You can see the guitar thing R42 was talking about in this video. From like 2.05 :)

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AFbbMRdnfM]Coldplay God Put A Smile Upon Your Face Live Music Midtown Festival Atlanta GA September 24 2011 - YouTube[/ame]

Coldplay.com shortlisted for award

26 September 2011 6:02 pm

We're up for Best Official Site thanks to your votes

 

Good evening. It was announced today that Coldplay.com has been shortlisted for the Best Official Website award at this year's BT Digital Music Awards. Thanks very much to all of you who voted for us - we obviously wouldn't have got this far without you.

 

The awards ceremony takes place in London on Thursday night - we'll let you know how we get on.

 

Anchorman

You can see the guitar thing R42 was talking about in this video. From like 2.05 :)

 

 

LOL

Relive Coldplay's Letterman performance

28 September 2011 1:33 pm

Watch the performance right here on Coldplay.com

 

Good afternoon. Last week's 11-song Live On Letterman performance is now available to watch on YouTube. Click play below to watch the entire thing, in order. (Or, if you'd like to pick a particular song, then click the little grey box to the left of 360p at the bottom right of the player.)

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtuaLctBNg0]Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto/Hurts Like Heaven (Live on Letterman) - YouTube[/ame]

 

Anchorman

Coldplay.com named Best Official Site

30 September 2011 12:25 am

A great night for Coldplay at the Digitsl Music Awards

 

Good evening. We're very proud to report that, at tonight's Digital Music Awards in London, Coldplay.com won the fan-voted award for Best Official Site. Huge thanks to all of you who voted for us. The whole Coldplay.com team - and the band themselves - are all extremely pleased.

 

Huge congratulations also to Coldplaying.com, which deservedly won the Best Fansite award.

 

For tonight, at least, it seems Coldplay pretty much rule the internet. :-)

 

 

Anchorman

They made a typo!

They made a typo!

 

what are you talking about? the news about the Digitsl Music Awards looked just fine to me. :P

The only thing I could see was they had it coldplay.com instead of Coldplay.com the C was little:shrug:

The only thing I could see was they had it coldplay.com instead of Coldplay.com the C was little:shrug:

 

In the header, it says "A great night for Coldplay at the Digitsl Music Awards."

In the header, it says "A great night for Coldplay at the Digitsl Music Awards."

 

:laugh3: Well they still made the c little :lol:

Watch tonight's Rock In Rio show on YouTube

1 October 2011 6:41 pm

Brazil show to stream live online

 

Good evening. Later tonight, Coldplay are headlining Rock In Rio festival in Brazil. If you're not lucky enough to be going along to the show, you'll be pleased to hear that you can watch it live online. The entire gig will stream live worldwide at youtube.com/rockinrio (apart from in Brazil itself, where Globo has the exclusive rights to the show). There will not be a repeat showing - so if you want to see it, you'll have to tune in live at 00.50 Rio / 23.50 New York / 04.50 London (click here to find out what time it is where you are).

 

We'll leave you with a nice picture of Rio which Jonny tweeted earlier...

 

 

Anchorman

From Facebook (it's not on coldplay.com yet)

 

Coldplay are playing in Paris on October 31 for Orange/NRJ. If you're in France, click for info about winning tickets. For the rest of us, there are some exclusive new video interviews with the band (in English) at the link - http://coldplay.orange.fr/

Intimate Paris show, plus interview videos

3 October 2011 2:37 pm

Win tickets and/or watch exclusive interview videos

 

Good afternoon. On 31 October, Coldplay are performing a special, intimate gig at la Cigale in Paris for Orange/NRJ. For those of you in France, there is a contest to win tickets at coldplay.orange.fr/ - plus, you can also watch some exclusive new interview videos with the band (in English) at that link. NRJ will also be giving away tickets on air from 10 October.

 

Anchorman

Roadie #42 - Blog #148

4 October 2011 12:32 pm

In which #42 sits by the pool and tells tales of Brazil

 

Touring is a strange activity. People generally believe that it’s all exotic travel and flash hotels. Like a long luxury holiday with a few gigs thrown in. The reality is somewhat more grubby and demanding, which makes the days where it actually *is* like that all the more surprising.

