In the middle of a long catwalk, the grinning pop star lay flat on his back. Confetti had hung thick in the air during "In My Place," blasting out of cannons on the first downbeat of the choruses and catching in the hair of happy concert-goers, writes the NJ.com in another comprehensive review of Coldplay's two shows at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ this weekend (3-4 August). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from these shows at the Coldplay Live forum here (3rd - Friday) and here (4th - Saturday) onwards now. Thanks to everyone who has contributed with tweets, photos, reviews, videos and comments! Read on for the rest of the NJ.com's article below...
It fell like a pastel blizzard on the Izod Center stage, and there Chris Martin of the British pop-rock group Coldplay was a kid, making snow angels. On a lark, he handed the microphone to his longtime bandmate Jonny Buckland and let the guitarist finish the final chorus. Then he sprang to his feet and sprinted back to the center position on the stage, arms outstretched, ready to put his magnanimity in action.
Chris Martin thanked the capacity crowd for giving him the best job in the world. Nobody could have doubted the sincerity of his gratitude or located any ambivalence there...
It would be wrong to call Martin an unlikely pop star: His talent was evident from his first single, and his ability to connect with millions made it certain that Coldplay would be a presence for years to come. But he is one of pop’s nonconformists. A vegetarian, teetotaler and yoga practitioner, he has no interest in the effrontery that usually accompanies rock performance. Aggression holds no value for him. So attracted is he to the generosity of the grand singalong chorus that his band’s songs connect hook to glittering hook, making no detours into dissonance or difficulty.
Coldplay asks nothing but that you sit back and enjoy the ride, and attempt to get your heart to brim over with love, just as Martin’s does.
Coldplay is touring behind "Mylo Xyloto," its fifth album and a modest but significant departure from expectations. Although it is allegedly a concept set about a revolutionary movement akin to Occupy Wall Street, there is not an ounce of resistance in it. Instead, it is an enthusiastic (everything Coldplay does is enthusiastic) embrace of radio pop and Eurodance music. Many of the songs have machine beats and thick disco synthesizers; Rihanna, who appeared pre-recorded at the concert via video screen, features on one of them.
Gone are the attempts to imitate the solemn grandeur of U2 and Radiohead. (They aren’t missed.) Instead, Martin and his bandmates have freed themselves to chase the pure, unfettered euphoria associated with arena electronica.
Often, the Friday night concert — the first of two that Coldplay presented at the arena — sounded like rock but looked like a rave. Coldplay distributed blinking remote-controlled bracelets to all concert-goers, and — politely, of course — requested that fans put them on ("they are part of the show," explained the message flashed on the video screens before the concert started). Once the lights went down, the arena came alive with thousands of firefly flashes of illumination.
This was immersive, but the effect was not particularly novel: It resembled the forest of glowsticks at dance-inspired pop shows. Coldplay also swept the crowd with the low, broad laser lights characteristic of deejay sets, and backed these up with psychedelic projections.
These visual nods to club culture only accompanied the songs from "Mylo Xyloto." When Coldplay turned to older material — mostly traditional arena power ballads in the style of Oasis, Travis and the Verve — the wristbands and the lasers switched off. If this production decision threatened to darken the dividing line between the new songs and the rest of the band’s catalog, Coldplay compensated by storming through the "Mylo" material with a ferocity absent from the album. For a group of nice guys, Coldplay rocks pretty hard.
This includes Martin, whose soulful piano playing on "Paradise" suggested he’s learned something from his collaborations with Jay-Z and Kanye West. But most of the credit goes to drummer and polymath Will Champion, who matched Martin’s enthusiasm for the songs, and who remains an undersung driver of Coldplay’s mass appeal. Champion mashed the accelerator on "Charlie Brown," pounded the tympani on "Viva La Vida," picked up an acoustic guitar for "Up in Flames" and added angelic vocal harmonies whenever he was allowed. Relegated to electronic pads on the synthpop "Mylo" song "Princess of China," Champion made the best of it, but looked as if he desperately wanted to get back behind the kit and bash stuff as hard as he could.
The only thing the show lacked was the tension that has always made pop-rock indispensable. Instead, Coldplay flutters straight to the release and hovers there, frustrating those who expect something a little more dangerous from a pop-rock group. This is a band that gives and gives; they’re a heaping slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. It is probably not in Martin’s nature to be anything but, so it is pointless to hope that he acquires an edge. Instead, it’s best to celebrate his band for what it is: a ruthlessly effective generator of cost-free ecstasy. [Article ends]
Download this show! Multimedia update: 2012-08-03 Coldplay @ Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ [AUDIO FLAC, Mediafire ~578Mb]
New photos of Coldplay performing at the Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ (3-4 August 2012):
Photos courtesy of the Brooklyn Vegan (click for more!)
Thumb by deadbolt photos @ 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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