Small Reminders/Updates & The Coldplay Messenger (feat. Roadie #42!)

[*Perrine*]

And what's wrong with that ?

Even a very muscular six foot dude can fall in love with Chris :blush:

[Naughtrish]

"Things heat up on the B-Stage too, when Chris fluffs The Hardest Part and falls into laughter, admitting that he's been put off by the fact that he's just had "I love you" shouted at him by a very muscular six foot dude."

 

:lol:

 

 

Oh dear I surely hope that got caught in video!! My ribs hurt for laughing so hard!

[Cobalt]

"What the PDs giveth, the Apple Store taketh away"

 

Goddamn Apple Store, them and their shifty antics.

 

As the convoy of vehicles speeds towards the airport, we meet this evening's driver. He's fantastically loony. He's cracking up laughing and hammering his palm on the steering wheel.

 

Apparently, the source of amusement is the tail-rider of the police escort. "Man, this is the first time I had flashing blues in my rear view mirror and I ain't had to pull over and put my hands in the air". To his glee, it's then time to pull into the wrong lane and run a red light with the full blessing of the attendant cops. "Comin' through motherfuckers - hhhaaaahhhahahaha". I have no idea where this guy came from, or what he's got up to in the past, but I wish we could take him with us...

 

This guy is awesome.

[PolarMonkey]

"The vehicles are leaving. Care to join us?". It's security and transport co-ordinator Geoff Sands. I realise instantly what's going on. "I'm not late, I'm just in the wrong timezone." I reply.

*lol* love that bit! :lol:

[coldplay12]

Greetings from Wisconsin

July 27, 2009 12:02 pm

Wish you were here

 

 

 

 

The Coldplay-shaped puppets on tour

[Lore]

:o I'm pretty sure I've seen this car here in an avatar or a siggy

 

 

 

 

 

Roadie #42 - Blog #93

July 27, 2009 3:13 pm

#42, the Elbow shiver and the loud crowd

 

 

We start the Alpine Valley show with a rather novel quad-bike escort into the gig. The venue is called Alpine Valley Music Theatre, presumably in reference to the mountains and ski resort behind the stage. The quad bikes escort us past a lodge that's more than a little reminiscent of The Outlook Hotel from The Shining. We then wind our way through the parking lot and past a pretty cool motor that's been done up in full Coldplay livery.

 

 

When we commandeer a golf buggy a little later in order to get some photos of the car, its owners are gone - doubtless in the venue for the opening acts. One of the guys from the parking lot comes over to tell us that the lady whose car it is has been to see the band eight times in the last few months. The fan fervour stretches even to the license plate. Well done folks!

 

 

As we jump back onto the golf buggy, I can hear Elbow starting up inside. It's their first show with us today and I'm absolutely thrilled to see them again. Getting paid for watching one of my favourite bands in the world - tough old life, eh? I wander out into the crowd and park myself in an empty seat to take some photos. Almost immediately, I spot video director Andy Bramley stood in the "pit" with all the punters down the front.

 

He points at me and then the stage and then himself and the stage and grins widely. We're both like giddy kids that they're here - and we get to watch them play every night. I put the camera down and join him in the pit as the crush to get to the front carries on around us. For a short while, we're just a pair of punters excited to be down the front watching a band we love. Getting shivers down the spine over a pop group is way too cheesy for cynical old roadfilth like me. There must have been a draught or summat... ;-)

 

Once stagetime comes around, the crowd looks utterly stunning. All of these "shed" venues have a lawn section at the back, but here, the lawn is absolutely huge. Apparently there are 7,500 seated and the lawn tonight has an astonishing 27,000. Not only does that make a pretty hefty total, but the slope upwards is very very steep, meaning that the only thing you can see beyond the last row, is the sky. From the centre of the stage looking out, this effect, together with the huge width of the lawn means that all you can see in front of you, all the way to the horizon, is Coldplay fans. Utterly remarkable.

 

Not only do they look amazing, but when they all sing as one, it makes a pretty phenomenal voice. When Chris asks them to make the loudest noise they've ever heard at the end of Yellow, they do exactly that:

The B-stage is located differently each night, dependant on what space is available in each venue. Tonight, it is on the edge of the crowd's right side. Given that the crowd is spread very wide tonight, it creates the somewhat ridiculous situation where although this is supposed to be the bit of the show when the band get closer to the fans, for a good deal of people, they're actually further away. This also marks the part of the show when the heavens open and the rain pours in to visit.

 

Neither of these facts do anything to dampen the enthusiasm of either the band or the crowd and when Postcards fades and Viva comes crashing in, the eruption of noise is truly ferocious. The rain continues throughout and actually looks rather pretty as it slices through the projector beams over the lawn. I say that, of course, watching it from under a very sturdy stage roof. I have no doubt others found it less pleasing...

 

Mystic Nick, (audio guru and all round lovely bloke) comes over the comms headset suggesting cutting the power to the C-stage if it gets any wetter out there.

 

 

It shows no signs of letting up as Lost! roars across the hillside. Come the end of the song though, the fellas troop off the stage to brave it regardless. In the type of perfect timing that you'd only believed existed in Disney films, they emerge out onto the lawn and the rain kindly gives way.

 

 

Chris emerges for the final encore and lifts the clipboard that holds his setlist. He pretends to be surveying an important document. "Well, the results are in folks and it looks like the number one crowd of the Viva La Vida tour so far is....... East Troy, Wisconsin."

 

Predictably, they go bananas. Just in case you're wondering folks: no, he doesn't say that every night.

 

There's no quad-bikes on the runner tonight. We're just up the road from Milwaukee, the home of the Harley, so it's a full-on biker escort as we whisk smoothly through the night back to the hotel.

 

Well, I say smoothly. It kind of all grinds to a halt when we get into New York. As usual, Franksy has booked three SUVs and a van to transport the band and all of us hangers-on back to our temporary home. Chris is off on a secret writing mission, so has a helicopter booked.

 

First, we find there are only two SUVs, then there's no helicopter. This means cramming all of the band and as many others as possible into the two SUVs while we wait it out for the missing vehicles. I make comfy on the floor, leaning back against the corrugated metal of the aircraft hangar. I unfold the laptop and watch a curious transformation take place.

 

Franksy, like some pimp-hatted west-country incredible hulk transforms completely. Rather than going green and bursting through his clothes, he goes straight from tour manager to "tour-ettes manager". I'm assuming it's the limo company on the other end of the phone, fielding more F-words than a kitchen porter in a Gordon Ramsey Kitchen Nightmare.

 

The following day, I bump into Franksy and his fiance who are lunching. The drama and the anger are plainly long forgotten as he offers me a slice of pizza and enquires as to which timezone I'm in today. I let slip that I'm going for breakfast, which at 3pm reveals that I've quite comprehensively overslept.

 

I arrive back at the hotel to find a message that the front desk has a package for me from Mr. Franks.

 

 

I'm thinking of looking for a nice chunky gold chain so I can wear it around my neck in a Flavour Flav stylee. After all, We's In Nooo Yawwwk BOYYYYZZZZ....

 

R#42

[Lore]

One of the guys from the parking lot comes over to tell us that the lady whose car it is has been to see the band eight times in the last few months

 

 

 

that's a sign!

 

 

Stop touring the same places over and over again and come to latin america :bigcry:

[Jayzo]

:o I'm pretty sure I've seen this car here in an avatar or a siggy

 

Yup! I believe it belongs to Kellie or Kel I think her name is (forgive me!) I am so glad it made it on to the site :D :D :D!!!

[melanieau]

^Yep!

 

That's Kelly's (kspillers2) car!! :dance: Whooop!

 

Great blog 42!!! :D

[marie/pims]

"Chris is off on a secret writing mission, so has a helicopter booked."

 

Obviously...Going home in a helicopter.yeah, sure.;)

[Texasluvsjonny]

Kelly! I'm sure she is going to be both thrilled and gutted. She took the car to get it signed by the band. She should have left a note: Dear Coldplay, please sign me and a sharpie. :P

[Khalplay]

Gosh I'm so happy he's blogging a lot again, can you believe how cool that guy is ? I'm increasing my English vocabulary thanks to him :D

[Arantza]

That car is awesome! :stunned:

[kspillers2]

I pretty much knew there was no chance of getting the guys to sign it (but I did dream a little and had a white paint pen at the ready:)) Mostly just hoping that they saw it as they flew by and got a chuckle out of it, (especially Guy because he like cars and I take it retro old stuff too from the whole jukebox thing.) All in all it was such a great time this weekend.

[Zeya]

I pretty much knew there was no chance of getting the guys to sign it (but I did dream a little and had a white paint pen at the ready:)) Mostly just hoping that they saw it as they flew by and got a chuckle out of it, (especially Guy because he like cars and I take it retro old stuff too from the whole jukebox thing.) All in all it was such a great time this weekend.

 

It was really cool that your car ended up in R42 blog..

Congratulations! :D

[yellow745]

Great blog and great car!

Even though its not included, I absolutely loved the audio from the crowed singing Yellow :D:D:D

[SueDeNimes]

I pretty much knew there was no chance of getting the guys to sign it (but I did dream a little and had a white paint pen at the ready:)) Mostly just hoping that they saw it as they flew by and got a chuckle out of it, (especially Guy because he like cars and I take it retro old stuff too from the whole jukebox thing.) All in all it was such a great time this weekend.

Kelly!!!! :dance:

How awesome!

I checked CP.com just a few minutes ago and was looking like this: :stunned:

Good to hear you had a great time! :kiss:

[Christa42]

that car had to end up on coldplay.com at some point, congrats

[rita_teixeira]

I pretty much knew there was no chance of getting the guys to sign it (but I did dream a little and had a white paint pen at the ready:)) Mostly just hoping that they saw it as they flew by and got a chuckle out of it, (especially Guy because he like cars and I take it retro old stuff too from the whole jukebox thing.) All in all it was such a great time this weekend.

