Rolling Stone's Summer Tour Guide

[Mimixxx]

Very much in the same style as Rolling Stone's Album Guide, however much less exciting. Coldplay are second on their list with a few (I think) new quotes from Chris. If this is already somewhere else let me know ;)

 

Coldplay June 29th-Fall 2008

Tickets $50-$85

Opener TBA

 

 

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin says the band members have been looking forward to their U.S. tour for a year and a half — which is how long they've been working on their new album, Viva La Vida. The disc comes out June 17th, and the band plays a free show at New York's Madison Square Garden a week later.

 

When you're in the studio, do you think about how the songs will sound live?

The knowledge that you're going to play something live has a huge influence on whether or not you record it. You know you've crossed a line into self-indulgence if you can't play it live. That probably means it's not worth it.

 

 

Are you planning anything new this tour?

We have some tricks up our sleeve. When we go to concerts we get quite bored unless it has things that you wouldn't expect. There will be a mini-acoustic set. We've got some visual things, some technical things, some emotional things, some audience-participation things, some gymnastic things — the only rule is no flying.

 

 

How do you decide which songs to play?

We're gonna play a nine-hour set and provide mattresses when people need to sleep. We're going to play all our catalog and all Bruce Springsteen's. No, we're not idiots. We're not gonna just play B sides.

 

 

Why does New York get a free show?

At the beginning of our last tour, we fucked up in New York and played a couple of shit concerts, and we were embarrassed about it. We thought, "What's the best way to say thanks for putting up with us last time?" Plus the fact that no one's ever done a free show there before.

 

evan serpick

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/summertour2008/page/2

[marianatsl]

 

How do you decide which songs to play?

We're gonna play a nine-hour set and provide mattresses when people need to sleep. We're going to play all our catalog and all Bruce Springsteen's.

 

:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:

[Bombadil]

Great interview there.

I wish they would record more songs that can't be played live though. This if often quite intersting music.

[ricardo]

mmmh seems interesting thanks for sharing!!

"some gymnastic things" :shocked2::laugh3:

[Christa42]

i have seen them 3 times in Ny and they never ever fucked up, and if they did i did not know and i loved it!!!! seeing richard ashcroft was amazing. how great would it be if they really played 9 hours??? ( i would bring my own mattress)

[Guest kmm1482]

did anyone watch American Idol tonight? :D

[talkingonsquareone89]

audience-participation things?!

 

well other than the given sing-alongs, could that mean picking out a few members of the crowd to go sit on stage (like that one time....)....:stunned:

[hrzonca]

I don't post here ever, I'm more of a news reader, but I think I know what Chris is talking about. I have a story that goes with it. I am sorry for its length. He is reffering to the NYC buzz gigs at the beacon theater (AOL gig), Brooklyn (VH1 storytellers) and the mtv gig. These gigs were within days of each other and were associated with major companies. It was cool that we got to see them on tv, but only an exclusive, limited amount of people were chosen to attend the gigs. They were supposed to be "buzz" gigs for the fans, but they turned out to be media events with a bunch of corporate aholes everywhere.

 

I attended an actual buzz gig in boston at the Avalon and it was unbelievable, as we were invited into the soundcheck and got to actually talk to the band. I literally peed my pants. They played songs we requested. I asked Chris for a stage dive and he said, "There will be none of that tonight." The NY gigs were not fan friendly and the sets were short. You could see that the band was not in their element.

 

I will tell you guys one thing though, the people at the beacon theater we're the biggest jerks ever. All the AOL people and corporate people were so smug and rude. My girlfriend and I begged for tickets as we didn't win the AOL contest. They told us to get away, but a few guys wathcing the door took a liking to us and actually pulled us up some chairs and let us hang out. They were actual Beacon Theater production people. One guy actually went into one of the trucks and was trying to hook up a monitor so we could see the show from the street and not have to wait until AOL released it. We we're still depressed, but at least we had something. We sat in the chairs and we were just scratching our heads. We just thought that if these were buzz gigs, we could somehow get tickets to get in. And, after Avalon, we thought anything was possible. Other people outside we're scalping tickets for $500 to a $1000 bucks a ticket. The show was going to begin in roughly 30 minutes when I turned my head right. I saw a guy walking down the sidewalk in a hoodie. My eyes widened, and I got anxious. It was friggin Chris Martin!

 

You would think he would pull up in a Limo or at least a van. He was walking the sidewalk in daylight as if he was a regular guy. I jumped out of my seat, he stopped, and I shook his hand. He probably thought I was a lunatic. My girlfriend was at first surpirsed that I jumped up. She then realized why and shrieked so loud. All she could say is "Oh My God, your Chris Martin. " We didn't ask him for an autograph. I told him that we were huge fans and that I saw him in avalon. I went on to tell him that all we wanted was tickets and that we couldn't win them online or afford the scalpers ridiculous prices. He gave me a friendly pat on the back and I did the same while my girlfriend told him she loved him. The last thing I remember him saying was "I'll see what I can do." He smiled and walked inside. Anyone who has ever said a bad thing about Chris Martin read this! He came outside with a plate of chocolate chip cookies and 2 tickets. He said, "Their loge." We both screamed and told him he was an amazing human being. We must have told him he was amazing a thousand times. He had a huge smile on his face and that was it. It happened so quickly, I still really can't believe it. We we're completely in awe. We literally tried to remember everything he said. We kept going back and forth like two little school girls. We tried to remember every last word.

 

We both yelled and screamed in the street. The workers who let us sit there could not believe it and they were really happy for us. We then walked into the concert and showed our tickets to every snotty worker who told us to piss off. A lot of the people working there, especially at the doors, had heard we got tickets and were astonished. Some were happy for us and others just gave us more dirty looks because they had heard Chris gave them to us. Chris had also made a comment or two during the gig that poked fun at the more serious, slick, corporate structure of the whole thing. I am almost certain at one point he told everyone to ignore all the screens and cameras and enjoy themselves. He said something to the extent of "We're Coldplay for f*cks sake."

 

I later tried to get into the MTV gigs and once again a lot of fans could not get in. I failed this time and had to watch Will's back drumming against a window from the street. They did, however, broadcast the show from a huge screen outside, but there was no sound and the weather was not very good at all.

Listen to this. Guy Berryman stood outside of the front entrance of the MTV studio before the show. He was smoking a cigarette and the people at the front of the line did not even know who he was. Some real fans huh? It was so frusturating to see people who didn't even have a genuine interest in the band have tickets to get in. I could not make it to the Brooklyn gig so I'm not sure how it went, but if these two stories are an indication, it probably was also filled with corporate nonsense. Anyway, I'm sure I left out some stuff, but there it is. I figured it was a good story to finally tell, since I don't have a lot of coldplay fans who are diehards like yourselves. I can see why Chris thinks NYC gigs were crappy to start the X and Y tour.