Coldplay just might be the hardest-working live band of the past decade – at least of the arena variety. They want you to have fun, to sink into their often-elegant pop-rock and feel the emotion seeping out of Chris Martin’s furrowed brow, writes Access Atlanta today, in their review of last night's Coldplay show at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA (2 July). Catch up on more on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from the shows at the Coldplay Live forum now. Thanks to everyone who has contributed with tweets, photos, reviews, videos and comments! Read on for the rest of Access Atlanta's review article...
They want you to cheer with delight at the showers of confetti whooshed in the air and nod approvingly at their neon-graffiti stage backdrop, thinking, “Huh, that actually looks really awesome.”
They hope you walk out of the venue thinking they’re fine musicians, but also casually cool guys, the type you’d want to have a drink with to discuss politics or movies or baby names. And guess what? They succeed at every attempt. It hasn’t been quite a year since Coldplay last played Atlanta, headlining the return of Music Midtown in Piedmont Park last fall and performing for about 40,000 people. But Monday’s gig at Philips Arena was a SRO sellout, so clearly there is demand for the music of Martin, Jonny Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drummer-plus-piano-plus-guitar) and Guy Berryman (bass).
This tour behind “Mylo Xyloto” launched last fall overseas, played a few U.S. dates in April, then returned here about two weeks ago. Some of the two-hour show was precise and choreographed, such as the parts with the inventive light-up bracelets handed out to fans as they entered the arena. But even the scripted parts felt natural. Most bands wait until the end of a show to wow the audience with interactive effects, but not Coldplay.
As soon as the quartet kicked off the concert with “Hurts Like Heaven,” the multi-colored bracelets flickered like stained-glass windows come to life, creating an awe-inspiring glow. Immediately after “Heaven,” Martin folded his lanky frame over the keyboard of his upright piano for “In My Place” and within seconds, giant blowers sent thousands of pieces of confetti in the font of the letters from “Mylo Xyloto” into the air. Martin, in all his springy goofiness, pogo-ed down the catwalk extending from the stage, grinning like a schoolboy on summer break under the falling paper.
The band might have brought an arsenal of toys, but the music never felt secondary to the visual distractions. Coldplay is a band like U2 is a band. Take away one member and the magic is gone. But there is also a de facto leader and Martin, while not as dynamic as Bono, handles the role with quiet charm and grace. "Thank you for going through all of the crap you have to go through to come to a concert,” he told the crowd early in the show. Their reward was watching him spar with Buckland like a matador and bull on the rougher-edged “Major Minus” and hear Martin’s lovely swoop of a voice hit all the right notes in “The Scientist.” Coldplay’s best songs fit the “memorable” category because they’re so melodic, they ache (talking about you, “Lovers in Japan”).
A few times during the show, the band stripped to those essentials, gathering at the end of the catwalk for a four-song set including “Princess of China” (Rihanna appeared via video) and “Warning Signs.” Later in the show, Martin and his guitar crammed into a tiny loge section in the back of the arena to croon “Us Against the World,” during which he was joined, one by one, by his mates, with Champion providing some honeyed harmonies. When the singer was handed a cowboy hat, he plopped it on his head, grinned and said with his usual self-deprecation, “Is this a Jon Bon Jovi hat? I can’t pull it off.”
Those quiet times will be highlights for some, but it’s hard to discount the swell of joy in the venue as the crowd heartily sang the “whoa-oh-oh”’s of the majestic “Viva La Vida”; the riveting swirls of red lights that perfectly accompanied Champion’s throbbing backbeat and the tense piano that frame “Clocks”; and the gorgeous, church-like “Fix You,” which Martin intro’d with a few lines of “Georgia on My Mind.” What’s most impressive about Coldplay is that the band doesn’t make presenting an entertaining, captivating live show look easy, because it isn’t. Martin’s shirt was soaked with sweat after the first 15 minutes and his mock exhaustion collapse at the end of “Viva” probably contained a hint of reality. Over the years, their live shows have escalated from standard stand-on-stage-and-sing presentations to this, a polished, yet authentic, blowout. When will the stadium dates be booked?
New photos of Coldplay performing at the Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA (2 July 2012):
Photos courtesy of Access Atlanta (click for more!)