 

Today, we’re laying by the pool in Buenos Aires having what can only be described as a right result of a day. We have a 12 hour stopover between Rio De Janeiro and Cape Town. The DJ is spinning a mix of trad jazz and uber-hip sixties funk. The wine is flowing and the sun appears to be doing its best to inflict actual physical harm upon us.

 

 

Originally, today was also to have been a pretty brutal day. The previous show finished late in the morning and our flight here left early - meaning little to no sleep. We were going to be spending the twelve hours in the airport with only the plastic seats and duty free for entertainment. Today is an inspired micro-holiday, partly in honour of band assistant EJ’s birthday. She’s 5 feet to our right, celebrating amidst juggling of a pair of iPhones that steadily purr with an onslaught of requests and enquiries from multiple continents.

 

Sometimes it’s best not to try to fathom how we ended up here. Just to enjoy it before it disappears.

 

To wind back a day or two, we’ve been to Brazil.

 

 

The Rock in Rio festival is a pretty huge deal. I remember seeing footage of it on the TV many moons ago when going on tour for a living was just a silly dream. (As opposed to now, where it’s just a very silly reality) I remember thinking then, that the folks at the back of the crowd must surely have trouble seeing the stage for the curvature of the earth.

 

I’m told it was about a hundred thousand in attendance last night. Looking out from the stage, the brain stops being able to comprehend it, beyond “there’s quite a lot of people out there”. Perhaps it’s a survival mechanism when you have a job to do? Either way, my eyes know, but my brain refuses to believe.

 

It’s vaguely apocalyptic out there. There’s huge towers with searchlights scanning the masses. For reasons that must make sense to someone somewhere, there is a zip-line ride that sends crazy waving and screaming folks over the heads of the audience. It starts high above the far right side of the crowd, flying through the air fifty feet in front of the stage, eventually landing over at the other side of the field. Something tells me that health and safety in the UK might make this tricky to get away with at Glastonbury.

 

The audience itself, is utterly bonkers. Latin America is well known for having loud and enthusiastic crowds. Indeed, we didn’t even have to get to the gig to be reminded of this. Below our hotel balconies is a crowd of folks who’ve assembled the day before the gig to spend the entire day cheering and singing Coldplay tunes at the top of their lungs.

 

Encouragingly, the new tunes get top billing on their setlist.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8SrKTpQApQ]Rio fans (Roadie #42, Blog #148) - YouTube[/ame]

 

The gig was streamed live, so there’s little I can tell you about it that’s news. As the fireworks subside and the cheering still rings, the vans taking us back to the hotel pull out under police escort. There’s four vans and a half dozen police bikes. We tear down the freeway at an alarming rate commenting on how the majority of motorbike riders here seem to find crash helmets a bit passé and unnecessary.

 

Suddenly a bike pulls alongside us. Not only is the rider without a helmet, but they have a passenger casually waving at us as they match our speed. They decide to jump inside the police escort, despite the fact that all four SUVs have their hazard lights on and we’re mere feet from each other.

 

Our driver, who I’ve been beginning to suspect is actually slightly more unhinged than the average driver here, accelerates, forcing the bike up to the bumper of the vehicle in front.

 

“Whoah, easy there fella.”

 

As the van ahead speeds up, our guy pulls forwards and edges up behind the back wheel of the motorbike, giving them about an inch of clearance. I stare at him in disbelief, convinced that by the time we get back to the hotel he’ll have killed at least a couple folks, if not all of us. The bike pulls into the inside lane and both rider and passenger gesticulate passionately.

 

Despite the considerable language barrier, I find myself having no difficulty in understanding the message. Some things it seems, are universal…

 

As an encore, our intrepid charioteer zips along the seafront and completely fails to brake as the vehicle ahead stops at a light. I instinctively close my eyes as the impact arrives with a heavy crunch. The van ahead containing tour manager Franksy and assorted guests limps away with a dented bumper. Our van is just myself and soundman Dan Green. We’re within fifty feet of the hotel, so at this point we decide a little walk will do us good.

