29-Sep-2008: Palamalaguti, Bologna - Tickets, Preview, Meetups, Review/Photos

[Denise]

Here you are, it's during Viva la Vida at 3:55 :nice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d8VRKSOTH8

 

and here at the end is Chris' striptease :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_pw2NNu-ek

 

someone from coldplayzone board managed to take Chris' sweaty shirt :wacky:

[Aleluvscp]

Yea.. Chris wanted to switch shirts cos the other guy had an Obama one :lol:

[lovingChris]

:shocked2: :shocked2: seeing him nearly nacked live in action is even much more intensive than looking at the pictures :shocked2:

 

Wow what a lucky one....:flutterby:

But the crowd is very funny, they nearly killed each other to get the shirt:laugh4:...but well I mean who wouldn't ? :rolleyes:

[Denise]

A friend of mine who was on the back texted me at the end of the show asking me if I saw him and I was like "whaaattt? when did it happen?" and now seeing the video I got why I didn't see anything, I had Jonny and Guy in front of me I was not really following Chris' movements :)

[Plug_in_coldplaying]

How could you miss that? :shocked3:

[Jenjie]

Coldplay, le scalette (e le differenze) delle due date italiane: Bologna 29/9 e Milano 30/9

 

 

Le due tappe italiane dei Coldplay hanno confermato l’amore del nostro paese per la band inglese. Non solo per il tutto esaurito avvenuto con largo anticipo: lo si è visto soprattutto dalle reazioni in rete su siti, blog e community varie (Soundsblog compreso!) di questi giorni. A proposito: i palloncini che hanno invaso il parterre sono merito dei ragazzi del sito italiano ColdplayZone.

 

Poco importa se la voce di Chris Martin non fosse al massimo della forma (soprattutto a Bologna): l’ovazione è stata totale. Tanto che ad Assago, sommerso dal calore dei fan, il leader della band s’è lanciato (e ci piace credergli) con queste parole: “siete il miglior pubblico che abbiamo mai avuto”, riferendosi proprio all’Italia.

 

Dopo avervi mostrato la nostra galleria di immagini della data milanese, di seguito vi riportiamo le scalette delle due serate. Sostanzialmente uguali, riportano qualche piccola variazione: mentre a Bologna hanno suonato “The Hardest Part”, il pubblico accorso a Milano ha potuto sentire in più un accenno acustico di “Don’t Panic” e “Reign Of Love” oltre a “Shiver”. Di seguito le due tracklist dettagliate.

 

http://www.soundsblog.it/post/5261/coldplay-le-scalette-e-le-differenze-delle-due-date-italiane-bologna-299-e-milano-309

[Plug_in_coldplaying]

Here you are, it's during Viva la Vida at 3:55 :nice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d8VRKSOTH8

 

and here at the end is Chris' striptease :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_pw2NNu-ek

 

someone from coldplayzone board managed to take Chris' sweaty shirt :wacky:

 

YELLOW HAS MADE ME CRY

[Denise]

How could you miss that? :shocked3:

 

Marek let's say I'm a bit more of a Guy gal and he was right in front of me, I couldn't care less about Chris in that moment :lol:

[Pris]

I'd just like to add... I thought Chris's voice was gonna sound horrible judging by the other recent live recordings, but his voice sounded spectacular!! Not that he even needed to sing.. the entire crowd proved to be able to do that for him :D

 

I like this video.. it captures a bit of what I'm trying to say

 

YouTube - Coldplay-Fix You(Live)@Bologna 29/09/2008

 

ALE!!!!!!!!!

 

between your review/story and that video i've lost it!!!!!

 

i cried, laughed & got shivers down my spine!!!!!!!!!!!

 

and i'm so glad you had the coldplay/jonny experience you long deserved!!!!

[Aleluvscp]

ALE!!!!!!!!!

 

between your review/story and that video i've lost it!!!!!

 

i cried, laughed & got shivers down my spine!!!!!!!!!!!

 

and i'm so glad you had the coldplay/jonny experience you long deserved!!!!

Awww thank you so much Pris :kiss:

 

today has sucked terribly but that comment made me really happy :nice:

[Aleluvscp]

Marek let's say I'm a bit more of a Guy gal and he was right in front of me, I couldn't care less about Chris in that moment :lol:

I know what you mean!! I spent so much time paying attention to Jonny that I don't really remember much of what Chris did :confused:

[twistedlogic149]

Hey... whoever took those pictures posted in the home page Bologna article... what kind of camera did you use?