Thumb by ccarrizosa @ Flickr
Don't forget to check out your tour discussion thread if you are getting Coldplay tickets or just getting excited for the European & North American 2012 shows and other forthcoming appearances:
FEBRUARY 2012
8 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia (iHeartRadio) [discussion]
9 Los Angeles, CA @ Jimmy Kimmel Live [discussion]
10 Los Angeles, CA @ GRAMMY Week MusiCares Person of the Year tribute [discussion]
12 Los Angeles, CA @ 54th Grammy Awards, Staples Center [discussion]
16 Sydney, Australia @ 2DayFM, Mobile Live Set (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
17 Sydney, Australia @ Sunrise (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
21 London @ Brit Awards 2012, O2 Arena [discussion]
MARCH 2012
2 New York, NY @ Good Morning America [discussion]
4 New York, NY @ The Secret Policeman's Ball, Radio City Music Hall (Amnesty International) [discussion]
APRIL 2012
17 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place [discussion]
18 Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome [discussion]
20 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
21 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
24 Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena [discussion]
25 Seattle, WA @ KeyArena [discussion]
27 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
28 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
MAY 2012
1 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
2 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
3 Los Angeles, CA @ American Idol show [discussion] [NEW!]
4 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
5 Los Angeles, CA @ KROQ's Weenie Roast y Fiesta [discussion] [NEW!]
18 Porto, Portugal @ Dragao Stadium [discussion]
20 Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Vicente Calderón [discussion]
22 Nice, France @ Stade Charles Herman / Nikaia [discussion]
24 Turin, Italy @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
26 Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund [discussion]
29 Coventry, UK @ Ricoh Stadium [discussion]
JUNE 2012
1 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
2 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
4 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
7 Sunderland, UK @ the Stadium of Light [discussion]
9 London, UK @ Wembley Stadium (Capital FM's Summertime Ball 2012) [discussion] [NEW!]
9 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
10 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
22 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
23 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
25 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
26 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
28 Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum [discussion]
29 Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena [discussion]
JULY 2012
2 Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena [discussion]
3 Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena [discussion]
5 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
6 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
8 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
9 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
23 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
24 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
26 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
27 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
29 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
30 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
AUGUST 2012
1 Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills [discussion]
3 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
4 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
7 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
8 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
10 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center [discussion]
11 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center [discussion]
28 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Parken Stadium [discussion]
30 Stockholm, Sweden @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
SEPTEMBER 2012
2 Paris, France @ Stade de France [discussion]
4 Cologne, Germany @ Rheinenergie Stadium [discussion]
6 The Hague, Netherlands @ Malieveld [discussion]
9 London, UK @ Paralympics Closing Ceremony [discussion]
12 Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion [discussion]
14 Leipzig, Germany @ Red Bull Stadium [discussion]
16 Prague, Czech Republic @ Slavia Eden Stadium [discussion]
19 Warsaw, Poland @ National Stadium [discussion]
22 Hannover, Germany @ AWD Arena [discussion]
NOVEMBER 2012
10 Auckland, New Zealand @ Mt Smart Stadium [discussion]
13 Melbourne, Australia @ Etihad Stadium [discussion]
17 Sydney, Australia @ Allianz Stadium [discussion]
18 Sydney, Australia @ Allianz Stadium [discussion] [NEW!]
21 Brisbane, Australia @ Suncorp Stadium [discussion]
Read also: European Stadium Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the Europe tour)
Read also: North America Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the US/Canada tour)
Read also: 2012: Live Appearances - Easy Thread Finder (last updated - 12th January 2012)
Read also: 2012 tour date rumours (please post dates for ALL countries in here)
Kit yourself up for the forthcoming MX tour and get spotted with Coldplaying's new range of merchandise! [click on the items for the full shop]
The new range of Coldplaying merchanise (unofficial of course to the official shop) has hit our stores, with our biggest range of goods so far. Prices are as low as they can be for a Cafepress shop so more people will be able to afford them. We don't take any profits for the sale of the merchandise as a result. Take a browse in one of the online stores nearest to you: UK | US | Canada | Australia | European (shipping is worldwide, but you can choose what currency to pay in) - simply alter the country dropdown menu at the top of the shop page. [thanks to TracieMorgan and zzz]
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