Seeing how he seems like a genuinely humble and all-round decent human being, let’s assume that Chris Martin is as horrified as anyone at the way things have unfolded, writes Vancouver's straight.com.

Imagine setting out to create something new and boundary-pushing, a reinvention, if you will, of a band that’s easily become the biggest success story of its generation. That’s what the boys of Coldplay did with 2008’s Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, a record that found them, for the first time, shooting for something higher than ball-less, housewife-friendly alternative pop.

And what happened with that ambitious rebranding project? Well, as every YouTube addict knows, it ended up getting the U.K. quartet sued for plagiarism. To add to the indignity, the plaintiff isn’t a beloved icon (e.g., Neil Young, David Bowie, or Lou Reed) that any self-respecting songwriter would happily cop to ripping off, but instead one of rock ’n’ roll’s most notoriously tasteless musical masturbators.

On the reviled-by-critics front, chrome-domed guitar noodler Joe Satriani ranks right up there with Carrot Top, Uwe Boll, and that French-Canadian skeletor who sang the Titanic song. Chickenfoot fans aside, no one gives a shit about “Satch” in 2009, including the birdhouse- and ashtray-builders who pissed away the ’80s by mastering every note of Surfing With the Alien on air guitar. Despite that, Satriani would have us believe that Coldplay shamelessly ripped off his “If I Could Fly” when it wrote the number-one single “Viva la Vida”.

Going after Coldplay was a brilliant career move. Pre-lawsuit, Satch was a largely forgotten ’80s footnote, primarily known as a perma-wanking penis with ears who never played one note when he could splooge out 20. Taking aim at Martin and company not only proved he wasn’t dead, but also got his name circulating among a new constituency. Suddenly, Satch is a household name in actual houses, as opposed to Whalley Airstreams occupied by people whose idea of formal wear is a T-shirt with a cartoon tuxedo printed on it. The only place where his argument falls down is that no one has listened to Joe Satriani since George Sr. was nailing Barbara’s bush in the White House, making the idea that his genius was somehow ripped off laughable.

Coldplay—which, in addition to Martin, includes those other three guys—was crystal clear about wanting to mix things up on Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Hell, they even went ahead and enlisted producer Brian Eno, who, despite being every bit as overrated as Daniel Lanois, has somehow tricked the world into thinking he doesn’t make records as much as works of art.

The problem with Viva la Vida, though, was that it didn’t stray far enough from the blueprint that made Coldplay famous. If you’re going to seriously make a move to reposition yourself as musical mavericks, why not go fucking nuts and make something every bit as deliciously insane as the Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus”? Or at least Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man”?

If you really want to freak out the yuppie normaloids who buy your records, ditch the high-school-marching-band Grammy duds that made you look like an Australian’s nightmare. Start dressing in Sprockets-brand black, and rip off the Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come.

Martin might just be able to pull off such a radical reinvention because, as noted, he is by all accounts a decent human being. For a start, he’s honest to a fault. If you didn’t get your wick dipped until you were 22, would you admit it in the pages of Rolling Stone, which the singer happily did? He’s doing his best to make the world a little safer for kids with, umm, odd names like Apple, Orange, and Kumquat, which, truthfully, are only marginally less out-there on the weirdo front than Gwyneth. And along with his bandmates, he not only donates 10 percent of everything Coldplay makes to charity, he does so quietly, which is more than you can say for that eyeliner-addicted blowhard from U2.

Unless he can really reinvent himself the next time, what’s his reward for all of this, besides enough Grammy-shaped doorstops to ensure no crapper portal ever blows shut at Chez Martin? At the moment, it’s the reality that his tombstone might end up reading “I ripped off a guy who once released a record titled Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock.” The indignity. Not to mention the horror.

Source: straight.com

Chris Martin at DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI (2 June 2009):

Pictures: by ashleylouwho @ livejournal.com

It was pretty obvious that Coldplay were going to incorporate some backing music to flesh out the exotic sound of some of their material, such as the opening number "Life In Technicolor," from last year's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, writes Blog Critics.

Released in May, 2008, Coldplay's fourth studio album was the number one selling album in the US (over 2 million) and internationally (7.8 million) and it debuted at number one in 36 countries. It's also the most paid-for downloaded album of all time, with over 700,000 downloads to date and counting (statistics courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Early in the show, the burst into Yellow, one of their first hits from their debut album, Parachutes (2000, 4 million sold.) As the first few notes rang out, members of the road crew walked into the floor area, bearing large yellow balloons, some much larger than beach balls.

The fans proceeded to knock them around the floor and stage, but nothing made it into most of the stands. Occasionally, a balloon would burst, spraying yellow confetti. By the time the next song rolled around, only a couple of the yellow orbs were left. The 2005 album X&Y sold over 8 million copies, but was seen as their weakest effort. Still, it was heart-warming to hear so many sing along to the ballad "Fix Me," the only track performed from this recording.

Coldplay could have played it safe, but despite having a bevy of commercial pop songs, they served up songs that were quite quirky in nature and not exactly hit single material, like the moody "Cemeteries of London," the tabla-accented "Lost!," and the atmospheric "Death And All His Friends.". They played every track from the new album, save for "Yes." Of course, it was all eagerly consumed by the crowd who went nuts for all their antics. Lead singer Chris Martin ran around the stage and sang at the same time, without huffing and puffing. At one point, he ran down one of the two ramps that jutted out either side of the stage and lept to the very edge, seemingly defying the law of physics as his momentum should have sent him sailing into the audience on the floor. I couldn't help but turn to my friend and crack a big smile.

The end of the ramp near me served as a mini-stage from which all four members huddled onto the illuminated tiles and played a few tunes, to the absolute shock and delight of the fans who crowded around. There was more. Well into the show, each member briskly walked off the left side of the stage and made a bee line for the back of the floor. From there, they walked up a few rows at the very back of the 100 section and proceeded to play a few unplugged songs. It was all captured for everyone to see on the huge video screens, which were suspended over center ice, roughly. Why at that location and not just over the first few rows near the front of the stage like most bands do? More on that later. The screens showed everyone just how giddy with delight the surrounding fans were, who had purchased some of the less desirable seats in the house, but not with Coldplay just inches away. From this unlikely spot, they performed the Monkees' classic "I'm A Believer," before some more audience participation. Chris Martin asked everyone to turn on and hold up their cell phone. When the audience complied, it was looking into a galaxy of stars. He then asked everyone to hold them to their sides, to hide their lights, and then asked that one section begin to hold theirs up and put them down again, causing the first "Mexican wave" at the MTS Centre. For several minutes, fans played along and the result was an unusual but spectacular.

I really wanted to hear their other night song from Parachutes, "Shiver," which I have recorded onto many mixed CDs for friends, to introduce them what I considered to be great but lesser-known indie pop songs. They may have had indie pop roots, but for a few years now, Coldplay are clearly part of the mainstream, with their fourth album probably outselling even the latest U2 offering. Martin referred to Winnipeg and Manitoba in some songs and rantings, like acknowledging that they were supposed to play here about a year ago, and mentioning the Jets (who became the Phoenix Coyotes) to great applause. Even the lead singer of Howling Bells referred to a few things that makes Winnipeg renown, such as being the Slurpee capital of the world and being the home of the Crash Test Dummies (interesting Neil Young and the Guess Who weren't mentioned.)

It was a four-hour event. During the prelude to the two-song encore, Chris Martin asked us to remember a few things, including to download the song "Nightingale" by Howling Bells and to pick up a free copy of their new 9-track live album on the way out of the MTS Centre, LeftRightLeftRightLeft,which is also available as a free download from the band's website. Why have the screens at centre ice, roughly? I believe it was so that the fans at the side and sitting behind the stage, could look up and see the show, even though the band had their backs to them most of the time. You could see the video feed on the screens from both front or behind the screens. Bravo Coldplay for caring about those fans. This was the fastest-selling concert in MTS Centre history (8 minutes), and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't able to score floor seats.

Upbeat openers the Howling Bells from New Zealand had some nice moments with their infectious indie-pop, including playing "Blessed Night," a catchy song that I did not realize was theirs, that I have heard when I randomly play music on one of my computers at the office. I'd lke to see headline a smaller venue, as the cavernous MTS Centre seemed too large for them to really connect with the audience, who were largely unfamiliar with their material.

Glasgow, Scottland's Snow Patrol sold out Winnipeg's Burton Cummings Theatre (capacity 1646) in April of 2007, without being a widely recognized band. Clearly, they have a larger following than I expected, based on the audience response to their romantic indie-pop songs, which are not too far removed from what Coldplay offer up. They really caught my attention with their urgent, anthemic, U2-esque sound. I can only see these guys getting bigger. Lead singer Gary Lightbody (1976) performed with confidence, sang beautifully, and won over new fans. The band are touring in support of their 2008 album, A Hundred Million Suns.