[Denise]

Some of my pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[coldpatrix]

My review:

 

Two pure and absolute live masterpieces. There are no other words to describe the excellence, emotional thrill and above all the uniqueness of these two concerts, that Coldplay held at Palamalaguti in Bologna and Datchforum in Milan, on 29 September and 30 September respectively.

The two gigs were really eagerly-awaited and tickets had already run out during the days just after they were put up for sale; and actually both venues were really packed, as expected. But that sold out is understandable given the only fact that the passion of Italian people for the four Brit guys has always been growing. After all, 'we're a country of passionate singers’, Chris Martin said in 2005.

The love of the Belpaese for the band is so incredibly great that the queue started from 8 a.m. on the day of the first concert in Bologna. The full staff (almost) of Coldplayzone arrived in front of the entrance No.7 at 8.45 a.m. and it came as a surprise to us that some fans were already standing here. Great: the more people being here, the easier it would be to understand the meaning of live a Coldplay show, to be deeply experienced in the flesh, because its appeal can't be put in words.

During the morning, the queue became longer and longer and those all-aged people came from almost everywhere in Italy: there' re people that had covered more than 1000 Km, or carried some chairs from home trying not to get tired, or had been doing some crosswords to kill time. Everyone is living this day in its own way.

When the Coldplayzone banner, arranged for this special occasion (with the unmistakable slogan ‘Hear Your Italian Cavalry Choirs Are Singing’), was strung up on the fence, all the Coldplayzoners moved in, wearing fabric bracelets on which their nicknames were written, and also carrying the thing that was going to become the 'main character' of the shows (no one knows yet what's going to happen): the balloons. It's great to notice that there are so many people supporting this choreography, promoted by the staff. We also found out that this involvement is not happening by word of mouth but actually a lot of people are participating to this choreography, after having visited our website. It's a real gift to us and we're really proud.

The waiting turned out to be nice. There's this ritual question ‘Do you have a balloon?’ that have been spread everywhere. There's only an answer: 'I've got tens!’. So, dreaming about the choreography (without kidding ourselves, but keeping our fingers crossed) and finally meeting those people we know only virtually, that magically (by Coldplay, maybe) become real human beings, we're going through our count-down to the doors' opening.

At last. It's 6.40 p.m., the doors open and...everybody runs towards the stage. There's a lot of people, so many people that in a bunch of minutes the parterre is swarming with boys and girls that begin to sing the theme of the song, that is already considered as the biggest hit of the music career of Coldplay: ‘Viva La Vida’.

The count-down begins (as it also starts on the big screen) while Albert Hammond Jr. is about to perform with his band.

Once the opening act is over, the balloons are inflated. At first they are about ten, then hundreds, then more and more. In the background the Blue Danube waltz, that seems to guide and shake the balloons, waiting for the most celebrated band: a huge coloured carpet, as far as the eyes can see, incredibly rich and nourished. That simple cast idea happens to be the ever coolest choreography the band have had during the ‘Viva La Vida Tour’. And when Chris and his friends entered the stage for ‘Life In Technicolor’, the eyes of the frontman are actually incredulous and excited, and he almost decides to come out the curtain to catch the twinkling of lights and colours. That's a ‘life in technicolor’!

The band realised that the Italian warmth consists in surprise them or be involved in their shows but also in living deeply their songs. How's that? Just singing them, that's the best and powerful way to do it. During ‘Violet Hill’, ‘Clocks’, ‘In My Place’ and ‘Speed Of Sound’, Chris almost struggles on singing over those 13.000 voices of the building: Italy has been waiting for so long, too long. The country that 'hosted' them while they were deciding about the track-listing of ‘Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends’, the country where they were shooting the video of ‘Violet Hill’, it's now asserting its affection, with a load of feelings, joy and passion. Some crying and some smiling, tears and grins, rapture and dancing, seem to lead the 'Italian cavalry’ of the New Millennium's Band away, in a timeless dimension, beyond the limits but following the only rule: heart and soul.

During ‘Cemeteries Of London’ the refrain became a lullaby, a request, a reaction. And they realised that. They said ‘you Italians are the best audience ever’, from the famous cliché ‘Italians Do It Better’, but from a musical point of view.

With a tense and clear sound, with the voice of Chris, more captivating and plainer than usual, and Jon Buckland on the shields, ‘Chinese Sleep Chant’ resounds in the building like an overwhelming sound stream.

Mr. Martin couldn't believe it, when on ‘42’ an amazing choir overwhelms his voice. He seems even a bit annoyed, as if he could not sing, or tell us to stop, he could not quench that willing of screaming we are there, like a stone we hang on in order to not fall, that will be there for us, not to hit us but to support and help us.

