As Coldplaying reported last year, Coldplay were guests at Villa Angela in Taormina, residence of Jim Kerr, lead singer of Simple Minds. Coldplay had returned to the region where they previously played to 2000 people in concert in Misterbianco, in the province of Catania to film the video for Violet Hill in 2008, according to La Sicilia, the Italian newspaper.

In the last few days, the Scottish Daily Record have reported that Jim became personal adviser to Chris Martin during the stay at his Villa Angela hotel.

"I hadn't met Chris before," said Jim. "He bounded over and said, 'Jim, you've been around the block a few times. Any advice?' "I thought he was taking the piss. So I said, 'Why are you asking me? You're the biggest band on the planet.' But he said there must be some advice I could give. I thought they were probably sick of each other and knackered so I told him, 'Don't split up.' Chris looked at me, seemed to take it in and said, 'That's a good idea.' "

More discussion on this article is at the Coldplay forum here onwards.

Win a festival-themed radio show for Coldplaying! Vote for David Sheppard (coldplaying.com) in Absolute Radio Live Stories FINAL now!

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Coldplaying.com has made it to the final of Absolute Radio's Live Stories competition where the prize up for grabs is a special live festival-themed radio show for Coldplaying on Absolute Radio with songs hand picked by you, the Coldplayers! We are voting for David Shepperd and his excellent review of U2 at Wembley last month. So grab some Coldplay Karma and please cast your vote for David Sheppard (coldplaying.com) at http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/livestories now! (no registration required). Voting ends on Friday 2nd October, so you have only a few days to gather your Coldplay friends and make those votes count! Please help spread the word about this competition, tell people to vote Coldplaying and help win a radio show for everyone associated with Coldplay!

Photos of Coldplay (yellow balloons) at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Going back a couple of weeks, there have been some exceptional reviews and photos of the Coldplay concert at Lancashire County Cricket Club on the 12th September 2009, posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Here is the second part of the Manchester fan reviews. The first part was published a few days after the concert. There will be another episode soon. Pictures below are by Jayzo...

Gig was incredible!! Was right by the C-stage and they ran straight past us. That Jackie security woman was manic, she is pretty f*cking scary! She was barking orders around at everyone. We got pushed forward just before Jay Z while they roped at bit of space off next to the c-stage but we stayed close to the barrier and the three songs they played there were fabulous. The audio wasn't great, Chris sounded so quiet but Will doing the high parts of Billie Jean more than made up for it. They all looked like they were really enjoying themselves up there, laughing and smiling and Chris looked quite cheeky and mischievous. Him singing Trouble to Will was awww cute. [thanks squareone13]

What a fantastic day,we managed to get at the front of the b-stage so had a brilliant view of the band,the only downsides where whilst waiting for the bands to come on a girl behind us sitting with her back right against my wife's legs so she couldn't move them it was only when The white lies came on that she could move properly,also flying bottles of piss one of which sprayed my wife on the shoulder on the person next to her on the head.Beside that really enjoyed the whole day and wish I was going to Wembley. Thought Jay Z was brilliant but wasn't that keen on The white lies,Oh and one other thing we didn't manage to get a cd so if anybody has a spare please let me know. [thanks hooper68]

Well my day got off to a bad start... 5.30am is never a good time to hear the alarm on a Saturday morning, but I had a date with the Coldplayers so I dragged myself out of bed, drove down a very foggy motorway and found Ian, Chris, Min, Mich, Mel & Lori outside the venue at 7.30am. They had already been there a while, I was running a bit late (bad Coldplayer ) but it would be hours before Pete rocked up to join us... Pete has a more relaxed approach to life Crazy as it sounds, the first five hours whizzed by... Chris got a tattoo from Mel. We made the podcasts, got banned from playing football and ate a lot of jaffa cakes. It was midday before many more people showed up and joined the queue. Time really only started to slow at about 2pm when those at the back of the queue started to move forward... two hours before we were going to be let in.

Mich & Mel are clearly veterans at the queuing business. They got us organised with a plan to get everyone in to the front row... this involved sprinting... not a talent of mine. When we got through the ticket & bag check, the running started. By the time I got to the stage there were already two rows of people but Chris was frantically waving at me and pointing to a me-sized space in the front. Being a shy girl, I didn’t like to push past people, but Chris asked a couple to stand aside and reminded them how long I’d been there – thanks Chris, you’re a gent! We then had nearly two hours of waiting before White Lies arrived on stage. Mich was kept occupied by a couple of Scouse stewards, the rest of us just tried to forget our aching feet and backs and eventually White Lies came on and gave a very confident performance. And the singer’s quite a cutie!

After a very quick turnaround, the stage was set for Jay-Z. Earlier I had confessed I was slightly more excited about his appearance than Coldplay, because I’ve already seen them, and never thought I’d get the chance to see him. Sometimes anticipation leads to disappointment, but this was not the case here. He delivered a blistering performance, cranking out as many hits as possible in his hour slot. The crowd at the front went mad... must have been quite a sight for him to see us all bouncing along and for Jigga What, Jigga Who he even started a little battle between the two sides of the crowd (Jigga What won by the way ) It wasn’t quite the hostile crowd that he faced at Glastonbury, but Jay-Z’s music and his style was new to a lot of people, not that he seemed concerned. He came out with all the swagger of a true superstar and could barely contain the grin on his face – clearly he loves performing live. His backing band all threw themselves in to the show too, with a fair amount of flirting going on between the guitarist and a rather stunned blonde girl behind me.

As Jay-Z’s set concluded, the stage was suddenly swarmed with about 30 crew members frantically transforming the set for the main attraction. It was really impressive to see them all work together and do so much in such a short space of time. After no time at all, the dancing roadie came out to huge applause and then it was time for The Blue Danube. With two members of the crew leading us in a waving/clapping routine, one or two people behind me seemed a little bit confused as to what they were looking at ("Who does she think she is?” One perplexed newbie asked) But as the classical piece ended and Life in Technicolor began, we saw the sparklers emerge from the wings and the band we had stood THIRTEEN HOURS for, finally took to the stage. What can I tell you that you don’t already know? Yes the set list is familiar, but for those who hadn’t seen a stadium show already, the change in set and the swelling crowd numbers made it a very different show. The huge video backdrop, the lights and effects were stunning, this was a Coldplay Supersize show. And bigger venues mean more space for Chris to throw his crazy shapes. In My Place is my favourite song, partly because of how powerful it is in the live shows. In Manchester there mustn’t have been an inch of space that he didn’t jump on – he threw himself around on that song so much that I’m amazed he had the energy for the rest of the show.

Next up was Yellow, with the X Factor finish that you’ll all have read about by now. Chris led the crowd in song to be judged by Mr. Mean, Simon Cowell. As the insults were hurled, Chris kept a straight face and played his part well, but Jonny, Will and Guy couldn’t help but laugh. In fact, I’ve never seen Mr. Berryman smile as much as he did last night (and believe me, I look at him... A LOT ). Whether he’s happy to be back in the UK or glad that that the tour is almost over, he seemed very relaxed, which was good to see (and the Berrygirls will also be pleased to note the hair is a bit longer now). Fix You has never been a particular favourite of mine, but this performance really moved me – maybe it was because I was so close to the action, or maybe it was the nagging thought that it will be a long time before I see the band live again, but it was a highlight of the show for me. Jonny was as reliable as ever (does that guy ever make a mistake), and the crowd enjoyed singing along at the end. After the B stage action, it was back to the main stage for Viva La Vida, and again the song was enhanced by superb visuals. The stage was awash with colour.

Another highlight for me was Billie Jean on the C Stage – wherever that was! I couldn’t see a thing, but it sounded fantastic, stripped down to acoustics with Chris & Will somehow managing those Jacko “heehee’s” between them. It was then back to the main stage for perennial crowd pleaser Politik and the glorious Lovers In Japan. Unbelievably, there are still some people who don’t know about the butterflies and to see the smiles and hear the laughter just added to what has always been my favourite part of the show. After DAAHF the boys took their bows and headed off stage to change in to the bright Sgt Pepper-esque outfits and there was time for just two more numbers: The Scientist and Life in Technicolor ii. Again, the screen blazed in to life as images from the album artwork collided with explosions of colour. It was another highlight and a fitting end to such a magical, celebratory evening. And then they were gone... for how long, who knows? I won’t be at Wembley so this will be my last Coldplay experience for a very long time. It was an amazing experience, not only because I was in the front row for my favourite band performing at the peak of their powers, but because I got to share the experience with such a fantastic bunch of people. Thank you to Ian, Jen, Chris, Pete, Min, Lori, Mich, Mel (and Ria who joined us on the Saturday all the way from Japan) for being such great company throughout the weekend. My butterflies are crumpled and my photos are blurred, but you guys gave me memories that I will always treasure. [thanks RedGirl76]

This was my 1st Coldplay gig, and was amazed with the performance overall and the visual displays. Loved the Yellow balloons with Yellow bellting out, the butterflies with LIJ, and who was lighting those chinese lanterns flying overhead?? I seen someone outside had blagged one of the balloons, bet that is taking pride in her household now! Just trying to see if anyone has managed to upload some audio onto bootlegs from the concert, but no such luck yet. Is there anything out there on the same lines as that gig, but with good audio? Was lucky enough to have one of the free CD's offered on the night kindly given to me by ejectthetape of bootleg.com. Thanks again for that! The better half is going to make a photo book of the whole gig and am taking some pics of this site, hope people dont mind? Don't worry I won't be putting anyones personal pics into it, just ones of the band and such. Just browsing ebay now for some wembley tickets, think I may be hooked lol. [thanks daisbuys]

After a glorious evening beforehand with other Coldplayers, meal and a few drinks, I'll admit, I was feeling worse for wear . I could see the venue from my hotel room which was cool, until they started testing the lights at like 1am which annoyed me greatly . Alas, I awoke at 6:30am after a few hours sleep and headed to the LCCC for the gig. The cab driver nearly killed me, but to be fair, it made me wake up. So we all queued up that day, conversation flowed, we did some podcasts, joked around, bit of football until we got told off. Bit of sunburn for Ian if I remember correctly . It was really good queuing up until about 3pm when as usual people started pushing itching to get in. Some of the girls looked really worried like they were about to get test results from the doctors. Pete looked like he wanted a beer. Ian looked like he was chilling out. Eventually the gates opened and after a bit of run walking, and saving places, we all got to the front.

We waited a while until White Lies came on. The bass from their set nearly killed us all. Still, good band and very talented singer. Then we waited a while in the scorching heat until Jay-Z came on. He was very good indeed, great energy from the crowd. Towards the end of the set he noticed my Australia headband and gave me a shout out! This was the start of Jay-Z and myself becoming best friends (see the Wembley threads for more info ). Coldplay finally came on, I won't bore you with details because its already been said. Was a great night, and being with Coldplayers really made it! After the gig me and Pete went for a drink, then said our goodbyes to Mel, Mich, etc. Then we went out for more drinks, and before we knew it , it was 4am in the hotel bar . We had some really good conversations as well haha, what a great way to end the evening!! Top bloke is Pete. Gig rating: 5/10. Positives: It was Coldplay! Negatives: Chris was sick (not his fault obviously) no Lost+, show didn't flow at times, limited crowd interaction, bass was too loud, lack of crowd energy. [thanks Jayzo]

Photos of Coldplay at LCCC, Old Trafford, Manchester (12 September 2009):

Pictures by Jayzo (formerly Jizo, AKA Chris Allen)

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We are now on to part seven (still plenty of reviews yet to be featured!) of the Wembley fan reviews, continuing with more stories from Coldplay's concert on Saturday 19th September. Some great reviews of the two Wembley shows have so far been published at the Coldplay Live forum with still more being added. Tthanks to all the Coldplayers who have contributed with tweets, pictures, videos, reviews and of course masses of discussion so far, and are continuing to do so. Please add your reviews to this thread (now a whopping 386 pages!) if you have something to say about the show. So, here is the promised seventh edition:

I had a brilliant first ever gig, and the whole experience was one I'll never forget. Yes, my feet, legs, back and even my jaw were in extreme pain, but that was never going to ruin a perfect evening, even I predicted and welcomed the heavy rain. Sadly we had to leave our spot to the left of the stage jetty thingy near the corner (looking at it) just before LiJ, and I missed the butterfly shower We then left the stadium for our last train home just after LiJ and heard Death and All his Friends while walking around to Wembley Way. I was really sad we had to leave early but my friends weren't prepared to sleep on the platform at Charing Cross, whereas I was pretty much prepared to Hopefully I'll go again on the next tour, can't wait! [thanks JamesR2]

Hi! I'm just back from London! It was a great trip! Wembley is enourmous, the gig was the same Viva tour gig, buy I really enjoyed it! It was a pleausure and a nice surprise to meet Ian and the other tow coldplayers (whose name I forgotted! so sorry!!!). ... my friends, the crowns, the glowsticks, the really kind girls that kept my jacket safe all long the show (thanks so much!), the rain, the C stage, the music!!! ... It was a really great experience! I'm so sorry for my english ... I can't write a great review and I feel a little bit weird ... but, in practice, I didn't see nothing new in this concert exept the big - big english venue, a really energic chris, a perfec drummer - band coordinator Will and an amazing performance of "trouble " - I was really happy to listen to it so close to the band! [thanks MeriCri]

Thursday: I got the train to London and wandered around for a bit because I was too early for Trafalgar Square! Then I saw Mich coming over to me, and the others (Mel, Angie, Lori and Min) sitting on the steps opposite the fountains Great to meet everyone (Mich and Lori again)! Then we went over to the fountain when we saw Ian and a few others like Anna It was nice to see everyone. We went over to the place where the 'human statues' were on the plinth and watching a lady dressed as a penguin throwing chocolates inside balloons to everyone. More people arrived and it was great! I won't list all the names because I can't remember, but it was really fun We took lots of pics, talked, tried to get on the camera that was watching the statue plinth and it's surroundings, and then we all set off for the tube station.

It was funny with so many Coldplayers in one tube carriage! We all got off at Camden town and boarded the escalator comprised of mostly only Coldplayers. Some people went in different directions, but mostly people walked towards the Dublin Castle pub, where Coldplay played their first gig under the name Coldplay It was a really lovely pub too...... with so much cool history. The other punters probably wondered what was going on when so many of us came in, but we soon took over the back area and many tables next to the room where the gigs took place. It was great getting to know everyone, some people were drinking more than others Lots of laughs and photographs too. After a while, me Mich Mel Min and Chris left the pub to go home, going past the Jay-Z Roundhouse gig on the way. My friend Steph was going to the gig, so I arranged to try and meet her before she went in. So we hung around a back street for a while. Some dudes climbed over a fence into the carpark/back of the venue LOL.... we saw them being escorted out of the gates a bit later. People started leaving the gig in cars when we were thinking of going home..... then we saw Chris walk out! He talked to us very quickly and took some pics and shook our hands awesome!!!! We told him we'd see him at Wembley I went back with the others to the flat that they very kindly allowed me to stay over in.

Friday: The next day, we were up early and on the tube to Wembley Everyone loved it when the Archway (slowly) came into view We walked over and assessed all the queues People already there! Including some people that were queueing for the next day's gig Well, the others had the fiasco of not knowing where their tickets were So I waited in the H&J queue with Mich while the others spread around the other exits in preparation for when they picked up their tickets. We met some nice people that we had met at the Warchild gig again. Queuing was quite pleasant, with a windy but fairly sunny spell. The others got their tickets and luckily they were in H&J too! The queueing got more and more stressful, then when were let through to near the door, people ran past us The doors were opened, we ran in, and discovered that our queue had not been let in at the same time as the other queues. RUBBISH!!!!! We were annoyed, but we managed to be around 4 people from the front still. Annoying, since we waited longer than some people I saw push past in the queue.

White Lies were good!! Good voice but only about 3 songs that made me sing along. Still happy I saw them. Girls Aloud were what I expected them to be..... good for young teenagers and perving blokes. Was funny how they kept waving to everyone! and giving too many shoutouts to their fans (erm, hello? this is not your gig!) Finally when Jay-Z came on, it was absolutely amazing for me! I love his songs and the show he put on was perfect. The girl singing with him was exceptional in the 'Empire State of Mind', amazing. I loved everything! Poor Angie had to put up with some guy who smelt like fish was awful and Mich and Mel had some incredibly annoying people behind them too. Next..... a little wait. And COLDPLAAAAAAAAAAY! Great show as usual. I didn't hope for any setlist changes, and was right.... but it was amazing nonetheless. Highlights for me were Yellow (not really the Simon Cowell bit though), hearing Glass of Water for the first time, GPASUYF (although I wish they played the normal one too), Trouble (when it echoed everywhere, beautiful) and everything really. Just being there in the stadium with them.... incredible. The mobile phone mexican wave looked so pretty and huge. Simon Pegg's harmonica solo was one of the funniest things I ever heard. It felt strange knowing that this wasn't our last chance to see the boys though!! Great stuff. Met Coldplayers handing out cd's after.

Saturday: We didn' t know what time to go and queue, had envisaged getting up a bit earlier but everyone was so tired. We got to the queues around 8am. I was again in H&J I was a bit worried about the same people working the gate and letting me in late again, but there was nothing I could do about it. Sadly, Mich, Mel, Angie and Lori were in the F&G queue. It was so nice to meet Mari, Chelsea, Semy, Johanna, Linda and Darcy though Also to have Ian and Jenjie with us too. Jen, you were brave to stay on that chair at the front for as long as you did! :shocked: I got a bit fed up when everyone moved up, but I was second from the front of the H&J queue. When they let us in, I made sure this time that I wasnt ran past Me and Mari got to the front of the next holding area really, with the others very close behind. I can't believe that we had to run underneath the ribbon, quite dangerous really!!! but hey. Mari was first through the turnstile, I followed....we ran in and YES. The front row was empty. It was perfect. When I got to the barrier, Mich and Chris were next to me We were on Jonny's side. With Coldplayers ALL around and on front row. Making for the best gig ever! Everyone was so hyped.

White Lies were great again....they hold their songs well in such a huge place. Girls Aloud were the same again - pretty much annoying. The previously-Ginger one is very scary I sung along to a few songs like 'Call the Shots' but they played too many other crap ones, and gave too many shoutouts to their fans (erm, hello? this is not your gig!). Jay-Z was exceptional from where I was standing in the front row. Him and his buddy Memphis were ALWAYS on the ledge in front of the stage, so just that extra bit closer to us. I love how he interacts with the crowd. Plus yellow shirts Mich and Chris got a shoutout I'm SO GLAD he was supporting both days, I loved his performances SO MUCH!!! (apart from the strobe lighting).

Ok...so now we'd finally arrived at show time!!! WOOOOOO! It was really emotional seeing the map zoom down until it said Wembley. Finally after so long after buying the tickets, we were all there, having the best Coldplay concert ever. The rain was absolutely crazy. Kinda cool though. I hope that some people got good shots of the lights and the rain maybe! The guys were having so much fun... Jonny was giving it everything and they were all joking, laughing, loving it. PERFECTION!

Unfortunately the person doing filming for the concerts was in front of Jonny for me I could see his face though. I've got over the fact that they weren't going to play any older/different stuff, and just thouroughly enjoyed the set. Maybe because it was the last of the tour. My favourites were pretty much everything.... just soaking up the last lot of Coldplay goodness. Lost+ was awesome. I found it hilarious when our 'local' security guard, a youngish guy, tried to look all tough when the butterflies were falling on him, then he gave up and laughed about it. The butterflies falling was an even more beautiful moment because of where we were. I took a video of The Scientist, because it sounded lovely.

I guess my real favourite of the night was Politik, that 'give me love over, love over.....' bit and knowing it was the last time I'd hear it for a while. Soon it was nearly the end, and I agree with many others that the hug in the back right corner of the stage said it all. I love these guys! Afterwards everyone met and had photos. Soon it was time to head off to get our stuff. We waited for a little bit and met a few people and take a ride in one of the most stupid taxi drivers car ever. Driving us through the busiest streets of London on a Saturday night and then whilst trying to perform a U-turn in a petrol station, getting stuck behind two cars filling up at the pumps. USELESS! Everyone was exhausted and sad. The next day I couldnt make the meetup because I was meeting my friend Steph and Angie at Waterloo, we had a nice reminisce and chat. Overall, this was one of the greatest 4 days ever! Great times, meeting great people who have the same love for Coldplay. And thank you VERY much to Angie, Mel, Mich, Lori and Min for letting me stay at their place with them. I had a fun time with you guys. [thanks crazyduckette]

More photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

More photos at jamesgourleyphotography.co.uk

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The Viva La Vida tour may be over for 2009 but IQ magazine’s December issue is still available in a free PDF format if you haven't already seen it (or lost it on your hard drive!) and contains a world exclusive behind the scene report on the early stages of Coldplay’s World Tour, entitled Life, Death And Butterflies. To save the online magazine, right click then save as here. You can also get the previous versions of the magazine (issues 1-20 also online here). Here's the synopsis of the Coldplay article:

Life, Death & Butterflies is a 16-page feature chronicling the Viva la Vida tour, sanctioned by Coldplay’s management and published by international live music business magazine IQ. Including exclusive interviews with management, key production personnel, booking agents, promoters and suppliers, it tells the inside story of how the tour was put together, what makes it tick and just what makes it such an original and ground-breaking production. This issue of IQ also includes an exclusive interview with Glastonbury festival founder Michael Eavis, as well as a roundup of the live music business in 2008.

You can discuss this exclusive World Tour Coverage article at the Coldplay forum here [thanks Terry]

We are now on to part six (of how many, who knows!) of the Wembley fan reviews, continuing with more stories from Coldplay's concert on Saturday 19th September. Excellent reviews of the two Wembley shows continue to be posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Once again, thanks to all the Coldplayers who have contributed with tweets, pictures, videos, reviews and of course masses of discussion so far, and are continuing to do so. Please add your reviews to this thread if you have something to say about the show! Here is the sixth edition:

Just got back from a brilliant weekend in london! Friday night me and the girlfriend went for a few drinks and then a walk around Wembley while the concert was on we had a listen outside! Saw 2 Coldplayers who were queuing at 9pm for the saturday show, thats insane, 2 girls it was not sure who it was on here?

And we also spoke to a sweedish guy called Henry? His friends had gone to see Coldplay and left him outside with there suitcases bless him!

Then at the end of the concert we were outside the entrance or exit and all the traffic was stopped coldplay finished and a car came immediatley speeding out asuming it had Chris martin in it but dont know what happened to the rest of the band Saturday night was just awesome, didnt get to the stadium till bout 7.30pm but caught the end of Jay Z, he really was amazing but Coldplay came on and were even better Chris didnt seem his usual self to me though he looked either ill or very very tired! [thanks Liam]

What a fantastic show on Saturday! I was totally blown away by the energy of the band and crowd, especially in our spot. We were only about 10-15 rows from the front, just off to the right of centre stage. Everyone was happy, we all had plenty of room, and people were just basically up for having a great time. The rain made it a million times better, after hours and hours of the heat and sweat and being stood around, people were just revelling in it. I was completely soaked to the skin by the time they came out, you could see Chris think 'oh bollocks to it' and he just ran out into the downpour! You can see how drenched he got from the first couple of pics. It was a novel experience for me to see a band this huge without having really paid any attention to previous setlists or performances from the rest of the tour, so it was totally fresh and interesting to me. I've seen The Killers 3 times in quick succession this year and it does take away a little of the magic when you get almost the same setlist for the third time.

The butterfly release was spectacular, I was so afraid it was still going to be raining and ruin it, but thankfully it was dry and I have a massive handful of them at home. Highlights for me were The Scientist, Yellow, Politik, Fix You, VLV, and Lovers In Japan. You could feel how emotional it was at the end, but I think the crowd gave them a good send off! I never got a sniff of any LRLRL cds, but I saw people with them so they must have been around. I've read that the giveaway has been a shambles pretty much everywhere though so I half expected it. White Lies were great as always, the less said about Girls Aloud the better, and Jay-Z was fantastic. I loved how he picked individuals out from the crowd and said thanks. [thanks karenb51]

I met my friend outside Wembley Stadium Station at 3.30 and we went to queue up. I was quite surprised how near the front we ended up - we were just right of the centre of stage, and about 10 rows back from the ramp on the right hand side of the stage (that may not seem that near to the front to some people but it's the closest i've ever been at a Coldplay concert and considering when we started queuing i thought we'd be much further back!) The first support act were White Lies. I'd heard a few of their songs on the radio which i kind of liked so i was curious to see what they'd be like live, and i must say i was really impressed! (So much so i went out and bought their album the next day!) Girls Aloud and Jay-Z were both OK imo, although i'm not really into either type of music. About 15 minutes before Coldplay were due on stage the heavens opened and one or two drops of rain quickly turned into an absolute downpour.

The rain didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits one bit though, as the opening chords of Life in Technicolour started up the whole place roared into life. As soon as the boys walked on stage waving their sparklers i couldn't have cared less that i was completely drenched, i could've burst with excitement and adrenaline! Chris sounded amazing all night. The whole band were on top form and every moment seemed all the more special, not just to the crowd but i'm sure to the boys too, because we all knew that this, the last night of the entire Viva La Vida world tour, marked the end of an era. Every song was brilliant in its own right and the atmosphere was absolutely electric throughout, but some songs really stand out in my mind: the mass singalongs to Viva La Vida and a beautiful rendition of The Scientist; Yellow, esp with our "audition" for the X Factor at the end; Billie Jean; a nostalgic Trouble, which i never expected to see them perform live and left me gobsmacked; Lovers in Japan was even more spectacular than when i saw them perform it at the O2 arena I almost died when they came down to the end of the right-hand ramp (is that the B stage or the C stage?!) to perform a few songs - they were at most about 20 feet away from me Chris was so humble and he kept thanking us all for singing along and even started referring to us as "the choir of London." I can't think what else to say now, except that we had a fantastic night and i know i'll never forget it. It was my friend's first Coldplay concert and he loved every second of it! [thanks shesawsparks]

80,000 people and I got second row. I couldn't have asked for anything better, I don't think. I've spent a year stressing out about this gig: if I could go, if I would get somewhere were the guys would be bigger than ants, how it would all work out in the end logistically. And it all worked out beautifully, better than beautifully. About four hundred people have been asking for my Wembley story, so here it is in blog form. Before I even go into blogging about Norwich and UEA and my new life here, I just have to write about Wembley. It's going to be a long one.

So I got the train down from Norwich to London on Friday night, which actually went quite smoothly. As much as I think I'm going to like Norwich, I already miss London, so being back so soon was wonderful. After grabbing food, I met Mariana at the Arran House (home! Oh, how I've missed Gower Street), and our plan was to go up to the Stadium to see how bad the lines were for the next night's show. Almost the second we got out of Wembley Park Tube stop, we could hear strains of "Yellow" and crowd cheers, and we absolutely freaked out. Listening to a gig from the outside is severely underrated: hearing everything without seeing it was completely awesome, and we had a great view of the ending fireworks. Even just hearing the gig from the outside of the stadium got me so excited that I was suddenly willing to spend the night outside in queue, even though there wasn't a queue to speak of yet. Worried that once the gig was over that people inside would immediately get in line for the next night, I called Semy and told him to come up to spend the night outside. This turned out to be a bad move. Mariana and I made friends with the security guards, who thought we were nuts for thinking of spending the night outside and offered us a little extra help getting inside if we needed it. Semy got to Wembley just as the show was over and thousands of people were streaming out, but when the crowds cleared, very few people were left to wait outside like us, even our friends that were inside. At the last moment, the three of us decided to get back on the Tube and get a few hours of sleep at the Arran House before turning back around and taking the first Tube back up at 5:08 AM.

Of course, we barely slept. Even if we had, it would have only been three hours, and I think I got maybe an hour and a half of sleep before we woke up at 4 AM and attempted to get the first Tube from Euston Square back up to Wembley. This turned out to be a bit more challenging than we thought, and after finally figuring out that we needed to change to the Metropolitan Line at Baker Street because through-trains weren't running yet, we were back up to Wembley just as the sun was coming out. Strangely, there were already people in queue at our gate (H&J), some with tents that we hadn't seen the night before, but we still got to the front of it and everything was fine, despite the fact that it was freezing and it looked like rain. Attempting to sleep on a concrete ramp didn't go so well, and I was much too excited to eat more than a few Jaffa cakes.

If you count the hour and a half we waited the night before, we queued for a total of 15 hours, I believe, but it didn't really feel like it. People we knew and people we didn't know trickled into the various queues all day, with most of us yellow-shirted friends were there by 9AM at the latest, so it turned out to be great fun, though I wish we hadn't all been so split up at different gates: I wish I got a chance to really talk to a few more people. So, we waited and talked and visited with each other for hours on end. By about 2:30, the Stadium workers told us in queue H&J to "squish up to the front," which was a bad idea: a) it was too early, since the turnstiles didn't open til 4, b) people got all out of order, c) it was hot by this time, and being squished together without space to sit made it hotter, and d) it got everyone all excited for the free-for-all that was about to ensue much too early. I kept thinking I'd need to put my head in between my knees for the next hour and a half, and I definitely wasn't the only one.

At 3:45, they cut the tape at our queue, and though there was a Stadium worker walking backwards in front of us with her arms open so we didn't run, people were pushing like all get-out. We reached another line of tape facing the turnstiles and were stopped again while a man on the loudspeaker announced that the turnstiles were now open, and we all cheered. I figured that they would calmly cut the last ribbon of tape like they did a few minutes before at the last barrier and walk in front of us slowly again, so I wasn't that worried, and Darcy, Semy, Mariana and I had a firm grip on each other, and Mariana had a whole line of others linked to her other side. However...they just shouted "GO!!!!" and everyone pushed, ripping the tape to shreds by bursting through it. It was terrifying, like the running of the bulls. We all got separated, and someone stepped on Semy's coat that he was carrying and brought him down, and I thought he died. We had to scan our own tickets at the turnstiles, which was nerve-wracking, and then after the security check, everyone was bolting to the pitch, even though there were hundreds of stadium workers shouting "WALK, DON'T RUN, SLOW DOWN." I saw Semy emerging from the turnstiles a few seconds after me, and after being grateful that he was alive, we linked arms and...powerwalked to the pitch while getting shouted at for running. I almost freaked out when I saw how empty it was around the stage, and somehow we managed to get almost right up against the barrier at the center, between Guy and Chris's spots, at second row. I couldn't believe it, and could only hope that the others got the front as well. Darcy ran in on her own a few seconds after Semy and I staked out our spot, so I turned on the Loud Voice that the Brits so hate and screamed "DARCYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" as everyone turned to look at me and the world stopped and went silent and planes hung in the air, and we nabbed Darcy. After peering over heads, we saw a huge yellow blob on the opposite end of the stage, and we knew everyone else had made it to their spots.

Wembley is massive. It turns out that it's only the 22nd largest stadium in the world, but the second largest in Europe with a 90,000 seating capacity. I could barely even sense how large it was by being in the very front against the stage, but it's quite literally breathtakingly huge. I think there were something like 60,000 people standing on the pitch alone, and it blew my mind to be at the very front of that many people. And so the wait began again, and this one was more painful, a) because we were packed in like sardines, b) because you can only get more excited with every minute that passes, and c) my feet were half on and half off the step up to the barrier. Being in the front has other advantages besides just being a few feet away from the band: they also pass you endless glasses of water, which were much appreciated. You're also allowed to bring in food, so when I felt like I was going to pass out, I could happily eat my granola bars without having to worry about buying a £6 hot dog and losing my primo spot.

About 45 minutes after we came in, White Lies came on. They were fabulous, like a combination of the Killers and the Bravery and Kings of Leon. The drummer looked about 12 years old, and the lead singer about 17, but I thought they were great despite the fact that I couldn't breathe because their bass was that intense. It didn't feel like an opening act, or even really a concert: it felt like a huge, rocking party in celebration of the end of the tour, even though it was still sunny and daylight out. I don't know if I've ever enjoyed an opener that much. They're coming to UEA in November, and I'm definitely going. Another wait for about 30 minutes before Girls Aloud came on. Ugh, they're the only part of the show I would have changed. I have no idea why Chris thought they would be a good opener for a Coldplay show: really, I just find bands like that embarrassing, not to mention nauseating, and I don't think very many people really enjoyed them besides the 17-year-old boys in the only row in front of me and the mega Girls Aloud fans that queued with us. Girls Aloud treated their set like it was their own headlining show and everyone had come out to see them, when really about 10 people out of 80,000 cared.

Darkness fell between Girls Aloud and Jay-Z, with an ominous fog floating in the ceiling. Even though I've never been a hip-hop fan whatsoever, I was actually a bit excited to see Jay-Z. Despite not really enjoying the music, I have a lot of respect for Jay-Z, and it's always cool to see someone mega-famous in concert. It turns out I was completely blown away by his set, both because I loved it and because the bass was turned up so much I thought I'd literally be blown away. Jay is a fantastic showman, regardless of music genre, as well as a great businessman, and an all-around adorable guy. The group of five teenage boys in front of me were going absolutely crazy for him, knowing every single word, and he came up and sang to them quite a bit, loving their reaction. At the very end of his set, Jay went around and thanked basically every single person in the front row individually, taking about 5 minutes total to say something specific about each person or group that was going crazy for him, including our yellow-shirted posse on the other side of the stage, the Jay-Z fangirl front and center, and the guys in front of me. I thought thanking people individually and taking that much time to do it was incredible.

And then it was time to wait for Coldplay. I was basically having a heart attack, as was the entire crowd, and I think my brain exploded when "the Blue Danube" came on. However, literally 3 minutes before Coldplay came onstage, the heavens opened and it started to pour directly on us through the open roof. It started out as a drizzle, but it turned into pissing rain the second the first notes of "Life in Technicolor" began. I don't know how it's possible for it to rain at the drop of a hat with no warning in this country, but it does. Usually I avoid the rain so my hair doesn't completely bug out, but even though I put on my raincoat, it was pretty much useless to avoid getting wet, and I don't really care if I end up on the DVD with an afro. The rain actually enhanced the party atmosphere, making it feel more like a joyous celebration rather than just the 159th concert on the tour. The rain stopped after a few songs anyway, which was good, since I was worried about making my camera waterlogged (Semy's didn't fare so well), but besides making for crap pictures and videos and despite my glasses being rainsplattered, I almost wanted it to keep raining: it made it even better.

I have never heard a sound like that crowd made. Sometimes it was hard to hear Chris sing just because there were 80,000+ people singing the same words and drowning him out despite amplification. I was floored at the sound of the Viva chant done by that many people, and so were the band, by the looks of them. They kept looking at each other and smiling, I think in astonishment, and Guy kept looking down at us in the front and smiling, and a Guy smile isn't always easy to get. I was also blown away by the sound: I've never been to a louder concert. The bass was turned up a bit too much if you ask me. I can't hear bass very well due to my impaired hearing, but I can sure as hell feel it, and my whole body was vibrating at some points. The extreme bass levels also made my videos a bit crap: usually the sound quality from that camera is amazingly good, but I think the bass waves blew out the mic. You can also hear me bellowing out the words, as usual, even though I was holding the camera many feet above my head. Damn having a loud voice.

The entire thing is both a blur and a memory with fine details in my head: it's certainly the best gig I've ever been to in my life for thousands of reasons (though I still think they were at the top of their musical game in Hartford this summer, and that was the best mood I've ever seen Chris in). I'll never forget being at the front of the biggest and most memorable gig Coldplay have played thus far, and I'll never forget the friends I made and the people I met in line while waiting. I've said it at least twice before now, but this show was more than just a concert: it was like a four-act celebration. It felt more like a party than a concert, and at this show, we were more than just spectators: we made the experience. I miss them already.

The next day, I was only able to make the meet-up in Russell Square for about 15 minutes, even though I would have given anything to stay. Then I took the Tube to Liverpool St. Station, like it said to do on my ticket, but none of the trains listed on the board said Ingatestone, where I had to transfer. Turns out, I had to go all the way to fricking NEWBURY PARK on the Tube to catch a BUS to Ingatestone, and then take the train to Norwich from there. Thanks for telling me that, snarky-lady-at-Euston-who-sold-me-my-tickets. I nearly missed the bus due to the ride from Liverpool St. to Newbury Park being like 45 minutes on the Tube. Never take the train from London to Norwich on Sundays.

I've tried to put into words why I did this crazy thing, why I love this band so much, and why they mean so much to me, but I don't think I can. It's one of those gut things where you just know that something is made for you, and you love everything about what they do: the music, the fanbase, the show, the members, the charities, the artwork, everything. I wanted this post to be more coherent and meaningful, but I've never been able to elegantly write down exactly how much this band means to me. Unlike lots of other fans, I don't have a dark past that a Coldplay song or album got me out of, nor was I there from the start when they released their first two albums: I kind of found them by accident and weird coincidences, but they've honestly changed my life in countless ways, too many to list here.

I watched the special on ITV last night about Coldplay, and I hate to sound like one of those really pathetic sobbing stalker fangirls, but I was basically crying the entire show. It was the best interview they've ever done, and the best documentary on them out there. And today, I was in Borders and "Death and All His Friends/the Escapist" came on over the sound system, and I nearly burst into tears in the store. I don't usually cry at that sort of thing, but after the best weekend of my life thanks to them and the subtle beauty of the song and being exhausted, I almost couldn't help it. I know I'm a nutter and I know I'm obsessed, but this band makes me happy almost beyond anything else, and I'll stop at nothing to see them every chance I get. We have no idea what the story is with them now: I'm already in mourning over the dead period with no news from them for a while. Coldplay.com changed its layout immediately after Wembley, and it looks like an engraved wedding invitation, and it asks everyone to RSVP at RSVP@coldplay.com. No one knows what we're RSVP-ing to, but I sure as hell am "going," whatever it is.