Source: blogcritics.org

Coldplay at the MTS Centre, Winnipeg (15th June 2009):

Pictures by jiggajayd @ Flickr

Even rock stars get tired of talking about themselves eventually. Case in point: Chris Martin. The 32-year-old Coldplay frontman has spent the last year being interviewed by reporters far and wide about the band's gazillion-selling, chart-topping, Grammy-winning album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, writes the Winnipeg Sun.

And now that the awards are shelved, the sales are tabulated and the Britrockers' lengthy world tour is finally wrapping up in September, the last thing he really needs to do is another interview. But along with being fabulously rich, internationally famous, boyishly handsome, skinny and married to the equally fabulous actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Martin also seems to be something you don't always come across in the music industry: A gentleman.

So when Coldplay returned to Western Canada this week to make up for a series of concerts postponed from last year, Martin not only agreed to a chat -- he sat down with me in the front lounge of the band's tour bus on its first stop in Winnipeg.

Clad in a light purple shirt he would wear onstage later that night, a militaristic jacket (surprisingly, not part of the band's costumes; guess he just likes that stuff), a pair of dark blue warmup pants, multiple bracelets and peacock blue socks -- "That's not rude, is it?" he wondered about his stocking feet -- he slouched sideways on a couch with his feet up on the sofa opposite.

We were asked not to discuss his personal life and legal cases -- that would be claims by both Joe Satriani and Yusuf Islam that he plagiarized Viva la Vida -- but Martin was only to happy to weigh in on the current tour, the next Coldplay album and that weird dream he keeps having...

SUN: I'm kind of surprised that you're still doing press after a year on the road.

MARTIN: Yeah, me too. (Laughs). Well, we, uh ... yeah, good point. I know what you mean.

SUN: I would think you've already said everything about yourself you want. Plus, you're a rock star and it's almost showtime. Shouldn't you be off having yak tea or meditating under a pyramid?

MARTIN: I've already done all that. I just have to have some goat's milk and a French masseuse.

SUN: You kept us waiting a year out here in Western Canada over "production issues." Is that a euphemism?

MARTIN: Well, production issues was the official excuse. And normally when you say that, it's because one of you has had an overdose. But I think it actually may have been the truth. Hopefully in this case it's better late than never. Though some places we go, they would rather it was never than late.

SUN: Are we getting the 'been doing it so long it's streamlined and perfected' show or the 'been at it so long we're sick of it' show?

MARTIN: Well, this week we're building up to filming in Vancouver. So you're getting the 'band trying extremely hard to be great' show.

SUN: You probably don't have to try all that hard.

MARTIN: We do, we do. Of course we do. And we're lucky because we have the bug because no matter how tired you might be or no matter how many concerts you've done, someone comes in the room and has paid money for a ticket and we think, 'We'd better give it everything.'

SUN: Even after all this time, you don't take it for granted?

MARTIN: No. Especially not now. You asked why I'm doing press still. Sometimes that's a good way of communicating your gratitude for still being in the job.

SUN: You seem to do that a lot.

MARTIN: Well, we have a lot to be thankful for.

SUN: A lot of people in your position don't share that attitude.

MARTIN: I disagree with you there. I think most great bands -- at least most people that we look up to -- have that philosophy. That's where we learned it from, from Bruce and from U2 and from ... well, those two. Those two in particular, that's where we learned the work ethic.

SUN: You've been on this tour for a year. And it's not like you can change the set list every night ...

MARTIN: Well, we could. But it would be chaos.

SUN: Right. So how do you keep it fresh after a couple of hundred shows?

MARTIN: Well, between you and me and your millions of readers, if I ever question my motivation, I just try and find a muse. Normally it would be a pretty girl or the fact that your dad is there. There's always something that makes you think I'd better give my best.

SUN: I'm not allowed to ask about your muse.

MARTIN: You can ask anything you like, man; I just don't have to answer.

SUN: Fair enough. But does it feel like you're at the end of a marathon?

MARTIN: Well, I think we might not tour for a while after this tour. I think we see it as a solidification of something by going to all these places. You're showing you are real. I think when you become a big band, people somewhat don't think you are really real. So when you come to a town and play, it brings it all back to earth again. Because most of the time you read about a big band or see them on TV and it's all lawsuits and numbers and all these big things. It doesn't feel like there's real humans in the middle of it. The reason I love the fact that I can do one-on-one interviews or play a show is that it reminds me of why I do what I do. It's direct feedback and it's what it all boils down to; whether people want to sing along to a song or not.

SUN: You've been doing a lot of smaller cities lately -- places you haven't been before and places a lot of bigger bands don't play often. Do you find these audiences respond differently than those in bigger centres?

MARTIN: It's funny how a place can have a characteristic. If you go and play in Japan, say, there's enthusiasm. But it's expressed very pointedly and then everyone goes very silent to listen. So if you've just come from Italy, you think 'Oh God, this Japanese crowd hates us.' Or if you go to Mexico, there's craziness the whole time. So the more we go around the more we learn. And then you go to someplace like Des Moines for the first time and just try to get the measure of it. But the only thing we would take as a bad response would be a mass exit.

SUN: I'm guessing you don't get many of those.

MARTIN: Not for a while. Often in a dream I get that. I get a recurring dream where we can't quite get the song together and after about 15 minutes people start leaving. And I'm looking at my fingers and I can't remember what to do. It's terrible.

SUN: Have you shared this with a therapist?

MARTIN: Not with a therapist, but with Jonny (Buckland) our guitarist. He's the next best thing. That's his role.

SUN: Any other interesting dreams?

MARTIN: They're all interesting. But none of them can be shared in daytime news.

SUN: Is there anything about this tour you'll be glad to see the back end of? One particular song or element?

MARTIN: We've kind of weeded out the songs we didn't like. The great blessing of having some hit singles is that each time you get a new one you can drop something you didn't like. So gradually you can build a set you like from start to finish, five years after. For us at the moment, it's like touring in Cats. It's less of a gig and more of a show. There's something very nice about that. Because you know what's coming. It's a nice machine to be a part of.

SUN: There is a lot of production in this show -- a satellite stage, balloons, butterflies. Why go to all that trouble? At this point, you could come out and play on a bare stage.

MARTIN: And we will do that at some point. The bare stage thing would be good in a small theatre. But not in an arena. And have you seen our butterflies? They look f---ing amazing. That's why we do it.

SUN: I wanted to ask how much of that stuff is for us and how much is for you.

MARTIN: Something like that is for us. When you fill a room with neon butterflies, it looks pretty great. So we keep it. But the show all comes from us. It's what we think fits with the music.

SUN: Is that the kind of show you're a fan of?

MARTIN: Yeah, of course. I love the Flaming Lips more than anyone live. And they take stagecraft and gimmickry to the maximum degree. Compared to their show, ours is pretty light.

SUN: Will we be seeing you walking on the crowd in a giant bubble?

MARTIN: Well, I think that's sort of Wayne Coyne's copyright. There are certain things you don't steal.

SUN: But you're covering a Monkees song. What's the story with that?

MARTIN: We did a Neil Diamond tribute concert just before the Grammys with a bunch of other people. And we asked if we could play I'm a Believer, which most people don't know is a Neil Diamond song. And we played it the next night in our concert, and it got a bigger response than any of our songs, so we thought, 'Don't miss that trick.'

SUN: And you're giving away a live CD -- you guys just keep on giving.

MARTIN: We don't, really. It costs money to come and see us and it costs money to buy our records. Even McDonald's gives you a free toy every so often. It's just natural that if you can afford to make a live record and give it to people, why wouldn't you? If feels great to do it.

SUN: I would imagine it also defeats the purpose of bootlegging the show.

MARTIN: And it makes sure it's a good show out there. Though I don't think we'd have felt comfortable releasing a live album in a conventional way. I don't know if that would work in this day and age. So with this, it's part generosity and part a statement of where we're at.

SUN: So instead of a live album, you'll be filming for a DVD in Vancouver?

MARTIN: No, not for a DVD. Just for the annals of time.

SUN: Just to sit and watch in your basement?

MARTIN: When I'm old, maybe.

SUN: So what comes after this? A long break?

MARTIN: There are no breaks. We'll go right back into something. I can tell you that we're fired up and approaching the wrong side of 32 and we feel very hungry in a musical sense. And where we come from, everyone is always held up against The Beatles. And everyone falls short. So we feel like we have to keep trying to improve. So we might take a couple of weeks just to do some laundry, but then we'll see. I don't think what we do next will be a big extravaganza. But it will be something good.

