27-Oct-08: East Rutherford, NJ (2nd night)- Tickets, Previews, Meetups, Review/Photos

[CookyMnstr]

As ordered by Christa--her PHOTOS

 

Since she gave me control over her acct:sneaky:, I'll post a few right here:

 

[Jenjie]

COLDPLAY Concert Review

 

I didn't really plan on writing a review for last night's concert, but when I started to type a response to the comments in the post I made yesterday, I realized I had a lot to say! So here's my first concert review. Okay, it's more of a recap than a review. Ha! Enjoy. ;)

 

 

I've only been a fan of Coldplay for about two years now and until I recently purchased their latest album Viva La Vida (EMI Records Ltd., 2008), I've only had about a dozen or so of their biggest hits on my iPod. After seeing Coldplay's outstanding performance last night, I'm an even bigger fan now. They were amazing.

 

The opening act was Duffy, the 24 year old Welsh singer-songwriter who debuted at number one on the UK Album charts with her recent album Rockferry. Her musical style is a neo-soulful blend of pop, soul and rock'n'roll along the lines of artists Kylie Minogue and Amy Winehouse, and while I think she and her band are very talented--based on what I've sampled at her website, anyway-- I didn't think her performance last night was that impressive. Duffy looked amazing in her tiny black lace dress, but she failed to capture the audience's attention as she barely moved across the stage and her voice and lyrics seemed lost to the sound of the band. Only two songs stood out to me, "Serious" and the popular hit "Mercy." Still, Duffy is clearly a talented young artist with a lot of potential and I think the pop charts will be seeing a lot of her in the future.

 

The concert. First, I'd like to make a disclaimer about my concert reviewing skills. I haven't been to a rock concert in ages, and even then I haven't been to many. I saw U2 in 1987 for their Joshua Tree Tour and then a year or so later I saw Sting. I think that was in 1988, maybe. I know I also went to an INXS Kick concert and saw The Psychedelic Furs around that time, too, but I barely remember that. Basically, my point is that maybe I'm a little out of touch about what makes an amazing concert, but regardless of my concert going experiences or lack thereof, I have to say that last night's performance by Coldplay was fantastic. The song list was a perfect blend of past hits and new tracks from their current album Viva La Vida and lead singer Chris Martin made the concert feel intimate with his natural ability to connect with his audience. Really a fantastic show.

 

I'm totally kicking myself in the behind today. I didn't bring a camera to the concert. I know! I know! Idiot. And I got this great little purse sized digital camera for my birthday, too. Having floor seats, I could have had some really great shots. Ah, live and learn. So I made due with my iPhone camera, which actually takes decent photos for a camera phone, but alas, no zoom capabilities, so the photos aren't that great. I swear we had better views of the band in person than these pictures suggest. Honest. Anyway, here they are:

 

 

Coldplay opened with the instrumental track, "Life in Technicolor" playing behind a sheer curtain, then the curtain lifted as they played their first vocal track, "Violet Hill."

 

I thought the lighting and technical effects during the concert were great. Granted it's been a while since I've been to a rock concert, but I really enjoyed the artistry in this performance. The effects weren't anything cutting edge, per se, but they complimented the music and the artists perfectly. There were these orbs suspended above the stage, and one much larger orb above the audience, and they either had varying colors and patterns swirling within them, or they were used to project live images of the band throughout the performance. Again, the orbs brought a perfect compliment to the tone of the show.

 

 

At one point, Chris Martin, while playing solo on the piano, sang "The Hardest Part" (X&Y, EMI Records Ltd., 2005) dedicated to singer, model, actress Jennifer Hudson as she grieves for the death of three family members. In case you haven't heard about the tragedy that has struck Jennifer Hudson and her family, last weekend her mother and brother were shot dead in their home and her 7 year old nephew had gone missing, only to be found dead in an abandoned car yesterday, October 27, 2008. The suspect is a family member, the estranged husband of Jennifer's sister, the father of the deceased young boy (Source: Chicago Tribune, chicagotribune.com). My heart goes out to Jennifer Hudson and her loved ones. Very sad.

 

Later in the concert, band members jogged off the stage and headed into the midlevel seating where they stood among the audience and played a few songs so that other fans could feel what it's like to have front row seats. One of the songs they played here is one of my favorites, "The Scientist." When he announced the song, Chris Martin playfully poked fun of the Jonas Brothers, saying it was their hit. Even my 13 year old, who saw the Jonas Brothers in concert over the summer, laughed at the humor. Chris Martin has a wonderful way about him that he can poke fun playfully without coming across insulting. That's a wonderful skill, I think.

 

 

Images of Japanese history and culture were displayed on the large screen behind the band while they performed the song "Lovers in Japan / Reign on Love" and millions of tissue paper butterflies were dropped over the floor area. I have to admit I was so happy to have had floor seats for this part. It was so beautiful.

 

 

This photo was taken during their last song and would have made a great shot if only I had a real camera. ::sigh:: I forgot what song they were playing in this photo. Maybe it was Lost.

 

 

The crowd gets Coldplay to come back out for an encore.

 

 

Which, I think, is standard and expected. I was certainly pleased, because there was one more favorite song that the band hadn't yet played . . . "Yellow."

 

 

All in all, Coldplay delivered an amazing performance last night. I'm so thrilled I was able to go, it was a wonderful, memorable night with my daughter that I'll never forget. I can't wait to see them again on their next tour.

 

http://theromanticlife.blogspot.com/2008/10/coldplay-concert-review.html

[Jenjie]

Oct 28, 2008

Coldplay

WB and I went to the Coldplay concert last night at the IZOD Center in Jersey. It was an amazing performance -- Chris Martin has such a wonderful stage presence and gets so into the music physically. I wanted to climb down there and rock with him because it looked like he was having such a great time. I love it when you can tell that someone really loves what they're doing; it makes you appreciate it even more. I had a pounding headache for most of the night because of all the flashing lights, but it was so worth it. We had a great time.

 

At the concert last night, Martin and the rest of the band all of a sudden left the stage and ran into the audience, down the aisle, then up the stairs to a section where they had some acoustic guitars and microphones quickly set up. They did this to get closer to the rest of the crowd and show them that being up close and personal with the band isn't all that great since they're typically sweaty and smelly. Martin cracked a few jokes (somebody was apparently smoking some ganga in that area) and then they went on to play a sing-along version of "The Scientist." It sounds cheesy, but it was great. The whole arena sang with them.

 

It's such a beautiful song -- one of my favorites. I don't really get the video with the whole car crash scene, but I guess the moral of the story is to wear your seatbelt. Coincidentally, on our way home last night we drove by a terrible car crash along the highway. It involved a car and a tree, and the tree definitely won. This car was wrapped around the tree and there's no way anyone could have survived it. There must have been a dozen cop cars there with their lights flashing, along with paramedics and a firetruck or two. It was curious at first to see so many cop cars for a single car crash (since they really didn't need that many officers there), but as I thought it through, I imagine many of them were there for moral support for each other. It was a really nasty crash and I'm sure whoever was first on the scene saw some pretty ugly things that they won't be forgetting anytime soon. We saw everything very briefly since we were driving in the opposite direction, but it was a very sobering experience. It was the exact spot where a couple of teens died a year or so ago, same tree and everything. They were speeding when getting off at the exit which curves to the right just as the highway is curving to the left. There is a wooded area smack in the middle which is where you end up if you misjudge your speed and the turn. WB always has a tendency to drive fast, and even though he's a good driver, I don't trust the other drivers around us and I'm always afraid one bad move by somebody else could send us flying. I also worry about him misjudging something and crashing. He promises me he's careful, but I still close my eyes a lot when he drives. And I always wear my seatbelt.

 

http://dissonantinterpretations.blogspot.com/2008/10/coldplay.html

[CookyMnstr]

Aww, I wish I could write normal, descriptive, nonemotional reviews like that! LOL Great to know that anyone can have fun at a Coldplay show, even a casual fan and a 13yr old Jonas Bros. fan:D

 

I called out sick from work! I feel GRREEEAAAAT:smartass2:, but I'm emotionally/physically exhausted:smug2:, and I want to bask in the golden glow of Coldplay for as long as possible!!! Also I want to see if I can find a pic and video of IMP with Chris mentioning the signs. (I know I know I already have proof, and the image of him is firmly implanted in my mind, but you know...I WANT MORE!)

 

So hey, while looking around anyone finds something, pics/vid of IMP and what Chirs said in bet. songs, or when he was dancing around on Guy's side of stage/ramp, please let me know! THANKS:kiss:

[SueDeNimes]

 

http://theromanticlife.blogspot.com/2008/10/coldplay-concert-review.html

Thanks for posting that review!

I have a very similar picture from the concert in Strasbourg!!

It is like she said, the place was much better than it looks on pictures...

 

Anyway, here's my "twin-pic" from Sept. 1st (not the same banner, but during "Yellow" as well):

 

*clicky*

[mariae]

Review, not so good.

 

Monday 10/28/08 Izod Center Concert Review: C-

 

Coldplay concerts used to be the best in the history of music due to 2 things:

1. Chris Martin singing directly to you. I have no idea how he did this. Sincerity, gratitude, being one with the music? This was missing last night.

2. Their light show was always the most artistic, mood creating/sustaining. That tradition was lost last night.

 

Surprises:

1. The Good: crowd was great, on our feet, into it, supportive, but not obnoxious.

2. The Bad: Coldplay’s performance was perfunctory, (“we’ve had a bad Monday up till now” said Chris, but it showed the whole time—they weren’t happy to be here, even though the crowd was.) Chris sang ok, but skipped the high notes—and I think the reason he skipped them was the same reason his singing was perfunctory. No real emotion. If he loved singing the songs (he seemed bored and sick of singing them) and enjoyed performing last night, it didn’t show. I think Coldplay aren’t as confident of and don’t love their new work as much as their previous songs. True, this isn’t as good as the previous 3 albums—but you don’t muddle through—you keep improving those songs or don’t play them live. Worst of all, Martin did not seem to be singing to us, a skill he has more than anyone else. But last night he was just singing to do his job and get through the show [Note: Chris sang some songs an octave lower, in normal register, not falsetto, which sounded better than the originals. But high notes are necessary esp. on emotionally climactic points, which he too often skipped].

 

There were weird huge gaps between songs, as if they didn’t know what they were doing next. This almost lost the crowd. Chris hit wrong notes on almost every song on piano. The bass volume was erratic. The PA system sucked; very distorted, sounding like a cheap blown out speaker on vocals.

 

Like U2 at their worst, Coldplay seems to have tried to fight boredom of playing same songs over and over by making them…disco!? Ugh. So they take a 500 dollar drum pad which sounds like drums on every crap rap/bubblegum pop song. The whole reason everyone likes Coldplay is the authentic, sincere music. Fake pop drum machine crap ruins that. Will has great jazz drum skills, but never showed them last night. Will played drums without any improvisation, no jazz riffs, no syncopation, no passionately going crazy on anything. How do you not go nuts on a kettle drum? If they're bored, why not spice up their songs by making them more like jazz? Or more indie, alternative, orchestral, hard rock, uk folk, or world music style? Or to make danceable, at least do good dance music (r&b or cutting edge techno). But if you’re going to imitate lame disco, then go all the way and camp it up and have fun with it. Instead, they did a drum machine. Then for acoustic style, the old harmonica. Predictable. The 3 other members of the band performed better than Chris, but all still look too self-conscious and uncomfortable on stage, have no interaction with crowd, no fun, no personality. Why don’t they improv on every song every night to keep it fresh and make the best of live performance for them and the crowd?

3. The Worst: Lighting. These were the worst lights in Coldplay’s career (with 3 exceptions, the video screen globes and the moving light rigs were great and butterflies were cool). But most lighting/staging was horrible. They showed the band too little and the audience too much. They imitated the worst traits of a U2 show again —too much house lights or similar lights on the audience. We didn’t come here to see each other and a basketball arena; we came to see the band. But unlike any concert I’ve ever seen, for several songs no one could see anyone in the band—the performers were in the dark! (To show off the screen globes? Unclear. Looked horrible and lost the audience). 4 roadies climbed 100 feet into spotlight rigs like Jedi fighters, yet they were barely used, risking their lives for nothing, a waste. The great thing about Coldplay lights for the last few years were that they were artistic, mood-setting, fit the music, ambient, subtle, and bathed the band and the audience just right—never going over the top, or being cheesy. These lights were cheesy. The 0506 tour’s amazing screen and light rig were missed. Projectors are fine, but nothing (other than globes) was done creatively—why not shoot lights or lasers through the Viva screen? No indoor fireworks, literally or figuratively. The lasers were a few corny multicolor pointers which swayed left to right a few feet. If you do lasers worse than a local planetarium’s stoners’ night out, then don’t do lasers at all. Why not try to out-do Muse’s standard-setting 06 MTV EMA award lasers? BATHE the audience as you used to! How did you have better lights and lasers in past years than you have in 2008?

 

Finally, it’s a tour about celebrating life over death, you can’t do that well if you’re depressed. The whole theme becomes a failure. The album is Viva la Vida—we’re willing to go along with you on this—but you’d better perform with some LIFE. Instead you were all moping. That’s like going to a Fiona Apple concert and seeing her sane, or Amy Winehouse sober. If you’ve had a bad day, or worse, then the whole point of Viva, and of Coldplay in general—is to at least enjoy life while you have it and to love and enjoy making great music and sharing it with an audience that loves you.

[Christa42]

just remebered, i loved it when they were playing LIT behind screen all together in a cirlcle jammin just like it was just the 4 of them in the room.

[ccsg]

just remebered, i loved it when they were playing LIT behind screen all together in a cirlcle jammin just like it was just the 4 of them in the room.

 

I loved it two. Getting themselves pumped to meet their crowd. Very cool.

[CRYSTAL]

all my videos:

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0KC1FTGU

Life in technicolor

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X8UJTA0V

Clocks

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=P0X82452

Speed of sound

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PXZJPQIQ

Chinese Sleep Chant

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IT13JSJK

Strawberry Swing

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DTR8ALHX

god put a smile upon your face/talk

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T66LXXO6

hardest part part 1

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SFASZ7NA

hardest part part 2

 

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2602155&postcount=710

Scientist

 

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2602173&postcount=719

Politik/Reign of love

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HKLZ63ZN

Lovers in japan

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=23584MKH

Death and all his friends

[A RUSH OF VIDA]

Is it true Chris dedicated the song THE HARDEST PART to Jennifer Hudson?????

[CRYSTAL]

yes ofcourse!

 

Her brother and mother were dead so sad!

[coldplaylvr828]

My boyfriend and I went to the show last night and had a wonderful time!! Coldplay was awesome as always, but the only problem I had while at the show was that no one in my section danced or stood up!! We sat in section 230 on the end of row ten and people in back of me (older individuals, not trying to offend just describing) were complaining that I would stand during certain songs! Since there were no tickets sold to the right of us, my boyfriend and I moved over to that section so we could stand and dance!! After sitting front row at Hartford and having a blast, I couldn't just sit in my seat at the concert. I wasn't going to let the people sitting ruin my fun :D I noticed pretty much every other section had everyone standing, jumping, dancing, and having a great time while my section pretty much just sat there. Did anyone else have a similar section where nobody stood up/danced?

[CRYSTAL]

My signs got noticed Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Ng6pfVGT0]YouTube - COLDPLAY LIVE @ IZOD CENTER "YELLOW"[/ame]

 

video proof to show i am not at all a lier!

[Lore]

he was pointing to another part of the venue.. not your camera :thinking:

[CRYSTAL]

i don't know why the people here are so negative when it comes especially to me any way...

 

i know that those people held the signs and he is commenting okay!

 

And yeah i don't want to argue because i am there at the show and i know the people held the signs....

 

that's what it means to me a lot....to be a true Coldplay lover like a lot of people here....

 

and that video is the proof for my excellence in designing signs....

 

No matter how people will say more negative comments on me...

[cold_love23]

i don't know why the people here are so negative when it comes especially to me any way...

 

i know that those people held the signs and he is commenting okay!

 

And yeah i don't want to argue because i am there at the show and i know the people held the signs....

 

that's what it means to me a lot....to be a true Coldplay lover like a lot of people here....

 

and that video is the proof for my excellence in designing signs....

 

No matter how people will say more negative comments on me...

 

I don't see anyone being negative, in fact I don't see any comments at all regarding your "proof" just because people are choosing to ignore you, doesn't mean it's negative and you shouldn't take it personally. Everyone is aware that you helped with the signs and you did an amazing job :D

[cold_love23]

he was pointing to another part of the venue.. not your camera :thinking:

 

Lore, I think Pallavi is talking about the "New Jersey Loves Coldplay" signs that she helped design... chris vaguely points to them in this video... also that wasn't her taping... I think it's just some vid that she found off you tube. :confused:

[halokiti]

Here are my photos: link

 

Here are some highlights:

 

Where are the Coldplayers in this shot?

 

 

I :heart: Chris's dancing as much as Bret's Angry Dance

 

 

Hey look.

 

Anyone here in this picture?

 

 

 

Look at the posters!

 

 

[CRYSTAL]

cold_love23 you're right!

 

Thanks.:)Now i am so happy that Chris liked my signs.

[Lore]

Lore, I think Pallavi is talking about the "New Jersey Loves Coldplay" signs that she helped design... chris vaguely points to them in this video... also that wasn't her taping... I think it's just some vid that she found off you tube. :confused:

 

ohh I understand...

 

pallavi confuses me since she said that the video is a "proof of her excellence" :uhoh:... she wants to believe that she made all the job.. and there was thousands of people there...

anyway

[cold_love23]

 

Where are the Coldplayers in this shot?

[

 

 

wow :o those are great pics. I love the guy pic ^^^, but I can't see myself in any of these. I was over by the In My Place Ramp, second row

[Lore]

Here are my photos: link

 

 

 

 

 

thanks a lot for sharing

[cold_love23]

ohh I understand...

 

pallavi confuses me since she said that the video is a "proof of her excellence" :uhoh:... she wants to believe that she made all the job.. and there was thousands of people there...

anyway

 

 

yeah I know, she confuses me sometimes too... I guess she just wants recognition... :confused:

[Lore]

PHOTOS[/url]

 

Since she gave me control over her acct:sneaky:, I'll post a few right here:

 

 

 

:dead:

[halokiti]

The signs did get a shout out, Chris said thank you for all the beautiful signs. And I love my photo of Guy too, unfortunately he was very close to me sometimes and the photos still came out blurry. Maybe the show needs to be brighter so I can get better shots of our hotties.