Coldplay Top of the Pops updates

[lucyb]

Had a total awesome fangirl moment, Chris asked me if his collar on his shirt was straight; I said its a little up, he then bent down and asked me to straighten it for him, which I gladly did :P

 

 

I just passed out with jealousy. How did he smell? LOL. Tiger Balm? I love that man. :kiss:

[fru.overvad]

OK, this is SUPER long, but for anyone who's interested...this is my review :nice:

 

.....The MC or whatever you want to call him got us amped up by getting us to sing along to music and practicing our applause and the oohs from "Christmas Lights" that I never fail to have a Pavlovian response to after the boat video shoot . I didn't really need to be any more amped up, but I totally played along. And then, all of a sudden, the guys in their suits were standing at the side of the stage, on the floor with us. Chris was drinking coffee out of a huge travel mug, and they were adjusting their suits and flowers and talking with the three Elvises (Simon Pegg was traded out for Matt McGinn!). The MC-guy played us the infernal Black Eyed Peas "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night" to get us excited even though it was 2 in the afternoon, and when he cut the music off, I heard Chris's unmistakable voice singing "Let's doo it, let's doo it" from the song three feet away from me in a pseudo-American voice .

 

And then they came on stage and I realized how amazing my positioning was. I was to the left of the stage, on Jonny's side, literally nose-to-nose with the new blue piano with rainbow keys. I could see every hair on Chris's arm and the finer details of his A and M tattoos, which was just awesome. This is my second TV taping event with Coldplay, and I've decided I love them just for the banter they do and how they interact with the audience, and being so close to them in their downtime to see them do little human-y things we don't get to see so much at shows or on TV. At one point, Will picked some confetti (ripped up newspaper, just like in the video) off his drum kit, examined the text on it, and then sniffed it. Chris did a lot of bromancy hands-on-shoulders with Jonny and Guy and was genuinely adorable--in a much better mood than the last time I saw him . I gave a huge smile to Will, which he returned (God, that man loves eye contact). Chris gave me a look as if to say "I know I've seen your face recently, but I can't place it," which is FINE with me given the hilarity of our last encounter . His eyes, though. When I met him two weeks ago, they actually scared me in person, and today was really no different, being that close to him again. He has inhuman eyes, like blue lasers. [/fangirl]

 

Dear Chelsea, first of all - thanks for your rewievs and updates. :thumbsup:

To read your updates makes me feel like, I am there with you!

I think you are my favorite Coldplayer-fangirl and you deserve all the Coldplay-karma, that is coming your way! :)

 

I am all about Chris´laser-blue eyes! You describe them so well!

:rolleyes4:

He is so mesmerising!

 

Have a great christmas and a happy new year - I´m looking forward to reading your next update from your next meeting with Coldplay!! :hug:

[Long Live Life]

Guy has always looked this way to me - all the way back to Parachutes.

 

I'm not sure what his deal is, but he definitely isn't enjoying himself like the rest of the band.

 

It used to worry me but I've just come to live with it.

 

"Still waiting for that smile so small,

It doesn't seem to me the diva's having fun at all"

[SueDeNimes]

Finally finished school for today and found time to properly read what happened in here last night...

 

That was a really great day!! :dance:

 

[...]

 

Had a great time!

(hello to any Coldplayers that were there!! :dance: )

Aww, thanks Kara!

Old newspaper haha

 

@Anna: I love the new pic in your avatar! :smug:

Couldn't resist, it's such a cool pic!! :heart: :laugh4:

 

Ok, here's my photos from the gig! Please excuse the poor quality of some, while the iPhone 4 is a great phone, it isn't easy whipping it out (not a great phrase to use!) and taking a picture (this sentance is getting worse!) in a few seconds.

 

Pics of the band:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4422/img16930.jpg

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/7770/img1694k.jpg

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/8052/img1695i.jpg

http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/9475/img16960.jpg

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/479/img1697b.jpg

 

 

Pics of the studio:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7227/img1684n.jpg

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/6197/img1685s.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7265/img1686d0.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2991/img168801.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/9210/img1689gt.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3418/img1690y.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/6993/img16990.jpg

 

Pic of the logo:

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/9963/img1720f.jpg

 

Pics of me!

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/2943/img1719e.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4527/img1715l.jpg

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4958/img1722p.jpg

 

Pics of the BBC:

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/6851/img16800.jpg

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/651/img1681e.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/231/img1682m.jpg

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/7884/img1721w.jpg

 

Feel free to use these any which way any of you like, repost them, claim them as your own to impress someone etc.! :)

 

I think I may have met some of you there or caught a glance of you as we waited in the foyer to go through! Some of you may recognise me in these (hideous!) photos so, if I did see you but didn't know you were on here... Hi! :D

Hey Dan, I said it before: Thank you loads!

 

OK, this is SUPER long, but for anyone who's interested...this is my review :nice:

 

 

 

My alarm went off at 4:30 this morning :freak:. [...]

 

Are you kidding?

Of course we were interested! :whip:

Lovely review, thanks for sharing! :hug: :kiss:

Looking forward to see you again on telly! :P

And I second what fru.overvad said above!!!

 

For anyone interested, I've listened back to the recording and have put together a rough dialogue of what happened in the studio. It starts from when the bloke on stage (I'm gonna call him the warm-up guy, or WUG for short) is talking about the 'snow machine'...

 

 

 

[...]

 

 

I'll edit out the songs and up the file tomorrow morning for you all if you want a listen. :D

Wow, that must've taken you a while! :stunned:

 

OMG, the board sensors the compound word "pocket watch" because part of it spells out T-W-*-T :lol:

Made me laugh as well! :lol:

 

Hey All!

 

Ok, those of you who asked, I've decided to do it tonight as a treat! This is a recording of the studio noise, banter, etc. from today's TOTP session with Coldplay.

 

An important note: This contains NO music at all. I have left in a couple of the 'links' Fearne and Reggie did as I genuinely believe they won't use them (can't have the audience booing on TV!) so should be fair game. Another link is left in but the audience is so loud you can't hear anything anyway apart from cheering. Should comply with any copyright issues and also hopefully respects Coldplay.

 

Apologies for the ruffling sound at points, phone was moving around in my back pocket. Overall, not a bad recording!

 

http://www.filedude.com/download/tTMCs2c1K27ca4897ac0

 

I'm happy to upload the whole file unedited after the show airs should anyone wish to 'relive' the singing and the atmosphere providing there are no objections.

 

Have a great evening y'all ;)

Dan

 

Twitter: @huds601

 

Edit: Probably should have mentioned, the links were recorded *incase* certain things happened. Noone knows who will be Christmas number 1 and it's not a fix before anyone suggests otherwise (although I'm sure you're all sensible enough to know this already!)

Just :kiss: :awesome:

Thanks again!

 

This is a First post for me just wanted to say how epic and amazing this intimate performance was, i went along with Dan 6N and completly agree that we should meet up to chat etc at the next coldplay shindig!!

Welcome to coldplaying!! :nice:

See you soon then! :)

 

Alrighty, I've finished my extremely long review, copy-pasted from livejournal...

 

 

 

 

Did that actually just happen?

 

Did I just see Coldplay perform 'Christmas Lights' from a foot away from the stage?

 

Yes. Yes I did.

 

And it was amazing.

 

Fully worth the 2.5 hour coach journey, navigating the Tube by myself, standing in a queue outside the BBC for nearly 2 hours in subzero temperatures (wind chill factor not included) and finally being let in to the recording studio half an hour behind schedule?

 

Absolutely.

 

The disgustingly cold wait was made much more bearable by the fact that I made friends with Sophie, the lovely girl in the queue beside me. Her aunt came along later and the three of us stuck together after that. I have to say, meeting someone who actually shares my idea of what is acceptable in terms of what lengths one goes to for a concert was probably one of the better moments of my life. I mean, I knew they were out there. I'd just never actually met one. I felt vindicated.

 

When they came to sticker our tickets, I turned out to be number 77--my favourite number. I felt sorry for whoever had been in front of us--an hour and a half in the cold felt like forever, and they must have been there twice as long. Coffee runs and mini-picnics helped but really, all we wanted was to be warm. But, noon came around eventually, and we shuffled our frozen toes indoors, where there was warmth and food...and where, as if meeting one like-minded Coldplay obsessive wasn't enough, I met more! There were a few Coldplayers present, easily recognizable by the strings of Christmas lights strung about their persons. (Incidentally, battery powered LED lights are actually the most fun things ever. Especially when you're wearing them.) We stashed our bags and coats, and settled in around the tables in the audience lobby--a very nice touch, by the way--to wait. And queue...and get told to sit down...and wait...and queue...and false alarm...and, oh, sound issues, crap, is it cancelled? Nope, just late. Phew. They *finally* had us line up in groups of 50, which wasn't very effective seeing as everyone barged forward anyway, but we made it to the studio eventually. Sophie and I snagged the last spots in the front row, right at the left end of the stage, but we had an excellent view. I couldn't see the rainbow piano keys, unfortunately, but something tells me I wouldn't have noticed anyway. Ahem.

 

We had a very amusing stage manager type guy come out and explain what was going to happen ("When you clap, hold your hands up high, not down in front of you. Otherwise it looks like you're getting a little too happy on Christmas day"..."all you crazy stalker fans, no storming the stage, there are fireworks and you'll die"), and had us practise the 'whoa-oh-oh' bit of Christmas Lights so we knew when to sing it later. He also liked our fairy lights. Amazingly enough, all of us that were wearing them had made it to the front row. I looked across to see Phil (I think that's his name? Sorry!), glowing like me, and we shared a comradely heck-yes-we're-draped-in-Christmas-lights-this-is-awesome grin. To 'warm us up', the stage guy blasted Sex On Fire, and then I Gotta Feeling, and we sang/danced/clapped along. It was about halfway through the latter that I looked to my left...

 

And saw Coldplay standing not six feet away from me. Waiting to get on stage. Just...standing, talking, getting ready, in all their fucking god-like glory. I am serious here. Take any photo of Coldplay. Take every flaw you see, and erase it. Add about four or five inches to however tall you imagine them, and maybe put a faintly glowing halo around that. And then just freaking give up, because there is no way that any words can describe how much justice pictures or photographs do not do these four men.

 

Anyway.

 

I was close enough to hear Chris singing along with BEP, and one of the Elvises saying 'When do we pick up our violins?', and was struck by how cool this all was--there was no backstage, they were right there, and I was seeing something that hardly anyone ever does: a world-famous, platinum-record-sold-out-stadium band, getting ready for a performance. Usually you just get the package deal: they come on with a bang, they leave the way they came with you screaming for more, done, hop-on-the-tourbus-let's-go. This was so different. It was totally intimate; they weren't a load of very rich and very famous rock stars taking all your money. They were just four guys, playing to an audience that could probably fit in my living room if you removed all the furniture and maybe knocked down a wall. And then Guy looked at me for a second with his broody, 'I am the sexiest man alive and I know it' stare and the intelligent moment was over because I probably peed or something embarrassing.

 

They came on stage--ohmygodrightinfrontofme--and we cheered, like we'd practiced, only this time it was for real. Chris was very bubbly, throwing around cheerful banter with the crowd, and because of the size of the audience and the setting, we could throw it back. He joked about the Christmas Lights music video boat-ride filming session thingy (words, I speak them good), saying it was a massive orgy with lots of drugs and some of the Spice Girls involved. When turning to Jonny for the starting note for the whoaaaa... bit so we could practise with him, it took him a couple of tries to get it and he said 'I'm not a singer, so...' Heh. At one point, he expressed, in his humble Chris way, his nervousness at how this was all going to go--they'd never done the song 'live' (the only live bit was Chris singing, it was Top of the Pops after all) before. I yelled, 'Don't worry, we all know the words in case you forget' or something which, in hindsight, might have been a bit rude but there you go. Audience participation! I didn't catch his reply. Oh well. There was some banter about X-Factor, and they all turned to Guy who is, apparently, an avid fan, for his opinion on who's best. I have no idea, I don't watch it, but LOL, he is so quiet. He comes off like he's acting the model when he doesn't run around the stage and stuff but I think he's just shy. And maybe a little vain. But I still love him. Of course.

 

They did the song three times, and I sang/clapped/waved/cheered along vehemently. (My throat is sore.) Chris loved our singing, said we had to do one more take because we were showing the band up, and that 'the song is shit until you come in...you'll get us to number 36 on the charts, which is our favourite position.' I, on the other hand, think he sounded fantastic. Guy, Will and Jonny were just miming, unfortunately, but they all looked like they were having a great time, all relaxed, happy...maybe because they didn't have to worry about their playing, lulz. Anyway, my ridiculous flailing, paired with a light-up torso and the hair of a madwoman, got me a grin from Jonny (squee) and what might have even been a smile from Guy?! (Gasp!) Whatever, THERE WAS EYE CONTACT and I swear I saw his lips twitch upwards. I couldn't see Will very well for most of it, but I got glimpses. And then Chris was all over the stage, standing riiigghht above me for some of it so I had a very good view of him. Cough. He pointed the microphone to us for a couple of lines on the last two takes, which I thought was pretty cool. (Especially since it'll be on telly! There was a camera pointing right at me for a minute there.)

When the show presenters did their link for announcing the winner, i.e. not Coldplay, we all boo'ed. It was great. Stage manager guy went, 'OK, well, we have to do that one again for obvious reasons,' and told us we had to clap but we could boo in our heads. We did so and he said 'You're all liars.'

 

There were, as promised, pretty spark showers on the word 'fireworks' and 'snow' (bits of damp newspaper) and a very cool light show...all in all, I think it'll look fantastic.

 

It was over all too quickly. They thanked us, and we cheered, and they waved, and as they came off the stage I reached out a hand and Chris shook it. Or held it briefly, touched it, what have you. (He has very large hands, FYI.) I still can't believe it. I mean...right? The whole thing was just...incredible, from start to finish. Yes, it was just one song repeated, but it is a very good song and it was a very special setting. It was almost like a jam session, or a weird family gathering. I didn't have any 'HOLYCRAPFAMOUSPEOPLE' hysteria, like I *always* have at concerts, because they weren't acting like famous people. It was like a house concert. I was extremely happy and excited, yes, but not off-my-head-hysterical. Although I was still kind of stunned from my Chris Martin handshake, so I didn't realise where they were leaving from for a second. Just as I saw their backs go through the doorway I saw Sophie legging it after them. I hesitated a second, and then ran after her, but that goddamn second will haunt me for the rest of my life as it gave the security guard time to get in my way. She came back a few minutes later with a picture of her and Chris. I was a bit gutted at first but I sort of told myself, 'next time...' because there will definitely be a next time and this was her 9th time seeing them and "only" my 3rd, and I had an amazing experience anyway--no tall peoples' heads in the way!

 

So despite my lack of photographic evidence, I could not wipe the grin off my face all the way home. I don't care if people thought I was a crazy person. And anyway, if I'm honest, when it comes to Coldplay...I kind of am one.

 

 

Or you can read it here, it might be easier on the eyes.

Aww, what a great review, fun to read, thank you!!

 

Here is my review of the day!

 

 

I left home at around 7:45 this morning and got to TV centre at around 9:45. I saw Crazyduckette in the queue, and then met with **Laura** and we speculated about what was going to happen. Would we get the group photo to the band? My own views were the Beeb would be quite strict about this, so I'd ask someone at the BBC to hand it over if i couldn't do so first hand.

 

I was excited about this gig because we haven't seen Coldplay live for so long. They've been like an old friend who always made you laugh so much or gave you so much joy you haven’t seen in ages, and you really miss them. One day I hope to meet them in person, to tell them in person how much their music helped at a particuarly painfull crossroads in my life.

 

I have seen Coldplay up close live before (front row @Wembley Sept 09) - has it been over a year since I've seen them? I can honestly say that the band appeals to me for as much as what they do outside of music ,as for the music itself. I've loved live music for ages, but never before have I taken my love of a band’s work music to such a fan level. Fan love is unconditional love, and I never tire of their music or hearing of their good causes. The old king was never dead: he was merely resting. And here was Chris today telling us he was back with great gusto!

 

I went up and down the line trying to get as many Coldplayers signatures as I could for the signing of the group photo (my apologies to the girl who wanted to sign outside the studio doors - I'd got rid of everything bar photo and our Christmas lights by this stage). I also met up with Chelsea and Dan (dmuse Dan not Dan 6N) and Laura as well - it was great meeting you all, and hearing Craig's story about the formation of his band and advice from the band themselves! Good luck Craig!

 

I've been to old Auntie Beeb before so I'd passed through those iconic gates. Is TV centre really to relocate next year? If so, sadly we've been a piece of history today! Memories - good memories- are what life is all about. Forget possessions, it's good times that keep you going in the bad. Coldplay have given me so many good ones at dark times in my life; people forget this sometimes themselves. How special was last month, when we took part in their video? How many other bands interact with their own fans so much? Don't take anything in life for granted, for one day it will no longer be there. I've been there, bought the T-shirt, saw the movie, and ate the pop corn too.

 

So I gave out my extra Christmas lights and once in to the BBC we were on the wating game. Now as Chelsea said, the great thing about this gig was that we got to get our tickets stickered with a number in the order we were in the queue. If all gigs were like this!

 

At around 2:00 an annoucment from the BBC that there are sound problems in the studio! They only do TOTP once a year now after all! We got into the studio for around 2:40 I think, and myself, Laura, Kara and Chelsea were very near the front of the first batch of 50. Some banter with the "crowd" control lady ensues, where she asks me about my Christmas lights and if they work. I didn't flash at her, but it could have been worse if she asked my where I kept the batteries.

 

So oddly we got to walk back outside (still freezing cold) and across the iconic forecourt of the BBC with the fountain (rumoured to be this year's Christmas ident), and then back inside, down a few corridors and then round a few backstage areas and into the studio itself. It's a small studio, much smaller than you might imagine on the television (wide angle lenses make it look much bigger than it actually is). I was just so excited that we were there, anything else was a bonus. We used our "save a place" stategy that worked so well @ Wembley and Crazyduckette go in front just before me, with myself and laura closely following. We'd done it and were just feet from the stage. We were just right at Guy's side, with the multi-coloured piano stage left.

 

Coldplay's set was decorated in a similar way to the video shoot: old nostalgic musical items, set against a backdrop of white neon snowflakes. All very Christmassy. We were also right next to the snow machine, and wondered if we were going to get soaked and the photo end up soggy mush. Fortunately the snow ends up to be pieces of old newspaper (good recycling from Coldplay here!)

 

So the warm-up guy comes on and tells us how to move our arms TOTP style. :) When he asks the audience who had been to TOTP before, only 1 guy puts up his hand in the audience. When he asks him what band he saw, he says "ELO" - come on Auntie Beeb - a whole generation are missing out here! Just so long as you get Coldplay on every couple of weeks! :)

 

We sing along to a couple of non Coldplay tracks so that "they can see who to shoot and who to avoid" and I'm having a lot of fun by this stage. There's a real good party atmosphere in the studio, and Coldplay haven't even arrived on set yet.

 

When they do (stage left) it is great to see them all again. Chris is his usually funny self, and the banter with the audience is great. I personally didn't see the masses of sweat, but then again I was some way from Chris. They all looked in good spirits, except - as has already been noted - Guy who was doing his usual Diva routine.

 

My aim was to get the photo to the band, and when it was appropriate. I was genuinely thinking "hmm they might not like a big envelope waved at them". So I left it for the minute.

 

So we do the Christmas lights song 4 times. Singing along with the band so close was so much fun, I'd just forgotten we were also at the BBC as well to boot! Chris voice was great live, but the rest mimed. The rainbow piano just played away by itself (I can see this becoming a very collectable item in the future!) .

 

There are noticeable boos when they don't announce Coldplay as the Christmas no 1 - "OK we'll have to do that bit again for obvious reasons" :) "You liars" they say when we applaud crazily on the next take (though with an undercurrent of visual boos).

 

When it all came to wrap up and the band leave the stage Chris was giving his rose to someone on the forum, and I tried to get his attention, but no luck as he probably couldn;t hear (me being on the far corner). Fortunately as Jonny was leaving (who stayed longest on stage) I kept shouting for him and he seemed perplexed by a black plastic envelope (good job too, it was based around on the stage floor - it kept the photo in good shape!). If Coldplay is reading i hope Jonny didn't think it was anything untowards - you guys know I wouldn't do anything like that to you! (naive me just realised a black envelope could have connotations :shocked2: )

 

So my Coldplay karma is working of late. Coldplay gave us something special a few week ago. They gave us good memories. Life is about good memories - they see you through the bad times. Possessions and even our own bodies are just transient items that our modern world place too much emphasis on. Coldplay have brought me so many great times, and meeting others who love their music as much as I do too has brought me even more. I believe - or hope - that our souls will be the sum of our memories, and that like emphera, their music will live on. My good memories will live forever. Thankyou Coldplay. Thankyou Coldplaying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So happy for all of you that everything worked and you had a great time!

You're so right about the whole 'life is about good memories' and passion thing.

[analoeskah]

When is it coming on the TV?

[mayurshikotra]

Well im back and recovered from a very long day! this was the 2nd time i got to see the band and it was soo good to see them that close, and they were really really really down to earth!

it was good to see all the people from coldplaying there (i was the indian guy with black jacket lol)! btw who was that guy shouting from the back!? it got really annoying after a while lol! ooo btw i got audio from the recording, although i dunno if we would be allowed to put if it or not!

[SueDeNimes]

When is it coming on the TV?

2pm on Christmas Day according to the Oracle!

 

December 7, 2010 - submitted by Colin, United States of America

 

Q. Dear Oracle,

How and when can we watch Coldplay on TV when they perform at the BBC?

Colin

 

 

The Oracle replies:

 

I'm sure Anchorman will announce the times and dates as we get that information. But the first transmission will be at 2pm on Christmas Day BBC1. Last year they actually had two shows over the festive period and repeats so there'll be other chances to catch it.

http://www.coldplay.com/oracledetail.php?id=1802&page=0

 

:)

 

 

[AlanShearerBetty]

Excellent stuff, thanks for the great stories! :D I can't wait to see this!

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

Well he left the band almost straight away unlike the others who stayed for a while. But the expression on his face says "what i am doing here with these people... I am *soo* much better than all of them!"

 

Now it maybe all of us reading something that's not there, but if so he needs to work on his body language.

 

And Chelsea (the Pee Girl :)) has a real Guy diva story from the video shoot!

 

chelsea i want the the guy diva story

plz share it with us :nice:

 

Haha, it's not THAT diva-y, but when we were at the Christmas Lights video shoot, we hung around til 3AM when they were leaving to see if we could say hi to them. Guy was the first to leave and he was getting into his car when he saw the three of us. He didn't have to come over to us, of course, but he came over, the whole time saying "I really have to go, I don't have much time, I really want to leave." I thought it was funny, since he didn't have to come over and we weren't begging him to, yet he was kind of acting like we dragged him over there. He wasn't rude or anything, though, he was just in a pretty bad mood, especially compared to Jonny and Will, who were lovely to us despite the cold and the time :P. Chris too, but he let his tiredness show a bit more.

[PolarMonkey]

Well im back and recovered from a very long day! this was the 2nd time i got to see the band and it was soo good to see them that close, and they were really really really down to earth!

it was good to see all the people from coldplaying there (i was the indian guy with black jacket lol)! btw who was that guy shouting from the back!? it got really annoying after a while lol! ooo btw i got audio from the recording, although i dunno if we would be allowed to put if it or not!

 

oh, I think my sis & I were behind you in the queue to leave the studio! :)

were you with an Indian girl & got approached by the studio staff about you bag/coat number?

[englishrose]

Here is my review of the day!

 

 

I left home at around 7:45 this morning and got to TV centre at around 9:45. I saw Crazyduckette in the queue, and then met with **Laura** and we speculated about what was going to happen. Would we get the group photo to the band? My own views were the Beeb would be quite strict about this, so I'd ask someone at the BBC to hand it over if i couldn't do so first hand.

 

I was excited about this gig because we haven't seen Coldplay live for so long. They've been like an old friend who always made you laugh so much or gave you so much joy you haven’t seen in ages, and you really miss them. One day I hope to meet them in person, to tell them in person how much their music helped at a particuarly painfull crossroads in my life.

 

I have seen Coldplay up close live before (front row @Wembley Sept 09) - has it been over a year since I've seen them? I can honestly say that the band appeals to me for as much as what they do outside of music ,as for the music itself. I've loved live music for ages, but never before have I taken my love of a band’s work music to such a fan level. Fan love is unconditional love, and I never tire of their music or hearing of their good causes. The old king was never dead: he was merely resting. And here was Chris today telling us he was back with great gusto!

 

I went up and down the line trying to get as many Coldplayers signatures as I could for the signing of the group photo (my apologies to the girl who wanted to sign outside the studio doors - I'd got rid of everything bar photo and our Christmas lights by this stage). I also met up with Chelsea and Dan (dmuse Dan not Dan 6N) and Laura as well - it was great meeting you all, and hearing Craig's story about the formation of his band and advice from the band themselves! Good luck Craig!

 

I've been to old Auntie Beeb before so I'd passed through those iconic gates. Is TV centre really to relocate next year? If so, sadly we've been a piece of history today! Memories - good memories- are what life is all about. Forget possessions, it's good times that keep you going in the bad. Coldplay have given me so many good ones at dark times in my life; people forget this sometimes themselves. How special was last month, when we took part in their video? How many other bands interact with their own fans so much? Don't take anything in life for granted, for one day it will no longer be there. I've been there, bought the T-shirt, saw the movie, and ate the pop corn too.

 

So I gave out my extra Christmas lights and once in to the BBC we were on the wating game. Now as Chelsea said, the great thing about this gig was that we got to get our tickets stickered with a number in the order we were in the queue. If all gigs were like this!

 

At around 2:00 an annoucment from the BBC that there are sound problems in the studio! They only do TOTP once a year now after all! We got into the studio for around 2:40 I think, and myself, Laura, Kara and Chelsea were very near the front of the first batch of 50. Some banter with the "crowd" control lady ensues, where she asks me about my Christmas lights and if they work. I didn't flash at her, but it could have been worse if she asked my where I kept the batteries.

 

So oddly we got to walk back outside (still freezing cold) and across the iconic forecourt of the BBC with the fountain (rumoured to be this year's Christmas ident), and then back inside, down a few corridors and then round a few backstage areas and into the studio itself. It's a small studio, much smaller than you might imagine on the television (wide angle lenses make it look much bigger than it actually is). I was just so excited that we were there, anything else was a bonus. We used our "save a place" stategy that worked so well @ Wembley and Crazyduckette go in front just before me, with myself and laura closely following. We'd done it and were just feet from the stage. We were just right at Guy's side, with the multi-coloured piano stage left.

 

Coldplay's set was decorated in a similar way to the video shoot: old nostalgic musical items, set against a backdrop of white neon snowflakes. All very Christmassy. We were also right next to the snow machine, and wondered if we were going to get soaked and the photo end up soggy mush. Fortunately the snow ends up to be pieces of old newspaper (good recycling from Coldplay here!)

 

So the warm-up guy comes on and tells us how to move our arms TOTP style. :) When he asks the audience who had been to TOTP before, only 1 guy puts up his hand in the audience. When he asks him what band he saw, he says "ELO" - come on Auntie Beeb - a whole generation are missing out here! Just so long as you get Coldplay on every couple of weeks! :)

 

We sing along to a couple of non Coldplay tracks so that "they can see who to shoot and who to avoid" and I'm having a lot of fun by this stage. There's a real good party atmosphere in the studio, and Coldplay haven't even arrived on set yet.

 

When they do (stage left) it is great to see them all again. Chris is his usually funny self, and the banter with the audience is great. I personally didn't see the masses of sweat, but then again I was some way from Chris. They all looked in good spirits, except - as has already been noted - Guy who was doing his usual Diva routine.

 

My aim was to get the photo to the band, and when it was appropriate. I was genuinely thinking "hmm they might not like a big envelope waved at them". So I left it for the minute.

 

So we do the Christmas lights song 4 times. Singing along with the band so close was so much fun, I'd just forgotten we were also at the BBC as well to boot! Chris voice was great live, but the rest mimed. The rainbow piano just played away by itself (I can see this becoming a very collectable item in the future!) .

 

There are noticeable boos when they don't announce Coldplay as the Christmas no 1 - "OK we'll have to do that bit again for obvious reasons" :) "You liars" they say when we applaud crazily on the next take (though with an undercurrent of visual boos).

 

When it all came to wrap up and the band leave the stage Chris was giving his rose to someone on the forum, and I tried to get his attention, but no luck as he probably couldn;t hear (me being on the far corner). Fortunately as Jonny was leaving (who stayed longest on stage) I kept shouting for him and he seemed perplexed by a black plastic envelope (good job too, it was based around on the stage floor - it kept the photo in good shape!). If Coldplay is reading i hope Jonny didn't think it was anything untowards - you guys know I wouldn't do anything like that to you! (naive me just realised a black envelope could have connotations :shocked2: )

 

So my Coldplay karma is working of late. Coldplay gave us something special a few week ago. They gave us good memories. Life is about good memories - they see you through the bad times. Possessions and even our own bodies are just transient items that our modern world place too much emphasis on. Coldplay have brought me so many great times, and meeting others who love their music as much as I do too has brought me even more. I believe - or hope - that our souls will be the sum of our memories, and that like emphera, their music will live on. My good memories will live forever. Thankyou Coldplay. Thankyou Coldplaying.

 

 

 

 

"Memories - good memories- are what life is all about. Forget possessions, it's good times that keep you going in the bad."

 

^ Loved that bit, very true! It's a lovely review, thanks for posting :)

[mayurshikotra]

oh, I think my sis & I were behind you in the queue to leave the studio! :)

were you with an Indian girl & got approached by the studio staff about you bag/coat number?

 

Yeehhhh that was me! i go really happy cuz i thought they selected to go see them but instead they just had a 2 ppl with the sme ticket lol!

[soph0107]

Best Day Ever

 

Yesterday was absolutely incredible. Best day ever I reckon...

 

Danielle, thanks so much for your company in the freezing cold!!!

 

I am trying to put my pic up but having trouble so far!

[soph0107]

 

hope this works...

[Agnieszka]

... but OMG he was right in front of me, less than 2 feet away. I have been fortunate to meet him in person before; but nothing can beat being that close to him and watching him perform, just mesmerising.

 

Had a total awesome fangirl moment, Chris asked me if his collar on his shirt was straight; I said its a little up, he then bent down and asked me to straighten it for him, which I gladly did :P ...

 

 

 

Piggy!!! You are so lucky, girl!!!:lol:

[nouratan]

Haha, it's not THAT diva-y, but when we were at the Christmas Lights video shoot, we hung around til 3AM when they were leaving to see if we could say hi to them. Guy was the first to leave and he was getting into his car when he saw the three of us. He didn't have to come over to us, of course, but he came over, the whole time saying "I really have to go, I don't have much time, I really want to leave." I thought it was funny, since he didn't have to come over and we weren't begging him to, yet he was kind of acting like we dragged him over there. He wasn't rude or anything, though, he was just in a pretty bad mood, especially compared to Jonny and Will, who were lovely to us despite the cold and the time :P. Chris too, but he let his tiredness show a bit more.

 

that was boring:dozey:

i wanted him to be really act like a diva:P

[mc_squared]

 

hope this works...

 

Where was that taken, and how did it happen?:confused:

[soph0107]

It was taken at the Top of the Pops recording. As they left the stage i legged it after Chris and asked if i could have a photo with him. I wished him a Merry Christmas :)

[englishrose]

Yesterday was absolutely incredible. Best day ever I reckon...

 

Danielle, thanks so much for your company in the freezing cold!!!

 

I am trying to put my pic up but having trouble so far!

 

Haha, I realised just after you left that I still owe you £2.35. Next Coldplay gig we go to? :laugh3:

[flyxever]

OMG it's too much for me!:o Everyone of you guys was so lucky, I'm seriously thinking to transfer my self and all my life in London!!:D

Congratulations to everyone for this wonderful experience!

[soph0107]

Haha dont worry about it, after the amazing time we had yesterday, money is the least of my concerns :)

 

Tried to find you on Facebook...are you the one with no profile pic?

 

We'll have to meet up and go to a gig when they tour (fingers crossed) next year :)

[mc_squared]

It was taken at the Top of the Pops recording. As they left the stage i legged it after Chris and asked if i could have a photo with him. I wished him a Merry Christmas :)

 

So were you in the best position of everyone to do this then, and were you the only one?

[englishrose]

Haha dont worry about it, after the amazing time we had yesterday, money is the least of my concerns :)

 

Tried to find you on Facebook...are you the one with no profile pic?

 

We'll have to meet up and go to a gig when they tour (fingers crossed) next year :)

 

Uhhhmmm, no, I have a profile picture... :S I wonder why I'm not turning up...let me know and I can PM you the link to my page.

[soph0107]

So were you in the best position of everyone to do this then, and were you the only one?

 

Yep I was stood on the front row right at the end. When they came off stage I just went for it! I think I was the only one yes....?

[mc_squared]

Yep I was stood on the front row right at the end. When they came off stage I just went for it! I think I was the only one yes....?

 

Well congratulations and well done for going for it.:D