Coldplay at the MTS Centre, Winnipeg (15th June 2009):

Pictures by jiggajayd @ Flickr

Chris Martin may be Coldplay's most famous face, but for 25 local fans, guitarist Jonny Buckland is the star of the show. Buckland has several relatives in Alberta, many of whom will be taking in the British rock group's sold-out Saddledome show tomorrow, writes the Calgary Sun.

"We all can't wait to see him," says Jacky Joki, whose late father Ernest Buckland was a first cousin of the guitarist's grandfather. A bunch of us are travelling to Vancouver and Edmonton to see him as well."

Joki and her husband Roger first made contact with Buckland's family in 1978, when they visited his grandparents in England. "I sent Christmas cards to them for 30 years and they would keep me abreast of what he was doing," she says. "They told me about this little band he was in and how they were doing."

In 2000, that little band started to fill arenas, thanks to its breakthrough album Parachutes. Its platinum-selling follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head, spawned four chart-topping singles, including Clocks, which won Record-of-the-Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

Joki's mother, Lillian Buckland, says she didn't realize Coldplay was so successful until she saw a newspaper ad for the band's first Calgary concert in 2002. "The name rang a bell in my head," recalls Buckland. "I remember (Jacky) talking about this band and how (Jonny) was trying to get this band off the ground. I knew right away when they were coming to town that I had to get a hold of this guy for my husband."

Joki says because of her parents' persistence, Ernest was able to make contact with his famous distant relative. In 2007, Joki and 14 others made the trip to Vancouver to see the band and were able to meet the 31-year-old guitar player at an after-show party thrown for the family. "We gave them a few gifts of Alberta and B.C. and enjoyed some beers and company," she recalls. "He enjoyed having us there. I was very surprised he was so grounded."

The family hopes to meet Buckland during his stay in Alberta, but because the band's schedule is so tight it might be difficult. Buckland did supply a block of seats for his Canadian relatives at Coldplay's Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton shows.

"I think we'll be able to get some backstage passes," says Joki. "My nieces are teenagers so they're pretty excited.

Source: Calgary Sun

Coldplay at the MTS Centre, Winnipeg (15th June 2009:

Pictures by jiggajayd @ Flickr

Coldplay may very well be the biggest rock band in the world right now, with the best-selling album of 2008 and a tour that’s criss-crossing the globe. At the same time, they may be the least "rock" rock band in the world, writes the Winnipeg Free Press.

You’d likely be hard-pressed to pick the unassuming members out of a crowd (unless singer Chris Martin had glamorous wife Gwyneth Paltrow on his arm) and even their recent stab at rock-star flamboyance — wearing colourful Seargent Pepper-style jackets — is a pale imitation of provocateurs past.

So some trepidation was attached to the London band’s first visit to Winnipeg. Charity donations, vegetarianism and all-around niceness are well and good, but a good concert experience demands a little excess. Sex and drugs might be passé, but a rock ‘n’ roll attitude is still a requirement.

It was clear any fears of a navel-gazing performance were misplaced. At 9:05 p.m, the band bounded onto the dark stage brandishing sparklers for opener Life in Technicolor, which was literally larger than life, as backlighting projected the band members’ giant shadows onto a scrim in front of the stage, which was lifted as they swang into a thunderous version of Violet Hill from their latest album, Viva La Vida.

Martin, sporting a curly mop of hair and what looked like a homemade Obama armband over the aformentioned motley military garb, skipped around the stage, playfully using its entire area, which included two arms that extended into the crowd.

And it wasn’t just the banks of lasers spraying the audience or cool orb-shaped videoscreens or super-clever video effects that had the requisite rock attitude. Coldplay is a band that’s often accused of being overly sensitive — an act that girls gush over, but men disdain — but you wouldn’t know it from Will Champion’s aggressive drumming or Guy Berryman’s relentless bass, which pumped the familiar chiming into to mega-hit Clocks into a thumping anthem.

Subtlety went out the window — quite happily — with the band’s first hit, Yellow, from debut Parachutes, as yellow lights bathed the audience and huge yellow balloons filled the arena, releasing sprays of confetti as they burst. Then came a rousing version of 42, with Martin switching to keyboards for the bookending sections. The band then achieved real intimacy on the pensive Fix You — so much so that it was almost disappointing when the inevitable kick-into-overdrive arrived (hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of sensitivity).

Chamberlain went nuts on the timpani drums for the gloriously grandiose Viva La Vida, and the audience joined him, swaying and singing along at the top of their lungs

Martin has a sort of genius for lyrics that sound portentous but skirt being really meaningful, which allows listeners to attach their own meaning to them — that facility was evident as the crowd practically raised the humidity level in the arena from tearing up as they mouthed the refrain to Lost!: "Just because I’m losing, doesn’t mean I’m lost."

And just when it seemed there wasn’t going to be another intimate moment, all four members were led through the crowd to a tiny stage set amid the riser seats, for an acoustic version of Green Eyes and a whimsical (if calculated) little off-the-cuff song making reference to Winnipeggers’ love of the Jets. Then the lights were turned down so Martin could orchestrate a cellphone-light "wave", which looked like a magically organized bunch of fireflies.

At one point early in the show, Martin apologized for cancelling a previously scheduled local show. "We need to have 121 rehearsals before we dare to play in Winnipeg," he joked. And by the end, their hearts seemed so much in it, we almost believed him.

Howling Bells, a moody rock quartet from Sydney, Australia led by powerhouse vocalist Juanita Stein, opened the show, followed by Scottish act Snow Patrol, longtime Coldplay kindred spirits who amped up their sweet indie rock to suit the arena setting. Gangly singer Gary Lightbody turned on the charm, his big, pure voice keeping up with the magnified guitars on tracks including Hands Open, Run and Chasing Cars.

Source: winnipegfreepress.com

Coldplay at the MTS Centre, Winnipeg (15th June 2009:

Pictures by jiggajayd @ Flickr

Some bands leave you wanting more. Chris Martin and Coldplay definitely aren't one of them. At least, they weren't at MTS Centre on Monday night, when the Brit-rock foursome finally made their long-delayed local debut. What they were instead was a band that gave a sold-out crowd of 12,500 fervent fans everything they could possibly want — and then gave them more, writes the Winnipeg Sun.

You wanted hits? They had ’em: Nearly two dozen numbers, including most of their gazillion-selling 2008 album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, along with older crowdpleasers like Yellow, Politik, The Scientist and even a jangly acoustic cover of the Neil Diamond-penned Monkees classic I'm a Believer. If you weren't a believer before last night, that along might have changed your mind.

You wanted a rockin' band? You got one: While Coldplay's lushly melodic anthems and ballads can sometimes come off as lightweight and poppy on CD, there was no shortage of muscle in their live show.

Drummer Will Champion deserves most of the credit for that — he's way more a basher than you'd ever expect, hammering away at his kit on tunes like Glass of Water, Lost! and Politik. Guitarist Jonny Buckland and bassist Guy Berryman may fly beneath the radar much of the time, but they can also raise a hell of a decent racket (though they weren't louder than the crowd, whose screaming and unbidden singalongs often threatened to drown out the group). Even Martin can pound those keys as well as he can tickle the ivories.

You wanted an arena-sized spectacle? They brought one: A stage with runways at either side, half a dozen giant video-screen globes that descended from the rafters and gently floated up and down like massive high-tech Christmas bulbs, banks of lasers that shot out from the back floor of the stage and traced patterns on the ceiling at the opposite end of the hall, arced lighting rigs that sagged and swooped and swiveled gracefully above the band, dozens of huge yellow balloons heaved into the crowd (during Yellow, natch), confetti cannons that spewed forth wave after wave of fluorescent paper butterflies during Life in Japan, and all the usual VariLights and follow spots and backdrops and tasteful production and expertly edited live video footage. If they had tossed in some pyro, they could have passed for Nickelback (though Nickelback probably would have had skull-shaped butterflies).

You wanted some face time with the boys? They aimed to please: Not only did the band cram themselves onto the end of one runway for a couple of songs — later they trooped the length of MTS Centre to play a raucous acoustic mini-set at the very back of the stands, smack-dab in the middle of the cheap seats. Take that, rock stars!

Of course, you wanted a world-class frontman. And Martin is as good as they come: Eager, energetic, earnest and totally engaging. When he was playing guitar, he leaned into the mic like a sprinter in the starting blocks, bouncing on the balls of his feet and pumping his heels to the beat. When he sat down at an upright piano (that was wheeled forward and back by roadies as required), he hunched over the instrument with intense focus, his nose practically touching the keys. When he ditched them both to roam with a microphone, he was a mischievous dervish — spinning and prancing and skipping and leaping and dashing from one end of the stage to the other, teasing fans by rushing headlong to the lip of the runway and then halting at the last possible second. During Lovers in Japan he danced with a parasol amid those gently descending clouds of butterflies. In another number he stumbled about the stage, lurching as if being struck by Champion's thwacking snare shots. At the end of Viva la Vida he pretended to collapse onstage — though we wouldn't have been surprised if he was half-serious.

