Dallas Friday night, Coldplay began at the end. More precisely, the convergence of a confetti deluge, enormous balloons, columns of smoke, blitz of lasers and thousands of vivid, blinking lights adorning the wrists (a LED-powered freebie known as a "xyloband") of a sold-out American Airlines Center felt like the climax of an epic performance, the culmination of two hours' worth of music and sensory overload, writes the DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) website today, in a review article of Coldplay's first of two Dallas shows on Friday night (22nd June). Catch up on more on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from the shows at the Coldplay Live forum now. Read on to see what the media thought of Coldplay's return to the US...
Instead, Chris Martin and his Grammy-winning, multi-platinum bandmates were just on the second song of the night. They were only getting warmed up. (The band plays the final, likewise sold-out installment of its two-night stand Saturday.)
What was most apparent, aside from the fact that Coldplay now has a confetti budget to rival that of the Flaming Lips, was this veteran band is finally displaying a brashness only previously suggested. Martin and his collaborators have always been the aw-shucks sort of group, routinely selling out global, years-long tours, but laying on the self-deprecation thick in concert. No more of that -- touring behind last year's dreadfully titled Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay brought an impressive confidence to the stage Friday, ripping through a 100-minute set and scarcely pausing for breath...
Mixing the new material with staples like In My Place and Yellow, while also taking care to put fresh spins on tracks like God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, Coldplay managed the rare feat of playing nearly all of its latest album while never letting momentum slip. Part of that is due to the ADD nature of the night -- the band had crammed screens or inflatable widgets in seemingly every corner of the AAC -- and much of it is because Martin continues to be one of rock music's most charismatic frontmen, bouncing around like a kid making his dreams reality. The trade-off, of course, is that Coldplay's more tender, intimate moments are scrapped in favor of excess. When the band did stop down to play something less outsized, like The Scientist or Warning Sign, the intensity continued to smolder, rendering even the heartfelt in shades of swagger. Not that Coldplay's embrace of its status as bona fide superstars is a bad thing -- I'll take exuberance over timidity any day in an arena show -- but in doing so, it's erasing part of what made the band stand out to begin with. But then, a good 15 years has passed since Coldplay first formed, and they've evolved from shameless Radiohead recyclers into something more grand, more globally minded and more interesting. The over-the-top spectacle is earned, grounded in songs rich in feeling and melody. Perhaps the reverse engineering of its show is instructive: Coldplay might just be warming up.
Openers Wolf Gang and Robyn neatly bridged the headliner's past and present. London quintet Wolf Gang anchored the "past" end of things, full of brio for a baby band and delivering chiming songs underpinned with synthesizers and a dash of style swiped from the Killers.
Indefatigable Swedish dynamo Robyn continues to make the rounds of American venues, doling out smart, highly danceable sets steeped in electronica and just enough quirk to keep arriving audience members from heading back out for another order of nachos and beer. It remains an utter mystery to me why Robyn has such difficulty breaking through in America, but her fantastic songs set the mood in style.
New photos of Coldplay performing at the American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX (22nd June 2012):
Photos courtesy of D210.tv @ Flickr (click for more!)
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]
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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