Cleveland Leader: Coldplay Disappoints, Duffy Exhilarates

Here's an interesting article from the media source who only hours earlier had been so proud about running an exclusive Coldplay ticket competition. That same evening, they write an unfavourable report on the show at the Q Arena:

Coldplay, who many rock critics have tabbed as the next U2, headlined the the Quicken Loans Arena tonight and drew a crowd that I would estimate at about 17,000. The band that hails from Britain failed to answer the lingering questions that I had about about the band. Chris Martin and company were wise enough to bring along the next rising star in the music industry as Duffy thrilled as the opening act.

The problem that I see in Coldplay is too much show and not enough actual talent to back up their big act.. The band has some songs to thrill a crowd but aren't quite at the level that they seem to think they are at. Between the set of the excellent opening act Duffy was simply eyebrows raising. Coldplay seems to accept the fact that they don't know who they are despite being rock veterans. Playing songs ranging from rap to classical music before they took the stage made you wonder what to expect and, not surprisingly to me, failed to deliver on the supposed grandiose entrance.

While Mr Paltrow possesses good songwriting skills at times it didn't fulfill a full set that could entertain for an entire evening. The selection of songs tried mask the weak vocals by Martin by utilizing a wide assortment of t lighting effects which seemed to enthrall parts of the crowd but veterans of rock shows in attendance knew that there was something lacking in terms of quality in the bands performance. The band does not inspire passion from the crowd and simply seems to be a passing fad that will fade as soon as the music industry moves onto the next "in" thing.

While I can dismiss their live show, Coldplay is not afraid to employ a solid opening act. On their last tour, the band had one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in the last decade opening for them in Richard Ashcroft who shot to fame in the mid-90's with his band The Verve. This time around, the band is touring with neo-soul singer Duffy who truly lived up to hype that has surrounded her from her home of Wales. While her live sound has not been fine tuned to an Arena setting, Duffy truly has the making of an extraordinary live act. Her meek voice which introduced her songs was an amazing contrast to her strong vocals which wowed the crowd and probably made them wonder why she was supporting a band instead of headlining a show herself. Duffy has the makings of a superstar if she can handle the fame that surrounds it.

More on this article here onwards [thanks Jenjie]