With those recurring thoughts, Guy Berryman strikes as he realises that here in Italy ‘Fix You’ is not a ditty, but a kind of song to life, a flurry that gets us to be aware of ourselves, about what we’re wishing and how to realize our potential. There’s no point saying that the final is entirely sung by the audience…

In ‘Strawberry Swing’ Jon Buckland gives full measure in a guitar loop, worthy of the splendour the actual best band achieved. The handcalpping – those hands, that were shaking the balloons, now beat time of the song that highlights this evening: 'It's such a perfect day'’.

The band moved to the B- stage on the right to perform two alternative versions of two past great fortes: ‘God Put A Smile Upon Your Face’ and ‘Talk’. The scene features small lights (mobile phones, cameras and other tech stuff). It feels like listening to the best music in the world beneath a starry sky. The same sky that holds the sound softness and the legerity of Chris' voice (really rebel tonight, without control) in a superb ‘The Hardest Part’, kind of piano melodic lullaby. The audience's choir quietens down, and never disturbing.

While we're closing the eyes and listening in silence to the instrumental piece ‘Postcards From Far Away’, a perfect fusion among the piano of Martin, the gentle guitar of Buckland and the subtle bass of Berryman, a passage opens, we're not capable of noticing where we are, with whom or when. Light appears at the end of that tunnel and we hear the violin distorted sound of that masterpiece called ‘Viva La Vida’, acknowledged by everyone as the only best song of the year and chosen to be our hymn to life, joy and craze. It's amazing seeing the many different reaction to this song: there's who sing, cry, dance, jump and even faint. Will Champion opened and closed the singing with an incredibly strong and powerful voice: he really sings following his heart and banging his drums, like a blacksmith, and also that bell that brings us to a big Christmas party. Chris is a dragonfly, a butterfly: he flies everywhere and he receives the excitement of his fans, also catching our banner and realizing that he's living in a parallel dimension, just like us.

The audience is delighted, in a trance state, almost 'stoned' and ’rapturous' by this heavenly music, Guy changes place towards the drum and ‘Lost!’ fills up the air. That's a song!!! The guys are really hard at it, with a grit never achieved in the past. And the audience supported them.

After a short waiting, and they come back on the C-Stage, among those seats of a literally crazy gallery, that was not expecting this sudden showing up. Chris thanks heart and soul all the Italian supporters. The acoustic version of ‘The Scientist’ begins. The final choirs makes the walls shiver. They makes the hearts pound. They shake the minds. And in a flash, the sound turns into a rhythmic handclapping for ‘Death Will Never Conquer’, while Will Champion ‘from Southampton’ is introduced by Chris Martin. Guitar, mouth-organ and vocals: is there anything more intense than that? The essential becomes wholeness.

After a bit of dance music with ‘Viva La Vida Interlude Remix’ (a 4 minutes break, during which disco music is the centre of the world and the choirs of the supporters keep repeating endlessly), the band comes back on the stage and proves its power in ‘Politik’, particularly appreciated. The final part fades into the classic music piece by Satie, thanks to the interpretation by Chris of ‘Six Gnossiennes 1’ that make the eyes of the audience glisten.

The last part is like out of control excitement, something that everyone should live before of dying. The first song is ‘Lovers In Japan’. Some pictures of far world slide on the background screen, Asia. The lyrics merge in unison and during the refrains our eyes are caught by this huge rain of paper butterflies. And there's a feeling that joins us: freedom, joy, life.

This last emotion ends in a loud scream for ‘Death And All His Friends’. An involving piano in the first part, and then the other instruments, and the final choir that, after this absolute emotion, anyone would ‘follow death and all his friends’. Hope, the need to live, joy of life, the feeling of enjoying all those incredible things the world and time have offered us, are gathered like a wild molecule in this exciting song.

The band leaves the stage and then comes back to perform the most awaited song by the audience: ‘Yellow’. ‘Yellow’, with which everyone has been growing up, falling in love, that have introduced the band to us, is not sung by Chris: we want to sing it so badly, our voice is too strong, it belongs to us and we're going on singing it. The band, at the end of the song, thanks us as we are thanking them. But our acknowledgement is never-ending.

With the notes of ‘The Escapist’ the first 2008 Italian night of Coldplay is over. Hugs, kisses, tears, new friendships… everything is ready for tomorrow.

