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[Grande] 14-Jul-08: Forum, Inglewood, CA - Tickets, Preview, Meetups, Review/Photos


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Coldplay At The Forum

 

LINE OF THE NIGHT

 

So I’m wandering the Forum floor, looking for Lisa and Brooks, and I run into Dave. He’s just upgraded a young couple from the cheap seats to the first five rows. They’re giddy, in a state of disbelief, and I say I want to go on his next mission, into the stratosphere, to rescue some more real fans.

 

Dave’s eyes light up, we get ready to ascend the stairs, but we can’t lay our hands on any more tickets. They’ve all been given away. All five front rows have been populated.

 

So Dave asks if I want to meet the band.

 

I say no. This is always a waste of time. Something for the mental scrapbook, something to whip out to show others what a hotshot you are when really the band has no fucking clue who you are. But Dave said Chris knew who I was. Thinking this was possible, since Chris’ best friend, the fifth member of Coldplay, had said at dinner that Chris reads everything about him, takes the temperature of Coldplay fans, even in chat rooms, I agreed.

 

So, we enter the bowels of the Forum and Dave tells me to wait a second, he wants to go into the dressing room first.

 

That’s cool.

 

Upon emerging, Dave says Chris is going to come to us, that we should sit in the "Family Room" and await him. And we’re doing so, catching up on the band’s history, its decision to do the iTunes commercial, which at first the band was reluctant to do, and a small black man enters and he and Dave strike up a conversation. Does he need a bottle of water? No, he’s afraid he’s going to have to pee during the show. Feeling the exact same way, I mention this and when this gentleman turns to look at me I realize it’s Kanye West.

 

 

I’m stunned. He’s absent all the attitude, all the chutzpah paraded in the press. He’s nice. He’s gentle. And he’s young. I can’t believe how young he is. THIS is the guy everyone believes is such a terror?

 

After talking for a while, we decide to venture into the band’s dressing room ourselves. Where Dave introduces me to Chris, who looks at me like he’s never heard of me before. Feeling like every other dumb ass loser, I pipe up that I’m the one who writes the newsletter. Ah, the nod of recognition. Chris is introducing me to the rest of the band. I can’t believe they’re so calm before the show, I wouldn’t want to hang with unknowns minutes before going on stage. And then, Kanye asks my last name…

And I start telling Chris not to listen to the critics. To just do what he wants. That the haters have an agenda. And Chris tells me he doesn’t hate anybody, not even Bill O’Reilly.

 

I’m making no headway here. Chris Martin is just too nice.

 

So I decide to switch subjects. I decide to get into it with Kanye. I start talking about Bonnaroo.

 

And Kanye says to me: I DON’T TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

 

MARTY, ET AL

 

That’s the first recognizable face I saw in the corridors of the Forum. Marty Diamond and ultimately his New York Paradigm team. And after discussing dogs, finally meeting up with Dave Holmes, we go to have dinner.

 

Which is quite a spread. The lamb chops were best. But I couldn’t resist the desserts. A pecan pie and some chocolate concoction that was perfectly sweet.

 

Dave told me about the festival he’s doing north of the border, just east of Whistler, Pemberton. How they’ve already sold in excess of 35,000 tickets, are in the black.

And we get into a discussion of V.I.P ticketing.

 

That’s when Dave and Marty tell me about their solution. The aforementioned upgrade. They leave the first five rows blank and install real fans. And they were right. Because during the show, these people were animated, they stood, and those who bought their tickets from StubHub behind them remained seated. Still, I thought that V.I.P. was best, because the thing most people want is A ticket. Price is secondary. Which Rapino confirmed, but I’m getting ahead of myself. With so few tickets actually for sale, and the inability to get a good one, the fan feels fucked. And, speaking of being fucked, it was $22 to park at the Forum. The band and the promoter get none of this, but they do end up getting hated for it. Can’t we get everybody on the same page?

 

And Marty told of telling one of his acts to cut extra lights, a truck and personnel to save money on the road.

 

And then we discussed Mt. Everest, and the Live Nation team entered the room.

 

RAPINO

 

Nick Masters was telling me that home construction had finally caught up with Glen Helen. I’m taking his word for it, the last time I went there, in 2000, to see AC/DC, I felt lucky to emerge with my life.

 

Nick said business was good. Especially in San Diego, which had been soft the summer before. People want to come to shows. And, they’re doing innovative marketing, like 4-Packs.

 

And then Michael Rapino entered the room.

 

I tell you, Rapino can give Steve Jobs a run for his money, when it comes to the reality distortion field. They’ve both got their routine down so well, and deliver it so smoothly, that you can’t see any holes. You’re closed.

 

Rapino says Live Nation’s not for sale.

 

But I asked him how many times his mentor Michael Cohl had sold his company.

But Rapino said Cohl was gone.

 

Their goal is to have a trust relationship with the artist, and allow them to maximize their revenue by selling a ton of different products.

 

Like with Nickelback… The label could no longer say no. That had been the problem, the label wouldn’t approve anything. Now you could sell/give away a t-shirt with the music, with a ticket. All the revenue flowed into one pot, it was good for everybody.

And it’s all about the Website. Collecting e-mail addresses and maximizing revenue.

Michael brought up some things I couldn’t believe. Like giving regular customers better service, i.e. better tickets! He spoke of personally answering customer complaints. Told how sometimes the customer was right, had thought of things he and his team had not.

 

This was not your father’s music business.

 

But Live Nation is still dependent upon acts. And Rapino said that wasn’t their focus.

 

They were a buyer of talent, not a builder.

 

At least he was honest.

 

THE SHOW

 

I’m hanging with the manager of Depeche Mode. I’m telling him they should play the Super Bowl. How it’s a perfect fit. They’ve got the audience and the NFL needs the edge. And Rick Rubin appears. And then Kanye. And then Jonah Hill. He and Kanye high five. It’s like the cliche…does everybody in showbiz know each other?

 

And it’s not until ten minutes into the show that I realize I’m sitting next to Eva Longoria and Tony Parker. These people, if they weren’t famous, you wouldn’t stare. But since they are, it’s hard not to.

 

Eva fell asleep in the middle of the show. She and Tony left early. But Rick didn’t. He was nodding his head, he had his hands in the air, just like everybody else.

 

Point is, THE AUDIENCE LOVED IT!

 

I could break the show down in detail, but that’s not the point. You pay your money, you want to have a good time. Coldplay delivered.

 

The highlight was an intimate, almost acoustic set, right in front of me, on a lighted floor. They were playing live, no tapes, no hard drive, they get props for that!

And then, two-thirds of the way through the show, they ran up to the rafters and performed a two song truly acoustic set, including "Yellow".

 

There was production, white hanging balls with projectors inside… No one was going to complain he didn’t get his money’s worth.

 

AFTER SHOW

 

I saw Mark Burnett in the Forum Club, wearing a scarf. He may be a zillionaire, but he was out of his element.

 

And Kate Bosworth… Fewer lip injections and more meals and I might be interested.

Zach Braff was casual.

 

Yes, the stars came out. Because the band’s that big and it’s L.A. The haters are those who can’t get in, those who love bands that can’t draw.

 

CONCLUSION

 

It’s supposed to be an event. Your adrenaline is supposed to pump, you’re supposed to feel fully alive. You’re supposed to connect with the music, listening to it in so many environments in your life and finally hearing it LIVE! FEELING it live.

 

This is an experience that can’t be stolen. You can’t see it on television, not at a movie theatre. Can one have sympathy for record labels singing the blues after they purveyed mindless, evanescent crap that only looked good in those media, sucked live? To make it today, you’ve got to be able to play, you’ve got to be able to sing. You’ve got to be able to touch people’s lives.

 

It’s not Doug Morris’ world, it’s Michael Rapino’s.

 

But most of all, it’s Chris Martin’s.

 

You dream of making it. You work harder than anybody else and your prayers are answered. It’s hard to stay on an even keel. And when you feel that hit of adoration as the lights go down, the curtain goes up and you start to sing, you know there’s no place you’d rather be. With the audience with its heads in the air, singing to the heavens the songs you wrote. That are part of their lives as much as their parents and significant others. There’s power in this music, that’s why these musicians are stars. Not because they’re gossiped about on TMZ, not because they’re written about. It all comes down to the music. A critical mass of people love Coldplay’s music. And that’s what it’s all about.

 

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2008/07/15/coldplay-at-the-forum/

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LA show review

 

Coldplay's world tour off to solid start

 

?m=02&d=20080716&t=2&i=5184124&w=&r=2008-07-16T012526Z_01_N15361744_RTRUKOP_0_PICTURE0

 

By Darryl Morden

 

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Coldplay is striving for arena-rock epic greatness, but it's not there yet.

 

Still, the British band turned in a solid performance, with only a few misfires, in launching its world tour Monday night at the Forum arena in Inglewood.

 

The quartet is good; it's just not consistently great. There's a lot of heart but little wallop, and that's where the group came up short.

 

Coldplay certainly has all the right elements: a personable frontman in singer Chris Martin, inventive guitar work from Johnny Buckland and a skillful rhythm section in bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion. Add a knack for warm-and-fuzzy songs and a social conscience (reps from Oxfam America were on site), and it should all add up.

 

Despite some free concerts in June that served as warm-up shows, the band was in work-out-the-kinks mode Monday. The Forum isn't known for pristine sound -- far from it -- but technology has improved, and yet the mix was surprisingly muddy, even shrill at times.

 

There was some gimmicky staging, with lasers right out of 1978 and dangling video globes and raining confetti that seemed more suited to the Hannah Montana set than Coldplay's adult audience, which also was heavily female.

 

The nearly 90-minute show kicked off with the instrumental "Life in Technicolor," which leads off Coldplay's chart-topping new album "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" (Capitol). But the song is all buildup with no payoff, music in search of a film soundtrack. The band followed with the McCartneyesque current single "Violet Hill," which gave way to a gliding rendition of the older "Clocks" and head-bobbing "In My Place."

 

Frequently employing backing tracks -- they couldn't just recruit a tour keyboardist? -- allowed Martin to work the crowd with his spastic hopping about, the entire band making good use of catwalks jutting from each side of the stage into the arena floor.

 

The sold-out crowd was pumped up and ready for every ooh-ahh sing-along opportunity, like the new "Viva la Vida," and also went wild for all those Martin piano ballads of romantic introspection.

 

Some of the new material came off as clumsy and didn't click, but just when it looked like things might falter, the band got its act together, scaling down for a bittersweet "Trouble" and a slightly awkward though still crowd-pleasing "Speed of Sound." The ringing "Talk" was missing in action, though, and should be added to the set list.

 

A definite highlight came with one of the simplest moments as the band walked the floor toward the rear of the arena and headed upstairs to the back corner colonnade for a rearranged, gentle acoustic version of the swelling ballad "Yellow" and the folksy "Death Will Never Conquer" -- a free download on the group's Web site right now -- with drummer Champion on lead vocals. The two songs brought the group and audience together more than all the light and video trappings and layered backing tracks earlier in the evening.

 

The night's final numbers included an overdone "Fix You," with a church organ opening, and the galloping, U2-styled "Lovers in Japan," which came close to that epic heroism Coldplay is shooting for and just might achieve as the tour continues.

 

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN1536174420080716?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews&pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

 

(don't kill me if it's been posted :D)

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Coldplay At The Forum

 

LINE OF THE NIGHT

 

So I’m wandering the Forum floor, looking for Lisa and Brooks, and I run into Dave. He’s just upgraded a young couple from the cheap seats to the first five rows. They’re giddy, in a state of disbelief, and I say I want to go on his next mission, into the stratosphere, to rescue some more real fans.

 

Dave’s eyes light up, we get ready to ascend the stairs, but we can’t lay our hands on any more tickets. They’ve all been given away. All five front rows have been populated.

 

So Dave asks if I want to meet the band.

 

I say no. This is always a waste of time. Something for the mental scrapbook, something to whip out to show others what a hotshot you are when really the band has no fucking clue who you are. But Dave said Chris knew who I was. Thinking this was possible, since Chris’ best friend, the fifth member of Coldplay, had said at dinner that Chris reads everything about him, takes the temperature of Coldplay fans, even in chat rooms, I agreed.

 

So, we enter the bowels of the Forum and Dave tells me to wait a second, he wants to go into the dressing room first.

 

That’s cool.

 

Upon emerging, Dave says Chris is going to come to us, that we should sit in the "Family Room" and await him. And we’re doing so, catching up on the band’s history, its decision to do the iTunes commercial, which at first the band was reluctant to do, and a small black man enters and he and Dave strike up a conversation. Does he need a bottle of water? No, he’s afraid he’s going to have to pee during the show. Feeling the exact same way, I mention this and when this gentleman turns to look at me I realize it’s Kanye West.

 

I’m stunned. He’s absent all the attitude, all the chutzpah paraded in the press. He’s nice. He’s gentle. And he’s young. I can’t believe how young he is. THIS is the guy everyone believes is such a terror?

 

After talking for a while, we decide to venture into the band’s dressing room ourselves. Where Dave introduces me to Chris, who looks at me like he’s never heard of me before. Feeling like every other dumb ass loser, I pipe up that I’m the one who writes the newsletter. Ah, the nod of recognition. Chris is introducing me to the rest of the band. I can’t believe they’re so calm before the show, I wouldn’t want to hang with unknowns minutes before going on stage. And then, Kanye asks my last name…

 

And I start telling Chris not to listen to the critics. To just do what he wants. That the haters have an agenda. And Chris tells me he doesn’t hate anybody, not even Bill O’Reilly.

 

I’m making no headway here. Chris Martin is just too nice.

 

So I decide to switch subjects. I decide to get into it with Kanye. I start talking about Bonnaroo.

 

And Kanye says to me: I DON’T TAKE THE HIGH ROAD!

 

MARTY, ET AL

 

That’s the first recognizable face I saw in the corridors of the Forum. Marty Diamond and ultimately his New York Paradigm team. And after discussing dogs, finally meeting up with Dave Holmes, we go to have dinner.

 

Which is quite a spread. The lamb chops were best. But I couldn’t resist the desserts. A pecan pie and some chocolate concoction that was perfectly sweet.

 

Dave told me about the festival he’s doing north of the border, just east of Whistler, Pemberton. How they’ve already sold in excess of 35,000 tickets, are in the black.

 

And we get into a discussion of V.I.P ticketing.

 

That’s when Dave and Marty tell me about their solution. The aforementioned upgrade. They leave the first five rows blank and install real fans. And they were right. Because during the show, these people were animated, they stood, and those who bought their tickets from StubHub behind them remained seated. Still, I thought that V.I.P. was best, because the thing most people want is A ticket. Price is secondary. Which Rapino confirmed, but I’m getting ahead of myself. With so few tickets actually for sale, and the inability to get a good one, the fan feels fucked. And, speaking of being fucked, it was $22 to park at the Forum. The band and the promoter get none of this, but they do end up getting hated for it. Can’t we get everybody on the same page?

 

And Marty told of telling one of his acts to cut extra lights, a truck and personnel to save money on the road.

 

And then we discussed Mt. Everest, and the Live Nation team entered the room.

 

RAPINO

 

Nick Masters was telling me that home construction had finally caught up with Glen Helen. I’m taking his word for it, the last time I went there, in 2000, to see AC/DC, I felt lucky to emerge with my life.

 

Nick said business was good. Especially in San Diego, which had been soft the summer before. People want to come to shows. And, they’re doing innovative marketing, like 4-Packs.

 

And then Michael Rapino entered the room.

 

I tell you, Rapino can give Steve Jobs a run for his money, when it comes to the reality distortion field. They’ve both got their routine down so well, and deliver it so smoothly, that you can’t see any holes. You’re closed.

 

Rapino says Live Nation’s not for sale.

 

But I asked him how many times his mentor Michael Cohl had sold his company.

 

But Rapino said Cohl was gone.

 

Their goal is to have a trust relationship with the artist, and allow them to maximize their revenue by selling a ton of different products.

 

Like with Nickelback… The label could no longer say no. That had been the problem, the label wouldn’t approve anything. Now you could sell/give away a t-shirt with the music, with a ticket. All the revenue flowed into one pot, it was good for everybody.

 

And it’s all about the Website. Collecting e-mail addresses and maximizing revenue.

 

Michael brought up some things I couldn’t believe. Like giving regular customers better service, i.e. better tickets! He spoke of personally answering customer complaints. Told how sometimes the customer was right, had thought of things he and his team had not.

 

This was not your father’s music business.

 

But Live Nation is still dependent upon acts. And Rapino said that wasn’t their focus. They were a buyer of talent, not a builder.

 

At least he was honest.

 

THE SHOW

 

I’m hanging with the manager of Depeche Mode. I’m telling him they should play the Super Bowl. How it’s a perfect fit. They’ve got the audience and the NFL needs the edge. And Rick Rubin appears. And then Kanye. And then Jonah Hill. He and Kanye high five. It’s like the cliche…does everybody in showbiz know each other?

 

And it’s not until ten minutes into the show that I realize I’m sitting next to Eva Longoria and Tony Parker. These people, if they weren’t famous, you wouldn’t stare. But since they are, it’s hard not to.

 

Eva fell asleep in the middle of the show. She and Tony left early. But Rick didn’t. He was nodding his head, he had his hands in the air, just like everybody else.

 

Point is, THE AUDIENCE LOVED IT!

 

I could break the show down in detail, but that’s not the point. You pay your money, you want to have a good time. Coldplay delivered.

 

The highlight was an intimate, almost acoustic set, right in front of me, on a lighted floor. They were playing live, no tapes, no hard drive, they get props for that!

 

And then, two-thirds of the way through the show, they ran up to the rafters and performed a two song truly acoustic set, including "Yellow".

 

There was production, white hanging balls with projectors inside… No one was going to complain he didn’t get his money’s worth.

 

AFTER SHOW

 

I saw Mark Burnett in the Forum Club, wearing a scarf. He may be a zillionaire, but he was out of his element.

 

And Kate Bosworth… Fewer lip injections and more meals and I might be interested.

 

Zach Braff was casual.

 

Yes, the stars came out. Because the band’s that big and it’s L.A. The haters are those who can’t get in, those who love bands that can’t draw.

 

CONCLUSION

 

It’s supposed to be an event. Your adrenaline is supposed to pump, you’re supposed to feel fully alive. You’re supposed to connect with the music, listening to it in so many environments in your life and finally hearing it LIVE! FEELING it live.

 

This is an experience that can’t be stolen. You can’t see it on television, not at a movie theatre. Can one have sympathy for record labels singing the blues after they purveyed mindless, evanescent crap that only looked good in those media, sucked live? To make it today, you’ve got to be able to play, you’ve got to be able to sing. You’ve got to be able to touch people’s lives.

 

It’s not Doug Morris’ world, it’s Michael Rapino’s.

 

But most of all, it’s Chris Martin’s.

 

You dream of making it. You work harder than anybody else and your prayers are answered. It’s hard to stay on an even keel. And when you feel that hit of adoration as the lights go down, the curtain goes up and you start to sing, you know there’s no place you’d rather be. With the audience with its heads in the air, singing to the heavens the songs you wrote. That are part of their lives as much as their parents and significant others. There’s power in this music, that’s why these musicians are stars. Not because they’re gossiped about on TMZ, not because they’re written about. It all comes down to the music. A critical mass of people love Coldplay’s music. And that’s what it’s all about.