I wish I could have written that all out better, but I'm still too excited to put my deeper emotions about it in words. I also thought that meeting everyone was amazing: I wish we could do that all the time. There's something about being with people that you don't have to explain your obsession to, or tone down your Coldplay nerdiness for...my only wish is that I had more of a chance to talk to some of you: I hated that we were spread out over so many queues. I also wish I could have gone to the pre- and post-meet-ups...I'm seriously kicking myself for not being able to go, even though it's no one's fault. Anyway, I miss Coldplay and I miss you all. Here's to hoping we can all do it again sometime in the not-so-distant future. [thanks ApproximatelyInfinite]

More photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

More photos at jamesgourleyphotography.co.uk

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Here is the fifth part of the Wembley fan reviews, continuing with stories from the Coldplay concert on Saturday 19th September. Excellent reviews of the two Wembley shows continue to be posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Thanks to all the Coldplayers who have contributed with tweets, pictures, videos, reviews and of course masses of discussion so far! Here's said fifth episode:

I thought I’d start writing this already, otherwise all the ‘fresh-ness’ of the post-concert would fade (even though I’m only doing 2 days later coz was way too knackered to do it before). Things started on the 18th, when Chelsea and I decided to go to the stadium to check out queues, entrances and even got listen to most of the 18th concert from outside the stadium. We had then decided that we were spending the night and Semy joined us. In the end, with everyone leaving Wembley and the place getting quite deserted we changed our minds and went home - we could all do with a little sleep and an early trip back to the stadium the next day - we knew it was going to be a loooong day...

5am. We are in the tube station waiting to head to Wembley and start our saga. Got to the stadium just before 6am and after I did the rounds on all entrances we found that about 20 people in total had queued overnight. We were the third ‘group’ in our queue, so basically, in the front. Was good to find some cold playing folks around and as the morning went by, more and more yellow shirts kept appearing. After reassurances from staff that I’d manage to get in with my ticket on the ‘wrong’ queue, I decided to risk it and stay at H and J, where I knew most people. More Coldplaying people kept arriving, joining us in our queue, or coming to visit from other queues. Everything felt like it was a big family reunion. That feeling certainly helped the first 5 hours fly by, even though the second 5 went by slooooow. We had already made new friends in the queue, got people interested on the forum, loads wanting the yellow shirt. All done with a lot of Jaffa cakes going around. Almost 2 hours before the gates open things got messy at the queue and everyone was standing. We saw a lot of people ‘steal’ places from the ones who were queuing from early on, and we were decided we’d do everything to possible to avoid that people from the back passed us when the time came to go in.

When they finally ‘let the dogs out’ (at least it felt like that, since security didn’t even cut the ribbon and just made us through it, under it, over it), we ran for our lives - and for the closest spot possible to the stage. Loads of security screaming at us “STOP RUNNING”, “SLOW DOWN” - to which we only responded “IT’S POWER WALKING, IT’S POWER WALKING!!!” - When the pitch came to sight, I just heard Kara screaming: “THERE’S STILL SPACE ON FRON ROW”, my heart felt like it was going to come out through my mouth. I saw it, the empty pitch. And the almost empty front row. We “power walked” there, and hugged the front row railing, not to be thankful, but to try and save space to the others coming behind us. We made it. Front Row. Wembley. Last gig of the tour. I couldn’t stop shaking. Or almost crying of happiness.

White Lies came on and even though I had never heard any song I was impressed. They were really good. Really good start. Then, Girls Aloud. To me, they are a bad Spice Girls wannabe. Robotic, not really good dancers and simply annoying. I do admit I danced during the famous catchy songs. And have to say that Cheryl Cole - the only one I know who she is - is really pretty. And then Jay-Z. I had already heard the people here talking about how great he was and it was all true!!!! The man is an absolute showman, and engages the crowd in an amazing way. The songs were awesome and his attention to everyone in the crowd, pointing out person by person that was going crazy with him made me want to be his new best friend!!! He noticed us - well, he knows Jizo loves him. And he loves Jizo back - and he gave a shout to “you, the yellow group there”! Ha! We caught Jay’s attention!!

Now, the wait for THEM. Minutes before it starts, rain. First lightly, but by the time Chris, Jonny, Will and Guy came to stage it was pouring. It was beautiful. I felt like the rain was washing our souls after so much stress and was welcoming the guys. It was a “Rainy Day”. When Chris first came out in the rain, the first reaction was towards Jonny - “it’s REALLY raining” I saw him saying to him - but that didn’t make anyone get less excited. Crowd or band. At some points it almost seemed like the rain was pouring according to the music. The strongest and fastest Clocks got, the strongest the rain poured. The Gods were listening to the concert. Listening to “Glass of Water” live was just amazing. Listening to the crowd chanting during CoL gave me chills. Fix you on the front row. Brought me memories back from when they played in Brazil. I missed the lantern. I always do. And I always cry… Strawberry swing, I just kept wishing Super Chris would show up. He was there, not wearing a cape, but there.

Before hitting Stage B Chris goes to the end of the stage and changes his shirt. Shirtless Chris! What?! Gorgeous back! Stage B I couldn’t see a thing. When the band took their places back on stage while Chris would do THP and Postcards, the Jonnyfest up the front started calling out “Jonny, Jonny”, the stage was dark, but we could see him greening embarrassedly. when the crowd started chanting to VLV between THP and Postcards, Chris laughed and said: “Could you just wait for one more song?”. VLV was amazing, as always. 70k people chanting is a strong sound. And Chris was encouraging us to keep on singing even after the song was done. Only to interrupt us with Lost +. Jay Z joins. He should be with them every concert. It’s just amazing.

Again I couldn’t find stage C. I just leaned on the railing and enjoyed the music. Trouble was beautiful. I don’t have words to describe. And Billie Jean seems to ave come to replace “Back for good”. Politik, incredible and strong as always. And Lovers in Japan. OMG. SO MANY BUTTERFLIES. The image of Wembley’s Arch almost invisible because of the butterflies was just perfect. And the neon butterflies. I cried. It was all just too beautiful. And I knew I’d never see anything like that again. When they were thanking the crowd, the “Jonny, Jonny” re-started. He heard us again. And so did Chris. And Will. They were laughing. They were genuinely happy and couldn’t hide it. They came back, as always. The Scientist was beautiful, but LiT ii, with the fireworks, with the atmosphere, the people around, with the band’s smile... Just a perfect moment. Now it was all gone. We saw them hugging on the corner of the stage, Phil joining. Just one of those moments you’ll always have in your memory.

Outside re-meeting the Coldplayers. A mass of yellow wet shirts. Happy faces. Sad faces. Crying faces. Quickly saying our goodbyes, taking pictures, chatting. The family was together once more. And on Sunday, at the after gig meeting, once again. It was a sad picnic. Everyone was tired. Everyone knew it was all over - at least for this tour - and even though some tried to avoid it, we cried. It was an emotional moment. And chanting to VLV every time someone left the park just made my heart a little bit smaller. I don’t know when I’ll see you guys again, but I do know that whenever there is another concert, there’s no other group I want to be with. This weekend was the end of an Era. The Viva Era. Thank you soooooo much to all of you guys, coz if it wasn’t for the Coldplaying family the concert would have been good, but not nearly as amazing as the whole experience was. PS: Ian, we still hate you for making the website. I’m crying again. [thanks marianatsl]

Back from london. Arrived at Wembley at 8 o'clock, we were 4 friends with 2 tickets gate M/N and 2 tickets with gate B/C. We exchanged tickets with Anna and Perrine (thanks again). Waiting was long but we walked to see others coldplayers and finally 15 O'clock arrived soon. When gate opened i was surprised by the stadium. it's big. Many people were standing on front row. We managed to get front of the b-stage. I saw Aurelie (a-chan) we communicated by signs during the waiting and girl's Aloud... I liked White Lies, but girl's Aloud was boring... Jay-z is good, but it's definitly not my music style... And the rain began and Coldplay arrived. Concert was great despite the rain. All songs were good, and Coldplay were great. There were a special energy. It was brilliant. Gig passed so quickly. The B-Stage was wonderful, saw them so close. It was a great moment, and great weekend. Return is very difficult. [thanks marsu]

Last night I went to sleep and I had my three glowsticks on my table next to my bed and I shut the lights and TWO OF THEM WERE STILL GLOWING! I kept looking at those and just couldn't sleep.. I put LRLRL on and fell asleep I think after fix you.. weird that they were still glowing after more than 24 hours! And I had a dream where I went next to the b-stage after the gig and asked for a setlist or something and I didn't get it, but the roadie was like "well do you want the piano? we don't need it anymore!" I was like "YESS" and he carried it outside for me and I was happily walking down the Wembley ramps with my VIVA piano! Oh btw I got TWO LRLRL!! They were giving them out at the M&N gate right next to where we met after for the pic! I ran when I saw a man with boxes giving them out and I was so happy I got it so I said "KIITOS!" to the man (kiitos=thank you in finnish) his expression was priceless and I just smiled VERY widely at him and then I got the other one when we went to the wembley park tube station, there was a man giving them out there too! I'm so happy I got them, because I was so sure I wouldn't and I didn't get any at Stockholm either so.. I'll probably end up giving the other one to my best friend who was at Stockholm too and didn't get it..but only if it REALLY matters to him an he begs me [thanks johkujii]

Me and Johku arrived to Wembley at about 6.30am. We were a little bit confused about the queues 'cause we thought there would be only two of them. We decided to stay at the H/J queue (I at first had the M/N gate in my ticket but we switched them later just to make sure) with Chelsea, Semy and Mariana. More coldplaying people arrived a little later. Thank you so much for the company everyone! The time went so fast and we had so much fun at the queue!

So before the gates opened it was all so crazy! I was panicing and so excited and so was everyone else. Then there was this announcement "the gates are now open" or something like that. The guard screamed "GO!" and we run for our lives! My leg was broken but I didn't even remember it so we got to the pitch and I saw this empty space almost in the middle of the front row and I have never run so fast as then! Johku managed to get to the front row and I was like half in it, but I willingly went to the second row 'cause it was so friggin tight. After all I got to the FRONT ROW 'cause there were two girls in front of me who were there just to see Jay-Z and they left after that. I still can't believe it, I can't even describe the feeling!! The final, first row at Wembley!!

Well back to the support acts. White lies were really good. I liked them a lot. But Girls Aloud were horrible to me. Didn't like them at all, I think they were kind of fake. Then Jay-Z. He was great and the atmosphere was so awesome! The feeling when the lights went out and it started to rain. It was so exciting! The whole time Coldplay played was just so perfection. I was crying and laughing alternately for the whole time. I loved Violet Hill and In My Place in the beginning. And Glass Of Water was so great! I hadn't heard it live since Prospekt's March wasn't released last year I saw them at Stockholm. Yellow was great too of course. Fix You and after that Strawberry Swing were just perfect. So touched during Fix You and then happy tiers during Strawberry Swing. and before they got to the B stage Chris changed his shirt on stage! Viva La Vida was awesome (as always) and then Lost+ was too! Trouble, it was so sensible. It was such a beautiful moment. Cried so much. Politik was amazing. Lovers In Japan and the butterflies. The atmosphere was something that I'll never forget.

They were all in a really good mood! Seemed so happy and they really had a good time! The hug on the stage was so lovely, but unfortunately I didn't see Phil joining. And we had finnish flags with "Finland Coldplay" in it and at least Guy and Chris saw them. And Johku had that "Shiver?" sign and Guy read it and his face was priceless. I think that Chris saw it too. The final was everything I had imagined and so much more! It was such a perfect day! Still can't believe it all happened. Thank you so much to you all! /edit: I forgot to give a mention to Billie Jean which I think was especially brilliant on Saturday. [thanks lindam]

More photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

More photos at jamesgourleyphotography.co.uk

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Most of the Coldplayers who attended the Wembley shows have now returned home, and plenty of fantastic reviews of the two shows continue to be posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Here is the fourth part of the Wembley fan reviews, focusing on fan reviews of the Coldplay concert on Saturday 19th September. Thanks to each and everyone of you who has contributed with tweets, pictures, videos, reviews and of course masses of discussion so far!

Just thought I'd pop in and say last night was AMAZING. White Lies and Girls Aloud were great. I managed to shout 'Oh my god you are so fit!' while Nicola Roberts was talking to the audience, got a laugh but not sure she heard me Jay-Z was sensational, I got to see him at Glastonbury Festival last year so I expected it to be awesome, but I didn't expect it to be better! Good to see everyone in standing near the front (where I was) throwing up diamonds for the great HOVA. So yeah, Coldplay. Wow. It was amazing. The last time I saw them was at Earl's Court in 2005 and shiiiiit they have upped their game. Very tight set, no technical hitches as I have been hearing of recently. Good effort. The rain was a godsend, it was so hot just before and it added to the atmosphere! COOL. Ok, ummm I'm not sure if any of that made sense but I just wanted to put my thoughts up on here for all to see. Ooooh yeah and after the gig I saw a few Coldplayers in their yellow t-shirts, was too shy to go up and say hi though. Anyway, ciao for noooow.. [thanks - DAN -]

I actually was waited a moment after the last note of LIT2, anticipating he'd give some final words but he didn't ;(...and just gave the usual quick goodbye and went straight to the huddle with Phil and the others...which was SO cute and lovey ;P Maybe he just didn't think people were too interested...like this night being the last one was really only a big deal to the band (**nothing could be farther from the truth!)..and so maybe at that moment, he only had eyes for the people who share that importance (the band members ...and the others just faded out... I was surprised tho that there were people leaving even before they came back onstage for the encore...I was thinking 'OMG...are these people insane!...we won't be seeing the band for awhile after the next few minutes...and they're leaving?!'...hehe. But Chris especially certainly did look very tired...even from the start of the concert - ready to give it his final go but really having to push...I think they are so ready to disappear for a little...but also itching to play something new. Nonetheless...they've got one of the best jobs in the world...I'm so jealous... [thanks Lovers in NYC]

This was an awesome gig! I'm glad I made it to the final (official anyway) VLV gig and that the early start payed off. Thanks to KissesBirds and Angie, and Mimixxx for their cameraderie and tales from the road on tour during the long wait (which went very quickly!). I am truly envious you had so many gigs to go to Stateside. It was great also to meet many fellow Coldplayers for the first time, Ian and Jen, Chavi and Carla but shame Pete we missed each other again! I vote we have a post VLV tour catch-up some time in London? Words cannot express how much I felt about last night's gig: a mixture of exhilaration, excitement, and bitter-sweet sadness that VLV has come to an end. Thanks to Coldplay and Crew for putting on such an awesome tour and continuing to write such fantastic songs! Looking forward to the next album. [thanks Long Live Life]

Back from London! Great gig despite the rain! I was in H&J and had to get my tickets at the box office. Arrived at 10 with my friend and amazed to see so few people...Recognized Camille in the lot ^^ (and I thought you said you didn't want to go to the box office dear?! XD). Saw Perrine and Aurélie (marsu) too! So cool! Opened at the right time and as soon as we get our tickets, direction queue!! Amazed again to see so few people! The queueing part pasted very fast, ponctuated by coldplayers visits (Chavi, Anna, Timon, Perrine to name a few...even met two lovely british ladies at the toilets queue, one had a puppet Chris, so cool ^^) Good to see so many lovely people again!!

Then, it was time to enter! We managed to get near the b-stage along the ramp ^^ Not so far away was kristen (?) on my right, and Aurélie (marsu) on my left. Had a good view of the boys ass XD and of the main stage even if the butterflies thingy blocked a little my view! Had a text from Chavi saying she made it front row with the others..always on the right spot! So cool to see you guys on the screen and get a shout at by Jay-Z! During the waiting, I found the british audience really quiet... No shouting, no singing, no mexican wave...Even during the waiting time between Jay-Z and the boys, they were still quiet (exept for some roadie action...) Really weird atmosphere for me... White lies was good but Girls aloud...I thought I was dying...! Two girls behind me were really into it but me not...As well as Aurélie who was looking as dead as me...XDD Then Jay-Z came in and he managed to finally woke up the british audience!! About time! I don't like R'n'B and didn't know much about him but I found myself screaming and dancing hands in the air like crazy!!! Had a great time!!! Great performer! Then waiting time again and rain started pouring...So british The boys were great and I think the rain electrified everyone, included myself!! It created a really strange atmosphere but really magnified the songs! Yellow and IMP were totally berseck! I was too (like always, but maybe more than usual last night!). Had a great time during the b-stage section with a good view on the boys asses XD So good to see my dear Will that close, he always impressme by his energy! The c-section part was awesome too, and I finally had the occasion to hear Trouble live! I didn't cry last night but that was more than close on many occasion and that was one! Was again really amazed to see many people leaving the stadium at that part...so early... The encore was beautiful and I passed on 'almost-cry-but-not' when I saw the final huddle with Phil. Very touching moment ^^ After some butterflies hunting, I managed to see my fellow B-stage coldplayers again, so cool! But we parted really quick as we wanted to get the CDs (which was also an expedition since the security told us it was only hand on gate F or B...). We grabbed the last ones and headed home (bought one of the fake t-shirt on the way, find it funny XDD ->the one on the liveblog). Catched the last train!! [thanks a-chan]

Just got back from london now! and WoW wat a concert...it was my first coldplay concert =D i joined the queue at about 11ish and there were only about 60-100 people in the queue so it wasnt too bad. also met some really nice people in the queue so wasnt too bad! but about an hour before they let us in...they squashed us all together for some reason..but the time went ppritty fast! once we go in it was a mad rush to the front...didnt do too bad only had 3 people in front of me so it was all good. White lies were good! first time i heard them and im actually gunna go out and buy their album cuz i really like them. Then came on girls aloud. now i didnt have huge expectation cuz from the previous days reviews they sounded shambolic but they wernt that bad. but i dunno all you can do is stand and watch them...cant really go crazy. in my opinion white lies out did them! Jay z really did set the bar high for coldplay...he was awesome! they guy really know how to put on a show. he played song that people know which made it better and the crowed went crazy when he played encore and 99 problems! BUT if i thought Jay Z was awesome then coldplay were just out of this world! cuz i havent been to one before, i cant compare..but this was unreal...soon as he came on the energy levels were off the roof...just before they came on it started raining...i dont know about anyone else who went but that put me in an even better mood. life in technicolor was just best start in the world...violet hill was perfect! i dont know about anyone else but i thought jonnys guitar on glass of water was slightly out of tune..but that may just be me lol.

it was at yellow when my voice really started to go. it was a shame none of the bollons came our way but that dont matter!! They played every song to perfection. Viva La Vida and lost were just awesome cuz you get to see them all close, so it was good! I thought i had alright speaker at home and when i play politik i put them up with the bass to feel the full force...but i realised that you haven't heard the real politik unless you see them live! the full force of them giving it all is crazy. it was just a day i will never ever forget and im glad to see them now! [thanks mayurshikotra]

I posted this on the Tampa thread, but this was about The Aftershow party My hubby and another couple were invited too, I was very lucky!!! I am HOME! I just don't know where to start so, I will say a few things then if you have any questions I will try and answer for you. We got picked up at 5pm, the other couple who won, were very excited, loved Coldplay, but wouldn't recognize them if they were if front of them, as you will read alittle later, We got to the venue, and followed signs that said "Band Friends and Family" with arrows to follow, got to the line and I went up and told them my name, and she said enjoy and handed me my envelope, I am pretty sure this was Arlene as I have seen her pics, I stepped to the side and the other couple went up and Arlene acted like your not on the list, while holding their envelope behind her back, and Leeanne said, "But we won the same as them" looked like she was gonna cry, we opened the envelope and found 2 tickets in the first level seating, they were 3 rows ahead of us. There was allittle slip of paper that Read "AFTERSHOW PART TONIGHT AT WEMBLEY ARENA" then told us directions, Well we almost shit ourselves, hugging each other and trying to catch our breath.

