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


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Roadie #42 - Blog #16

We're in the mountains doing a festival right now.

In the meantime, here are some photos from during Yellow the other night.

R#42

 

 

 

 

Philly-1-2.jpg

 

 

His shaved look is just incredibly awesome:shocked2::kiss:to kill me....

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Roadie #42 - Blog #17

July 30, 2008 11:02 pm

#42 becomes a mountain person

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We arrive in Whistler pretty dazed and confused. The travel has been fairly brutal once again - but hey,nobody said it was easy...

 

All I knew about this in advance was that it's a festival. I think I vaguely got the idea that there would be some trees. But the van ride from the airport to Whistler lays it all out before us in glorious technicolour. Mountains, lakes, glacial streams, it's all here. The road hairpins its way around the mountains revealing another breathtaking vista with every turn. By the time we reach the hotel, pretty much the entire crew have decided that they're going to knock touring on the head and retire here to write their memoirs. OK, maybe that's just me, but it's pretty much as gorgeous as planet earth gets here, so suddenly the sleep deprivation seems a little more worthwhile.

 

The fact that the hotel itself is an out of season ski-lodge can't help but bring to mind 'The Shining'. This doesn't improve when I meet Production Assistant Marguerite in the lobby at 3am for the load-in. She tells me there is only one road in and out, which has been closed due to an accident. I decide to go back to bed, but the first sign of a little bloke on a trike shouting "Red rum" and I'm off.

 

Cutting to the show itself, I can't not mention standing at the side of the stage to watch Jay-Z's set. Notonly is he more than able to blow a crowd away, but the punters are right up for it. As for his band - well any tighter and they'd have imploded. He "bigs up" our boys generously before he leaves and walks away from a job well done - not to mention leaving the bar set rather high.

 

Never ones to shy away from a challenge, our fellas throw themselves into it with abandon. It's one of those size crowds where you start to wonder whether the people at the back can see for the curvature of the earth, but they're clearly trying to project right to the very back. As they steam into In My Place, every part of Will's drumkit is bouncing,rocking and swinging in an almost cartoon-like slo-mo explosion. It looks like he's literally trying to break his kit to pieces - and may well succeed!

 

Inevitably, the hits get the rowdiest response. Festivals are ever thus. It's telling, though, that despite the prospect of utterly horrendous traffic and the temptation of leaving early, the crowd hardly dwindles until the outro is run. It's been the first run for the Pemberton festival, as well as the first festival show for us on this tour. I reckon we all did pretty damn well.

 

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http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=86

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August 1, 2008 4:51 pm

Here it on August 8th

 

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Good evening. On July 25th, in the fine city of Philadelphia, National Public Radio's David Dye interviewed all four members of Coldplay for his World Cafe programme. We have learned that this interview will be broadcast on Friday, August 8th on almost 200 radio stations worldwide. Click here to find out which station local to you will be broadcasting it. Alternatively, you'll be able to listen online here between 2pm and 4pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Anchorman

 

http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=87

 

(He spelt hear wrong :P)

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:blush:

 

Roadie #42 - Blog #18

August 3, 2008 5:00 pm

#42 reports from Canada

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So that's Canada done for a little while, eh? This time out, a good proportion of the crew are Canadians, so Chris's claim from the stage that it's a "home from home" have an extra resonance. As soon as Life In Technicolor hits in Montreal, I'm suddenly reminded about this place. Nobody knows whether it's the crowd or the acoustics, but the cheering is absolutely deafening throughout, which can't help but lift the show to new heights.

 

There's a mix up over the piano early on in the set and nobody can work out if it's actually broken. We've carried a spare piano for about five years now and never had to switch them out mid-show. I've always wondered if it would even be possible - after all, it's not like strapping on a new guitar if there's a broken string...

 

My question is answered when I get around the curtain behind the stage. There is a huge crowd of riggers, carpenters and other assorted roadies huddled at the bottom of the stairs around the spare piano. Many of them are in bodybuilder poses in readiness for the dead-lift ahead. As soon as the lights fade up on the B-stage, there is an ant-like frenzy of activity as the switch takes place. It's a glorious group effort and a truly textbook manoeuvre. I can't help but ask Chris what the trouble was as we head back to the hotel later. Was the damper pedal stuck? Had one of the hammers broken? No, he explains somewhat sheepishly. "I thought we were doing a different song and I panicked". Classic! Well at least we've had a good drill and we know we can do it!

 

Toronto will always be a special show for Coldplay. They chose to film here last time for a reason and we're reminded all over again why that was. It's also a glorious two shows in a row here which, for the crew means that the first night is a "walk away". For those not familiar with roadie parlance, this means no load-out! Not only that, but there is a party down the road and tour manager Franksy is buying.

 

It's pretty much the first time we've had the band and crew in one place at one time on this tour and there is plenty of back slapping, hugging and not a little drinking. Unsurprisingly, most people gravitate to the quietest, lowest profile part of the club and pretty soon we're all in the basement. The DJ puts on a dance remix of Viva and there is a collective whince. When it finally fades, it's replaced with Kanye West's Homecoming. I turn and see Chris with his head in his hands from embarrassment and Will shaking his head. Soon, normal service is resumed, with the speakers booming Franksy's voice. He announces that it's time to celebrate Mr Champion's birthday. A cake arrives, the song is sung and glasses are raised. Franksy gives thanks on Will's behalf and then explains there will be no speeches. I expect he may have even had a drink or two on Will's behalf. Always going the extra mile...

 

The second Air Canada Center crowd is even louder than the first, giving way to discussion that they may have been louder even than Montreal - a feat previously thought impossible. Just as well that they're in good voice, as they are invited to give Will his second song of the day. What better way to turn 30 than in front of a bunch of rowdy Canadians?

 

 

 

 

The ending of Speed Of Sound gets extended and in the darkness, Chris's piano carries on. Slowly, it becomes apparent that he's picking out another tune. The crowd roars as he begins to sing and people realise it's an impromptu rendition of The Hardest Part. Will chimes in with a harmony and they gently pull out a rather wonderful version of the song completely from nowhere. I've always loved it when the fellas go off the set-list and I'm really pleased that it's happening a lot on this tour. I'm reminded of the Rush Of Blood tour, when I first heard Moses long after the house lights had gone back up, people were leaving and the guitars were back in their cases. It's great to see them relaxed enough to play with things this early in the tour. There's a minor technical glitch though, which breaks the spell and the bubble bursts, the moment gone forever.

 

Or at least until the encore... Politik ends and the same "piano in the darkness" emerges. The guys reprise The Hardest Part giving it a dignified finish to insane applause. Nice recovery!

 

With the show complete, the vans pull up at the plane and it's been turned into a full-on party-tube. Our very own air traffic controller Janice (with help from trainer Dan) has decorated the place with balloons, streamers, banners and some rather funky disco balls. By the time we sing the third and final Happy Birthday of the day, it may well be far enough past midnight that it's not actually strictly accurate. Either way, it's an event well celebrated. Cheers Mr. C!

 

 

and a cute video of people singing happy birthday to Will :blush:

 

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

 

http://coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=90

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