Speaking of half-serious, if you wanted a few laughs, there were some of those to be had too. While Martin mostly kept the chitchat to a minimum, he did have a few quips up his military-uniform sleeve. "Sorry it took us just over a year to get here," he apologized, referring to a concert that was scheduled for last summer, then postponed by production snafus. "The way we think of it is that we needed to have 121 rehearsals before we could play a concert in Winnipeg." Later, he joked that "now you don't get to see us for another 12 years," which he changed to 15 and then 20 after the crowd started booing. Some of his other assorted tomfoolery: Holding a note on and on while looking at his watch and eventually running out of breath, needling guitarist Buckland during one song, getting the crowd to do the wave with their cellphones, and changing song lyrics to include plenty of pandering references to the Jets and how much f---ing noise Winnipeg crowds make. (Oh, and just for the record, I taught him that. No, not how to change his song lyrics or pander to the house — how to pronounce Winnipeg. During our one-on-one pre-show interview — which you can read in tomorrow's paper — he kept saying "Winneepeg" until I set him right. You're welcome, Chris.)

And finally, if their hit-filled, eye-popping, high-energy, entertainingly personable 110-minute show still wasn't enough for you, well, there was more: On your way out the door, ushers handed out free copies of the band's new live disc Left Right Left Right Left to all 12,500 attendees.

Seriously, what more could anybody possibly want?

Coldplay at the MTS Centre, Winnipeg (15th June 2009:

Pictures by jiggajayd @ Flickr

Despite being the adored, much analyzed and fantasized about lead singer of one of the planet's biggest rock bands, Chris Martin of Coldplay is practical, even humble about his role. Sitting on the floor of a rented house in Los Angeles, enjoying the California sunshine and the taste of the strawberry he's just finished, Martin is deliberately and charmingly low-key, writes the Winnipeg Free Press. Full discussion on this show is at the Winnipeg thread here in the Coldplay Live forum.

"It just comes from pure gratitude at being given this job, particularly in a period of time when music is hard to be employed by," Martin says of the free CDs Coldplay is giving to concert-goers on their current tour, which kicked off last month in West Palm Beach, Fla.

"We wanted to give something to the people who have paid money to come see us or buy the album," he adds, referring to Viva la Vida, the best-selling album in the world in 2008. "It's like a reward system in a grocery store."

Material sustenance is not what most fans think of when it comes to Coldplay's music or its live shows, which are known for the passionate connection that Martin makes with audiences. The free CD, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, with nine live songs culled from the band's last tour, is partly an attempt to capture that link. "It is like a snapshot of where we're at at the moment as a band," Martin says. "Hopefully nine little morsels of where we are at the moment. It's supposed to give an overview of how we sound now and mostly how our audience is with that."

Audiences seem to like whatever the band does. The combination of Martin's charisma and emotionally introspective, obliquely poetic lyrics, and Coldplay's darkly anthemic, lushly melodic music has proven to be potent. The group has grown steadily in stature and sales since debuting in 2000 with Parachutes, quickly shooting from indie darlings to the top of the U.S. and global charts. Its third album, 2005's X&Y, sold eight million copies in the first year, while Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends sold 6.7 million physical and downloaded copies -- stellar figures in an age of free downloads and splintering audiences.

The press, however, has been divided on Coldplay and on Martin himself. The band's music has been criticized as indulgent and repetitive, while Martin, who is married to actor Gwyneth Paltrow (the couple have two children, Apple, 5, and Moses, 3) is sometimes faulted for being arrogant, a vegetarian, righteously well-behaved and generally avoiding the classically entertaining rock star behaviour of excessive drugs, drinking and screwing around. (Although he has been known to wrestle with paparazzi and appear in comedies like the movie Shaun of the Dead.)

Martin is, in fact, unabashedly middle-class. The oldest son of five children of an accountant father and a music-teacher mother, he met his Coldplay bandmates in 1996, while all were earning degrees at London University (they refused to tour or release their first record until they'd taken final exams, and vowed to kick out anyone who used hard drugs). He has campaigned on issues of fair trade and global poverty, and spoken out against the Iraq war. While social themes don't inspire Coldplay's songs, Martin says he feels a responsibility to try to affect the world in a positive way.

"It appeases the guilt I sometimes feel for being given such an incredible job," he says. "I think when you are contributing to or talking about something that you know is important on an activist level, it somehow feels better than if you're just sitting back taking coke." As well as assuaging his own anxieties. "I don't really like to stop and feel comfortable," Martin says. "So I guess social activism is part of that."

But he is realistic about how much effect he can have on the world, beyond making people feel better for the length of a song or a show. "If I'm a bit down and worried about something then if I listen to I'm On Fire by Bruce Springsteen I feel better," Martin says. "We can only influence our little world in our little bubble."

Coldplay songs are generally attributed to the whole band: Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman, plus close friend and former manager Phil Harvey, who's listed as a fifth member on Viva la Vida. Though Martin writes most of the lyrics and, as singer (and husband of a movie star), tends to be the centre of attention, he emphasizes that the music comes from all of them.

"If any one of the five of us was to leave or die or be kidnapped, the rest of us would be useless," he says. "We're always trying to give credit to the chemistry more than the individual ability. That's what a band is, it's bigger than the sum of its parts. That's why people join bands -- because they're not good enough to be soloists."

He is reticent about where those lyrics come from. "I find often songs come from thinking of a title. The other morning I woke up and thought I'd like to do a song called Drunks and Guns. So I hung around the house all day waiting for it to come, and eventually it came to me."

It seems the only downside for Martin these days is being away from his family months at a time. Martin insists it's not a significant problem. "It's not the same as being a soldier being sent away for six months with no contact," he says. "It's pretty manageable at this point."

In fact, he jokes that separation can be a good thing. "I think their worst nightmare is having to be with me every day. You've only had 20 minutes."

Coldplay at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA (12th June 2009):

Pictures: Metromix Des Moines

We've had a spate of excellent reviews of Coldplay's most recent show at Omaha's Qwest Centre and also much discussion and feedback on the crowd. Below are some of the fan reviews found on the Coldplaying forums, which you can also read and reply to (even if you went to the show or not) at the Coldplay Live forum here in the Omaha thread...

The show: I hung around outside early to try to get a glimpse of them, but some fat ass security guard who makes $10/hr had to feel on a power trip and tell me I couldn't hang there. I asked him to show me the sign that said that, which he couldn't but told me that is why he was there. I mumbled something not so nice and went on this pedestrian bridge to watch, but I think they were already in there as I could hear bass drum kicks comming from the arena. I was right up by C-stage. The people around me were actually fairly into it, which is good because I warned them I am a pretty hardcore fan. My fiancee and I made a sign that said "Will has the voice of an ANGEL". Chris saw it, smiled for quite a while, and poked Will 3 times to make sure he saw it, and he got a kick out of it as well. Little disappointed he didn't say anything about it to the crowd though. [thanks bearcat1229]

Viva La Vida was rough, the crowd was kind of blah. Des Moines was actually a better crowd, which I never would have expected. I think Chris was even mad at the end when he you might not see us here for quite a while, the crowd started booing and Chris said in a harsh and irritated voice "Don't boo". It was then I snuck out with my sign, took a gamble of which way they came out. Went back to this secluded area and I caught them just in time, but they were definitely in a hurry to get out. Two black SUVs and a big black van doing Mach 10 away from the arena. All in all I had a good time. Chris awknowledged our sign, which was the most I was hoping for. Yeah...maybe my post wasn't clear but I thought I said they booed after he said they might not be back for really long time. This was my 9th show, and I had just seen them in Des Moines the night before. It just seemed like they were a lot more lively the night before. Chris tried hard but the crowd really didn't feed into it at times. [thanks bearcat1229]

I was there, and the booing was NOT for the band. Chris mentioned that they were nearly done with the show, and said something like "then you won't have to see us for another 10 years." THAT'S when the audience "booed". And Chris didn't seem irritated about it to me. Maybe a bit surprised that they responded to the comment with booing instead of maybe like "awww" or something. He said "Don't boo!" and laughed a little. The crowd was a bit dead at times, though. Even though some articles have said that there were a lot of teens and twenty-somethings, there were a lot of older people there too, and parents with their children. A lot of them seemed like they weren't really excited to be there in the first place. [thanks izznl_90]