We missed White Lies, and took our seats, THIS PLACE WAS MASSIVE!!!!! Our seats were ok, but the stage looked small, so the pics I took were good, but were of the jumbotron. I had to seats opened next to us, that I was praying nobody would sit down so I could stand and dance, I got lucky, I was the only person standing and singing every song, and doing the hand cross of strawberry swing, only when ViVa came on did people stand, pissed me off, but was in "My own little Bubble". I had tears for almost every song playing, Viva was deafening, Fix You the same, Chris messed up on THP AGAIN, it's so scripted I had a blast!!!

The after party, was cool, lot's of music playing, this area had 2 floors, we decided to go upstairs cause they had nice comfortable looking sofa's, got our drinks, and the only couch open was by this open door, that had a window, that you could see in if you sat up on the couch abit, the doors had security and was letting nobody in. I thought Hmm, this is where they are. BINGO, Jonny came walking out all full of smiles and as he walked 3 feet away I said" Hi Jonny", he turned to me and said "Hello there" all smiles. He was in a very happy mood, laughing with everyone, and chatting, I got up and moved over to the railing and snapped a pic of him which turned out great, then I moved closer to our couch and took another one, turned out great, all of a sudden I felt someone over my shoulder, it was KELLY, he scared the shit out of me, he said softly.. "What are you doing?",I said "UMM taking a picture of Jonny, he said, "Put the camera away for me", he was actually not too bad, he just scared me, and I put my hands up and said "Hey no problem, not a problem" Cussing under my breath, because for the next hour he kept looking my way making sure I didn't do it again, He told another girl off abit later and he wasn't as nice to her.

WILL comes walking out with his wife, and I said "Hello Will" he turned smiled and said, "Hello", this is hard to not look like a FAN cause he was sitting at the couch next to us talking away with people. Took a few sips of my drink, look thru the window and the MAN was standing there, had just gotten a shower cause his hair was really wet, he looked thru the doorway, and put his hoodie on with the cap part. I looked at him and he went back in, KELLY still by the doors side, Just then I see Gwyn, man she is so pretty, she was walking and bobbing her head to a Jay Z song that was on. Chris sat down on a couch behind the doors in full view and looked like he was doing an interview, Gwyn stood by him, smiling the whole time, and then I sat back down, and then when I looked back again, she was sitting on his knee, sorry no pics of any of this, and I wouldn't have taken it anyway's. I was shocked they were together in full site of the people on the other side of the door. I will say this.... They are very much together, they were very lovey dovey towards each other, I told my husband, that they wouldn't come out here together, and they didn't. Chris came out and walked 2 feet from us and went to Will's couch and signaled him to go in the back, I guess it was for an interview, as Chris walked past us I said " Hi Chris" he looked like alittle kid and looked our way smiled and said, "Hey, how ya doing?" SMILING like he does. That was all my contact with any of them, I couldn't sneak any pics! I will post pics tomorrow when my daughter gets home, and they will be on facebook, feel free to ask me anything if I didn't touch on any questions you might have. The trip was amazing!!! Oh we didn't get to bed until 3:30am this morning, "Ya know Partying all night with the boy's" and we had a 7am wake up call and the long flight back.

Oh and when Chris walked by the couple we were with didn't recognize him and they asked me if I thought he was coming out, I said He walked 2 feet away from you and even said Hello. I had to point out Will and Jonny also Guy was Nowhere to be seen. Oh and gosh I forgot, Phil came out and had a beautiful blond on his arm, I guess it's his wife, he's married right? See I keep forgetting everything.... MILLER came to the security door, and tried to go thru and they told him NO, he just shook his head and walked off, didn't argue with them or nothing, and who's the older guy that manages them? I don't know his name, but when they did the Morning show in NY he was interviewed??? I saw him all over the place. That doesn't even cover alot of our trip, but thought you wouldn't want to hear that, just the juciey stuff. [thanks MartinFan]

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

More photos at jamesgourleyphotography.co.uk

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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As Coldplayers who attended the Wembley shows return home, more comprehensive fan reviews of the two shows continue to be posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Here is the third part of the Wembley fan reviews, focusing on the early reviews posted of the Coldplay concert on Friday 18th September (more reviews needed for this show!):

After seeing Coldplay 5 times (Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Nijmegen, Nijmegen) the first Wembley show was the big finale of this tour for me. I wanted to get there as early as possible and I managed to get there at about 11.00. By then, there were ~25 people and the wait began. The weather was good, there were toilets and food nearby, so the wait wasn't even so hard! There were a couple of Coldplayers with Coldplaying t-shirts in the queue, but not much and I had no idea who they were.

At 15.30 everybody suddenly stood up and lots of people who were sitting behind me suddenly now stood before me. When the gates opened and we walked/ran towards the far right gates, I was one of the first to get through (don't know what happened to the people who were going to the left, as I was one of the first to enter the field). We started running down the stairs, were told to slow down, slowed down, but when we saw people coming from the other side, we started running again and all three of us made it first row (again!)...

Everyone was pushing, alot more than in Nijmegen. I didn't really care as I had food and drinks with me and didn't have to use the toilet. A funny moment during the wait was when my friend asked to throw away his banana peel in the garbage can. So, I threw it away, being surprised by the reaction of the security people who were taking it out of the garbage can, because it was actually a water supply for the crowd. Oops! So, if anyone though there water tasted like bananas, they were right! White Lies were great again, just as in Nijmegen. The singer seemed much more into it and looked really happy (and nervous) to play such a big stadium. Their set was a little shorter though. Girls Aloud were ok (although the Girls Aloud fans were annoying - they even had the best spots and remained there during the Coldplay show ), but Jay-Z was really brilliant. It was almost like everybody came for him! I didn't know most of his songs, but that didn't matter at all. The downside of standing front row is the sound, which was quite... loud. Jay-Z's show was great and I managed to take some nice pics.

I'd like to begin with something negative this time. It's because, during the Coldplay concert I didn't have the wow-feeling as I had the week before in Nijmegen. It probably has something to do with the show being almost the same as last year and me being a little tired of Viva. That being said, I still enjoyed myself, especially during songs as In My Place, Yellow, Glass of Water, Politik and Lovers in Japan. Other highlights were the appearances of Simon Pegg and Jay-Z coming back to sing Lost+. The guys also seemed much more into it than in Nijmegen, more laughing, more enthusiasm (especially Jonny, I have a video of him going 'wild' during 42), more jokes. I hoped for a little more front row interaction, but for the third time: there was none. I'll might make a banner next time, to improve my chances. That's about it, we got out pretty quickly afterwards, got a LRLRL cd and walked back to our (very cheap and shitty) hotel. The Viva tour is over. [thanks Stefan-C8]

I won some tickets to the 18th Fri show and was in the comfy seats reserved seating section. I really went to see Jay-Z and the missus to see Girls Aloud. I have to say I was blown away by the whole Coldplay experience though, I REALLY enjoyed it. The Left Right cd they gave away is a really good listen too and brings back the gig in full flood! I read on here that they might release this gig on DVD is that right? I'd love to see this again just to see if it is as good as I remember it! [thanks crjmcc]

It pains me that Girls Aloud are as average as they are tonight, as that’s primarily the reason why I’m here. I’ve been bought a ticket in the knowledge that there may never be any more live performances by the quintet, but the fact that they’re playing a mere 40 minute set at 6pm is a real organisational oversight. An even bigger cock-up however is the Girls’ setlist choice. Their performance is perfectly passable, but the material itself lets them down; a sickly cover of ‘I’ll Stand By You’, a lacklustre version of ‘Something Kinda Oooh’ and an unnecessary take on Robyn’s ‘Every Heartbeat’ are all wasted opportunities. Things are somewhat rectified when the layered vocals pull together for the heart-melting chorus on ‘Call the Shots’ but even a dynamic rendition of the appropriately titled ‘The Promise’ leaves you feeling like it’s too little, too late.

Whereas Jay-Z’s performance is downright brilliant. Despite my seat being nearer Brentford than the stage, Jay-Z impressively manages to make the stage his own within seconds and fill the gargantuan arena thanks in no small part to having two drummers and a fuckload of volume at his disposal. ‘On to the Next One’ and ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder’ sound immense, with a great deal of the standing audience bouncing along with Jay-Z’s instructional hand gestures. ‘D.O.A.’ mixes in with the rest of his material seamlessly and the ever reliable ’99 Problems’ provides a great opportunity for 100,000 middle aged people to mock practise their air-scratching. Hell, even the slightly pompous-on-record ‘Empire State of Mind’ is elevated to modern classic status, in no small part due to Alicia Keys stand-in Bridget Kelly’s haunting vocals.

Throughout, Jay-Z manages to strike that difficult balance between being a solo superstar and a loveable down-to-earth chap, stopping to point out various American Football shirts in the crowd he approves of or ladies’ haircuts. Such is the feel good factor in the stadium that the four safety stewards next to me begin taking 15 minute shifts to cover one another in order to go dance down the front. After an hour, Jay-Z cements his place as a global phenomenon and leaves the stage to a pumped up, wholly appreciative room of converted fans, no doubt adding to the ones he collected at last year's Glastonbury.

Confession time: truth be told, I don’t hold any hope of Coldplay touching their warm up, seeing as I have no more than a passing interest in them. It’s not that they’re bad, or dislikeable. Just so…. beige? Even their name sounds a bit limp. However it will be eternally baffling to me that the band has always attracted such a venomous level of hatred, mainly because their music is merely far too pleasant to waste anger on. Coldplay have always worked around musical structures at their most base and therefore if it’s not for you it’s easy enough to ignore. But it would appear that whilst we’ve been largely overlooking their progress, Coldplay have now fully grown into what those subtle, fledgling EPs hinted at: much like Jay-Z, they are now fully-rounded global stars, and tonight is as good a performance as you’ll likely ever see from a rock band that straddles such a broad music-loving spectrum.

The live show itself is grand and one that - in print - will likely sound appalling; featuring a heavily scripted interchange between Martin and a giant Simon Cowell video, a Mexican wave of mobile phones, Simon Pegg fleetingly joining the band playing harmonica on a makeshift ‘impromptu’ stage and U2-esque pyrotechnics. But in actuality, there’s something massively endearing and human about the entire evening that breaks up the seriousness (and occasional similarity) of the slightly excessive 26 songs. The set is understandably Viva La Vida heavy, with the band’s best record to date A Rush of Blood to the Head also heavily filtering proceedings, but the difference between the formers recorded rendition and the live translation is a world apart. ‘Life in Technicolor’ bookends the gig, creating a stunning sense of anticipation; the new album's title track manages to join an entire stadium in song, which echoes long into the tube ride home; and lesser known tracks such as ‘Death and All His Friends’ and ‘42’ sound colossal when allowed to spread their wings, encroaching previously uncharted territory for the band which many Radiohead fans would claim as solely theirs.

Former glories naturally get the warmest greeting, whether it’s the early unveiling of the somehow-still-mesmerising piano line of ‘Clocks’, an empty arena being magically filled with giant balloons in a three second blackout as breakthrough hit 'Yellow' fades in, the epic intro to ‘Politik’ nearly deafening everyone, or the huge sing-a-long that is sparked by ‘God Put a Smile Upon Your Face’. Or indeed ‘Trouble’. Or ‘Talk’. Or ‘Fix you’… This is in no small part due to Martin understanding that a snappy couplet is more memorable than a piece of prose yet - when handled delicately - ultimately more rewarding. In fact when you hear these songs all together, you realise just how good a back catalogue the band has, even if it is perhaps still a little too one-dimensional to be regarded alongside some of their peers.

To many readers of DrownedinSound.com, Coldplay will likely never be more than a passing name, and I suspect this review or anything barring a night in their presence will do anything to alter that. It somehow feels too easy to fall for their charms. Yet there is a natural, unpolished energy to their performance tonight that is joyous to behold and feel part of. And if they’re good enough for a beaming Jay-Z to want to get back in on the act, returning to sing ‘Lost+’ with the band towards the close, then just maybe they should be good enough for us too. 8/10. [Courtesy of drownedinsound.com]

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

^ Photos by iriden

^ Photos by Gitta1977

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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As we reported back in May and Mid-June, Coldplay were featured in a documentary last Sunday for the South Bank Show. In case you missed it or want to watch it again, you can see the full episode in five parts via YouTube, and you can also find download links via filesharing sites here, at the Multimedia forum. Here's a recap of the documentary:

Chris Martin abides by the bizarre ritual which stems from an incident in the group’s early days when his bandmates punished him for sacking their drummer Will Champion by making him get drunk - Chris Martin forces himself to drink vodka to remind himself “not to be an idiot”.

During the South Bank Show, Chris said: "It started when I had to ask forgiveness for sacking our drummer Will about 10 years ago. Three days later the rest of us were feeling really miserable and we asked Will to meet me and out bassist Guy Berryman in Monkey Chews, a bar in Camden, London, where we asked him to come back. They made me have lots of vodka and cranberry juice in remembrance of what a nasty piece of work I was being. Now if I find myself making a big mistake I have to force myself to drink that stuff to remind me not to be such an idiot!"

The band were seen in discussion with Melvyn Bragg in the autumn as he travelled with them for six months, taking in their win at this year’s Grammy Awards, a tour throughout Japan, the Brit Awards and the War Child concert in London, where they performed with Bono, the Killers and Gary Barlow of Take That. Bragg was also seen spending quality time with the band whilst they worked on their next album in their north London studios, with Brian Eno who also produced Coldplay’s 2008 critically acclaimed album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.

The South Bank Show is in its final series, with the last South Bank Show Awards being transmitted in January 2010. Let us know what you thought of Coldplay's documentary on the South Bank Show at the Coldplay forum here onwards. [thanks worldtrav, KingChris, Stefan-C8, william_3000 & Karen6321]

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

Photos: Gigwise

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Our Wembley Coldplaying t-shirts are still on sale - don't miss out! (Click on the banners):

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As Coldplayers who attended the Wembley shows return home, more comprehensive fan reviews of the two shows continue to be posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Here is the second part of the Wembley fan reviews, focusing on the early reviews posted of the Coldplay concert on Saturday 19th September:

I’ve waited SO long and endured many miles to make it to Wembley and write this review, my first but one of Coldplaying’s last reviews for their concert threads, so I was very eager to get inside. I turned to be the first person to take a seat in my section as the usher had so kindly noted to me. And I looked forward to giving a not-as-common re-“view from the top” specifically section 510 – way at the back of the stadium…or as Chris put it last night “People in another time zone”.

I know a lot of the reviews for concerts (or at least it seems to me ) are of people at the floor level (which I imagine is an incredible experience! – being among the energy of so many in such close proximity to the band and being able to see what goes on with them on the side stage). But I was SO pleasantly surprised and just as energized from my, as you’d say in America, “nosebleed section”…which was ever so slightly to the right of center but gave an excellent overview of the massive stagework...

I think someone in one of the other threads from Friday’s show mentioned something about bad sound in the back of Wembley but I couldn’t disagree more. Maybe I’m not a sound expert so don’t notice the difference but it sounded great last night to me–so dear future Wembley concert-goers, no need to shy away from the back section, for sound travels and travel well it did indeed. Oh and having my binoculars handy made it an even MORE lovely experience…enable me to get close-ups through the big-screens, which don’t seem that huge from my back but are intensely magnified marvelously with the binoculars.

But in general, as corny as it sounds, I think everyone felt intimate with the band even if you were miles away. I actually didn’t realize how far it was until Chris said he couldn’t hear the screaming response to his shout-out to those way in the back of the top. The concert I went to before this one was in a smaller venue but last night felt far more intimate than that place…perhaps because of the emotions attached to this particular concert being the final one.

As I sat down and panned the stadium, you could feel the anticipation in the air. The backdrop music ironically sounded like something you’d hear at the end of a movie when the credits start to roll…at least it felt that way to me But perhaps putting such music on at the start of the concert symbolized the beginning of the” end”...the end of this particular chapter for Coldplay and its family of fans. Soon enough, the White Lies took the stage at about twenty past 5. It was my first time hearing them live and I must say they deserve all the credit…hearing bands just from their studio albums really doesn’t do justice….there is a lot lost I believe. All of Coldplay’s critics just haven’t witnessed the magic of their live sound. So perhaps the White Lies are a budding “Coldplay” type band – in terms of the very humble, self-deprecating posture they seemed to carry during their set. But they sounded amazing and I certainly checked out their music when I got home. I think I agree that the sound system wasn’t the best for the music of Girls Aloud. I’m not too keen on the all-girl pop group types..but I appreciated their enthusiasm , love for and pride in what they do which is what Coldplay are about and what they probably like about Girls Aloud as well enough to invite them to open. But Jay-Z certainly brought the house down for me…definitely did his job of warming up the crowd for Coldplay as he said. He is an extraordinary talent and I felt honored to hear him live for the first time…and felt an extra bond with him being originally from NY myself and as images of the NYC night sky line appeared in the backdrop of his song ‘Empire State of Mind’. I think Coldplay always try to bring an eclectic musical mix on board the concert thru the different-genres of the opening acts…creating a music “festival-esque” setting…giving people a bigger bang for their pound I’d say.

Finally came the last intermission between acts and that familiar final classical piece just before the boys’ silhouettes appeared to the sound of ‘Life in Technicolor’ holding their sparkling lights. It was immediately followed by the roaring sounds of ‘Violet Hill’ and ‘Clocks’ and the anthemic feel of ‘In My Place’ and of course “Yellow”. I must say I looked forward to seeing how Chris interacts with his fellow Londoners in his hometown and he certainly showed a special bond...making an especially special reference to the British show “The X-Factor”. Simon Cowell’s classic most deprecating and high-praise remarks from the show were used to judge the singing of the crowd for ‘Yellow’…which in general I think is what Chris loves the most – just having a big sing-along

Every song seemed to a carry an extra stretch perhaps cuz the boys knew that it was the last time they would be playing that particular song for awhile after last night. Every single song took my heart but the ones that stood out to everyone seemed were all of the usual suspects – ‘Viva La Vida’ and the incredible sing-along and n’sync hand wave movement of the crowd on the floor. Right before the song, it was cute how Chris jumbled part of a line in ‘The Hardest Part’ and gloriously admitted to it, singing about it right in the song with the lyrics changed to something like ’Oh I tried to sing but kept messing up on everything…that was the hardest part~…” Lost featured JayZ and as always, was incredible to witness the collaboration of two different ends of the musical spectrum. When the boys made their way to the tiny stage among the crowd for their usual acoustic set (sans Simon Pegg this time), it was refreshing to hear ‘Trouble’ after the few years of its absence. The beautiful mobile phone Mexican wave led us into the Billie Jean cover..which was awesome~..really got the crowd singing…bringing the memory of the greatness that is Michael Jackson. And oh how I LOVE the butterfly rain in ‘Lovers in Japan’…that song always leaves my heart feeling so smiley and dreamy. After the boys left the stage on a high from “Death and All His Friends”…they changed outfits and returned for the beautifully sad “The Scientist” and one of my very mega-favorites ‘Life in Technicolor II”. When the last note was played to end the song, I was in bit of disbelief that this was officially over. I’d expected more words from Chris as well for this grand finale but he gave his usual, ever-so grateful and humble outro and met instead with the rest of his band. Perhaps it hadn’t hit the band yet as well, that this was really the end.

It is the end of era …the ‘Viva’ era of Coldplay, an emotionally extraordinary moment for all of us as summed up by the final heartfelt ‘post-concert’ huddle of Chris, Jonny, Guy, Will AND Phil on stage…and those devoted fans who stayed behind to witness it. Even in the midst of the massive tube mess, particulary Wembley Park station, the spirit of the Viva tour was felt as the huge crowd waiting to be allowed to get onto the station platform started singing the ”Ooh-Ooh-ah- oh-oh” chant from ‘Viva la Vida’ while they waited - I think the band, and Chris especially, would’ve been so proud to hear the echoes of the chanting in the distance…I believe they always will...until the next tour. [thanks Lovers in NYC]

Of the four UK Coldplay shows I've seen (the others being Earl's Court in 2005 and two at the 02 last December) it was definitely the best. The atmosphere at the front (surrounded by fellow Coldplayers) was incredible, and the camaraderie both before, during and after the show was incredible. The collective singing along to "Viva La Vida" and "Violet Hill" was amazing. It was a bit like being at a top football match where you are able to stand (unfortunately pretty much impossible in the UK now) but ten times better. I certainly don't think I've experienced anything like that before, although the O2 gigs were excellent for that too (on a smaller level). However, I thought both the shows I saw in Duesseldorf and Cologne last year were better (and more unique) in terms of quality and in terms of the interaction between Chris and the crowd. I know some who were at the Paris gig thought the same about that too.

Saying that, I was impressed with the new Wembley Stadium and I would be more than happy to attend another concert there one day. I also had a fantastic time visiting the London Coldplay sights with a few of the other Coldplayers on Friday. As far as Coldplay concerts are concerned, the interaction with fellow Coldplayers has become every bit as important as the shows themselves, perhaps even more so. Incidentally, for the record, I thought White Lies were pretty good, Girls Aloud were a joke and Jay-Z did a good job at warming up the crowd, even though I didn't like his entire set. It was also a show highlight when Jay-Z came on-stage to perform "Lost". [thanks mc_squared]

Okayss I'm back in Finland! I'm totally exhausted, I've slept alltogether like 8 hours during the last two nights, but still extremely happy! So I met Linda (lindam) at Victoria at around 5am and we headed for Wembley! We totally tought that there would've been long queues allready when we got there at around 6.30 and we also thought there would be only two queues, so we were kind of shocked when we got there and there was almost no one there! Thank god there was Mariana, Zemy and Chelsea there to help us and we joined them on the H&J queue after wondering for a bit. Queueing was so fun! I met a lot of colplaying people and they were all really nice and ofc so exited! The queues were suprisingly short for a long time! Anyways before we got in it was SO HOT outside! The sun was shining like crazy and I had to put my viva jacket and scarf on too so that I'd get through the bag check faster..It was so crazy right before we got in! we were let closer to the H gate and people were pushing like crazy! Then one of the guards screamed something like "READY SET GO!!" and we ran for our lives! Me and Linda got through the gates and the bag check like REALLY fast and then we started running down the stairs with me screaming to the girl in front of us to go faster and Linda running with her broken leg.. Well I got FRONT ROW!!! SERIOUSLY!! I never even dreamed I'd get there at Wembley! and there were some girls next to me in the front row who were there just to see Jay-Z and when Jay-Z was done, they gave their places to Linda and some other coldplay fan..(they left after Jay-Z had been on Lost+..).

Anyways! White Lies were so great again and I think they should have played longer. I did not like GA at all! But then Jay-Z was THE BOMB! He totally owned the place! After Jay I was all the time waiting for U2, but instead they played Oasis Live Forever and that was so cool, because I love that song! I was singing along so loud! Then came Give It 2 Me and I could just feel the exitement in the crowd and I was already panicking I even saw a little bit of the dancing roadie Then came the waltz and I really can't remember anything about that! I was so exited then! I just remember one roadie coming right in front of us to make us clap and stuff. Then the lights went out! I think I'm being too particular so I'm just gonna tone it down a little bit My favourite songs were..Violet Hill, Fix You, Yellow (tho I the balloons didn't come to tha front at all), Trouble, LIJ, DAAHF and ofc the amazing LITii! All songs were perfect and I'm very happy as it is, thought I really would've wanted to have something extra..but I'm definately not complaining! Chris' voice sounded kinda sick for example when he was talking about the X-Factior, but still as I saw it, they were all in a REALLY good mood yesterday, I could see Guy just looking around the stadium and smiling REALLY wide! (he was right in front of me) And Chris was jumping and spinning around A LOT! at one point he went to the very side of the stage (jonnys side) and spun for like atleast a minute and it was really funny when he stopped and couldn't walk straight It was so cool when he said something like "All the way to the back, everyone say 'Fucking awesome!'" And when he screw up THP and was like "not again!"..The mexican wave was brilliant (tho it didn't work so well as in smaller stadiums) and I thought that Billie Jean sounded somehow a lot better then at Stockholm! I loved it that they played Trouble, because last time I heard Green Eyes..

I have so much to say, I can't even remember it all anymore! Oh and before they went to play the techno set, Chris changed his shirt ont he stage! (I demand that pic!) That reminds me, that the guys next to me were really funny! they were like on a hardcore party-mode all the time and when it started raining REALLY hard, they took their shirts off and partied even more. There was a camera right in front of us and right in front of the other first row coldplayers, so I'm really hoping for a dvd and that they'll show the crowd, because then we might be on it At least during Fix You the camera in front of us shot us all the time! We had a sign that said "SHIVER?" because we really wanted to hear it, and after DAAHF Guy read it and his face went like "hell no!" you know I'm pretty sure Chris read it too, and made an approving face..or maybe it was just my interpretation..We also had two finnish flags that said Finland Coldplay, but the pen that we made the heart with was NOT waterproof, so when it started raining, the heart spread and now the white part of the flag is pink and it only says Finland Coldplay.

I just still can't believe I saw them at Wembley, and at that close distance! Chris was clearly on a loving mood, he kept bumping into Jonny and Guy and stuff and they all seemed very happy! I'm glad that the last show of the tour went so well, it was just phenomenol! But of course I'm bummed about that the tour is over.. Maybe I have to go to Jerusalem. Oh and when we were leaving the stadium, people kept singing oohohohooohoh all over the place! In the halls of the stadium, in the tube line, in the tube etc, it was really cool! And I love the Wembley poster and I'm so happy I bought it. And I thought the concert was also organized very well! The bathrooms were great and we got a much water as we needed at the front and earplugs too! But I don't know how it was on the other areas. I just want to thank you all the coldplayers for the company and it was REALLY nice meeting you all! [thanks johkujii]

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

Photos: Gigwise

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Only a serious success story could book as their support act a man who is currently number one all over the world, writes the London Evening Standard today.

Jay-Z, the biggest rapper of the day, willingly played second fiddle to a bunch of "posh boys" (as South Bank Show put it) as they concluded a 15-month world tour, ending up rolling around in a manly embrace with Coldplay’s Chris Martin after their unlikely duet, Lost! This odd couple proved something we’ve known for some time: everybody loves Coldplay.

At Wembley, even those who once thought them bedwetters would have been forced to admit there were teeth to the hurtling riff of Glass Of Water, and a power to Will Champion’s drums on Clocks that could be felt internally.

Martin remains terrifically likeable, flying around the huge stage with all the joy of a boy doing airplanes at a wedding disco. He can get away with things, including allowing Champion to sing and inviting actor Simon Pegg on for a screechingly embarrassing harmonica solo, because there was never more than a minute between fabulous melodies.

While 42 added complexity to their deceptively simple formula but kept the tunes, the soaring battle cry of Viva La Vida carried on in the crowd long after the song had finished. Though they didn’t match the spectacles of Take That and U2 here this summer (Yellow’s giant yellow balloons can’t have taxed these creative minds too much) they owned Wembley this weekend. At the firework finale, the rap king and commoners alike were right to cheer wildly.

Review by: London Evening Standard. The latest discussion on both of the Wembley concerts is at the Coldplay forum here.

Photos of Coldplay (yellow balloons) at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Coldplay's previous two albums were hyped as experimental and challenging, yet beneath the odd tweak the results were more of the same: soaring anthems full of ardent but vaguely directed emotions, phrased by English ex-public schoolboys torn between high romanticism and reserve, writes the Financial Times today.

However, the quartet's desire to mix it up finally paid off at Friday's triumphant Wembley Stadium show, the first of two nights at the 70,000-capacity venue. Not only did Chris Martin and co play a blistering set, but they also had as support acts the magnificently unlikely pairing of Britain's most popular girl group Girls Aloud and the world's most successful rapper Jay-Z. "Not bad for four posh boys from Devon," as Martin dryly remarked.

First up were the five non-posh young women of Girls Aloud, sporting bright mini-dresses, high heels, hair extensions and glowing tans, like Top Shop Cleopatras.

It was bold of Coldplay to invite them to play, but bolder still for them to accept. They looked exposed on the large stage, with only a flimsy retinue of male dancers in zoot suits and pink shoes for company, yet their ultra-catchy songs and guileless stage chat ("We're going to inject some life back into this bad boy!") proved irresistible. As Cheryl Cole sang "Are you watching me, baby?" during "The Promise", she flashed a grin showing perfect white teeth, dazzling even in the vast venue.

Jay-Z was a marginally less bizarre choice - Martin was a guest vocalist on one of the rapper's albums - yet he presented a formidable challenge as a warm-up act. His new album The Blueprint 3 is his 11th to reach the top of the US charts, surpassing Elvis Presley's record: only The Beatles have had more US number one albums. Coldplay set themselves a hard task following him.

Although The Blueprint 3 isn't one of the 39-year-old's finest moments, he remains a knockout live performer. The new album was filleted for its best three tracks; the rest of his hour-long set was made up of old hits such as "99 Problems" and "Hard Knock Life", rapped with masterful élan by Jay-Z and played with thumping power by a live band. It was pitched for a rock audience. Jay-Z, headliner at last year's Glastonbury, is employing the skills he learnt as a drug dealer in Brooklyn in the 1980s to take rap to new audiences. Give them a taste, get them hooked.

Undaunted by the occasion, Coldplay opened with a muscular version of "Life in Technicolor" from their latest album Viva la Vida . Jonny Buckland's guitar playing had a bite often lacking on record, while Martin dashed around the stage like a puppyish Jagger. His singing was forceful, with less emphasis on the falsetto than in the past.

His lyrics are full of hand-wringing questions ("How long must you wait for it?"), but at Wembley they performed in the positive spirit of men who knew the answer. "Glass of Water" was driven by another torrential guitar routine from Buckland. "Cemeteries of London" was powered by uncompromising drumming from Will Champion.

Earnest sentiments were leavened by wit, as when a video of X Factor Scrooge Simon Cowell groaning "This is a complete and utter nightmare" appeared as the crowd sang along to "Yellow". It was a mistake to invite the comic actor Simon Pegg to join them on a cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", as if fulfilling some private joke hatched in the green room, but the glitch was fleeting. This was a confident, expressive show by a stadium band on top of their game. Not bad indeed for "the four posh boys from Devon".

Review by: Financial Times. The latest discussion on both of the Wembley concerts is at the Coldplay forum here.

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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As more and more Coldplayers who attended the Wembley shows return home, some excellent (and varied) fan reviews of the shows have been posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Here is the first part (of many I'm sure) of the reviews, starting with Coldplay on Friday 18th September:

Went to Wembley on the 18th. A good deal of the crowd were leaving before the end and it was a sign that it was only an OK concert. There lots of pauses and not enough energy ( and a backing track for keyboards sometimes). And 90 minutes? I think we deserve better/more than that. I thought the boys were a bit self indulgent - it's for the fans after all - and we didn't pay to see Simon Pegg, even though I like him. CP don't need support acts, we just need to see more of them. Maybe the big venue didn't help. [thanks danm]

^ Were you standing or seated? I was standing about 30 rows from the front in the centre and I thought the atmosphere was fantastic. The crowd around me knew most, if not all of the songs and were singing loudly. I'm seated tonight and expect a different sort of atmosphere. I noticed early on that most were sitting on their seats until the usual favourite songs were played. I reckoned it was 1hr 50m but I've paid the same price to see 90 minutes of a turgid Premiership football game and do you think those players care about the fans? The fact that the band trekked near the back of the stadium (for the Simon Pegg segment) and utilise the side stage (right stage from our standing position for God Put a Smile/Talk mix, Hardest Part) suggests that at least they made an effort. [thanks mingymoo]

Been to Coldplay arena shows before but wembley is just the king! Must see to believe! A massive gig with unparalleled energy! I so hope this night makes it to the DVD! It was magical! Made quite a few videos from good seats. Will post on YouTube as soon as I'm home. ThAnks everyone and thanks London for a great night! [thanks valypan]

Ok so I love Coldplay and was really looking forward to this gig. But when I want to see Coldplay, I want to see them, not them and Simon Pegg and NOT THEM AND JAY-Z for goodness sake. It was bad enough having him as a support but when he turned up in Lost I couldnt believe it. Having said that, I loved the rest of the gig, and I liked the comedy stuff too. Chris Martin really is a terrific front man! Actually a lot of the people leaving were standing in the arena. In the seating most of us were standing anyway! Totally agree about the supports/Simon Pegg (lovely and talented though he is!) I saw Coldplay in the Liverpool Echo and the atmosphere was electric - it was what made me decide to see them at Wembley. But I do think Wembers is a bit too big - you lose the intimacy of the gig and the sound is a bit echoey. Was the same for Muse. [thanks Bazza12]

I was there last night, and it was bloody awesome! I met so many awesome people - cookie crew, This girl and her mum with the coolest multicolour hat ever. Me and my friend were armed with sharpies (i had coldplay on my forehead and guy (and a heart) on my cheek!) and lent them to everyone around us near the stage (we were about 3rd row guy side!). It was such an awesome day! My friend, my mum and I arrived ast the venue at around half past 1 and joined the queue. We met some awesome people who gave us advice and laughed with us when my friend decorated my face with sharpie pen! The organisation of the queue was excellent and I loved the radio wembley sort of thing that was playing. We ran as fast as we could and couldn't believe our luck when we were situated quite central ( more to Guy's side) about 3/4 rows back from the barrier. White Lies were awesome - it was a shame they had such a short set, would have loved to here taxidermy and from the stars live but oh well. Girls aloud were rubbishy, but were bearable and my friend kinda likes them so it wasn't too horrific. Then Jay-z. Well he isn't usually my cup of tea but man he owned that stage! I thought "Empire State of mind" when Bridget Kelly came on stage was pretty awesome, 99 problems was also great! Then Coldplay, wow! Mr Martin was in top form leaping around everywhere, and the crowd were great! I thought IMP was great and Lost+ with Jay-z was bloody fantastic. I absalutely love the Talk/GPASUYF techno remix thing, its so good! Chris doing The Hardest Part was just beautiful - "I offered this song to take that but they rejected it" lol and postcards was plain brilliant! When the buuterflies came down during LIJ it was just a magical moment, as you all know! What a concert... I'm still reeling from it. After the gig finished I managed to get part of the yellow balloon that Chris popped onstage and stuffed my bag full of butterflies. Going to the tube was also magical, walking down wembley walk with all those fans sing ooowaaahoowohoo was incredible. Best. Night. Ever. [thanks lafferty23]

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

Photos: Gigwise

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Hate him if you like, but at least Chris Martin has the good grace to bash out a decent tune and keep us entertained with his antics, says Ed Power of independent.ie. Why does everybody hate Chris? Say what you like about his band's faintly antiseptic music, but the Coldplay frontman seems a decent enough sort (albeit with a whiff of the batty yoga instructor about him).

And yet, if asked which rock star we'd most like to smack on the nose, a sizable majority of us would walk right past Bono, Brandon Flowers and Johnny Borrell and plump for the softly spoken singer. What is it about Martin and his nice, middle-class Coldplay chums that stirs in us such violent thoughts?

"Are we hurt when critics use Coldplay to mean something derogatory?" the band's bassist Guy Berryman asked last year, clearly flummoxed by all the vitriol flowing in the group's direction. "Of course. I think the reason was that we became so successful so quickly. That's what made people want to have a go. In this game you've got to be thick skinned, because, if you do well, you'll have those who want to bring you down."

The daggers were certainly out when Coldplay unveiled the title of their latest LP, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. Reeking of 70s progressive rock self-importance, it suggested a group that had made the very un-Noughties mistake of believing rock music was an art form to be taken seriously (also, didn't Ricky Martin have a song of the same name?) Not, to be fair, that they appeared too bothered by the derision. "I know it sounds pretentious, but I couldn't give a flying fuck," Martin said in 2008. "You can call it Viva la Vida; snappy and easy. You can call it Death and all his Friends. You can call it the Coldplay album. Or you can call it 'that piece of shit'."

Sometimes you suspect Martin, in his mild, passive-aggressive way, actually enjoys winding up the media and public. He walked out on two interviews last year, on one occasion because a journalist had touched, very briefly, on his marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow, which was rumoured to have hit the rocks (claims rubbished by friends and acquaintances). Rather than storming off, however, on each occasion he actually stepped back in once he'd calmed down -- too polite to throw a proper rock-star strop.

Even when he does stay put, of course, what comes out of Martin's mouth veers from the surreal to the bleedin' bonkers. "I'm always thinking about some regular 16-year-old called Dave, who's on his bus trip to school," Martin revealed in an American interview, when asked if he had a specific audience in mind when writing new album Viva la Vida. "Is he going to want to listen to this? Last time we got so worried about who thinks this and who thinks that. And this time, I've been really focused. On Dave. My 16-year-old imaginary friend. But not in a weird way."

Perhaps it's Coldplay's excessive modesty that pushes our anger buttons. For instance, Martin was quick to voice his objections last month when a US reporter asked how it felt to be one of the world's biggest rock stars. "I don't like those two words, 'rock star'," he shot back in that weirdly high-pitched conversational voice. "I don't wear the right pants for that. You've got to wear the right trousers if you want to be a rock star."

To many, this might suggest a person in deep, almost tragic, denial about their celebrity status -- to say nothing of someone who needs to get a handle on their trouser fetish. After all, not only are Coldplay one of the few young(ish) bands capable of shifting 30 million records and packing stadiums (arena rock nowadays being essentially the preserve of the middle-aged rock god), but Martin also lives the sort of private life that makes show-biz editors drool. He's hitched to a Hollywood A-lister, is prone to lashing out at the odd over-attentive paparazzi, and has christened his children Apple and Moses -- names only an globe-straddling celeb would dare saddle their kids with. How could he not think of himself as a rock star?

Despite all of this, it's obvious that he can't quite get his head around the fact that he's internationally famous. Lacking Bono's continent-sized ego or Brandon Flowers' preening self-regard, he gives the impression of being a tad adrift in the showbiz universe. Certainly he's never been one for bigging up Coldplay, telling anyone who will listen that the group are little more than plucky over-achievers whose hearts are in the right places. "I can't dance like Usher, I can't sing like Beyoncé, I can't write songs like Elton John," he said last month. "We do the best we can with what we've got."

Martin was born in Exeter, a sleepy city of 100,000, some 200km south west of London. His mother taught music and his father ran an accountancy business. As a child, he was attracted to the piano but it wasn't until he moved to the capital to attend prep school that music truly became a passion. "When you're born into a middle-class white family in the county of Devon, there are things that you feel like you're not allowed to do," he said. "Like be a pop star or grow your hair long."

He formed Coldplay at university in London, having met the band's future guitarist, Jonny Buckland, during Fresher's Week. It took a few years for them to find their direction -- initially they traded under the dreadful moniker Starfish, and were riven with rows. Things settled down once all four agreed to run the group democratically, taking a leaf from U2 and REM, who, throughout their careers, have shared all of their profits equally. Another proviso was that anyone caught doing hard drugs would be shown the door immediately.

Indeed, from the start Coldplay have resisted the hoary notion that successful musicians are obliged to live like out-of-control teenagers. While kindred stadium overlords The Kings of Leon leave a trail of smudged lipstick and empty bourbon bottles across the globe, Martin and company conduct themselves like a group of post-graduate students on a gap-year jolly. They only behave badly when egged on by prying journalists. Martin might not be above taking a swing at photographers who follow him to the loo. Then again, in his situation, who wouldn't?

"There's this glamorised ideal of arrested development in music," he told Spin magazine last year. "Particularly with Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison and all the great fallen idols. There's this one side of you, and one side of musical culture, which tells you that you're not supposed to move on in your life at all. But if you look at the greatest artists like Dylan, that's not true. He added: "The whole rock-star myth, which is 40 years old and basically nonsense, has nothing to do with being a rock star. Everybody gets trashed and breaks things. By that standard, plumbers and heating engineers are just as rock 'n' roll as rock stars. You've got to follow your own beliefs. It's all about freedom."

"Freedom" extends to Coldplay's belief that rock stars shouldn't continue to haul their carcasses around the world when they've lost their hunger for entertaining the masses. Uniquely among musicians of their generation, they have hinted at stepping away from the spotlight at the height of their fame.

As recently as a few weeks ago, Martin expressed his belief that Coldplay won't be around forever. Indeed, to hear him tell it, they might not even be around for the next five years.

"I feel like you've got to write as many songs as you can between the ages of 28 and 33, because those are your last few years before you get a belly," Martin said. "I couldn't possibly write a hit record when I've got a beer belly, so we're just trying to write as many songs as possible before that D-Day, or B-Day it should be -- for Belly Day."

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Coldplay put a smile upon the faces of 40,000 fans last night when they rocked Dublin's Phoenix Park, writes The Independent (Ireland). The thoughts of work this morning didn't stop the fans from partying for the final week of the band's Viva la Vida tour, which started in June 2008.

But there was no sign of Coldplay slowing down for the 156th date of their gruelling schedule. And there was no downpour, much to the relief of revellers who descended on the open air venue from 5pm yesterday. Tickets didn't sell out for the show -- a sign of the times -- as it's only nine months since the band sold out two nights at the O2. Hordes of people who couldn't afford the price of €82.85 for tickets enjoyed the music through the trees and some even had a barbecue.

There was a festival feel to the event as Coldplay fans tucked into pizza and beer and sat down on the grass before the main act appeared. Sisters Aisling and Neasa Kelly from Carlow were among the Coldplay fans who hurried out of work to the Ashtown Castle section of the Phoenix Park for the gig. "I'm so excited said Aisling, I've seen Coldplay in December in the O2. They were amazing then. They were so good that I had to come back and see them again."

Not everybody was as impressed by the event, as commuters were forced to avoid the Phoenix Park during rush-hour. However, gardai said there were no major traffic difficulties as the event started. Elbow, who won the 2008 Mercury Music Prize for their 4th album, 'The Seldom Seen Kid' warmed up the crowd. And White Lies also played support.

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Photos of Coldplay at Phoenix Park, Dublin (14th September 2009):

Pictures by francois

Going to Coldplay at Wembley? Arm yourself with YELLOW glowsticks! (Click on the bracelets):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Liverpool Confidential's Jonathan Schofield had a good sing-along to classic tunes during Coldplay’s gig at Old Trafford Cricket Ground. “Billie Jean is not my lover,” we caterwauled, “she's just a girl who claims that I am the one. But the kid is not my son.”

Given the lyric was from the late Michael Jackson this was an eminently believable statement. More believable than nice Mr Chris Martin ever going for anybody called Billie Jean. “La, la, la, la. People always told me be careful of what you do. And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts,” we crooned drawing in the words as though they carried the wisdom of ages. “Do you think they could go back to playing Coldplay songs?” someone behind me asked. “You’d hope so,” her friend replied, and then sang, “But the kid is not my son.”

Coldplay were full of little tricks. For the ‘Billie Jean’ cover, and Michael Jackson tribute, they’d come right into the heart of the 55k crowd for an intimate acoustic set. Earlier front man Chris Martin had said: “We know you had to miss the X-Factor tonight so we thought we’d stage our own version.” He got us to sing the chorus of the band’s first hit, ‘Yellow’.

After we’d tried our best, a clip of Simon Cowell appeared, edited in such a way as to judge our performance. “It was horrific,” the God-sized Cowell, said, “everything, even the hair”. We sang again, until of course, Cowell declared: “I thought that was bloody fantastic.”

This was a gig as a variety act. It was Ant and Dec for a mixed age crowd ranging from eight to eighty. Martin even got us to do a Mexican wave with our mobile phones illuminating the starry, perfect, Old Trafford night with a tide of tiny lights. As for tunes the group played much of the latest album Vida la Vida, and a selection of tracks from the older albums with the standout moment being the aforementioned ‘Yellow’. Or maybe ‘Fix You’.

Yet there was something awkward about the evening. Coldplay’s music, lyrically, and the way it’s put together, is self-consciously serious, filled with melancholy - a bit art-college without being quite ‘cool’ enough to achieve it.

Yet here was Martin having a right old josh with the crowd but not in a clever way, which might have suited the music, but more like Dermot O’Leary on X-Factor. There was a disconnect. One of the best gigs I’ve seen at Old Trafford was on Morrissey’s ‘You are the Quarry’ tour when the singer’s sharp asides had matched his recorded persona perfectly. Morrissey’s lyrics might often be maudlin but they are slyly funny too.

It didn’t help that my own personal backing track to this was provided by a drunken Paddy McGuiness sound-alike who was having an affair with his mobile phone. “I’m up ‘ere. Look up ‘ere,” he bellowed. “No the bloody, what’s it called, up in the thingy, Pavilion, that’s it. I’ll wave. Can you see me I’m wavin’? Wavin’. Can you not see me, I’m bloody wavin’?”

He was right about one thing. We were in the Pavilion of the Cricket Club in the top tier with a fine view of the stage and Coldplay’s cracking light and video show. We were there as part of a hospitality package which included a good meal and good company. Given the type of band, and their well-to-do CV, it didn’t feel too remiss to favour comfort over the pitch-side view. Yea, I know prawn sandwiches and all that.

As for the support acts Jay-Z was apparently very good. He surprised everybody, by jumping off and on stage early, in about twenty-five minutes, so being late we missed him. Our fault I know. At least, I thought, he’ll do a couple of tunes with Coldplay during their set. He didn’t, despite his collaboration on a recorded version of ‘Lost’. Then again this is a review of Coldplay.

So to sum up the headliners provided an impressive evening’s entertainment but not a stirring one. The group were professional, the crowd willing, the venue great, and the weather obliging, but the hairs on the back of the neck never rose. Still as I left I was humming a tune. Something always sticks in the mind from every gig.

After two hours of Coldplay I was humming ‘Billie Jean’.

The latest discussion on the Manchester concert is at the Coldplay forum here onwards.

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Photos of Coldplay at LCCC, Old Trafford, Manchester (12 September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Going to Coldplay at Wembley? Arm yourself with YELLOW glowsticks! (Click on the bracelets):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Jay Z showed steely confidence while Chris Martin turned personal anxieties into communal prayers at the Coldplay gig at Old Trafford

For the opening night of Coldplay’s live return to the UK it was hard to know what was more incongruous: the cloudless blue Manchester sky or the booming rap music vibrating across the open pitch of Old Trafford. Denied a part in the Ashes, the cricket ground was perhaps determined to prove it was still a fine place for a celebration, just as American rapper Jay Z was determined to prove he could play to a crowd of 50,000 Coldplay fans, The Telegraph writes tonight. The latest on the Manchester concert, inlcuding a mini-review from Debs Wild, is at the Coldplay forum here onwards.

The street hustler from Brooklyn and the choirboy from Exeter may make an odd couple, but Shawn Carter and Chris Martin clearly have more in common than their glossy A-list wives. Both are ambitious, multi-grammy award winners with a strong belief in engaging in public debate and protecting their private lives.

Following a brief retirement, Carter, 39, has been revitalised by both his triumphant headline slot at Glastonbury last year and the election of America’s first black President. With a new album out this week, his mission now seems to be foreign diplomacy on a mass scale – proving that rap can triumph on any stage.

Looking like he could be the chippy grandson of Louis Armstrong, the statuesque, Basset-cheeked Carter had an instant magnetism on stage yet could still not overcome the major obstacle facing this style of music in a big stadium: you just can’t hear the fast flow of words and images that make up the rap bit. Cleverly, Carter didn’t labour the point – “I need to teach you the words,” he joked – but allowed the diversity of his grooves and beats, from the sledgehammer boom of his early hits to the more soulful, jazzy flow of his current work (played with style by his tight band), to envelop the audience. The only words that were discernible throughout were “bounce, bounce”, and the audience were happy to oblige, arms hooked-up in a diver’s stretch.

In contrast to the steely confidence of Carter, Chris Martin confessed later, in typically self-deprecating style, that the band had been nervous about returning to the UK after their year-long jaunt around the world. But as he also pointed out, “154 rehearsals”, as he called the Viva La Vida tour, had make them rather good as live performers. Every song was played with an impressive attack, with Will Champion pummelling the life out of his drums.

But it was Martin, surely the fittest man in pop — practically completing a decathlon with his sprinting, long-jumping and invisible javelin-throwing – who dominated the stage. Martin is a strange lead-man: geeky and gregarious, nervous and controlling, and yet it is this tension that elevates the often simply drawn mood sketches that make up most of Coldplay’s songs. With each number he turned personal anxieties into optimistic, communal prayers, and the audience were happy simply to raise their arms once again – not to bounce this time, but to be lifted up into a mass chorus of hope and into a moonlit sky filled with confetti butterflies and yellow balloons.

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Photos of Coldplay at LCCC, Old Trafford, Manchester (12 September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Going to Coldplay at Wembley? Arm yourself with YELLOW glowsticks! (Click on the bracelets):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

They may be one of the most successful bands in the world, but Coldplay still really, really want us to love them. Playing their first and biggest British date of 2009 to more than 50,000 people, the singer Chris Martin and his fellow Fair Trade rockers deployed every weapon in their arsenal, from fireworks to flattery, and from Simon Cowell to Jay-Z, writes The Times Online.

Four emphatically English public schoolboys touring with a Brooklyn-born gangsta-rap mogul may seem incongruous, but there are parallels. Martin and Jay-Z are friends and collaborators, but also both canny populists who recognise the crossover marketing potential of a shared fan base. The rap superstar was in likeably laconic mood on Saturday, playing the hip-hop Sinatra over live horns and jazzy guitars. In leather jacket and shades, he paid wonderfully deadpan homage to Coldplay: “Quite small guys ... the singer’s OK.” Ever the diplomat, he politely neglected to say that there appeared to be more black people on stage than in the audience.

More than a decade into their career, with their fourth album Viva la Vida nudging eight million sales, Coldplay have finally figured out how to work within their limitations. They know that their clean-living, nice-guy image and carbon-neutral stadium-pop scores low on the Richter scale of raunchy rock-star excitement. But their current presentation of it is a dazzling, dynamic, imaginative spectacle, which smartly leaves little room to dwell on the substance of their songs.

Right from the opening number Chris Martin was in perpetual motion, throwing his yoga-stretched, tofu-fuelled body around the enormous stage in a jerky-limbed dance clearly designed to project across huge spaces. During Yellow the band launched dozens of giant yellow balloons into the crowd. Later there were fireworks, a man-made blizzard of multicoloured confetti butterflies and even a comedy skit in which Martin verbally sparred with pre-recorded video clips of Simon Cowell.

Besides confetti, Martin also showered the local audience with shameless flattery, invoking Noel Gallagher’s name and joking that Coldplay had played “154 rehearsals around the world because we wanted to be good in Manchester”. Conducting a mass singalong during a swooningly lovely Fix You, he gushed: “No wonder all the best bands come from Manchester.” The line between charm and smarm felt toe-curlingly close at times.

Coldplay left the main stage twice, first to play a ten-minute techno-pop medley at the front of a long runway that extended deep into the crowd. Later, a heavy security escort ushered them to a spartan mini-stage at the back of the venue, where they strummed a handful of ramshackle acoustic numbers including Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.

At no point during this two-hour set, a slick blend of razzle-dazzle distraction and conscientious effort, was boredom allowed to take hold. Martin’s relentless niceness and studied humility may have grated at times, but in the end it served its purpose. Relax, Chris. Mission accomplished. Everybody loves you.

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Photos of Coldplay at LCCC, Old Trafford, Manchester (12 September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Going to Coldplay at Wembley? Arm yourself with YELLOW glowsticks! (Click on the bracelets):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Coldplay drummer Will Champion recently sat down with Matt Donnelly at The Daily Free Press for an interview. Will, who normally takes a back seat to band Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, says it's a big job to keep the energy going from one tour stop to the next.

"I think it’s easy to become a bit jaded when you’re on the road, but ultimately, it’s our dream job to play music," Champion says. "I think you have to imagine that there’s someone in the audience who’s probably seeing this for the first time. I don’t think that we ever take our audience for granted, and we know that we want to give everyone as good a time as possible."

As far as the band's upcoming appearance on The Simpsons, Champion says its been a long time coming. "We actually went to a read-through for an episode about seven years ago. We were staying in Los Angeles and... just went down and had a listen, while all the actors were reading their lines, and we were just blown away that we were even there. From then, we just thought it would be amazing to make it on an episode. It’s definitely one of those moments where you have to pinch yourself. It’s been around for so long."

Champion adds that the band is in to making their stage clothes for tour. "We found a load of people to help us actually make the clothes," he says, "and we embellished them by kind of finding old patches and weird bits of material and flags and ripping them up." In the band's London studio, he says the second floor is an art studio for making the clothes.

Catching up with Coldplay (Will Champion interview):

Back in August, MUSE reporter Matt Donnelly sat down with Coldplay drummer Will Champion before they returned to Boston for their 2008/2009 Viva La Vida tour to discuss keeping energy up on tour, working with U2’s go-to producer Brian Eno and The Simpsons.

The MUSE: You’ve been touring for more than a year now and have been all over the world. You’ve only got a couple of months left and you’re in the-middle of-nowhere, Massachusetts. How do you keep your energy up?

Will Champion: I think you have to imagine that there’s someone in the audience who’s probably seeing this for the first time. I don’t think that we ever take our audience for granted, and we know that we want to give everyone as good a time as possible. I think it’s easy to become a bit jaded when you’re on the road, but ultimately, it’s our dream job to play music. Me and my friends go around the world playing music together, so it’s pretty great. When you put it into perspective, it instantly makes you energized – how could I possibly be cynical or complain about this?

TM: Brian Eno worked with you on your most recent album, Viva la Vida. Obviously he’s a huge producer whose name is all over U2. How did you get in touch with him? Did the partnership change the recording process and would your album have been different without his perspective?

WC: We had met him once or twice before –– he came in for a day or two on the last record just to say hello. We’d met him through a few different avenues. Originally we said, “We’re looking for the next Brian Eno” –– someone who could have the same effect on us as Brian did on U2. He said, “Well, I’ll do it.” We were just expecting him to recommend us another person, but he said he would like to have a go. It did make things very different –– he turned the process on its head, really. He made us do things we would never normally do and made us approach writing in a very different way, and I can honestly say the album would have been hugely different without his influence. He was very crucial in the way that it was born and the way it was recorded.

TM: You’ve recently lent your voices to an upcoming episode of The Simpsons. What was that like?

WC: We actually went to a read-through for an episode about seven years ago. We were staying in Los Angeles and our friend –– our manager –– I think knows someone to do with the whole program. So we just went down and had a listen, while all the actors were reading their lines, and we were just blown away that we were even there. From then, we just thought it would be amazing to make it on an episode. It’s definitely one of those moments where you have to pinch yourself. It’s been around for so long.

TM: We’ve heard that Coldplay are into sewing while on the road. Could you tell us about that?

WC: That story I think comes from the fact that we certainly had a large part in making our stage clothes. We found a load of people to help us actually make the clothes, and we embellished them by kind of finding old patches and weird bits of material and flags and ripping them up. It was all done in our studio in London –– so we have our recording studio on the first floor and then an art studio.

TM: We’ve read that you collaborated with British pop singer Kylie Minogue on a song that was never released.

WC: Yeah, actually we wrote a song called “Lhuna.” We wanted a female voice to sing part of it and Kylie actually did come in to record the vocal. One of these new internet music providers had a launch and we gave them that song to help out. It seems to be fairly low-key and not many people have heard it.

TM: Anyone else the band would like to work with?

WC: So many people. The people I’m most excited about recently are a band called Rodrigo y Gabriela who play traditional Mexican guitar and they have a very heavy, kind-of-metal background. So they’re playing and it’s just like ferocious –– it’s absolutely amazing. So we’re thinking we might have a chance to work with them one day.

TM: What can a crowd expect to see at a show on this tour?

WC: There’s a couple of things that just work and have worked for a long time –– so we’re keeping them in. There’s a couple of new things –– lots of spherical objects, as a cryptic clue. What we try to achieve is trying to get that idea of intimacy, even when there’s however-many-thousand people here –– we try and make sure we reach as many people as possible. That’s the aim, and hopefully we manage to pull that off.

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Coldplay live at Goffertpark, Nijmegen (10th September 2009):

Going to Coldplay at Wembley? Arm yourself with YELLOW glowsticks! (Click on the bracelets):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Well, here is it is then, the last big outdoor gig of the summer. Oasis were both ramshackle and resurgent at Heaton Park (the last time we’ll see them? I’m not so sure…), while Doves positively shimmered at Delamere, writes the Manchester Evening News tonight. [thanks mrman78]

But undoubtedly the most innovative, awe-inspiring and just plain joyous outdoor gigs of yet another meagre summer came from Take That and their sold out run at Old Trafford. Bursting – centre stage – from a flurry of airborne balloons, Mark, Gary, Howard and Jason showed just why they’re just about the hottest ticket in the country at the moment. Could they’re comeback have gone any better? Quite simply the answer is no.

Hoping to harness the quartet’s ability to make a 50,000-capacity (and tired looking cricket ground) feel spectacular, yet intimate this Saturday will be Coldplay. And let’s face it, with a major label and humungous ticket sales behind them, no corners will be cut. Their arena tour, which took fourth LP, Viva La Vida, to the people last winter showed early inklings of what they had planned too.

Frontman Chris ‘Ever Ready Bunny’ Martin and the boys popped up all over the M.E.N, ensuring each segment of the crowd got their personal moment in what proved two truly euphoric nights.

Streets ahead of the wishy-washy indie they tend to get bandied in with (namely Athlete and Snow Patrol), those boys have the intelligence, heart and passion to turn anodyne spaces into communal throngs and I’m sure they’ll pull it off again this weekend.

Plus with a bright, dry day expected and the small matter of a certain Jay-Z (plus White Lies) to warm the masses up, it could well be one of THOSE great Manchester nights.

Back in August, MUSE reporter Matt Donnelly sat down with Coldplay drummer Will Champion before they returned to Boston for their 2008/2009 Viva La Vida tour to discuss keeping energy up on tour, working with U2’s go-to producer Brian Eno and The Simpsons.

The MUSE: You’ve been touring for more than a year now and have been all over the world. You’ve only got a couple of months left and you’re in the-middle of-nowhere, Massachusetts. How do you keep your energy up?

Will Champion: I think you have to imagine that there’s someone in the audience who’s probably seeing this for the first time. I don’t think that we ever take our audience for granted, and we know that we want to give everyone as good a time as possible. I think it’s easy to become a bit jaded when you’re on the road, but ultimately, it’s our dream job to play music. Me and my friends go around the world playing music together, so it’s pretty great. When you put it into perspective, it instantly makes you energized – how could I possibly be cynical or complain about this?

TM: Brian Eno worked with you on your most recent album, Viva la Vida. Obviously he’s a huge producer whose name is all over U2. How did you get in touch with him? Did the partnership change the recording process and would your album have been different without his perspective?

WC: We had met him once or twice before –– he came in for a day or two on the last record just to say hello. We’d met him through a few different avenues. Originally we said, “We’re looking for the next Brian Eno” –– someone who could have the same effect on us as Brian did on U2. He said, “Well, I’ll do it.” We were just expecting him to recommend us another person, but he said he would like to have a go. It did make things very different –– he turned the process on its head, really. He made us do things we would never normally do and made us approach writing in a very different way, and I can honestly say the album would have been hugely different without his influence. He was very crucial in the way that it was born and the way it was recorded.

TM: You’ve recently lent your voices to an upcoming episode of The Simpsons. What was that like?

WC: We actually went to a read-through for an episode about seven years ago. We were staying in Los Angeles and our friend –– our manager –– I think knows someone to do with the whole program. So we just went down and had a listen, while all the actors were reading their lines, and we were just blown away that we were even there. From then, we just thought it would be amazing to make it on an episode. It’s definitely one of those moments where you have to pinch yourself. It’s been around for so long.

TM: We’ve heard that Coldplay are into sewing while on the road. Could you tell us about that?

WC: That story I think comes from the fact that we certainly had a large part in making our stage clothes. We found a load of people to help us actually make the clothes, and we embellished them by kind of finding old patches and weird bits of material and flags and ripping them up. It was all done in our studio in London –– so we have our recording studio on the first floor and then an art studio.

TM: We’ve read that you collaborated with British pop singer Kylie Minogue on a song that was never released.

WC: Yeah, actually we wrote a song called “Lhuna.” We wanted a female voice to sing part of it and Kylie actually did come in to record the vocal. One of these new internet music providers had a launch and we gave them that song to help out. It seems to be fairly low-key and not many people have heard it.

TM: Anyone else the band would like to work with?

WC: So many people. The people I’m most excited about recently are a band called Rodrigo y Gabriela who play traditional Mexican guitar and they have a very heavy, kind-of-metal background. So they’re playing and it’s just like ferocious –– it’s absolutely amazing. So we’re thinking we might have a chance to work with them one day.

TM: What can a crowd expect to see at a show on this tour?

WC: There’s a couple of things that just work and have worked for a long time –– so we’re keeping them in. There’s a couple of new things –– lots of spherical objects, as a cryptic clue. What we try to achieve is trying to get that idea of intimacy, even when there’s however-many-thousand people here –– we try and make sure we reach as many people as possible. That’s the aim, and hopefully we manage to pull that off.

Photos of Coldplay at Goffertpark, Nijmegen, Netherlands (9 September 2009):

More fan reviews of Coldplay's concert at the Parc des Princes in Paris that didn't make the review article this morning, have been posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Thanks to all the Coldplayers who have contributed, as always!

I was in 4th row just behind the coldplayers Chavi, Camille, Anna etc (who let me squizze in second row after the Viva remix *w*)... and just in front of Chris The show was AMAZING!!! My neck and shoulder hurt today, but i f*kin' don't care!!!! The boys were on fire as well as the crowd!!! Camille manage to show her banner to Miller who put his camera just in front of us!!! (Ihave blurry photos of him XD).

I have great shots, I'm pretty proud of myself XD!!! Was good to see all the coldplayers!! For LRLRL, I thought that Chris was joking at first, but when he told us about the Fnac, we knew he wasn't.... I don't know if I'll get my CD cause I guess that just a few fnac in Paris that will deliver it and I'm not there anymore...

But anyway, awesome night! It was fun to see the roadies, Chris and the boys smile at your banners!! I absolutely loved Chris' face with the 'your french is not merde' banner (which I have in action on some of my vids and photos XDD). He seemed amused and grateful for your understanding of our langage! XD As for the ambiance, my neck and shoulders hurt like hell today and I speak like robocop but I funkin' don't care! It was so much fun and I too can't wait to be at Wembley (even if I know that I'll be totally lost on the massiv crowd and not having you to kindly step aside for me...Thx you again!) You guys put also a lot of ambiance on the queue, itr was fun to hear you all sing at the very front!! I didn't cry (even if it was close, as always, on The Scientist) cause I was so overjoyed and we were all crazy last night but I'm sure Wembley and the perspective of not seeing them again for so long will bring a river of tears... (and Bat for lashe and FL were amazing!!!) Next, Wembley! [thanks a-chan]

It was a really really great concert even if i found the atmosphere was better at bercy last year. Too bad the crowd wasn't as spontaneous as last time but still, I had a great time and enjoyed myself like crazy !!! I even saw Phil for the 1st time so it was cool. And Miller, Wayne etc... I took some pics of the roadies but i don't think they're very good. I"ll try to upload some of my videos later, if they're not too "shaky" Can't wait to see them again in Wembley D-11. Thank you Coldplay. [thanks maewilliams]

Yep Noémie's right, it's been a week since he's (Chris) wearing a scarf live, and I think he said in Udine that he had a throat problem. Knowing he has to hold on 11 more days I guess he's just doing what's necessary to keep his voice in a good state so they don't have to cancel last gigs. That means he's good at performing the songs but he's not trying his never-ending ''cry'' after 42 nor saying too much bullshits in French compared to usually (but he did a bit though, which is cool cause we appreciate it). Don't think Tampa would have been cancelled for the same reason as I believe the first stadium gigs were fine, weren't they ? I dunno I just know that his voice in Munich wasn't great at all. [thanks Khalplay]

I loved this concert too, it was amazing! As it was my last one, I particularly enjoyed it a lot. I'm so sad I won't be able to see them again... I arrived in this morning, later than what I wanted (I arrived around 10 am), but I got lost when I arrived at the metro station near the Parc des Princes, I couldn't find the right entrance... Ahlem (ze_scientist) and a friend of hers were waiting for me, as we agreed (I sold them a ticket). We waited there all day together, and it was really great for me because I went alone. I was really glad to meet them! I noticed there was already a lot of people waiting, probably around 100. I realised I wouldn't be able to get first row but I was still hoping to get a good spot! When the doors opened around 4:30pm, the girls and I didn't manage to stay together and afterwards I couldn't find them anymore. I ran as fast as I could and I arrived almost first row right in front of the middle of the stage. I was really surprised because I didn't think I'd get so close to the stage, I think I got really lucky!! I realised I was with a group of Coldplayers, I already knew Chavi (I was just behind her) and I got to meet the others, which was really great!

It was hard to wait more 2 hours and I started to get really tired... But then Bat for Lashes came and everything became amazing. I already knew a little bit this band and I was really glad to see them live, because their music is excellent. Chavi started to scream the name of the singer (Natasha), and we were already all singing, jumping and screaming, so Natasha soon saw us and didn't stop looking at us and smiling, which was really great! Then came Flaming Lips. I didn't know them so well but they were amazing. We also got spotted by the singer, as we were still screaming and jumping. I think the singer really liked it! I realised how great it is to be front row, because being close to the stage means the artists can look at you and communicate with you, which is truly amazing! Then...everything passed in a hury. Camille was screaming Miller name, he finally appeared on the stage, put a camera on the stage, didn't look at the crowd, just glanced very quiclky at Camille's banner (which, by the way, I thought was amazing!! I took a picture of it), smiled and disappeared. I didn't think he was so shy...(but maybe he just didn't have much time). Magnificent arrived, we were all jumping and singing together, excellent. The Blue Danube and....LIT. I realised how much this entrance, with the Blue Danube's finale notes and the beginning of LIT, was AMAZING. It was so beautiful and I was so happy that I actually started to cry...!! I also realised how good the setlist was. I understood why they didn't change it, because it's a perfect setlist and well suited for big stadiums like the Parc des Princes. I was particularly happy to hear Glass of Water (the 1st time for me), Strawberry Swing and LIT ii, I think they are amazing live... There was no 'special surprise', as the setlist and the guys were the same as usual (= amazing!). I also noticed Chris seemed tired, not during the songs (he still shows how energetic he is! which still is really impressive), but after the songs (he was rubbing his eyes, for instance). And most of the time he kept his scarf around his neck.

Actually, when at the end of VLV (you can see it in the video that Camille posted just below) he pretented to faint and he fell on the floor, it was so realistic that I actually thought he fainted for real... I got scared for a few seconds, as he stayed lying on the floor during what seemed to me an eternity, but then he got up again. I felt relieved... As Camille, I couldn't see stage C and I was really surprised!! I still don't know where they went. I also found it incredible how Chris insisted to read all the banners the girls had. I loved Chris' face when he read Camille's banner ('Chris, your French is not merde!'). Even Jonny and Guy smiled at the banners at the end of the concert! I'm pretty sure not every band do that kind of thing. They really want to get close to their audience and their fans and really pay attention to them, which I find amazing! At the end of the concert I was so exhausted but happier than ever, they really are the best band in the whole planet. [thanks Noémie]

i arrived with my friend at 8:30am in the place i think. we waited in a bloody hot sun, though it was quite hard to me as i was fasting, specially for water, it was so hot. anyway, when finally it was 4:30pm we entered in the stadium pfiouuu it was time really so we had a great place, in the right front row, nice place to take Guy and Chris pics. but i was almost hard to have some pics of Jonny and Will this is so sad, anyway i think my friend succeeded in taking some pictures of the whole band. anyway, for the first parts with BFL and FL it was kinda fun, the music style wasn't really good for me but anyway it was so funny and the time ran very fast. so came 8:45pm i broken my fasting, finally i was eating my sandwhich in a hurry hahaha, cause in not even 15 coldplay will be on stage, hah they show up with LIT I as always, so good entry.

though i had 3 unforgettable moments there very counting the show itself of course the 1st: well in the beginning i didn't notice it but Phil was just next to me, like 30 cm, when i saw his silhouette i reconized him directly. so i wanted to take a pic and as somehow my camera didn't want to work, i was getting angry but stopped by his beautiful smile to me, then he came just in front of me to let me take a good pics this time so kind of him. the 2nd: it was when Chris started to play on piano the beginning of 42, in fact i was wearing a 42 shirt i made myself, so as he started playing it i was waving my shirt like a man and screaming 42 out loud, he saw me and gave me the best smile that could exist so i smiled back. the 3rd and the most important: accidently my friend brought a fake flower in her bag. while coldplay were playing i took my friend's flower and i was waving it here and there, but i said to myself why not throw it on the stage hahah. honestly i wanted to be for Chris but he was moving and running everywhere it was almost impossible, then i changed my mind and decided to send it to Guy but you know, when i throw it and look in Guy's direction, well it wasn't him anymore, somehow Chris was in his place, so with wideeyes he took the flower and look at me with another beautiful smile i waved to him. from that moment he hold the flower in his hand waving it time to time and when they had to change their clothes he came back alone with his blue suit and look what happened he was still holding the flower and where?! in his pans' back pocket, that was so good to see him holding it again, it was like a symbol. something which make love coldplay more and more is that they care alot about their fans and that they shared really good moments with them. they're not only doing their job, that's very rare in other bands. [thanks ze_scientist]

Coldplay at Parc des Princes, Paris (7th September 2009):

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A comprehensive review of Coldplay's concert at the Parc des Princes, Paris (7th September 2009) has been published online, courtesy of Khalplay. Here is the review and some new photos by Sound of Violence, more of which you can view at their website (links provided):

Let's be straight: best Coldplay concert ever! And I mean it! That kinda surprised me considering it was my 8th Coldplay concert and I wasn't expecting to enjoy it that much, especially because of that now well-known and unsurprising setlist... though I did enjoy it a lot.

Chris' neck was still covered and it appeared clear that he was trying not to do too many crazy things (we didn't have a long ''ohohoooooo'' at the end of 42) and I don't even think he helped us starting the Viva La Vida ''ohohoh'' at the end of the song (although he didn't actually need to). So yeah, Chris was soft but good! So well... we - Chavi and I - arrived at 5am and accidentally woke up the 6 persons sleeping there. All the girls joined us a bit later around 5:30 or 6. Was so nice to see everyone again. Was a bit cold but fine so I decided to take a run around the stadium with Perrine to have fun.

Things then got more and more stressing as the security moved us until they set the barriers, letting 50 people or so take our place. We complained and managed to be back in the 20 first people though we weren't as close to the doors as we should have been if people knew the meaning of the word 'respect'.

Anyway the sun appeared and it got more and more difficult to wait as it was hot, plus Anna started to feel really bad, so I decided to care about her during the whole evening (and NO GIRL, it wasn't annoying at all so stop apologising hehe). They opened the doors a bit late and we ran for our lives. Wasn't lucky when I arrived at the other side of the stadium, had the choice between standing second row beside the girls or being front row alone. Quite easy choice, I chose the second row.

We knew it was the last Coldplay concert for some of us so we just went crazy. We tried many times to start singing VLV or some mexican waves but it wasn't working that much, though we never were giving up! When BFL entered on stage they very quickly noticed Chavi who was probably the only one around there knowin the lyrics so the singer kept staring at her while we were helping Chavi to be seen by jumping a lot. What a good time. I enjoyed most of the songs.

As Chavi was asking for a setlist a Coldplay roadie gave all of them to us. Can't deny the evening was already starting to be PERFECT. FL enabled us to go even more CRAZY. The band was crazy, the music was crazy, and so were we. I couldn't stop laughing and jumping thinking it was the most ridiculous (in a good way) and funny gig I had ever attended. (let's note I started to yell bullshits when this singer was speaking - ''YES WE CAN... date Miller !'' ahaha).

Right so that lead us to one of the moment I was waiting for the most : ROADIES TIME. Miller was aware I had a wonderful banner for him (''i  Miller'') so I spent 30 min calling for him. Strange how stupid we can get just for fun ahah : ''Miller where are you mannnn ?'' - ''F*ck it man ! Come here I'm going to have the voice of a man in few minutes'' - ''Where is Millerrrr ?'' - ''Miller I still wanna marry youuuu''...etc. So muuuch fun, I guess other roadies enjoyed it as well as I recognized some of them from Arras who waved at me and they were taking pictures.

Anyway believe it or not Miller wasn't coming on stage at all. He's usually checking few things around the piano or in the back but he was just hiding yesterday. I kept on calling him anyway and a giant mexican wave started in the stadium along with some VLV ''ohohohoo''. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, we were quite proud of the until-now-too-silent-crowd.

When, suddenly, who appeared JUST IN FRONT OF US on stage ? My future husband (just kidding hehe) ! He just put a camera in front of us and stayed there for a bit. 'Course I talked to him with some ''I still wanna marry you'' (he smiled), ''I'm shy too you know'' (HE LAUGHED). No need to say he never looked at me (man, if you read this one day, I swear I'm shy as well so you shouldn't avoid my/the crowd glance ahah). I was soooo happy and totally ready to start enjoying the show. Few minutes later Magnificent was starting. Dunno how crazy the whole audience went on this one though first rows people were all singing loudly, hands in the air, which was so enjoyable. We (we were around 10 Coldplayers or so together right in the very middle, occupying the first, second and third row) also kept singing on Jay-z though we were probably the only ones doing so. When the Blue Danube Waltz started, what I believe to be a Roadie girl came on stage to show us how to move our arms all together in rhythm. I'm pretty sure they did that so R#42 (how strange to call him like this ) could post something about the ''amazing French crowd''. It would be so disappointing though as it was ''requested'' in a way (I mean, last time Parisian's cellphone galaxy was unexpected and thus wayyy better).

And then it started... Gosh, let's repeat it again : best concert ever. I just checked few youtube vids a minute ago and realised there were so many people in our back. It's hard to believe, I just felt like it was us and the band... with some people creating a great atmosphere around/behind us. Anyway, Anna had 3 banners for the band, Mounira 2 for Chris and I had myself a Chris banner at the back of my Miller banner and, believe it or not, they read ALL OF THEM. I was so shocked to see how determined was Chris to read all this. I mean, especially cause we were all in the same place. Like... Anna was holding a banner, Chris was reading, smiling, then Mounira was holding her banner straight after, and Chris was reading the new one and reacting as well. Never seen him that ''close'' to people in the first rows. Anyway I'll let Anna tell you about Chris' reactions to her banners.