 

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2008/07/15/coldplay-at-the-forum/

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I'm really glad these pictures were posted so I could actually see the show! We were at the Tuesday, July 15th show at the Forum, yet I feel like I missed it. The musical performance was amazing, without doubt. But, due to our unfortunate seats in the rear of the venue, we couldn't see a thing. The orbs were really cool, but they aren't a replacement for the big screens. There was a tremendous screen behind the band that they turned on for the finale, and I just don't understand why it wasn't on for the whole show. It was fantastic to view the whole audience, but the lights on stage were pretty basic, and it would have been so much better to view the band themselves.

 

I saw X&Y at Irvine and was just so impressed with the wall of light and the performance value. We had much better tickets to that show, but with all the screens, you would have been able to see the performance from anywhere in the venue. With the Vida la Viva tour, you really have to have good seats.

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Coldplay: Stuff White People Like

 

coldplaybuzz.jpg

 

Source: http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/2008/07/coldplay-stuff-white-people-li.html

 

The Internet sensation Stuff White People Like has just been released in book form. The items listed on the satirical website receive more detailed treatment, but surely, amidst the affection for organic food (#6), yoga (#15), and public radio (#44), there should be an entry for Coldplay. Their earnest, arena rock turns most people (except cold-hearted critics) into swooning romantics. Thanks to a sharp, techno savvy friend, I scored tickets to the opening night of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" tour. Even amidst multi-cultural Los Angeles, there was ample proof that Coldplay remains stuff that 16,000 (mostly) white people love.

 

How interesting that Coldplay drove their devoted fans to the Forum in Inglewood rather than the swankier Staples Center. How utterly democratic to attend a concert sans luxury boxes. It was in keeping with "Viva la Vida"'s French Revolution themes of liberty, justice, and equality (for those willing to shell out more than $100 for a ticket including service charges). Since the L.A. Lakers left the Forum, it has become home to Faithful Central Bible Church. Bishop Kenneth Ulmer and his congregation see their new home as an opportunity to extend hospitality to rock stars and their fans. They were gracious hosts, directing traffic with a smile.

 

We were greeted at the door by the hunger relief organization, OxFam, gathering eddresses. At the merchandise table, alongside the $40 Coldplay t-shirts was a bag of bracelets made from recycled rubber by women in Djenne, Mali. The Made with Love Project benefits a center for homeless women in Dakar, Senegal. With this dash of social entrepreneurship, Coldplay affirmed stuff white people like (#12--non-profit organizations) while teetering close to #62--"Knowing what's best for poor people."

 

Like their new album, Coldplay's concert aspired to U2's epic heights. It had expert lighting, innovative effects, and a wall of sound. Dreamy, languid versions of "Trouble" and "The Scientist" swept the audience into sing-alongs. The anthemic power of "In My Place" was matched by "Viva la Vida." Yet, the most memorable moment was the most unplugged. At the 75 minute mark, singer Chris Martin suggested he was tired of being onstage. The band darted to the far corner of the Forum, galloping up the stairs for a low-fi version of their monster hit, "Yellow." Their generous gesture was also their most modest. In an era of self-promoting grandiosity, that's the kind of rock star that all people like.

 

33255.jpg

 

coldplayannotated.jpg

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Jonny seems to be brimming with confidence, don't you think? He's moving about the stage, even takes himself off down the catwalk without being pushed by Chris.

 

Hard to believe it's the same guy that had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the front of the stage only 3 weeks ago :D

 

:laugh3: Funny but true

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God I miss this concert. It was my first Coldplay gig. I took loads of pics and videos. I'll post em p sometime. I'm bummed i was so far back though. Colonade 32 Row 10. Next time I need to get in the front. Does anybody know if they are coming to Anaheim. The tour shirt has Anaheim listed after Phoenix, AZ.... but there is no tour date listed to buy tickets. I really ant to go again.

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