 

This brings us to 3.30 am. Lobby call for the flight to Buenos Aires is 6.45am. After packing bags and a couple hours sleep we’re off to Argentina. That brings us back to the pool where we started off this missive. If the timeline feels a little mobius, I apologise, but that’s just how it feels from this end.

 

R42

I see Sarah in the video :awesome:

congrats to all the folks who appear in the video!

Lol, just read the whole van thing :lol:

Poor Matthew and Dan :(

I see Sarah in the video :awesome:

that's the very first thing I noticed too :dazzled:

OMG, I'm on cp.com :o:dance::dead:

I'm surprised you guys recognized me :lol: But let me tell you, this might sound a bit cheesy, but I'm always amazed by what they do to us... They are so thoughtfull (the band and their crew) and really take their times to do these small things that they know that will make us happy :heart:

Awesome video! Who else from here is in it?

Great video, scary blog (the 2nd part)

Coldplayers rock!

We're on the video, there with our flag! :awesome: ( romi_chris, Melcoldplay, Dra_Jime_buckland, our friend Lily and me) So cool!

I'm sooo happy to see Argentina's Flag in that video. Thanks girls

OMG, I'm on cp.com :o:dance::dead:

I'm surprised you guys recognized me :lol: But let me tell you, this might sound a bit cheesy, but I'm always amazed by what they do to us... They are so thoughtfull (the band and their crew) and really take their times to do these small things that they know that will make us happy :heart:

 

YEY!!! AHDISLHAFVLHLV I AM TOO!!! WITH LAGA AND ROMI AND JIME AFHCLSHVLKSAHLV. Argentina was present too!

 

They made my day and month and year.. I am so happy! ♥

The Parlotones interview

5 October 2011 4:51 pm

We catch up with the support act for Coldplay's South African shows

 

This evening, Coldplay will play the first of two stadium shows in South Africa. At both the dates, the band will be supported by South African group The Parlotones. Ahead of the first show, we gave frontman Kahn Morbee a shout to find out a bit more about them.

 

 

Hello Kahn. How are you?

I’m well thanks, very excited (and nervous) for tonight’s show but I have my health.

 

Where are you right now?

I’m in the production office at Greenpoint stadium replying to your email, Coldplay are running late so I’m using the time to respond to your mail.

 

So, you've got two stadium shows coming up with Coldplay. Are you looking forward to them?

Most certainly, they are undoubtedly one of the biggest bands in the world. I’ve been a massive fan since day one and to be opening is a massive honour. I’m also very excited to see those songs (pretty much the soundtrack to my life over the last 14 years) performed live.

 

When the dates were announced, you said that Coldplay are the only band in the world that you would support in your home country - so we take it you're fans?

We’re massive fans. We kinda made a pact a while ago that we wouldn’t open for international bands on our home turf because we generally sell more albums than they do within our borders and generally the openers are given little in terms of production. However, to open for a band who’s had such an inspiration on us is a privilege we could never turn down.

 

Have you seen them live before?

Never.

 

Will you be sticking around to watch the shows?

Without a doubt, will have to restrain myself from singing along to every song to ensure I still have a voice left.

 

Will you approach the support slots slightly differently to a headline show?

Certainly in terms of how we face the production value, the ‘smoke and mirrors’ of show business. As an opener we’re restricted in terms of what bells and whistles we’re entitled to bring. It’s a short set which we’ll deliver with an onslaught of passion as if there’s 60,000 people in front of us… oh wait there is

 

For Coldplay fans reading this who aren't familiar with your music, please could you tell us a bit about the Parlotones and what you sound like.

We’re a melodic rock band with pop sensibilities. We’ve never been musical snobs and so draw influence from a myriad of genres within the rock context and popular culture. We’ve been compared to The Killers, Radiohead, Coldplay and sometimes Muse. For us those are massive compliments and perhaps fans of those bands and perhaps the bands themselves would not appreciate the comparisons but people like to pigeon hole and as far as we’re concerned that’s pretty good company.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMWvZOjI2fE]The Parlotones - I'll Be There - YouTube[/ame]

 

Does your name have anything to do with Coldplay's label, Parlophone?

100%, we’re big fans of the Coldplay, Radiohead and The Beatles. Before Coldplay came around we lived and breathed Radiohead, I learnt to play guitar by digesting The Bends, a while later Muse, Travis and Coldplay came along. Muse offered an edgier Radiohead, Travis a lighter Radiohead and Coldplay kinda nestled between Travis and Radiohead and I became a fan of all the bands. We sort of had desires to be signed to a major (this is ten years ago) and so we looked to see who our favourite bands were signed to, we discovered Radiohead, Coldplay and the Beatles are or were signed to Parlophone and so we morphed the name. We were also big fans of the Smiths and The Cure and so chucked the ‘THE’ in front to kind of pay homage to the era of THE bands. Funnily enough the ‘THE’ band name explosion re-happened a few years later when The Strokes exploded onto the scene.

 

Some readers might remember you from the star-studded World Cup opening gig which you performed at. How was that night?

Incredible. It was a proud moment for us South Africans. The cherry on the top was that we got to be a part of it, representing our country, doing what we love most in the world, playing our music to our homeland and the world. We were a part of an historic moment in South Africa’s history. It was something our wildest rock star fantasies could never have imagined.

 

Did you get to go along to some of the World Cup games too?

Yes, I love football, so I went to as many games as I could tickets to, about five.

 

It seemed like an amazing time for South Africa.

It was, it was almost surreal, kinda felt like a mushroom binge. This kind of Euphoria swept the nation for a month and then POP next month the real world and all its focus on the negative once again dominated headlines.

 

Is there a strong domestic music scene in South Africa?

It's strong with some amazing talent but is sadly not consistently well supported. We have a myriad of cultures and languages with different musical tastes and so it’s a case of a large industry divided into many pieces. This sadly means very few artists have the luxury of doing it full time. It feels like an industry running on a treadmill, a strong desire to progress and move forward but unfortunately the treadmill is littered with jaded artists who give up or move on and so a new talent enters the treadmill.

 

Are there any other South African acts we should listen out for?

So many: Locnville, Freshly Ground, A King, Zebra & Giraffe, Graeme Watkins Project, The Black Hotels, Prime Circle, Springbok Nude Girls, Lira, Ashtray Electric, Wrestlerish, Crash Car Burn.

 

There are a couple of days off between the two shows - as a local, is there anything you'd recommend Coldplay to do in those days?

Safari would be the obvious choice, The Kruger is probably the size of or bigger than England, and it's filled with an abundance of wildlife in their natural habitat. We have beautiful beaches and mountains which both offer breathtaking views and an abundance of activity. The wine growing regions in the western cape are spectacular and wine is a natural ingredient for good times.

 

You're heading to North America, the UK and Japan later in the year. Are you looking forward to that tour?

Yes, we love touring, there are aspects we don’t enjoy, but the fact that we’re touring the world and sharing our music makes us extremely content. We’re living a dream very few South Africans have had the opportunity of doing. On the global stage we’re still relatively small but it’s still surreal to believe we’re touring the music doing what we love most in the world.

 

What should people expect from those shows?

We’ve always subscribed to the belief that we play with same amount of passion in front of 100 people or 20,000 people. We love what we do, we appreciate the fact that people have invested money and most importantly time to see us and we hope that this love for what we do spills over onto the audience. Tastes and people are fickle, moments can be fleeting and we will savour them all as if it’s our last.

 

Finally, what is your favourite Coldplay song?

Sheesh, that’s so difficult to answer. Like I alluded to earlier they pretty much were part of a soundtrack to the last 14 or so years of my life. Various songs reflect different moods and phases. However if pushed to answer I’d probably say ‘Clocks’. We all love riffs, traditionally the domain of guitar, Clocks kinda says that a piano can rock a riff just as well!!

 

For more information on The Parlotones, head over to http://www.theparlotones.net.