I personally decided to try holding mine for few seconds during yellow. I had written ''Chris ur French isn't merde'' (merde = shit) cause that's a sentence he ALWAYS repeat when he's playing in France, and believe me, you can be sure you're gonna hear it, I've seen 8 Coldplay gig since 2005 so I know what I'm speaking about. And well... he read it, smiled at first, then looked for my face (?!!! AMAZING he was actually looking for the person holding it - I was second row behind Anna so he could perfectly see me) and made a very funny face which kinda meant ''yeah... well... if you say so ''. I was so proud and happy (plus he didn't say the sentence at all during the gig - he usually says that a bit later - showing he had definitely understood the message ahah). More over I got to kick a yellow balloon few minutes later (which usually never happens to me as I'm small) which I accidentally threw at him and he smashed it, wow wow wow

I could thus spend the rest of the gig without caring about my banners after Yellow. I was already bloody happy. Then we got Glass of Water which I had never heard live and which I ADORED, gosh such a perfect gig, then Cemeteries - one of my fav too. Can't describe how well I was feeling, singing, jumping with my Coldplayer friends, we were sometimes holding each other while jumping. Amazing I tell you, sharing all our feelings together. Got a slightly bit tired during Talk, my belly was hurting - probably cause I was jumping too much, btw I lost a shoe twice ahah - so I didn't manage to jump during the whole song as usual ahah.

And then... the Hardest part. Guys... I've been to many many concerts in my entire life, many Coldplay ones as well, I've also seen my favorite artist ever once but I swear I never ever cried on live because a song was moving. Never. I might have had tears in my eyes once or twice but I never cried. Well I'll now be able to say that Coldplay made me cry ! I couldn't stop crying like a baby during the Hardest part (plus Chavi and Mounira had the brilliant idea to spend a part of the song hugging each other which didn't help me controlling myself ahah). Wasn't even able to sing all the lyrics. So that's it, when I say that was a breathtaking gig, I MEAN IT !

Well useless to describe VLV and Lost. I was jumping while a tear was still streaming down my face ahah. We never got to see with our waking eyes where the C-stage was as it was probably too far away. I guess somewhere in the back as usual though I looked for them and didn't find them.

We didn't have Till Kingdom Come as the setlist we got states but Green Eyes. Anyway, I - on purpose - didn't check any Billie Jean video on the internet before going to the gig and that was a good choice cause I found it bloody great and I was happy to hear something new. Was brilliant, Chris asked us (once again, it's a pity he needs to ask for this) to make a Mexican Wave with our cellphones and it worked perfectly while we were all singing along the Michael Jackson song. A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Hope we'll find great vids of that.

Straight at the end of the song Miller came back for few seconds to turn of the camera (though I noticed it wasn't pointing in our direction anymore at this time so I guess he came during the B-stage as well but I didn't notice him - how come ? ahah). Unfortunately Parisian crowd didn't make an amazing Cellphone dance during the remix, I even gave up after few minutes, being quite tired and disappointed by the Frenchies. Well can't describe what followed, dunno how I could enjoy the gig even more but I surely did, jumping with Chavi, all yelling together and all that stuff on Politik, Lovers and DAAHF... I dunno... I had never enjoyed the moment like this, nor the music, and well... I felt so close to the band whereas the venue was bigger than usually and I was only second row. We grabbed there attention more than before. I also let Aurélie (a-chan) take my place during Lovers as she's smaller than me.

I then decided to try holding my Miller banner after DAAHF when Jonny and Guy came in front of us cause I felt like they needed to know how much Miller rock ! Jonny laughed and Guy did the same as Chris with my banner : he looked for my face and made a big smile to me. I tried later with Chris but he never noticed the banner (wasn't holding it in the air for too long because being 2nd - well 3rd now - row I could disturb people behind me) and he wouldn't have understood it anyway as he's not into computers ahahah.

The end of the gig was as perfect as the rest of the evening. Went crazy on LiT2 for the last time. We obtained some setlists (I believe Mounira got a pick too), Chavi also kept a yellow balloon. Took us quite a long time to leave, going to the Merchandising, enjoying the last hour together, finding other Coldplayers who were seated, answering a TV cameraman and singing VLV for him with the flags outside the venue (ahah, said bullshits), eating a birthday cake for Sofia's birthday (love you girl ) and finally waiting for a taxi at 1am to bring Chavi and I back home.

Such a perfect day ? No... more than this. I can't really say I'm in a hurry to be at Wembley cause I don't want this tour to be over, although I guess Chris (well the boys and the crew as well) deserves some rest.

Coldplay ? WE LOVE YOU GUYS.

Miller ? Marry me

Coldplayers ? I ADORE YOU GUYS !

Coldplay at Parc des Princes, Paris (7th September 2009):

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Scotland's Sunday Mail are backstage at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf (27th August) when rock superstar Chris Martin of Coldplay pops the question. Billy, what do you think we should do next? Where should we go with all this?" he asks.

I almost fall off my chair, scrambling to find words of advice. It's just minutes before Coldplay are to perform before a 50,000 sell-out crowd at the home of German soccer team Fortuna. The singer fixes me a stare but seems satisfied when I tell him to cement his friendship with band members Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion and build on the foundations of the music made so far. Coldplay have sold more than 50 million records and hit Hampden Park in Glasgow on September 16 as part of their latest world tour.

The phenomenal success of their four albums - Parachutes (2000), A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002), X & Y (2005) and Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (2008) - has elevated them to become one of rock's biggest acts. But Chris, 32, is still reaching for new goals. The singer says: "We have to go in a very different direction with our next record. We know what we have to do. The big mistake would be to try to replicate the size of Viva La Vida.We'll probably just rely on the chemistry between us rather than too much musical trickery."

Bassist Guy, 31 - from Kirkcaldy, Fife - is also fired up by the prospect of going back into the studio. He says: "We've already got lists of song ideas. We never stop writing. We go into the studio with all the best laid plans then what we end up with is not what we intended. It's just exciting to wonder what will come out the speakers in a year's time. "We have very exciting things lined up. It's time to take our music down different directions and really explore other avenues."

Backstage in Dusseldorf the vibe is so laid back it's verging on the funereal. Jonny plays in a football match with the road crew. Guy and Will square up for their daily table tennis challenge while Chris gets a haircut. Iggy Pop or Pete Docherty it's not. Chris - who married Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow in 2003 - is the constant focus of paparazzi attention. But the group haven't fallen foul of the sex 'n' drugs rock lifestyle. Chris says: "A lot of those stories of excess were original in the Sixties and Seventies. But if you do all that stuff in 2009 it's a bit cliched. It's cooler if you're not pretending to be anything you're not."

He adds: "We are good friends. The bigger Coldplay become, the more time we spend in our own little world.Today,we've spent seven hours backstage in the 'ColdplayYouth Club', it feels so strange to think there are 50,000 people just 200 metres away waiting to see us. As friends, we're pretty tight."

Guy agrees. He tells me: "We've become much closer. That's usually the opposite to how it works so we've got something very valuable there. We've been doing this for 12 years so it makes friendships much stronger. " Coldplay have elevated their spectacular Viva La Vida arena show to stadium status. Chris says, laughing: "We had to work on our muscles for this tour and Jonny has lost some weight which is always a good thing. "It's our first time in stadiums and the show has been gradually evolving. I looked to Bruce Springsteen for a few tips although he's definitely in a different ball park to us. "What I got from watching him is that it's okay to be full on and proud of what you're doing. I find it hard to be proud. The more I see Bruce I learn to be more self confident that people are there to hear OUR songs."

Chris reveals when he met The Boss he couldn't disguise his hero worship. He says: "The fan came out in me. Even when you don't want it to and you're maybe thinking 'hey, I'm a pop star too'. Did I get my arm signed? Absolutely. You can't help it. I go all sheepish. But it's always important to tell people you think they're great. I used to think you should keep it cool. But when I met Bruce I said, 'You're Bruce Springsteen, right? You're incredible'."

Guy has vivid memories of the first time live music inspired him to become a musician. He says: "The first big gig I saw was Van Halen at Wembley Arena when I was 13. I also went to see Genesis at Knebworth, supported by Lisa Stansfield and The Saw Doctors. "While I definitely had aspirations to be a musician I never thought I'd ever get to that stage."

Chris' first live music experience was watching punk act Mr Obnoxious play in Yeovil, Somerset. He says: "They were a Nirvana tribute band and the singer did a pinpoint Kurt Cobain impression. "All the girls at school went crazy for him. I was 13 and thought, 'Man, this seems better than playing cricket'. It doesn't sound like a big gig now but in our town it was the hugest thing ever. That's where I caught the bug."

For Guy it will be a special moment when he walks out at Hampden. He says: "We always enjoy playing in Scotland because crowds there are always significantly louder than other places. I shall be expecting no different this time. I miss Scotland and don't get the chance to go there as much as I'd like. When I get time off I plan to hire a car, head for the Highlands and rekindle my relationship with my home country."

Chris is also counting the days to the Hampden gig. The singer has a soft spot for Tunnock's Teacakes and Caramel Wafers - but has promised a svelte, new look. He says: "There are certain places which are magic for us and they tend to be either Celtic or Hispanic. I don't know why. Maybe it's the Tunnock's but I've had to cut down severely. I'm down to six teacakes and three caramel wafers for breakfast -followed by a shake for lunch - otherwise the stage wobbles when I jump. While recording our album X & Y I bumped into Mani from The Stone Roses and he was carrying a bag of salad. I said, 'Mani,why are you just having salad?' He replied, 'Chris, no one likes a fat pop star'."

Read all the discussion on this exclusive new Coldplay article at the Coldplay forum here onwards. [thanks mimixxx]

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More new pictures of Coldplay at Estadi Olimpic, Barcelona, Spain (4th September 2009):

Pictures by Sharker @ Flickr

More fan reviews of Coldplay's concert at the Estadi Olimpic in Barcelona that didn't make the review article yesterday morning, have been posted at the Coldplay Live forum. Here are some more of the reviews this time focussing on the crowd, and a couple of comments from Coldplayers who didn't attend the show, but were able to give a neutral view based on what had been said before...

Hey what's going on with all those complaints?? The show was really awwwwesome!!! they were fantastic all of them, even Chris was brilliant with his delicate voice as we all know, and there was the same energy in the stage as always, no problems and no mistakes, and it seems that they were happy to play in Barcelona again, and of course, Chris has a better catalan and spanish than last year! But for me, the only disappointing thing of the night was... the crowd. I'm not going to say the sound problems, because it's a normal thing to happen in big stadiums, you just have to understand it and that's all.

But it's NOT normal that when a powerful song is playing, people just stand motionless with the cameras up and in silence... oh C'MON they were recording the show with professional cameras!! It's just a stupid thing to do with your own little cheap camera!! The crowd was much more euphoric in Palau Sant Jordi last year than yesterday, and it was quite sad... Coldplay chose Barcelona for this tour, and on top of that they choose this show to record it!! and people didn't give what the four guys needed... they didn't deserve it.. was very shameless...

And they noticed it, there were moments that they were trying to get some participation from the crowd, as the mobile wave... and it was very hard. I guess Coldplay expected much more from Barcelona crowd, as always, but this time it was just awful. In my sector there were lots of noises, people shouting and chatting on the stairs as if they were in a bar, drinking all the time and waiting for the beer-man for more and more drinks, doing everything except paying attention to the show that we had all paid. Only a few people seemed to enjoy the most songs of the night. And about the CDs, it's hardly surprising that so much people couldn't get one if the responsibles for the delivery were so far from the exit doors, throwing lots of cd's like boomerangs, and many people just didn't know where was the place to get them.. very poor organization. But except all that, the show and the guys were really amaaazing, and the lights and the fireworks were so extraordinary, the night was so worth it!!! and at least didn't rain, just some little drops!! And I hope the bad reviews won't make them change their opinion about Barcelona, we'll be waiting their comeback!! [thanks Daylight Shadows]

About the crowd, it's true that there were people talking and not very involved with the show. But this is the kind of things that happen when you become a band of huge success: there are the fans that know every song and sing them, but also the kind of people that know them for one or two songs (Viva la vida, Yellow) and the rest of the concert remain passive or worse, chatting. Here in Barcelona this has become more obvious with the FC Barcelona thing: at the stadium they played Viva la Vida before every match. It has become a anthem for the succesful season of the team, and recognised everywhere. Result: a lot of people at the concert wearing the Barça t-shirt and they maybe only knew this song. Even at the TV3 news this afternoon, the jornalist that made the report of the show said that some people were disappointed because there was no mention to FC Barcelona and the band didn't wear the Barça T-shirts. VENGA YA!!! COME ON! I must admit that I thought they'd do some mention to it, but I was happy that they didn't. In this country it seems that football has to be the center of everything. The mobile wave in the end worked very well, I think. At the beginning it was a problem because Chris said "starting from the left"... but the left of what? He must have said "starting from the left of the stage". But after 2-3 attemps it was pretty good. About the reviews. I've read some newspapers and all of them are very positive, only with the drawback of the sound at the beginning. [thanks ellis]

Ok, I was there, I went from Madrid, a long way by car... and I expected the same good show I saw last year in Madrid. It... just wasn't. The sound wasn't good, that's true (I was in the area where the problems appeared) but I didn't complain because it wasn't their fault, they just did their best. Even Chris apologised for the sound problems at the end of the concert... "it's a pity" is all I can say over and over. The point is that because of that, Chris and the guys wasn't in a good mood, and we all missed that. I think the company that prepared the concert to film it for the DVD maybe underestimated the power of the loudspeakers and lights... it was just a pity. I think the band couldn't do much better, but the organization definitely could have been better (for example, when they gave the LRLRL CD, there was just a bunch of guys with a lot of CDs... and loads of people around them. Of course, there were people with 5 CDs and people with none). I enjoyed the concert, but the people (as the band) just wasn't exited... it is a shame that due to some sound problems, the atmosphere wasn't as good as it could have been. It just wasn't one of their best shows... but they will do it better in the next, I'm sure of that. And of course, I'll be there. P.S: I really enjoyed their "Glass of water" and "Life in technicolors II", they were new for me in live, and I missed "Trouble"!! [thanks raulelsueko]

We are talking about crisis. That the figures seem catastrophic. But, look where, last night a quartet of relatively normal guys came to the Stadium "Estadi Lluís Companys", bring together a heterogeneous audience consisting of more than one class / generation and section (Pep Guardiola, the coach of FC Barcelona, is not lost in the concert). An audience different from the conventional audience at concerts by Rolling Stones, U2 or Bruce Springsteen; it is said an audience quite a lot more epicurean x). About 20 minutes behind schedule some muscular Coldplay broke the anxious silence of the audience. They entered the stage at full speed with a Life in Technicolor which suffered from some unfortunate, unexpected sound problems. Let's get to the point. When reaching the third song we have already reached full speed with a convincing and overwhelming version of Clocks. In the continuation we came closer to ecstasy with In my place, with singer Chris Martin racing several times for a catwalk/ramp amongst the audience (and saying a sentence "qué tal amigos?" meaning something like "what's up, my friends?" - bridging the gap between singer and the audience). His way of delivering his performance (delivery) is sincere, his timely/punctual deferences to the public (" ("muchísimas gracias desde el corazón" meaning "Thank you very much from the heart") are appreciated, but his hard-working attempts to convert some conventional scores into pieces of rap, waltz do not stop colliding. In Cemeteries of London he again makes reference to his empathy for Barcelona, and so throughout the night. The truth is that this group has a double merit, because beyond the extreme correction of its pop-rock (simple correction, never ecstatic) the group has been able to convert it into tremendous ballads-hymns of smashing loyalty, and, moreover, to ensure that those simple melodies are eventually becoming powerful themes...

That happened yesterday with Fix You that, since it was composed, until today it has suffered a transmutation almost unbelievable: Tremendous rhytmic punch, fair vocal harmonies (this is a strong point in the house, moreover) and, when the sound problems permit it, an acoustics that did not disappear. All that justified that the stadium "Estadi Lluís Companys" recorded one of the largest events (stadium was packed) that one could recall, with those 63,500 people. When in the middle of the evening, a medley was invented (contrived) in the middle of the pit with God Put A Smile Upon Your Face and some other songs, the people - being jaded - shouted "cannot be heard" and Chris Martin said: "I am very happy to be here". Then there was an a-congojante? version of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, acoustic guitar exposed to? hair and voice naked. A sensible tribute. At the end, and there is not the same doubt about that, all went well, one of those big concerts to close the summer season, effective, exciting and sensational, with much confetti, but with unpolluted dignity. And so I will end this review: "Hasta la proxima" meaning Until next (time or concert). [thanks nancyk58 / lavanguardia.es]

oh, gosh..it really seems like one of the main speakers was out of order...that's rubbish..dont' think if they stopped playing people would be happy either plus you have to look at the curfew etc. Personally I don't think they recorded it for a DVD anyways...as normally you record shows for release where you have two nights just in case on of the nights somethings go wrong...which they did! Guess they won't be in a happy bunny mood today....wonders what R42 will write about it. In Munich last week he sounded absolutley fine to me but I also just hope that a. the two days off will give him some rest and b. that it all holds up til 19th and c. that he hasn't done anything stupid which will hold him up from touring in the future. I think they totally appreciated honest opinion from their audience however things can always go wrong which shouldn't go wrong if the main speakers fail a bigger speaker won't make a different when it won't work. I know its easy said cause it is always a shame for the people who are there but things even if done 100times before can go wrong! and I am pretty sure there is nobody more pissed of then them about it. (guess Chris had a big trantrum last night....) [thanks worldtrav]

I remember the Oracle said they would let us know when they were recording a DVD, and even tough they were recording the show it didn't mean it would end up as a DVD. I went to see The Killers in Verona, and they recorded the whole gig (I had the damn crane for the camera blocking the view most of the times), but we already knew they were recording the two shows at Royal Albert Hall as well for the DVD, so Verona is going to be part of the bonuses. It's too risky to record a DVD when you only have one date, and what happened yesterday just showed this. U2 had problems in Milan on the first night 4 years ago, so they had to use most of the recording of the second night, and still they were not happy with the outcome and only published a short DVD to go with U218. But more than this I'm worried for Chris' voice, I really hope these two free days before Paris will do him good. He didn't seem to have too many problems in Udine as well, but most of the times I could hear our voices over his, so I cannot really judge. He said he had a sore throat..but then again I couldn't see him having any problems in Charlotte as well and then they cancelled Tampa, so I'm not really the one you can trust on this matter. [thanks iriden]

More new pictures of Coldplay at Estadi Olimpic, Barcelona, Spain (4th September 2009):

Pictures by celblau @ Flickr

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