20 Jun-2009: General Motors Place, Vancouver, Canada - Tickets, Previews, Meetups, Reviews, Setlists

[Texasluvsjonny]

[busybeeburns]

Coldplay rocks the house

 

Let me say upfront that I’ve never been a huge Coldplay fan, though individual songs have wowed me—”Talk”, for instance, never fails to slay. Other songs have struck me as too vanilla, melodramatic, sappy—none of those are exactly the right word, but some combination of the three. But the show at GM Place was great.

 

Unfortunately, I’d made the mistake of reading a review (of the Edmonton concert) beforehand, and so things that should have been surprises weren’t. It was like seeing The Crying Game and already knowing Darth is Luke’s father. So if you intend on seeing Coldplay on its current tour (Europe, then back in North America), skip this review, or skip to the last paragraphs about Howling Bells and Snow Patrol.

 

Anyway, back to the main attraction. What made the Coldplay show enjoyable and awesome and all that is the connection the band, and especially singer Chris Martin, has with the fans. The audience was definitely part of it—arena singalongs and Coldplay arena singalongs are two different things. This was an audience that seemed in ecstasy from the moment the band took the stage. (And swooned even more when Martin buttered ‘em up by noting his band could have filmed a concert DVD in 19 countries but chose Canada, specifically Vancouver.)

 

Each song got its own special treatment, and no trick was unturned in Martin’s egging on the crowd. The cellphone (”Mobiles as well call them in the UK,” said Martin), the foray into the other side of the arena, the butterfly confetti, the yellow balloons, it all added up to one hell of a show. U2 and Peter Gabriel are the other two arena shows that compare; maybe Springsteen as well, though he’s a lot less gimmicky. Don’t get me wrong, though. I loved the gimmicks. I loved Martin’s lack of guile, Will Champion’s pounding beat, and Jonny Buckland’s sinewy riffs, too. There were songs I liked more, songs I never knew I liked as much as I did, and sure, a few (mostly the piano ballads) I could do without. It was still a terrific show. Snow Patrol is more problematic. I like the scruffy Scots when they rock, as on “Eyes Open”; but “Chasing Cars” has always struck me as a maudlin bore (hence it’s inclusion on Grey’s Anatomy). Can’t fault the band for trying, though, and singer Gary Lightbody gave it his all.

 

Howling Bells had the advantage of being fresh and the disadvantage of being unkown to the crowd and stuck in the soundtrack-to-finding-the-seat position on the bill. But the London-by-way-of Sydney quartet won over at least a few fans with its dark-edged, big-chorused rock; after the set, one of the ushers could be heard telling people as he directed them to their seats, “too bad you missed the opening band, they were really good. You know, Coldplay was once an opening band, too.”

 

http://www.guttersnipenews.com

[vancoldplayfan]

does anyone know where we could buy the DVD recording of this concert??

[Texasluvsjonny]

does anyone know where we could buy the DVD recording of this concert??

you should go down to WalMart right now before they sell out :dozey:

[but a dream]

You crack me up everytime Angie :laugh3:

 

 

 

@vancoldplayfan It's not released yet. They are still filming it!

[busybeeburns]

by nolitawanders @ Flickr

 

[ame=http://www.flickr.com/photos/cocodor/sets/72157620054090488/show/]Viva Coldplay[/ame]

[Test Specimen]

I'm not sure where they were handing out the free CD's but me and my bf didn't get one... how were those handed out? we saw people holding them, but never saw anyone giving any out! Oh well, hopefully I can get one tomorrow!

 

Did anyone else have trouble getting LRLRL?

[Mimixxx]

First post updated.

[busybeeburns]

Coldplay turns on the charm at GM Place

 

 

At GM Place on Saturday, June 20

 

Nice guys don’t always finish last, but they generally make for terrible rockstars. Chris Martin and his bandmates—guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion—seem like guys mothers would love to see their daughters bring home: clean-cut, well-mannered, and wealthy as hell. But being marriage material doesn’t lend itself to being a captivating performer, a theory proven every time Coldplay has played in Vancouver up until now, from its shaky North American debut at the Commodore in 2001 to some less-than-transcendent shows at the Orpheum and GM Place thereafter.

 

When the English rockers closed out the Pemberton Festival last year, they seemed changed men—sharper, bolder, and gripping the attention of listeners hundreds of yards away. Maybe it was their French Revolution wardrobe, maybe it was the endorsement of hip rappers like Kanye West and Jay-Z, or maybe it was the strength of their Brian Eno-assisted fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. Whatever the reason, Coldplay finally seemed comfortable in its role as the decade’s biggest band.

 

That sense grew stronger last Saturday (June 20) at GM Place, when the Londoners kicked off their two-night run in Vancouver, the 88th city they’ve played on a tour that’s lasted over a year. Coldplay’s growing mastery of the live arena should be no surprise; the band’s strung together more hits this decade than any rock outfit on earth, songs that sound best when they’re echoing out across the vast expanse of a cellphone-lit stadium.

 

It’s often said that Coldplay is a kind of Radiohead-lite, but Martin and his mates are far too cheery for that comparison to hold up. Last Saturday, on songs like “Clocks” and “Lovers in Japan”, the band placed frictionless melodies over a four-on-the-floor kick to reproduce the euphoric highs of progressive-house music. The Englishmen explicitly acknowledged that debt about halfway through the show, setting up on a small light-filled stage at the end of a catwalk and cranking out machine-driven versions of “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face” and the Kraftwerk-sampling “Talk”.

 

Later on, they migrated to the back of the arena to play three acoustic songs on a tiny platform halfway up the lower bowl, including a cover of Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer”, a karaoke moment that could have been awkward, but wasn’t. Martin’s a master of those dorky-but-likeable gestures, his favourite dance move an arched-back flail that finds him literally bending over backwards to keep people entertained.

 

All that rhythm-challenged writhing and carrying on wouldn’t work if it weren’t for his indelible melodies, like the ones that powered early hits such as “Yellow” and “Fix You” over the concert’s first half, and those in “Viva La Vida”, which—plagiarism lawsuits notwithstanding—suggest there’s plenty more to come. Those thirsting for the kind of bigger-than-life spectacle that AC/DC and U2 will surely deliver here later this year would have been disappointed with Coldplay’s relatively straightforward show. Backed by a basic projection screen and a few giant lightbulb-shaped chandeliers, Martin and his friends had little more to offer than their songs and their smiles. But what songs, and what smiles. Even your mother thinks so.

 

http://www.straight.com

[shawnster]

Coldplay live in Vancouver

 

A review of the GM Place show June 20: http://bit.ly/meqDK

[Krystyna]

Review #2 on the main site says they played Yes... they did not.

[Malcolm-Edge]

\They wont film Wembley because Jay-Z will come to preform Lost+.

 

That review was bollocks I just read it. He knows LiT II but not LiT....

 

Snow Partol

 

Rocket

Chocolate

Hands Open

Crack The Shutters

Eyes Open

Run

Chasing Cars

Open Your Eyes

All That I Have

 

I think Im wrong on the order though.

[busybeeburns]

Coldplay turns up heat at GM Place

 

The Buzz

 

British superstars Coldplay returned to Vancouver June 20 for the first time since 2006, having skipped the city last summer in favour of the Pemberton Festival. Saturday’s show was the first of two consecutive Vancouver gigs in support of the band’s 2008 album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends.

 

The Crowd

 

Everyone! Kids, teens, twentysomethings, middle-aged couples, seniors – Coldplay’s pleasant pop-rock truly has a wide-reaching appeal, and the sold-out crowd of 30,000 loved every minute of it. Singer Chris Martin did his best to create intimacy by frequently talking to the appreciative audience, who were delighted to hear that the band had chosen to film their two Vancouver shows.

 

The Openers

 

After Australian indie rockers Howling Bells played a short set, Glasgow-based Snow Patrol – who fill stadiums in their own right in the U.K. – took to the stage. Singer Gary Lightbody and company largely stuck to the soaring anthems that brought them to fame, a popular move judging by the screams which greeted “Chasing Cars”. But by eschewing their earlier, quirkier material, the band likely disappointed any long-time fans in the crowd. Still, Snow Patrol is a solid live act that can out-Coldplay Coldplay at times, and were a good warm-up for the latter’s reach-for-the-rafters grandeur.

 

Biggest Flop

 

After opening with a lukewarm rendition of Viva La Vida lead single “Violet Hill,” Coldplay followed with a three-pack of their past megahits. “Clocks” – as close to a classic Coldplay anthem as there is – was reliably rousing, but Martin veered into self-parody-territory with his overblown prancing and gesturing. Martin hit his low point of the night with phoned-in performances of “Yellow” and “In My Place.” There’s nothing worse than schmaltzy ballads sung with a complete lack of sincerity accompanied by hammy antics.

 

Rebound

 

The band finally hit their stride when they got into the meat of the Viva tracklist. Ditching the clowning for a moody “Cemeteries of London”, Martin proved he’s actually quite an engaging performer when he isn’t trying so hard to look like a big rock star. With “42”, Coldplay showed they can rock harder than you’d think, and continued to showcase the impressive guitar-playing of Johnny Buckland, who was great throughout the night. The band are clearly enamoured with their latest album, and their performances of Viva tracks were consistently better than those of their older songs.

 

Surprise (Part 1)

 

The foursome crammed onto a small side stage for a medley of reworked versions of “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” and “Talk”. While both were good, the funky, nearly Franz Ferdinand-esque take on “God Put A Smile” was a standout.

 

Living Up To Expectations

 

Coldplay take a lot of heat for their success, with many believing their sound is too bland and sleepy to warrant big-stadium treatment. For at least one song, the band erased such doubts. Martin and co. had the crowd on its feet for a fist-pumping performance of the title track from Viva La Vida, a song with a lofty theme that for once didn’t overshadow the sound of the band playing it.

 

Surprise (Part 2)

 

To cap off their main set, the band went into the crowd to play an acoustic version of sweet love ditty “Green Eyes”, and followed it with a song sung by drummer Will Champion and a fun cover of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer”.

 

Encore

 

There were two, the best moment of which was an emotional performance of “Politik” off 2002’s A Rush of Blood To The Head.

 

All in All

 

For a band known for sensitive introspection and simple love songs, Coldplay’s place among the world’s biggest arena acts is a strange one. While they still lack the consistent punch to be counted among the great bands they ambitiously aim for, Coldplay are definite crowd-pleasers, and the band showed Saturday their new material is taking them a step closer to earning their world-beating stature.

 

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca

[Malcolm-Edge]

So I have time, my full Review of last night.

 

Woke up in the morning, felt like any other day, it hadn't sunk in that I was seeing my two favourite bands that night. Went out to dinner before the show, saw the massive Coldplay crowd slowly working their way in. Got in the doors about 6:45, no line for the T-Shirts, I loved it. Got a Viva La Vida replacement, as I have misplaced my Pemberton one. As well a nice Snow Patrol one.

 

Got to my seats, great view, Up top row one side stage. Howling Bells were good, but I will probably skip on them tonight, nothing special. Lights go down for the second time, more then 2/3 of the audience was seated for Snow Patrol, best Ive ever seen for an opener! They kicked ass! They played more heavy then their albums. Loud Guitars and amazing drum lines. Everything I expected and more, Gary Lightbody was on striking form. They played mostly all their hits. Got the entire crowd standing, they warmed the crowd up amazingly.

 

After their set back to the weird ambient music. Then Magnificent! Never have I been so excited to hear the new U2 song, then Hova and the dancing Roadie! Then the classical piece. Darkness and Jon Hopkins, the crowd goes wild.

 

They boys come out sparklers in hand and go into Life in Technicolor and Violet Hill, loved both of them. Thats when we were informed that we were all the stars of a concert DVD. Crowd goes nuts, I thought I heard wrong. Right into a good version of Clocks, crowd wasn't into it clapping wise. They just go through hit after hit, and its amazing.

 

Yellow sad to say was the worst of the night, they played it was too fast, just didnt feel it. Then they got right back into form. Cemeteries was a huge hit, those who knew it screamed and that was over half. Well worth the wait I say.

 

They go down to the B-Stage, play GPASUYF/Talk which was freaking awesome. Then he confirms that they are indeed filming both nights. "We could have filmed in 90 different countries, but we chose Canada" They played The Hardest Part (Will was singing of course!). Then Viva! Easily the best crowd song of the night. Every soul was standing by that point. Ohhhhhhhhhh-a-ohhhhhhhh.

 

C-Stage was way better then I thought. Im a Believer was awesome. But Politik, so easy to tell it is Chris' favourite, him and will were right into it like you wouldn't believe. Lovers was better then I could as for my second favorite Coldplay song. They came back for the Scientist, Chris was just about to thank us then out of nowhere "Fucking hell you guys are up hight" pointing to the upper bowl seats "Those are like the suicide seats. We better not play anything depressing or else some people might jump."

 

I snuck out half way through LiT II to beat the crowds, knowing I'd see them today. Got my LeftRightLeftRightLeft quite easily.

 

Way better then when I saw them last year. Best concert of my life. Lets see if tonight can top the experience.

[Krystyna]

 

I snuck out half way through LiT II to beat the crowds, knowing I'd see them today. Got my LeftRightLeftRightLeft quite easily.

 

First I'll see you in the 106 section maybe! Sadly Im not going to be seated with anyone I know tonight as Im going alone, but I think I'll rock out plenty anyway and not let anyone inhibit my fun.

 

Anyway...were they handing the CD's out at the doors? I was seated on the floor last night and the exit I went to there was no one giving anything out. Then immediately I was part of the crowd going towards exit gate 3. I saw several people holding the CD's...but none handing them out. :(

[kaybeee]

THIS IS URGENT

 

 

when does the whole concert start?

 

on my ticket it says 730, but on ticketmaster.ca it says 7

[eatplaylove]

This is from Omaha, but here's Dancing Wayne. It's just from my iPhone, so excuse the quality. He was a delight.

[heumy]

Ok, so last night was my first Coldplay show, and only my second concert ever. Unfortunately, I over-researched all the tricks that they pulled out during the show, so there were no surprises for me, but it was still amazing. I sang along very loudly to all the songs, was extremely excited. My section was pretty brutal, however; most of the people around me and my friend were not singing along and the people in front of us sat down the whole time. This did not dampen the experience, as I had a fabulous time and will never forget it (especially since I can buy the DVD).

[eatplaylove]

Does anyone know what songs Chris does the yoga inversion off the piano bench at the end of the song? I am trying to find footage of it, can't remember the songs, he did it twice in Omaha. Wondering if he did it in Vancouver...

[BCfan]

On Saturday, I was in section 310 row 10. I was very pleased with the awesome view I had. It was amazing looking down at the floating balloons and confetti and the crowd. My section was near the back, so had a pretty good view when they sang Green Eyes/DeathwillNeverConquer/ImABeliever. Chris mentioned the Canucks.

My hubby and I got there in time to watch SnowPatrol. They were very good. I forgot how loud the music gets at a concert (I must be getting old).

When blue danube came on, I started to clap, and the people around me thought I was nuts, but I had the last laugh when most of the audience started clapping. Our section was standing the entire time. Loved the dancing roadie. The show was amazing and I got a few good photos and vids which I will post later.:)

 

I had no problem getting a CD - It was pretty calm on the top floor.

[Krystyna]

Does anyone know what songs Chris does the yoga inversion off the piano bench at the end of the song? I am trying to find footage of it, can't remember the songs, he did it twice in Omaha. Wondering if he did it in Vancouver...

 

is it Clocks maybe? i know he did it last night, I'm not 100% sure of the song either though. Sorry I guess I'm not much help hah.

[Rstarz]

Here are some vids from last night and saturdays show as well

 

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=riha117&view=videos

[Kaycee]

We've uploaded the FLAC audio for this concert on Dime if anyone wants it. We tried getting the video, but there was tons of security, and we were right in front of the left side stage on the floor, so we got caught right away.

 

I guess the extra security was due to the DVD filming - we saw Winnipeg and Edmonton also and had no problems filming either one of those concerts!

[busybeeburns]

Thanks! ^ Bootleg at http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60145 :)