Hey folks. I'm new, but I was at the Omaha show, and I wanted to jump in and defend Omaha a little bit here. Admittedly, I have not been to any other Coldplay shows, and am really just a casual fan, so I don't have other crowds to compare it to. Maybe the Des Moines crowd was better. I don't know, but I felt like this crowd was really into it, and definitely not as bad as they're being represented here. The sound in those videos, where the crowd sounds silent, is NOT accurate, at least from my perspective towards the back. The crowd was definitely chanting along, and I really felt like we were vocal and into it the whole night. In fact, after listening to the Left Right Left Right Left CD (awesome that they did that, btw), I feel like our chanting to the "whoa whoa whoas" was a lot less sloppy and more energetic than the crowd on the CD. Regardless, I had a BLAST, and my appreciation of the band has increased ten-fold, so I'll be saddened if a negative perception of the crowd reduces the odds of them coming back in the future. Everyone I talked to loved it, so I hope the band didn't think we sucked as much as people here do. [thanks ACWatt]

I've been to quite a few concerts all over the country and would say that last night's crowd was above average in regards to their enthusiasm. 12K in attendence might seem somewhat unimpressive but considering it was the opening day of the College World Series (pretty much the biggest annual event in Omaha every year) the final numbers are fairly admirable for city with under 1 million people. The crowd was not booing Chris Martin. He had made a few comments earlier about why it had taken them so long to come to Nebraska (even though they were here 3 years ago). Towards the end of the show he joked with the crowd about it possibly taking another ten years to come back. The crowd responded with laughter and boos (jokingly) suggesting they wanted to see them back much sooner than that. Overall, I would say it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. They certainly do know how to put on a show. [thanks randomomaha]

Pictures by by chelseakobza

Veteran singer Yusuf has reached out to Coldplay - just weeks after he accused them of stealing one of his melodies to use in their hit track Viva La Vida. The star - formerly known as Cat Stevens - claims the band lifted elements of his epic 18 minute song Foreigner Suite, which was released in 1973, and incorporated them into their 2008 single.

His claims came after guitarist Joe Satriani took legal action over the song - accusing Coldplay of copying segments from his 2004 instrumental If I Could Fly. Coldplay have denied Satriani's plagiarism accusations, insisting they thought up the tune themselves.

But Islam insists he won't be following Satriani's lead and pursuing the matter through the courts - and he wants to make peace with the Grammy Award winning rockers. He says, "I stand by what I said. They did copy my song but I don't think they did it on purpose. I have even copied myself without even knowing I have done it. I'll write down what I think is a good melody and realise it's the same as something I have already done. I don't want them to think I am angry with them. I'd love to sit down and have a cup of tea with them and let them know it's okay."

Speaking recently over the plagiarism claims of Yusuf and of the pending court case with Joe Satriani, Coldplay's Will Champion has insisted that the band are innocent, telling Hamptonroads.com that the band "haven't done anything wrong".

He said: "It's tough when people accuse you of stealing something when you know that you didn't. We accept that it's part of the territory and know it is only for some reason the successful songs that seem to be the ones that are accused of being stolen. So you go figure it out."

Will added that he believed some kind of musical crossover between artists was inevitable. "There are elements of our music that I've heard in other people's music," he said, "but a very difficult thing to define. There are only eight notes in an octave and no-one owns them. There are probably about 12,000 songs that feature the exact same chord progression. I think it [plagiarism] lies on an intent to steal, which we certainly have never done and never would. It's unfortunate but it's the way people are. That's that. We're confident we haven't done anything wrong."

Coldplay didn't let down its fans Saturday night, even if frontman Chris Martin said he was nervous about it. Most in their teens and 20s, more than 11,000 people showed up at Qwest Center Omaha on Saturday night to see the Grammy-winning British quartet, writes the Omaha World Herald.

Making stops all over the world, the group has been on its “Viva La Vida” tour since nearly a year ago. “I don't know why it's taken us so long to get to Nebraska. We must have been nervous,” frontman Chris Martin joked. “But on tonight's evidence, we have no reason to be nervous. You've been very warm and inviting. At least we rehearsed this concert 217 times before we brought it to Nebraska. I hope it is up to your expectations.”

Looking like gray versions of the Beatles from the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the group took the stage wearing pseudo-military uniforms during the song “Life in Technicolor,” the opening track from their mega-popular 2008 album “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.”Saturday's concert was like an advertisement for the album. The group performed nearly every song from the album, and their clothes, guitars, drums, video screens and pianos were decorated with “Viva La Vida” logos and artwork. The group also worked in past hits, including “Yellow,” “Fix You” and “Clocks.”

During their 2000 hit “Yellow,” yellow light flooded the arena while dozens of huge balloons full of confetti were tossed into the crowd. Martin ended the song by asking the crowd to give him a balloon, which he smashed with his guitar, showering himself in confetti. The group worked their stage setup into the performance throughout the show, with lights and lasers pulsating to the music, spherical video screens and — during the song “Lovers in Japan” — plenty of butterfly-shaped confetti.

Martin got the crowd roaring at every opportunity. He asked for screams from fans, prompted them to sing along during “Fix You” and asked the crowd to get out their cell phones in the darkened arena. He also threw himself around the stage, dancing, bouncing and clapping. The band made an effort to reach out to fans in each corner of the arena.

Some fans in the back of the arena got a special treat when the group exited the stage and headed to the opposite end of the room, where a small stage (just big enough for the foursome) was set up in the middle of the audience. To cheers, Martin sang, “If you want to make your audience go off with a boom, you gotta visit the people in the back of the room.”

While on the tiny stage, the group performed “Green Eyes” and an acoustic cover of the Monkees' “I'm a Believer,” and drummer Will Champion sang “Death Will Never Conquer.”

Exiting the concert, fans were handed a copy of “Left Right Left Right Left,” a nine-track live CD recorded earlier in the band's tour. The live CD can also be downloaded for free from the band's Web site. Opening the show was Australian band Howling Bells and Irish group Snow Patrol. Snow Patrol pulled off a rare feat for an opening band: They received a standing ovation when they left the stage.

Fans screamed out the words to nearly every tune from Snow Patrol. Things got especially heated when the band played its 2006 hit “Chasing Cars,” which became popular after being featured on “Grey's Anatomy.”

Source: Omaha World Herald

Two unidentified men who appeared to be wearing concession-worker work clothes robbed Wells Fargo Arena concession employees at gunpoint late Friday night, report the Des Moines Register today.

The Des Moines arena was staging the Coldplay concert as witnesses told police one of the men worked a different concession stand earlier in the evening. No arrests were made after the men left the area with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Witnesses said the men, wearing clothes labeled with the name of Wells Fargo concession company Ovations Food Service approached workers at a concession stand approximately 9:30 p.m. One pulled a small-caliber handgun and pointed it at workers, witnesses reported. He then demanded money, which he stuffed in a backpack, and also took a cell phone. The suspects left through side door of the arena generally not used by the public.

Arena officials were checking surveillance videos and working through lists of temporary workers to try to identify the men.

Coldplay at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA (12th June 2009)

Pictures: desmoinesregister.com

Three bands that had never played in Des Moines took the stage Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena, but you wouldn't have known that they were unfamiliar with our fair city. Coldplay singer Chris Martin thanked the crowd for skipping out on Winefest, writes the Des Moines Register.

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody managed to pronounce "Des Moines" correctly (Howling Bells singer Juanita Stein wasn't as lucky, adding an "S" sound.) "If we knew how good the audience is, we'd have come a long time ago," Martin told the crowd. He even worked a line about "finally making it to Iowa" into the opening tune, "Violet Hill."

Coldplay put on a show filled with spectacle. Giant balloons floated into the 11,000-strong crowd during the band's early hit, "Yellow," exploding into a mess of confetti when band members would strike them. Martin made full use of the stage, which included two walkways extending into the audience. He sprinted around the stage during "In My Place," collapsing to his knees before finishing the song.

At one point the entire band gathered on a small portion of the walkway. Using a tiny, colorful piano and small drums to play "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," Coldplay looked like it had wandered into an elementary school music room and started a jam. It added to the slightly surreal feel of the evening. And after "Viva La Vida," the band left the stage and crossed the arena to go to a third stage. Once there, drummer Will Champion sang the acoustic-accompanied "Green Eyes."

Instead of simple projection screens, images of the band and audience were projected onto suspended orb screens, twisting and distorting each image. At one point Martin had the lights turned out and requested the audience get out cell phones for "the first Mexican cell phone wave" in the history of the arena. The crowd, of course, complied.