[Aleluvscp]

:cry: Pat that's beautiful... you gave me goosebumps. I just re-lived the concert :cry::cry:

[coldpatrix]

Thanks a lot, Alejandra!

[Denise]

More pics (I'm sorting them out little by little)

 

 

 

Happy Chris :nice:

 

 

Jonny coming over for In My Place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strawberry Swing

 

[Gya]

 

What an awesome front row. Crowns, balloons, a smiling security guard, haha!

[MeriCri]

I've just read the post concerning Roadie #42 blog #36. There is a little change talking about the gold paper crowns. Here's the last post ( ... ). And, yes ... gigs were sooo good! :D

 

PS: thanks for your pics!

 

 

 

Roadie #42 - Blog #36

October 2, 2008 1:32 pm

#42 is your Italian stallion

 

As we arrive at the airport in Zurich, ready to head for Bologna, we see that there are some fans gathered at the entrance. Not so unusual, except that they are the very same fans that were waiting outside the hotel when we just left. Not only do they know our movements, but they've done the same journey as us and beaten us here. It gets even more strange when Trainer Dan (who keeps the fellas in shape) mentions that they were around when he and Guy went out for a run. I'm not even sure if they weren't at the airport when we arrived yesterday. They've collared the guys for photos and signatures several times in one city. It's like some strange inverse micro-touring. The band are travelling from city to city to play to as many fans as possible and here are a group of fans travelling all over a single city to see the band as many times as possible. They're harmless enough and pleasant, but you have to wonder how exactly they know where everyone's going to be and when - particularly when we generally have little idea from one minute to the next!

 

The trip to Bologna is quick, but beautiful. Here's a quick view from our morning ride into work:

 

 

It's another very boomy arena in Bologna, which once again brings out the RAWK! in soundcheck. Back In Black gets another rollicking run through, which morphs into 136. I'm not sure I've heard that one since they did it in Reykjavik in 2002 with Tim from Ash on guitar. Also this afternoon, comes another run through of Glass of Water. Today sees another rather interesting additional guitar player join the camp for this track. The chorus on this one is pretty monstrous. It seems to fit huge echo-y arenas perfectly. It's rocky and it's joyous and it expresses a band at the top of their game very well I think.

 

Italy can occasionally be somewhat challenging for roadies. Things here are, hmmm, how does one put this? "More relaxed", I guess is the best phrase to use. Vital things such as the huge electrical supplies that power the entire show can be rather cheerfully vague and efforts to correct major issues can be met with an even more vague shrug. The thing that overrides all of this though and makes it worthwhile is the Italian crowds. They are unfailingly wonderful.

 

I'm under the stage having a tidy up when the doors open to the punters in Bologna. This lot are already singing the Viva tune as they stream onto the floor. An Italian fansite has also organised the bringing of balloons, which they're bouncing and batting about the place long before the band take the stage. If they're this noisy and excitable at an empty stage, the gig can only be a good 'un.

 

And indeed it is. I can't remember a louder crowd this whole tour. It's a great point in the tour to get a crowd like this. The set has settled to the point where the band can actually start really relaxing and enjoying it, as well as being aware of what's going on around them. We're also about five weeks into a run of shows and frankly, everyone is knackered. A vibe like tonight lifts everyone like a very, loud cheering and screaming shot in the arm. The balloons make an appearance on the B Stage, as one makes its way up. Chris announces that he will perform "the next song as a fat man. This is what Coldplay will look like in thirty years' time" The balloon goes up the shirt and true to his word, the song is delivered in a most overweight fashion.

 

 

As well as balloons, there are gold paper crowns from another fansite, presumably in tribute to Anton Corbijn's Viva La Vida video. Chris picks one up in the midst of the song and it soon ends up perched on Guy's head. Rather suits him, actually.

 

 

This brings us to Milan. Glass of Water gets another airing, again with mystery extra band member. The crowd arrive with even more balloons and even more gold paper crowns. They're also just as loud as last night. It's a top, top show which brings us towards the end of what has been an utterly fantastic touring leg. There's a whole bunch of touring to go before this campaign is over, but if it's all as good as this past month or so has been, we're all going to go home for Christmas very happy.

 

 

Roadie #42

[coldplay_are_forever]

Does anybody know where I could get a bootleg of this Concert please, please?? :):D

[Macintosh]

 

What an awesome front row. Crowns, balloons, a smiling security guard, haha!

 

"Smiling security guard" - it is a joke! I wanted to kill them at budapest gig!!! But maybe italians guard is really sweet boys?)

[Denise]

I can't believe it was two years ago, what an awesome awesome night :nice: