 

Sorry, your opinion doesn't get to count.:dozey:

 

 

.

[Ann_20]

I just got back to Montana after the drive from SLC, and I got to say that the 8 hour drive was more than worth it! The concert was absolutely amazing! The whole crowd was on their feet pretty much the entire time and the cheers were deafening at the start of every new song. Chris chatted up the crowd a few times. When sitting down to his piano on the B stage, he made a comment about one of the male audience members making a pass at him, but being happy to take whatever he could get. And then when playin in the back section of the arena he also made a comment about how there are a lot of pretty girls in Utah, and that there's a reason that the usually stay on the main stage so they don't get distracted.

 

My friends and I were lucky enough to have pretty good seats and were within a few meters of the band at times. We even got Guy to do a double take and almost crack a smile with our screaming kiss blowing antics.

 

Overall it was one of the best nights of my life, and I didn't find anything about the show anticlimatic.

[Guest LiquidSky]

didnt realize today was the 22nd have fun whoevers going

 

Are you really that kid from the today show?:thinking:

[Ann_20]

I uploaded my pictures from the concert to my photobucket, but be warned that my camera is crappy so there are lots of blurry pictures!

 

http://s124.photobucket.com/albums/p9/abug3210/Coldplay%20SLC/

[Guest LiquidSky]

^^^^^^Good shot!! :wink:

[Ann_20]

Thanks! I got a few that weren't too blurry, but since Chris never holds still it was hard sometimes! My friend has a much better camera than I do, so I'll probably update with her pictures later

 

I think these are a few of my best

 

 

[Guest LiquidSky]

I like the ones with Jonny :wink:

[Cobalt]

drummer Guy Champion

 

FAIL

 

I honestly think some of these people just guess

[Guest LiquidSky]

MAybe they meant the guy champion haha ok maybe not...

[busybeeburns]

As you might've guessed, they leaned heavily on material off of Viva La Vida, which was just fine by me, but several older favorites were scattered through-out the set, keeping the new and old fans cheering alike. The visual show was fantastic, with lasers and glowing orbs galore, but Chris Martin was jumping and running around enough to have put on a show enough without them. In fact, Chris's stage presence ended up being one of the highlights of the entire show for me. I've heard more than a few references to Coldplay's stab at being the new U2, and while I hear where they're coming from, I don't think I can agree. If for no other reason, just because there was a total lack of pretension on that stadium stage Saturday night. As big as this band is right now, they still had the air of four friends playing rock 'n roll together. Chris even introduced a song (The Hardest Part from X&Y) as "not the best Coldplay song - but not the worst Coldplay song". That kind of candidness was refreshing amidst all the pyrotechnics and swooning fans.

 

All the music was great, from past hits to the arena-ready anthems of Viva La Vida, and the band gave an energetic and passionate performance for each one. Although a little gimmick-y, there was a pretty fun little interlude when the band stepped down to play The Scientist and Death Will Never Conquer from a row of seats in the audience. Through it all, the band seemed to be having a genuine good time - which only fed the audience's excitement. For example, whenever they came to the chorus for In My Place, Chris would raise his arm like Mickey in Fantasia, only instead of conjuring fountains of water he was invoking thousands of singing "Oh's!" from an exuberant crowd. This kind of gleeful audience participation was common all night - and all I can say is, it's pretty cool to be Coldplay right now.

http://whaleinacubicle.blogspot.com/2008/11/concert-its-pretty-cool-to-be-coldplay.html

[Jenjie]

the soundtrack of my life

 

This summer my friend asked me what one CD I would take with me if I were stranded on a desert island with only a boom box and unlimited batteries. (Yes, I just said boom box.)

 

 

My answer: Coldplay X&Y.

 

I had the opportunity to attend the Coldplay Viva la Vida concert in Salt Lake on Saturday night. My dear friend Cali won tickets on the radio and took ME....took me out of ALL the people she knows! I don't know what I did to deserve such an honor, but I will be forever thankful to Cali.

 

To be honest, concert-going will never be the same again. I've seen the likes of Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Collective Soul, Maroon 5.....but none have compared to Coldplay. These guys are talented beyond belief.

I was all ears from the moment Coldplay emerged playing "Life in Technicolor" amidst panels showing their rockin' sillouhettes to the final moments of the show when they played the sing-along favorite "Yellow."

I was on a total musical high while they belted out greats like "Viva la Vida", "Fix You", and "Clocks." One of my all-time favorites was when they played a more acoustic version of "The Scientist", complete with Chris Martin on the harmonica.

Along with four tickets, Cali also won the opportunity to take pictures at the front row press box for the first three songs....(hence the great shots above.)

 

 

She even got to touch Johnny (the guitarist) and dear, dear Chris Martin. She's never going to wash her hand again.

I loved every second of this show. I came away feeling inspired, uplifted, and more devoted to following the band. To quote my friend Matt, "Coldplay changes lives." Too dramatic? I think not.

 

http://jennifersthoughtsandemotions.blogspot.com/2008/11/soundtrack-of-my-life.html

[Jenjie]

Coldplay Are Red Hot!

 

Coldplay hit Salt Lake City on Saturday night and I'm still coming off the high. Wow! I've always heard they know how to put on a show and they sure do.

 

 

Setlist:

 

 

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Speed Of Sound

Cemeteries Of London

Chinese Sleep Chant

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno remix)

The Hardest Part

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

The Scientist (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will singing)

 

 

First Encore

Politik

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

 

 

Second Encore

Yellow

 

I don't even know where to begin. First, the (slight) disappointments, I guess.

 

They played for "just" 90 minutes. Perhap Rush, with their 3-hour shows, have spoiled me, but after paying $240 I would have expected a little more. I have four Coldplay bootlegs and they are all pretty much 90 minutes, so it's not like they intentionally shortchanged SLC. And...I guess one of the rules of entertainment is leave the audience wanting more.

"The Scientist" is my favorite Coldplay song...They did play it, but it was a stripped down version...After doing "Viva La Vida," the band quickly ran of the stage, went under the seats (maybe through the Jazz locker room?) and then emerged not far from us and went up into section 5 of the Delta Center. A small platform had been set up and the band did "The Scientist" and "Death Will Never Conquer" (with Will Champion, the drummer, singing).

Two other favorites, "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Talk" were performed in techno-ish combined format which diminished both. Oh well.

The 2nd opener, a techno dude, sucked eggs. What crap!

That's about the only downers.

 

 

Highlights (in no particular order):

The set design. During "Clocks," five globes (for lack of a better word; three behind the stage and one on either side) descended from the rigging. These globes were probably a good 10 feet in diameter. I don't know how, but somehow video was projected...into(?) the globes. From what I could see, a video projector was mounted on the top of the globe...I assume there was some mechanism inside the globe that bent/projected the image and makign it visible on the outside. They weren't always present. Sometimes they were colored, sometimes there were abstract patterns.

I loved "42." During this song, we got our first look at a full-size video screen behind the stage, but it wasn't just basic video. It had some effects on it which perfectly complimented the song. Just before it got to the up-tempo freak out section, Chris Martin's eyes went wide in an almost pyschotic manner...because (I assume) of the freak out section. Great theater.

"Cemetaries of London" was full of atmosphere. The faces of the band members were projected onto the globes and they seemed a bit creepy. Very cool!

The first encore wrapped up with "Death and All of His Friends." This track is by no means my favorite on the new album, but the guys played it to perfection. The anthemic chorus, as such, was pure magic. Jonny Buckland nailed the notes on guitar.

The band did not let up one iota (which makes up for the 90 minute set). It was non-stop euphoria. How's this for a start? Life In Technicolor, Violet Hill, Clocks, In My Place, Speed Of Sound, Cemeteries Of London, Chinese Sleep Chant, 42, Fix You. WOW!!

Speaking of which...Clocks (probably my 2nd favorite Coldplay song) and In My Place were great...with the crowd singing the chorus. Thrilling!

Will Champion. He's a very energetic drummer and a fine singer. Lots of oopmh on the skins.

During "Lovers in Japan" a million (no joke!...well, that's my bold estimate) paper butterflies were shot out of the rigging over the floor. Some of them were kind of silky, some kind of metalic. When blacklights were turned on toward the end of the song, many of them glowed in the dark...as it were. Kim and I brought home a good 300 of them.

Just being there.

It just might have been the best concert I have ever seen. And, with some strategic earplugs and because I didn't shout too much, I left without ringing ears and without a sore throat. Brilliant!

 

http://jrfreedom.blogspot.com/2008/11/coldplay-are-red-hot.html

[Jenjie]

'''Coldplay hot, cold'''

 

For one of the largest music crowds at EnergySolutions Arena in recent memory, the British rock quartet Coldplay packed as much punch as they could in a surprisingly short set Saturday night.

 

The show aspired to be one of the biggest spectacles Utah had ever seen, as frontman Chris Martin said himself during the show. While it ultimately fell short of fulfilling Martin's prediction, it was nevertheless a performance with moments that would make even Bono envious.

 

The 100-minute show, with two encores, certainly showed a band trying hard to become the biggest band in the world. There was an elaborate stage production featuring six revolving globes and two video screens high in the rafters that showed images that were more like artistic concert film footage than the standard visuals of the lead singer singing. And near the end of the set, thousands of flourescent paper butterflies, reflected in the stage's lights, floated onto the crowd that created one of the most dazzling scenes of any concert this year.

 

But some problems popped up. For all of Martin's amiability, the band seemed to try too hard. The concert was bookended by pretentious recorded classical music accompanied by rising and falling curtains. Some of the more intimate songs, such as "Yellow" and "In My Place" were transformed into bombastic anthems that didn't suit the spirit of the simple love songs on record. Compounding the situation was the notorious sound problems of the arena which muddied the more orchestral numbers of the band like "Viva La Vida" and "Politik." Martin was talkative, but it was difficult deciphering what he was saying. And while the drummer was an amazing, hard-hitting musician, sidemen Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman showed neither the personality nor the stagemanship that elevated the rest of the band.

 

That is not to say that the show was disappointing. Martin is a frontman in the best sense of the word, when he isn't playing piano or guitar. He frequently twirled around in circles with arms flailing, stopping only to thrust his fingers into the air as if he was the conductor of both his band and the adoring audience. The huge backdrop behind the stage changed regularly between video screens, complete darkness, the album cover and the slogan "Viva." Rather than staying in place for the entirety of the show, the band regularly used two side stages that extended into the audience. In one of the most unusual but fun parts of the concert, the band went to seats near the rear of the arena and performed two acoustic songs, including the gorgeous "The Scientist," while surprised fans surrounded them.

 

For all of the buildup, the concert seemed to end too soon, as the classical music blared and the house lights came up. It was as if the crowd had been promised a life-changing experience, but in the end, all we had was a long traffic jam to revel in.

 

http://blogs.sltrib.com/burger/2008/11/coldplay-hot-cold.htm

[Jenjie]

Coldplay in concert

 

On Saturday night after the Gunshow From Hell 2008 my wife and I went to the Coldplay concert in Salt Lake. I had gotten some free tickets, shout out to 101.9 The End. I was not a Coldplay fan, but Mrs. Correia loves them.

 

 

 

I wasn’t expecting much, as I’d heard their music, and it seemed kind of sedate. Live however, they were absolutely awesome. It was one of the better shows that I had seen. They were energetic and fun. At one point the band went out and played a couple of songs in the audience. We were about five feet away for that bit. Mrs. Correia noted that the bouncers kept an eye on me because apparently I was the scariest looking person in touching distance.

 

 

 

I was so not a Coldplay fan that I actually didn’t even know they were from until they spoke. ( “Hey, I didn’t know they were English” and all the fans around me look at me like I’m stupid) I’d have to say that I’m a fan now though. The last time I had an experience like this was with Radiohead, not that they were English, I knew that, I just wasn’t expecting much, and instead got an absolutely awesome show.

 

 

 

And that was despite the lousy acoustics of the Energy Solutions Arena. That building has the worst sound of anyplace I’ve ever heard a concert. A wall of thunder descends from the ceiling and bludgeons your ears the entire time. You get a sound like a lumbering brontosaurus bouncing off the walls and they still managed to sound good.

 

 

 

The first opening act was a band from Texas called Sleeper Car. They were pretty good. Then the second opening act sucked beyond all comprehension. I don’t know what the guy’s name was, and that’s probably a good thing, because I’d be cursing it right now.

 

 

 

Basically it was some sort of 30 minute techno song/performance video. The cartoon reminded me of Adult Swim’s Super Jail, only Super Jail is more interesting, and it is over in less time. It had this repetitive beat that would die down, and we would all cheer, thinking that it was actually over, then Fooooooom Foooooom it would start again. Then weird cartoons would play flashing colors and words like FANTASY and crap like that. Since I hadn’t eaten any psychedelic mushrooms and still have all of my frontal lobe intact, I didn’t really get anything out of it. I got bored and went and got a $4.00 coke so I missed the big finale. Thank goodness.

 

 

 

So the opening act was good, the next act was painful, and the main show was excellent. Overall, it was a great night. Coldplay surprised the hell out of me.

 

http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/coldplay-in-concert/

[Jenjie]

COLDPLAY!!!!!!

 

I was yelling exactly what the title is of this post for almost the entire time of the concert. I had SO much fun. I went with my mom (which was the best I could get for this concert... No offense mom!) to it and had a blast. In all concerts, there is an opening band that plays to get the crowd warmed up. The first opener, was Sleeper Car. They're from Texas and their music was a mix between Country and Alternative. I thought they were really good for an opening band. However, the second one..... Not so much... It started out with this guy (who every one thought he was part of Coldplay, which was why every one was cheering really loud when he came out) who walked onto the stage right up to a big electrical device looking thing. This music started play and a few moments later, images and little videos started to play on this screen which was to the left of him. Now, the music that was playing wasn't really all that bad. It was the images that were. Imagine a cross between like those erotic, Japanese anime movies. The ones filled with all the gore and.... bad stuff... (you know what I'm talking about...) So anyways, a cross between the Japanese anime; an EXTREMELY creepy Dr. Seuss book; and mix it all together with M.C. Escher's pattern like images. It didn't have any "bad stuff" in it, but it was definitely creepy... And after around 30 minutes of this guy, he finally stopped.

 

 

 

Then we waited... Kept on waiting... And even more waiting.... After 45 minutes of waiting, Coldplay finally came out. They went in the Viva la Vida album order of the songs. Starting out with Life in Technicolor, moving onto Lost!, and then Clocks!!! After those we moved to Cemeteries of London (which was awesome!!), then 42, and then Yes, and then Speed of Sound!!!! I liked Speed of Sound and Cemeteries of London best out of that section. Then we had a little 5 minute break.

 

 

When they came back, they played Viva la Vida!!!! Sure it might have only been half of the song, but it was still the best. Then they did Violet Hill, moved onto Lovers in Japan, and then Strawberry Swing. Then they were done.... Or so it seemed... We waited for about 10 minutes this time and while they were gone, they played like a Karaoke version of Viva la Vida on the speakers and they dimmed the lights way down. More and more people gradually started pulling out their cell phones and swinging them in the air slowly. It looked so cool. With all the lights turned off, the place looked seriously like how a starry night sky looks at Lake Powell. I'll post my pictures of the concert in my next post.

 

 

Then the best part of the concert happened. We saw a single spot light go on and point to the band. Then, they started walking up to where me and my mom were sitting... Don't call me a girl for this, but me and her both screamed at a really high note. Then, once they had finally reached their destination in the audience, Chris spoke. He said "now this is the section of the concert we like to call Play an Instrument You Don't Know How to Play... Except for So-and-So (I forgot what the name was but it was the drummer) here." Chris was on the Harmonica and the drummer and one of the guitarists were on rock guitars. The other guitarist was on a Sitar, which is kind of like a guitar in India. They played an awesome song, but I didn't catch the name of it. I was too busy snapping pictures. After that, the drummer sang a song where occasionally, Chris and the others played their instrument. After that, they went back down and a section of the stage lit up. There was a lone piano in the light.

 

 

They all went down and the 3 disappeared... Except for Chris. He walked right down to the piano and talked a little bit. Cracked a little joke and told us he was going to play a song called The Hardest Part, which is in the X&Y album. What was awesome though, was that it was just piano and singing the entire time. Chris sang for a little bit and then another spotlight shown on the drummer and he accompanied Chris with is voice as well. Then after about a minute, the spotlight went only to Chris again. He finished up and THEN every one thought that the concert was over... Which it originally was. But we just kept on clapping, and a minute later, Coldplay came back out.

 

 

Chris spoke again saying "Well Salt Lake City. You guys just keep on wanting more, so we'll play one more song. It's one of our favorite songs. It's called... Yellow." Every one cheered. The lights in the stage just went entirely Yellow and they started playing. The song ended and so did the concert.

 

 

I just entirely loved tis concert and I can't wait until the next time they do another. Even if my parents don't pay for me, I'm still going. Well, this post needs to get wrapped up so in conclusion...

 

 

COLDPLAY IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!

 

http://meandmyoutstandinglife.blogspot.com/2008/11/coldplay.html

[Jenjie]

LAST NIGHT WAS AWESOME. NUFF SAID.

 

Traci and I needed to be blown away by Coldplay after a not-so-impressive dinner at Outback, as well as a previously unannounced opening act that sucked, hard. This guy gets on the stage, and basically did really bad techno accompanied by some really pscyodelic/nausiating graphics behind him. It seemed that the audience all thought he was Chris Martin just trying out some new material, so he received some really heavy applauds during the first two songs. Once the guy kept going after about 15 minutes the applauds died down and many confused faces started to set. It was horrible.

 

Then, Coldplay took the stage. Mmmmm. Soo goood. They basically did all of their hits, but included a ton of reworked versions of their songs. Chris Martin did "The Hardest Part" on piano only, they did a techno version of "God Put A Smile On Your Face," and did a short interlude techno version of "Viva la Vida." At one point the band dissappeared, only to reappear IN THE AUDIENCE about 50 feet below us!! AAAAA!!! They then did an acoustic version of "The Scientist" followed by a song that Will Champion, the drummer, wrote and sang.

 

The set up was fantastic. We were near the nosebleads, but still had great seats because of the set up. The band had a huge stage which they ran all over and had two huge screens going all time which made it look like we were watching a live DVD of the band. It was really, really, good. Sound was great, and light show was awesome.

 

Chris Martin also included several nice Salt Lake City references. For example, during "Fix You," instead of singing "When you're too in love to get it gooooo...." he sang "When you're in Salt Lake City at the Coldplay shoooooowwww...."

 

Oh, dear. I am in love with Coldplay. Um. Really in love.

 

I took a ton of photos and videos with my phone, but none of them really turned out. I'll throw in two below, but no more, just because of how bad the quality is.

 

They did a really sweet confetti explosion during "Lovers in Japan" :

 

And for the encore, they did "Yellow," which is Traci's personal favorite. Also, you can't see it in the video, but yesterday Traci got her hair colored and got highlights, which means that she is no longer a hottie. She is a now a SUPER-hottie.

 

http://mroptimumsawesomeness.blogspot.com/2008/11/last-night-was-awesome.html