Some of Coldplay's darker songs seemed an odd contrast to the lively and colorful stage show. "Cemeteries of London," "42" and "Death and All His Friends" are the kind of songs you would not expect to cause a crowd of thousands to jump and wave their arms enthusiastically, but it worked. The evening was heavy on songs from the band's latest album, "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," and its second, "A Rush of Blood to the Head." The band's recent EP, "Prospekt's March" also got some love, but fans of Coldplay's debut, "Parachutes" and 2005's "X&Y" didn't get a lot from either album.

"You know it's great when you play a concert in the Hawkeye State," Martin crooned from the tiny stage. Not long after that the band launched into the Monkees' "I'm a Believer."

It was an odd moment in a night that was full of little eccentricities. After years of skipping over Des Moines, the band brought its "A" game, and the wait seemed worth it. Before introducing Coldplay, Lightbody said it had "about the most awesome arena show you'll ever see in your lives."

Perhaps there was a bit of hyperbole in that, but after underwhelming turnout for bands like Green Day and Nine Inch Nails, it was exciting to see a Des Moines audience embrace an alternative arena act.

Source: desmoinesregister.com

With heartfelt rockers Snow Patrol now on the road with Coldplay as their latest support act, the official site asked frontman Gary Lightbody how it's going...

Hello Gary, how are you?

Hey there, am grand thanks.

Where are you?

On our way from Texas to the show in Des Moines, Ohio tonight.

How have the first few days of the tour with Coldplay been?

They've been great. We've been treated really well and they have a lovely crew that are being great with our crew. Also they are kicking ass each night. Their show is spectacular. Shaping up as a perfect tour really.

Do you approach support slots differently to headline shows?

You have to really. It's not our crowd and we want to win them over for sure, but also we are the warm-up act and we want to do just that. We try our best to get the crowd as energised as possible, so they're well warm by the time Coldplay come on. You leave your ego at the door for support slots. Best that way.

Have the Coldplay crowds been receptive?

Yes they have. They've been great. There have even been a few singalongs. Hard to know what to expect when you're the support act, but they've been really warm and lovely to us.

You go straight from Coldplay to U2 stadium shows. Are you looking forward to those?

Yes definitely. We toured with U2 in 2005 and we're delighted to be asked again.

For any Coldplay fans who aren't familiar with your music (though lots will be), please could you tell us a bit about Snow Patrol and what you sound like.

The hardest question of them all!! For any band. Two things really first and foremost: melody and honesty. Although live we are a hell of a lot more rock than people might expect. We've been going 15 years so we've been about a bit, but the fire is still there. You'll see that if you get there early and catch us.

Last.fm's auto-recommendation software suggests that Coldplay fans might well like Snow Patrol and vice versa. Would you tend to agree?

Yes I think we write from similar places (as above) although I don't think we sound particularly alike. Essentially we both write big, beautiful music from the heart that, yes, I'm sure would appeal to both sets of fans.

How did you come to be on the tour?

They asked us. Coldplay are one of the few bands that have been around as long as us that we haven't played with til now so it's great to finally get to play together.

Had you met them before?

A few times but only briefly really. Didn't know them very well but they are gentlemen for sure.

Have you been enjoying their shows?

Yes, very much. The stage show is spectacular and their playing is awesome. Chris's voice is exceptional live. Also they are playing my favourite song, Glass Of Water, so that's a bonus too.

Have you had chance to hang out with the band yet?

Yes, we hung out yesterday as two of their lovely crew were having a birthday party and we were invited. A very great day in the texas sunshine. Til the tornado hit that is. Seriously. Exciting though.

Is there any time for any sightseeing on this tour?

You have to make time or life becomes a scooby-doo backdrop (tourbus, gig, tourbus, gig, hotel, tourbus, gig, etc). We're good at getting out into a city and exploring.

What's the best on tour sightseeing you've done?

In my life? Well, I jumped off the southern hemisphere's tallest building a few years back in New Zealand. That was fun. Also we did some boat-surfing (?! it was new to me too) yesterday, which I'd never done before and am now maybe addicted to. I may need to talk to someone. Not sure a sharkophobic surf junkie is appropriate. Only in land locked water for me!

Are you travelling around on a tourbus? If so, what's the best way to pass the time on the journies? (apart from sleeping!)

Reading (at the moment I'm on David Mitchell's debut 'Ghostwritten' and David Niven's autobiography 'The Moon's A Balloon', both of which I recommend) listening to music (anything by James Blackwell, Mstrcrft, The Maccabees, The Lowly Knights, Foy Vance, too much to mention) and watching some films and TV (30 rock, Earl, etc, funny stuff is best for the bus I find)

Pete Yorn spoke highly of Coldplay's catering - what do you think?

Yes, it's been great each night.

What have Snow Patrol got planned for the rest of the year?

We're going to be on tour, with U2 and by ourselves until December. Christmas off methinks.

Our final question is always "what's your favourite Coldplay song?". But you've already answered it.

Yes, I'll stick with Glass Of Water, though there are many greats. It's just a thrilling piece of music isn't it. Live especially. Look close enough each night and you'll see my ever-growing haystack hair, shaking joyfully to it in the wings.

For more information on Snow Patrol, head over to snowpatrol.com.

Dear Lovers and Friends, My glasses have been found! Last night, my already tired eyes struggled to articulate the flood of thoughts, reflections, and realizations about my trip in NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) without my glasses to no avail.

Thankfully, they’ve been found and my eyes have become of use once again! Stay tuned for my post about NOLA as I work through my draft of it. In other news, I recently moved out of Bus 2 to make room for new lampies (lighting technicians) and I’m proud to say that I’ve been designated Bus Mom of Bus 5 today! This means that I’m in charge of managing our grocery list and making sure it lands in the hands of the powers that be.

Read the full blog entry with pictures at the Oxfam Blog website here onwards.

Coldplay is a musical giant. But selling millions of albums and winning a pile of Grammys hasn't turned members of the band into egomaniac rock stars. While on tour, they spend their time doing things like any average Joe, writes the Omaha World-Herald.

“Often we have our families with us and that keeps us very busy. We play soccer. We read. We do all the things that everyone else does,” said Coldplay drummer Will Champion. The group's “Viva La Vida” tour stops in Omaha on Saturday.

“Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” was released in 2008, selling millions of albums and garnering the group three Grammys, including awards for song of the year and best rock album. Their cloud nine has been darkened, though, by several musicians (Joe Satriani and Cat Stevens among them) who claim Coldplay stole their songs. On the phone from Coldplay's studio in London, Champion answered questions about his band's music (creating it, performing it and giving it away) before the band embarked on its tour...

Q. Cat Stevens said you ripped off his song “Foreigner Suite” to make your song “Viva La Vida.”

A. I have nothing to say other than we wrote the song. It's strange that people don't accuse of us stealing songs that aren't successful. It's baffling to me. People always try and pull the wool over people's eyes. We know exactly — to the minute — where and when that song was written and so on and so forth. We're not worried about it.

Q. Do you guys think it's getting ridiculous?

A. Well, a little bit, you know. It goes with the territory, unfortunately.

Q. Have you been working on any new material?

A. We have actually been in the studio working with Brian (Eno) again and doing some interesting writing. We're definitely back in writing mode, although we're just about to leave to come back on tour again. Right now, it's just a bit of fun in the studio. We'll see what materializes.

Q. What's it like working with Brian Eno?

A. He is fascinating. He's a mixture of like a professor, a musician, an artist, a mathematician. He's a very interesting man and very inspiring to be in the studio with. He's always full of new and innovative techniques to get us to approach music in a new and interesting way.

Q. You're billed as the multi-instrumentalist in the band. What instruments do you play?

A. Anything that's lying around in the studio, really. I tend to shift around a bit and play piano here and there or play a guitar or play some kind of percussion or drums or drum machine. Just anything, really. We all play different things, Certainly in the last recording session — for “Viva La Vida” — we were all switching around quite a lot, which was a lot of fun. We all just play whatever's there.

Q. What can people expect to see on the live show?

A. It's a mix of the four records. The focus of our live show is to make big venues feel like small venues. Everything that we do is an attempt to try and create intimacy that is not normally there in the big arenas. Trying to get people to feel involved as possible. We try to reach as many people as possible. I don't want to give too much away, but we have varying techniques of getting around and seeing people.

Q. You're giving away a live CD (“Left Right Left Right Left”) at your concerts this summer. Why give it away instead of sell it?

A. Times are tough, and we feel like it's a way of repaying the people that have basically allowed us to be where we are.

Article: http://omaha.com

Coldplay at the AT& T Center, San Antonio, TX (10th June 2009):

Pictures by sa_spurs_tx

Accusations of Plagiarism Are Nothing New in Music World, writes the San Luis Obispo blogs. Maybe Coldplay should cover the Barenaked Ladies song “It’s All Been Done.”

According to this story (watch the video!) posted on CNN’s web site, Coldplay has been fighting charges from guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani that their song “Viva La Vida” was ripped off from Satriani’s “If I Could Fly.” The debate has been going on for a while now — Satriani has actually pursued the charges in court — but CNN noted how YouTubers have been engaging in the debate as well by comparing the songs. This guy , for instance, did a comprehensive analysis and garnered over 670,000 views.

While there are clearly some similarities, I agree with Coldplay — that any similarities are probably a coincidence. I mean, come on. There are only so many chord combinations, right? A lot of people think “Viva La Vida” also sounds like “The Songs I Didn’t Write” (yes, an ironic title) by the Creaky Boards. And, as my features department colleague Sarah Linn wrote in the comment section, even the former Cat Stevens has claimed inspiration for this song, saying “Viva La Vida” sounds a lot like his 1973 single “Foreigner Suite.”

I think he’s off his rocker. But whatever. This is nothing new. The most famous ripoff claim comes from the Chiffons, who successfully sued George Harrison, saying his song “My Sweet Lord” was overly inspired by their song “She’s So Fine.” The lawsuit inspired Harrison to write “This Song,” which comes with this great video that pokes fun of the whole lawsuit.

More recently, one hit wonder Tommy Tutone suggested that Bruce Springsteen’s “Radio Nowhere“ featured a guitar riff similar to the one he used in his song “867-5309 (Jenny).”

Some claims are really a stretch. I was surprised when I heard that Jimmy Jones was suing Culture Club, saying “Karma Chameleon” borrowed too much from “Handyman.” (Not even close.) I guess Jones didn’t get enough royalties when James Taylor’s cover became a hit. Art being derivitive, I think you have to expect some songs to sound like others.

But the key question is: Does the influenced song take the original in a new direction? Sure, “My Sweet Lord” follows the “She’s So Fine” pattern. But can you imagine not having “My Sweet Lord” — arguably (but not really arguably) a much better song?

If it comes down to choosing a song by the Chiffons or an ex-Beatle, there’s really not much to think about.

Coldplay at the New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA (10 June 2009):

Pictures from the Times-Picayune

An interesting article has emerged online today as a preview to the show at the AT&T Center in San Antonio tonight (June 10). Hard to tell whether the author is a fan of Coldplay or not, but one thing is for sure this article is meant to negate the effects of the New York Times one back in 2005 entitled 'The Case against Coldplay'. Still struggling to figure out if it worked or what the point of it is. You can discuss the article at the Coldplay forum here. Here's the said article, courtesy of San Antonio Current:

If you were to take the myriad reasons that critics clean the floor with Coldplay and evaluate those claims independently, they might have a point. Maybe Coldplay isn’t original. Maybe they are predictable. But Coldplay, like any band, works through various tools. Every single tool might be bad or wrong, but together it works.

After the release of Coldplay’s third album, X&Y, in 2005, New York Times reviewer Jon Pareles called the British quartet “the most insufferable band of the decade.” In case you missed it, folks, the most odious band in the world to this erudite asshole is not Chumbawamba, nor is it Aqua, nor even Puddle of Mudd.

After trudging through the Times’ review, and virtually every other bad review I could find of Coldplay, I was able to sum up why the band is, apparently, just plain awful.

1. Chris Martin uses a falsetto, girly voice.

2. Chris Martin is a bad songwriter.

3. The band isn’t original.

4. The band sells a lot of records.

5. The band is predictable.

In my daytime job working in the arts field, I have come across some brilliant people. Top among them is a Juilliard professor named Eric Booth who wrote a book called The Everyday Work of Art. The premise behind the book is that every waking moment is rich and full in artistic creation, from the way we tell a story to the PowerPoint presentation we must craft for work. The magnificence of art can’t just be confined to Mozart and Michelangelo, because, as Booth puts it, “When we assume that the work of art exists only in these isolated peaks, we shrug off our birthright.” What Booth means by “our birthright” is that we were born to be creative individuals, and this takes various shapes, forms, and processes.

Take, for instance, the aggrandized dismissal of Martin’s songwriting. Martin isn’t a lyricist equal to Neil Young or Bob Dylan. In fact, his lyrics sound like a freshman’s first assignment in poetry class. In Coldplay’s hit song “The Scientist,” Martin laments “Nobody said it was easy/No one ever said it would be so hard.” His meaning is simple, the preceding rhyme (“It’s a shame for us to part”) is predictable, and it reeks of love-sick sentimentality. But, combined with Martin’s convincing gentleness, the doo-wop-reminiscent coos in the background, and haunting, constant backing of piano bangs, the parts synthesize into a poignant, moving whole. The work itself, evaluated and picked apart like a Thanksgiving turkey, is bad. But heard as an everyday work of art, it’s beautiful.

There’s something laudable and, contrary to belief, original about Coldplay’s desire to not only express their creativity and their oft-mocked bleeding hearts, but to improve the process and revel in the music. After the New York Times’ scathing review, Coldplay ditched producer Ken Nelson and recruited the über-cool Brian Eno to produce Viva La Vida. Of the Times review, Martin said “I agreed with a lot of the points ... so, in a way, it was liberating to see that someone else realized that also. And there is something glamorous to me in taking a bit of a beating and keeping on going.”

And keep going they did. Viva La Vida was an artistic creation in part because it was a drastic improvement from X & Y, and a return to the quality of their first two albums, Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head. Viva La Vida is Coldplay after a shower, cleaned of the day’s dried sweat and smelling sweet and rife with potential. And nothing could bother the critics more. As the Wordsworth Media Blog explains, “To critics, the idea of a band like Coldplay becoming successful is troubling because it destroys their roles as gatekeepers.”

Music critics are disgusted and aghast that anyone who isn’t creating high-art — whatever the hell that means — is well-liked. But if we go back to the “Why Coldplay sucks” list above, you’ll notice that only two of the complaints are about music at all. The predominant indictments of Coldplay are that they are too similar to everyone else; predictable sound-alikes with the capacity to sell out a stadium, despite the bad lyrics and feminine vocals. (Don’t get me started on the blatant sexism/homophobia of that criticism.)

Music criticism has become a filthy, disgusting monster that tells you what is art and when it’s art and eats your face if you disagree. The criticism has gone from discussing what is good and bad about a band to creating two categories of bands — good and bad. Groups like Coldplay, working artists who are defining and perfecting their craft as they go, have become fodder for any jerk with a PC and a keyboard to condescend to the masses. Except here’s the secret that Booth taught me: There is an innate, natural desire for us to cling to and seek out others who are creating consistently and bravely, constantly seeking to change themselves and the world around them. Something about Coldplay resonates with people, as evidenced by the nearly 20 million records they’ve sold. Though I seriously doubt that Coldplay will etch a place for themselves in history as music Gods, I hardly find them to be insufferable. I guess that makes me out of step with the New York Times and in step with just about everyone else.

Article: http://sacurrent.com

Coldplay at the New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA (10 June 2009):

Pictures from the Times-Picayune

Getting into the middle of a plagiarism dispute between hot British band Coldplay and legendary American guitarist Joe Satriani has made Winnipeg music teacher Andrew Wasson a minor Internet star, writes the Toronto Star.

Last December, Wasson, owner of Creative Guitar Studio, did a nine-minute analysis of the similarities between Coldplay's 2009 Grammy-winning song of the year, "Viva La Vida," and Satriani's 2004 instrumental, "If I Could Fly."

His conclusion, based on comparisons of rhythm, melody and harmony: Satriani's claim that the Coldplay song was a rip-off of his own tune is essentially true. Since then, Wasson's video on YouTube has received more than 670,000 views and earned him a coveted place in YouTube's Partner Program, earning him a modest monthly income.

"The opportunity for me arose to go and do that video, and build some traffic and build a little bit of recognition for myself on YouTube, and it's worked really well. I kind of figured it would go pretty viral," Wasson said.

Wasson also received numerous calls from lawyers and a very complimentary email from a professor at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Wasson has gone from zero to close to 1,500 regular subscribers to his website and drawn the ire of countless Coldplay fans. "There's people that are obviously Coldplay fans that are essentially creating fake accounts and they're ... spamming my videos with comments that are derogatory, everything from `You did it all wrong' to `You're crazy.' That's putting it nicely. I thought that was very strange."

The dispute remains unresolved since Satriani filed suit in December, although Coldplay members have hotly denied his contention. But Howard King, Satriani's lawyer, said Coldplay has hired a high-profile legal firm in California to handle the suit after it became clear that the group's appearance at the 2009 Grammys in Los Angeles could be marred by the embarrassment of having the legal documents served on them publicly.

"We did have some service challenges, but once we made it known we were going to serve them at the Grammys ... they had a lawyer contact us, who agreed to accept service on their behalf," King said.

Both sides have set a tentative trial date for spring 2010, but King said they'll also hold "private mediation" talks in late July. "Cases like this either go to trial and have unpredictable and sometimes devastating results for one side or the other ... or get resolved behind closed doors. There is going to be an attempt in late July to see if the case is capable of being resolved behind closed doors," King said. Russell Frackman, representing Coldplay, had no comment.

Two other plagiarism accusations have since emerged, one from the former Cat Stevens that "Viva La Vida" strongly resembles his song "Foreigner Suite," and one – possibly from Coldplay fans – that Satriani's song is a rip-off of an Argentinean group's song, "Frances Limon."

For the record, Wasson has done a similar analysis of both songs and concluded that, despite some similarities, they are not the same. And that has only deepened his conviction that Coldplay may have some explaining to do.

"You look at the Coldplay and Satriani pieces and you go, `These two pieces are the same,'" Wasson said.

Coldplay at the New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA (10 June 2009):

Pictures from the Times-Picayune

Noblesville, Ind. - When an enormous yellow beach ball bounced out of the audience and hit bassist Guy Berryman in the head in front of more than 20,000 fans in attendance, he couldn’t help but turn to his fellow Coldplay band mates and laugh, writes the Indianapolis Star.

Lead singer songwriter, Chris Martin, with a wide smile, launched the ball back into the crowd, but only after he’d boyishly kicked it around the stage to his satisfaction and the crowd’s amusement.

The prop was released with 20 more or so of the same as a tangible way to get the audience involved during the foursome’s performance of their single, “Yellow.” But it was the candidness seen in the reaction of the multi award-winning band onstage to a silly circumstance that kept the audience captivated for two full hours of music. Even the edges of seats in the Verizon Wireless Music Center weren’t sufficient means to prepare for whatever would happen next. Collectively, the crowd stood the entire time.

The beginning of the show on June 5, 2009, gave the band a bit of trouble when technical effects were masked in sunlight, which still shined brightly as they graced the stage at 9 P.M. Front man Martin later laughed off the awkward start to the show in a transitional spiel when he disclosed the two things he’d learned that evening; that “lasers don’t work in broad daylight” and to “know what to call your audience,” after being received with unified giggles when he addressed its members as “Indianans.”

But at the first guitar twang of “In My Place,” the crowd erupted in cheers and whistles from the seats to the lawn. At the peak of the song, Martin pointed his microphone towards the audience and, as if casting a spell, magically transformed the venue into an impromptu chorus upon his invitation to sing as loudly as possible. The sun had set by the end of the song, and the ear-to-ear grins of the members of Coldplay reflected the comfort they felt after finally finding solid ground and a sound that struck a chord with their fans. Longtime Coldplay follower, Corey Alston, was on the verge of tears when Martin dedicated his favorite song, “Fix You” to “everyone on the lawn”-a population that included Alston himself.

“I seriously thought I might cry,” Alston said. “I was looking forward to that concert more than any other concert I’ve ever been to. It meant so much to feel like Chris (Martin) actually knew I was there.”

Coldplay had already taken steps to show appreciation for its fans and their support before its U.S. summer tour began. On May 15 of this year, the band made its live album, “LeftRightLeftRightLeft” available as a free download from its official website, and announced that the same album would be passed out at every Coldplay show scheduled on the tour. According to the band’s website, “the give-away is meant as a recession-busting mark of gratitude to everyone who’s supported (Coldplay).”

“Playing live is what we love,” the band said, in a statement on their website regarding the free release. “This album is a thank you to our fans - the people who give us a reason to do it and make it happen.”

It seemed an extension of Coldplay’s gratitude when the band walked off the main stage, meandered through the aisles of the lower level seats, and made its way to a second, smaller stage set up in the midst of the fans themselves. Even those on the lawn began running down the enormous length of stairs, past security guards at the greater odds of getting away with seeing the band up close. Lawn ticketholder Kristen McKeon jumped over a barred section of seating when it became obvious the band was meeting its further-away fans halfway, and swears she was no more than 15 feet from Martin as he played and sang, “The Hardest Part.”

“I can’t believe I did that,” McKeon said. “I can’t believe the band did that. It’s amazing and awesome and obvious that (Coldplay) went out of their way to give everyone that showed up their money’s worth. I will never forget this.”

Neither will general admission ticketholders, who hardly predicted getting a $100 glimpse of Coldplay-the price of choice seating in the lower level. The band returned to the main stage and played through songs from their most recent LP, “Viva la Vida,” before they abandoned the stage once more to weave through the audience. The spotlight that followed their path disappeared for a few seconds, only to reveal their new place on the lawn. An avalanche of people rushed from the furthest corners of the venue to the base of the hill where the British quartet relocated and asserted both literal and metaphorical common ground when their cover of the Monkees,’ “I’m a Believer” broke into a massive sing-along.

Coldplay returned to the stage one last time, and the music ended with the bang of confetti canons during the song, “Lovers in Japan” and a long-winded “thank you” from Martin on behalf of the band. The venue lights came on and unveiled thousands of people scrambling for their free albums and pieces of confetti. The ending lyrics of the final song on “Viva la Vida” played over the loudspeakers-”in the end, we lie awake and dream of making our escape.” But as fans raved and reminisced on the eventful evening and scavenged for something to remember the night by, it was apparent that the act of leaving was no such “escape.”

Coldplay at Verizon Wireless Music Center, Indianapolis, IN (5 June 2009):

Pictures by coldplaymama

Coldplay's June 5 show was consistent with shows on their last tour, which also stopped at Verizon Wireless Music Center, writes nuvo.net.

Just like in 2005, the platinum-selling British group used tricks to win the crowd, dropping big yellow balloons filled with confetti during the rendition of their first hit, "Yellow." This time around they used not just one, but two auxiliary stages - one in the upper pavilion and the other on the lawn - to give the sold-out amphitheater a sense of intimacy.

Several tracks from their most acclaimed and best-selling release to date, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, graced the set list, notably "Violet Hill," "Lost" and the title cut. The quartet wore the garb - relics from Sgt. Pepper's closet - that has become synonymous with the album.

Coldplay also used globes that descended from the ceiling and projected everything from psychedelic imagery to live band shots, with quick cuts and '80s band a-ha-style stop-action animation. The video element brings Coldplay closer than ever to Pink Floyd's visual superiority.

Frontman Chris Martin executed his customary half-skip around the stage and two catwalks. He rarely sat still at his piano, either, unless the band was playing one of its more meditative numbers. Martin struck the right balance between engaging the audience and not getting on its nerves, however. During one impromptu jam on the lawn stage, he riffed, "Singing in some places is good, in others great. Especially when you're playing the Hoosier state." At another point he orchestrated a cell phone wave.

Coldplay have also shown their aptitude for bringing along great and/or complementary special guests. In 2005 it was the Technicolor fuzz of Black Mountain. This time it was the lovelorn pop-rock of Snow Patrol, who headlined their own concert two summers ago at The Lawn.

Unlike Coldplay, Snow Patrol only performed two songs off their new album, A Hundred Million Suns: the pixie-dust propulsion of "If There's a Rocket Tie Me To It" and the fist-pumping thump of "Crack the Shutters." Otherwise the Irish group's older recordings were better represented, and still enough to get many out of their seats. Opening act Howling Bells commenced the proceedings with a darkly danceable and hypnotic brand of rock. Think a Cure vibe without the mope.

Article: http://www.nuvo.net

Coldplay at Verizon Wireless Music Center, Indianapolis, IN (5 June 2009):

Realizing that attending Saturday night's Coldplay show--their first in Nashville in six years--was a no-lose situation, as we were guaranteed an entertaining spectacle of sound and vision, we decided we owed it to ourselves to witness the phenomenon of the band's success firsthand, and made it down to the Sommet Center on time, writes the Nashville Scene blogs.

There, we got caught up in the cattle-herd of teenagers outfitted in Viva La Vida fatigues, popped-collar frat boys and their girlfriends, Jon Bon Jovi look-a-likes who color-code their two-tone dye jobs with their pre-ripped jeans and slobbering drunk cougars. As a result, we missed the first half of Howling Bells, whose brief, shoegazey set droned more than howled.

Even from our plush ninth-row floor seats it was hard to see the Australian foursome burning holes in their shoes and taking cues from the 4AD discography due to the "moody" lighting that obscured them. Which is just as well considering that what they do is pretty antithetical to the whole arena rock thing.

Direct support act Snow Patrol were an utter waste of time. