Pete's Oxfam Blog - the Autumn US leg

[The Joker]

happy bday pete! :)

[Christa42]

Happy Birthday to You Pete! Enjoy the day.

[Carlaatje]

Happy birthday Pete!! have a great one... :)

[EnglishSilk]

Happy Birthday, Pete,

 

It was lovely meeting you last night!

 

Thank you for all your dedicated work through Oxfam and keeping the cause alive!

 

-Karen

(bless you for forwarding my note ; )

[busybeeburns]

Here’s one I prepared earlier, from ‘OK’ City.

 

Here’s one I prepared earlier, from ‘OK’ City.

Good old fashioned pen and paper. How refreshing it can be. I’m scribbling away in the dark, next to stage right ‘guitar world’. Writing on the back of a Coldplay setlist, and leaning on an Oxfam ’Health and Education FOR ALL’ campaign booklet, on top of a road case..

 

I just saw Chris Martin run out to the front of the Coldplay stage, to bounce with the packed audience to ‘Viva La Vida’. There was a deafening roar when those strings kicked in. Now, if I look to my left, up the steps, there is Jonny, Will and Guy, starting up the thundering beat of ‘Lost!’. Two of the roadies just walked past me, carrying a small flight of stairs.. I guess the band will be leaving the stage soon, for an arena tour, here in Oklahoma City. Now the screaming begins, as they make their way through a mixture of bemused and excited fans. Here come those roadies again, with that flight of stairs.

 

The wonders of pen and paper, go way beyond my blog. Earlier, hundreds more Coldplay fans, penned their names, and gave their voices, to finding out what they can do to help fight poverty, with Oxfam. It’s a simple format. Marks of ink. But it’s a start. A way to get involved. To do what you can, at a concert - as part of this amazing night. Well over 50′000 people have done just that, on this tour so far. There were also a few hundred in Rotterdam, who typed their names to join Oxfam Novib’s ‘Hug-a-nurse’ campaign, on high-tech computers.

 

Jonny’s guitar tech, just wandered past me, with his ‘Politik’ guitar. It’s a quiet part of the set for him. He’s now disappeared back into the dark underworld of guitars beneath the stage. The band just rushed past me through the corridor, flanked by security, on their way back to the OK City stage. This road case i’m perched on, is shaking with the vibrations of the ‘Viva’ remix beat. I’d better get off it, before ‘Politik’ starts!

 

The local crew, are already congregating backstage, ready to transform the venue and remove all these cases. They are all signing in, one-by-one, with pen and paper, of course. There’s that ‘Politik’ drum beat.. I’m off back upstairs to the Oxfam booth, to check we have enough pens..

 

Two other pen and paper incidents I should mention. Someone made an amazing cheque donation to Oxfam tonight.. and Karen gave me a hand-written note on the corner of her Coldplay banner, to give to the band, to thank them for playing ’The Hardest Part’ for her.

 

After the show, I celebrated the night, by exploring OK City with ’Team Jenn’ from the Oxfam group. They did a great job organising the volunteers tonight. So it’s only right to celebrate. So there you have it. The only problem with blogging on a piece of paper first, is that it causes a delay. But if you’re happy to wait.. then that’s ‘OK’.

 

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=107

[EnglishSilk]

Wow

 

Thanks , Ian!!!

 

Wow!:shocked2:

 

The stars have never shined for me as brilliantly as they did last night in OKC:D

 

 

I am still nothing less than STUNNED:stunned:

 

Thank you again, our amazing Oxfam Pete!:kiss:

 

 

 

And again, to my DREAMWEAVERS, Kimchi:kiss: DEBS WILD:kiss: and Kels:kiss:

[Christa42]

YEEEEE HAAAAWWWWWWW!!!!!

[melanieau]

Some lucky, lucky lady is gonna snap that sweet Pete up - that is if someone hasn't already!

 

:heart:

[Carlaatje]

you know what they say... all the good man are either taken or gay..

[SueDeNimes]

you know what they say... all the good man are either taken or gay..

:thinking: ...true.

[Carlaatje]

Pete's up late:

 

Better make it quick.

November 19th, 2008 / No Comments » / by plusby

 

Houston, Texas. Home of one very famous and powerful man. Home of the ‘Rockets’ NBA team. I have seen a few very tall people walking around today.. Yao Ming is not small. Here we are in a huge state. 13′000 people have come to see the Coldplay show. All 26′000-or-so eyes, are now firmly fixed on the stage, on 4 guys who formed a band thousands of miles away, and wrote a song, and it was called ‘Yellow’. Probably also another 100 or so transfixed eyes are from crew members, waiting to jump in if anything goes wrong. I was just about to try to work out how many eyes might belong to people who also signed up with Oxfam tonight.. but i’m not sure my brain can do that..

 

The crowd are making all sorts of noises. Some of them screaming so loud, they must be sore. I didn’t think one pair of lungs could make that much noise, before I came on this tour. It’s been a great night for our Oxfam group. Loads of people have shown an interest. Feet were flooding through the doors, and heading right over to our Oxfam tables. Listening carefully.. taking it in, and then taking the pen (don’t worry i’m not going to go on about pens again - even though they are amazing).

 

It’s a ’short’ trip to Dallas tonight. Once the band are done, and the cases have rolled. I’ve been impressed by Houston. I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t so impressed by the Bond movie last night.. but then, I guess I knew what to expect. It’s time for ‘Politik’. Marguerite (from production), knew what to expect..

 

“Ooopen up your eyeees”. Like I said. They are all open, and staring at the stage. This band has got everyone’s attention. The great news, is that they are also bringing attention to poverty and to Oxfam’s work to overcome it.

[busybeeburns]

Denver and back to Dallas.

 

No. Not physically. That would be very silly. That’s a long old drive. Plus, let’s face it. There is not much to look at on the way. I spent much of the trip in the darkened cocoon of my bunk. The rest, faced with the slow realisation, as I peered out of the bus window, that this country is just vast. As soon as we headed out into that nothingness the day after the Dallas show.. the temperature dropped. We eventually hit the Colorado mountains on the way into Denver, and it fell again. Tumbled even. -6 last night (20 Farenheit I think.. crikey). Nothing like the heat of Dallas.

 

Back in Dallas, Texas, it was more like a summer’s night than a winter freeze. No scarfs required. No jackets even. I was sweltering when I donned the Oxfam jacket to go and meet the patiently waiting volunteers. It was another night of activity for them. Getting the word out there, meeting fans, explaining Oxfam’s work and getting excited about the show ahead. One of them came back afterwards, and described the concert simply as “life-changing”. There are a lot of happy fans leaving these venues once the confetti has fallen.

 

The same volunteer was telling me about how 1 in 3 children in her town in Texas, goes to bed hungry. It’s just two hours drive from the polished arena where the show was held. That is astonishing. I have learnt so much about this country on my trip with the tour. I am pleased to say that Oxfam also works to overcome poverty here in America too. It’s amazing how poverty can often go so unseen. This is not a poor country. But poverty exists here. It must not be ignored. Hopefully Oxfam’s presence on this tour, can help to improve awareness of poverty, and make it less invisible.

 

Denver is not a place I know much about. Not that I knew much about Dallas either.. I heard it’s a mile above sea level, which might explain part of that temperature tumble. I know it’s home of the Broncos too.. Today we sit in the warmth of another huge modern arena. It’s just a fairground away from that Broncos stadium, which sits under the watchful eye of those mountains. Today, this will be the home of Coldplay, and 20 Oxfam volunteers, of course.

 

Oh.. I just wanted to share this with you. I couldn’t help laughing earlier, when I saw the catering area being hoovered before lunch. The hoover (vacuum) was strapped to the back of a busy person, looking more like a proton pack out of Ghostbusters, than a cleaning device. I half expected Peter Venkman and Egon Spengler to appear and fight the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man..

 

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=109

[Texasluvsjonny]

Who ya gonna call? :P Pete cracks me up.

[Texasluvsjonny]

And I warned him. Best get outside and suck up the Texas heat Pete, Denver is gonna be cold.

[melanieau]

Mystery guest blogger coming up..

 

Here’s one from a couple of days ago..

Waiting in the Denver arena, looking through the glass at all manner of Denver Nuggets merch. It’s going to be a good night. I can feel it. I looked out at the setting sun, through swirls of rollercoasters.. to the huge Broncos stadium, and rugged line of mountains cutting off the sun. Now that sun has gone down, the temperature is in plummet mode again. I’m going to need some gloves for that trip outdoors.. This cooler air, is a good way to acclimatise before the UK tour..

The Oxfam volunteers had free reign on a huge arena. 3 Levels towering up high. During the show, I took a seat in one of the closed off sections behind the stage. It’s an incredible sight to see all those people staring towards you, but not looking at you at all.

I wan’t to introduce our fantastic guest blogger, Soha Yassine, to the world. She will be taking the Oxfam reigns for all things Coldplay, for the final three shows in USA in 2008. Salt Lake City, Anaheim and Phoenix has a special treat. She’s an amazing person, and has been busily organising all manner of things from Boston for the whole tour for weeks. Now though, it’s her chance to get that laminate, throw her bag on the bus and be a proper roadie.. I am leaving you all in very capable hands. Good luck Soha. I will see you all in Sheffield! Homeward bound..

[Pris]

ohhhh......... Pete is leaving us!!!!! :bigcry:

[Jenjie]

only until Saturday

[busybeeburns]

From Intern to Roadie

 

Blog #1: Just in from our mystery guest blogger (Soha Yassine), who took the Oxfam reigns for the last three shows in US of 2008. 22nd November 2008. Salt Lake City. UT.

 

“… So come over, just be patient, and don’t worry” can be heard clearly enough that I forget for a moment that i’m standing in the middle of the concourse at Energy Solutions Arena. I take a peak inside, as the building-sized banner, that reads ‘VIVA’, drops behind Chris, Jonny, Guy, and Will. Audiences always seem to be moved by this moment, and the band does not at all seemed dwarfed by the towering banner.

 

Tonight Coldplay is in Salt Lake City, Utah, home of the first LDS Temple and the 2002 Olympics. When I arrived here last night to hop on the tour in place of my friend and colleague Pete, it was hard to resist reflecting on the prominent position Salt Lake City has in the mosaic of US history. Coldplay are making music history tonight by helping to bring music activism to heights Sir. Bob Geldoff could have only dreamed of in ‘85 when Live Aid drew in tens of thousands of rock and roll fans to rally around famine relief in Ethiopia. Coldplay have helped Oxfam mobilize an international resistance against hunger, poverty, and injustice. By inviting Oxfam America to tour with them, 600 volunteers have helped facilitate a global conversation about how active citizenship can eradicate poverty to over 100 thousand Coldplay fans that have sold out arenas across the US since July alone. Not bad for a quartet from London, not bad at all.

 

As the VIVA banner fell, another thought I couldn’t resist indulging was that it was only a handful of months ago that I was just a fan at a Coldplay concert in LA posing in front of this banner and hoping to work for Oxfam myself someday. It was the first stop of the Viva la Vida tour. When the show was over, I approached the Oxfam table that had been set up, to sing the praises of Oxfam and their Make Trade Fair campaign. I didn’t know that I was talking to Oxfam’s Senior Campaign Organizer, Brian, who urged me to look into internships at Oxfam, given my enthusiasm for their work. Two months later I was in Boston picking up where Brian and the intern before me, one Jack Carroll, had left off in running volunteer logistics for the Coldplay tour with Pete. Tonight, I’m representing the fight against hunger, poverty, and injustice on the Coldplay tour and I crack a smile as I think, “Not bad for a girl from San Gabriel, California, not bad at all.”

 

S

 

Ps. Shout out to Team Jen for coming all the way from Oklahoma City to volunteer with Oxfam tonight!

 

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=115

[xxKels]

Yayyy!

 

Go Team OKC!!:smug:

[busybeeburns]

Oxfam Action Corps Territory

 

 

 

Blog #2: Second instalment from our guest blogger (Soha Yassine), who took the Oxfam reigns for the last three shows in US of 2008. November 25th. 2008. Anaheim. CA.

 

Tonight we are in the backyard of Los Angeles, Anaheim, California, which is centrally located in Orange County. A few days ago the band rocked the American Music Awards and tonight we’re in the home of the Mighty Ducks.

 

Here’s an image from the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs with the palm trees shining under the California sun. This is what California looks like about 350 days of the year but not tonight- its pouring rain! Tonight the gods are preparing the weary group of roadies on my bus for the cold and fog that’s to come next week when the band heads out to England. When I helped Pete with the canvassing at the Coldplay show in Boston on the day before Halloween, Chris Martin commented during the show about how Coldplay had been in Boston twice this year, but haven’t had a single concert in their home country! The same is true for California; tonight is Coldplay’s third concert in Southern California since July!

 

Rain or shine our committed group of Oxfam volunteers arrives, ready to canvass the Coldplay audience. Despite Oxfam’s presence at two previous So. Cal. Coldplay concerts in the summer, fans are more eager than ever to talk to us about how they can engage in the struggle for justice. This struggle is alive and well in this part of California, where one of Oxfam’s thirteen nation-wide, volunteer-lead, “Oxfam Action Corps” have been working with other Californians to urge law makers to consider the human face of climate change. The Oxfam Action Corps, represented by Adam and Dan tonight (amongst others), are the voices of the poor all over the world here in California. Tonight, the Honda Center is Oxfam Action Corps territory.

 

Coldplay is one of the biggest bands in the world and tonight is another sold-out show. But with them, are some other stars, the 20 volunteers who gave their Tuesday nights to Oxfam. They missed classes, left their families, and drove in So. Cal.’s notorious traffic to spread Oxfam’s message and listen to some good music. The determination of the volunteers to engage audience members with Oxfam’s work never ceases to amaze me. Tonight, especially my girl Z, who handed out Oxfam flyers until what seemed like the very last person left the venue, made me especially proud.

 

It was good to be home, now off to Phoenix! S

 

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=116

[busybeeburns]

Phoenix on Ice

 

 

Blog #3: The third and final instalment from our guest blogger, Soha Yassine. Soha took the reigns for all things Oxfam, for the final 3 US shows of 2008. Phoenix was the last of these 3 shows, before the UK tour kicked off.

 

We arrived in Phoenix at what seemed like an ungodly hour for a tour caravan that hit the road at 1:30am. As I rolled out of my bunk in the ungraceful manner that I do every morning and headed into the venue for some much needed coffee, I stopped by the stage area. It wasn’t even noon yet and my bus-mates have the skeleton of the stage already constructed! Confetti butterflies had already littered the ground. They tend to get stuck on all of the equipment from the night before and fall off everywhere they go. They don’t bother anyone though; who can get mad at butterflies? As I stared at the butterflies in my pre-coffee state, I realized the familiar pattern of metal puzzle-pieces on the floor of the venue. This could only mean that there was an ice hockey rink beneath us and my pre-coffee-Californian-self could only think of one word: gnarly.

 

Later in the day I take a tour of Jobing.com Arena with the venue representative and we have a very nerdy conversation unfit for a roadie about temperature regulation of the ice as compared to the rest of the venue. That night, thousands of Coldplay fans stomped their feet to Viva la Vida above ice. Very gnarly.

 

Before that 17 volunteers including our lead volunteer, Abraham, who travelled to Phoenix for the concert, urged hundreds of Coldplay fans to give their voices to the fight against poverty. As I made my way around the concourse to check-in with the volunteers, one volunteer told me that she was approached by a Coldplay fan who said that as she was in line at one of the venue’s many venders, she thought to herself that the money she was about to spend would be better served by giving it to Oxfam. Although the volunteer told her that donations were not the purpose of our presence at the show, the woman insisted on donating the money to Oxfam. After she told me the story, the volunteer and I looked at the money and smiled.

 

Tonight’s show is bittersweet for me. On the one hand, I get to go back to So. Cal. tomorrow and spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family and friends before flying back to Boston to resume my duties as an Oxfam intern. On the other hand, it’s Coldplay’s last show in the US and the end of my time on the road with them. My time on the road was a once in a lifetime experience. It couldn’t have happened without the guidance of my colleagues at Oxfam, the awesome crew behind the scenes, and Coldplay themselves for believing in the power of small actions.

 

My last night on the bus was one of interesting conversations: the merits of fiction as a literary genre, water sanitation processes in the US and UK, the state of specialized education in Western academia, and other various subjects unfit for rock and roll roadies. It was unfortunate that it wasn’t until my last night on the tour that I realized I wasn’t the only nerd on the road with Coldplay.

 

Peace, S

 

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=120