 

 

So the car is yours! Congrats!:dance: I knew I had seen it before:thinking:

[Ab]

That car pwns every car out there!

[Ziggy]

Roadie #42 - Blog #93

July 27, 2009 3:13 pm

#42, the Elbow shiver and the loud crowd

 

 

Getting shivers down the spine over a pop group is way too cheesy for cynical old roadfilth like me. There must have been a draught or summat... ;-)

 

R#42

 

Nice recovery, R#42. I appreciate the effort!

[Zeya]

Roadie #42 - Blog #94

July 30, 2009 10:01 am

#42 and the troublesome balcony

 

 

We arrive into the Saratoga Springs venue a little late. Well OK, we're a couple months late. This is the show that had to be re-scheduled from our last US leg. The route in seems to lead us through a wood, which is all rather pleasant for a summer's afternoon. The venue itself is a little unusual. It's a shed, like most of the others we've done in the States recently - a stage and a covered area with a lawn at the back. Here though, there is a balcony too.

 

Jonny recently said that sheds were like "doing a festival and a theatre at the same time". The balcony here means that you almost can't see the lawn and it feels more like doing a theatre with no walls where you can see a lot of trees all about the place.

 

The management office is where I usually hang out before the show if there's space. Today, the management office is huge and located right next door to the dressing room. Elbow strike up their soundcheck. I consider going out to watch them, but decide I'd better get some work done. They finish a run through "One Day Like This" and there is a strange piano coda I've never heard before added on to the end.

 

Slowly, I locate the sound and realise that it's not coming from the stage at all. It's the dressing room piano. Someone has been playing along with their soundcheck, working out the chords. My money's on Mr. Champion...

 

The universal adoration of our new friends becomes clear when their set begins and the enclave of Coldplay roadies watching their set swells from just myself and Andy Bramley to at least half a dozen assorted Coldplay crew. Finally, come Grounds For Divorce, I look to my left and none other than Mr Phil Harvey is down here in the pit with us singing along at the top of his lungs.

 

The slightly unusual layout of the venue means that not only does it look a bit different to us from the stage, but clearly for the folks in the balcony, the B and C stages are going to look either a bit strange, if not invisible. They make it through God Put A Smile and Talk on the B, before Chris decides to pull the plug and do the Hardest Part and Postcards from back on the main stage.

 

Inevitably, this generates a ripple of confusion through the crew. What's going to happen with the C-stage? If they're going to nix that too, we'd better move fast. It's a tough choice: deprive the folks who've been sat right at the back the chance to get close to the band, or go out back and disappear from view leaving the folks in the balcony only the video screens?

 

They plough out there, deciding to get in amongst it at the back and it's the right choice. Chris apologises profusely to the balcony in the encores, but it's been the best way to deal with an odd layout, I think and a good solid show all around.

 

All that remains is to head back to NYC for a couple of days off in a row. Sheer luxury. It's stormy and wet again, but to be honest, I hadn't planned on venturing into the outside world a whole lot anyways.

 

 

Over the course of the two days though, I spend a lot of time listening to other people's record collections. iTunes has this feature where you can share your library with others on the same network, which means when you are on hotel wi-fi, plenty of other folks stuff turns up. I've always had this feature turned off just as a safeguard against forgetting that I have anything work-related in my iTunes library.

 

For the two days off though, I have a lovely time wandering through other folks' libraries. I was having a discussion the other day with Dan Green that the whole aspect of displaying your record collection as a representation of who you were and of course the reverse, when you used to go to someone's house and stand there surveying their collection and passing silent judgement.

 

I come across one library that is so painfully hip that I can almost pinpoint the magazines the owner must read and feel like I can picture their very haircut. To my surprise, as I scroll through, I spy Coldplay in the artists section. Ah, only Parachutes and a couple of B-sides. Music-snob cred still intact. You wanna check 'em out now mate. They've still got it...

 

R#42

[CookyMnstr]

Elbow strike up their soundcheck. I consider going out to watch them, but decide I'd better get some work done. They finish a run through "One Day Like This" and there is a strange piano coda I've never heard before added on to the end.

 

Slowly, I locate the sound and realise that it's not coming from the stage at all. It's the dressing room piano. Someone has been playing along with their soundcheck, working out the chords. My money's on Mr. Champion...

And that is why I:heart:Will :wacky:

[Batman]

^ Awwwww :blush:

[coldplay12]

Free Strawberry Swing iPhone app launched

July 31, 2009 11:33 am

Babelgum app features the video plus games

 

Good morning. Following Babelgum's exclusive premiere of the Strawberry Swing video, they have now launched a free application for the iPhone/iPod Touch which includes the Strawberry Swing video along with the Coldplay video catalogue, a Coldplay news feed and a game based on the video. It's available to download from the iTunes store now. Click here to get it.

 

Here are a couple of screengrabs from the app's game:

 

 

 

Nifty.

 

Anchorman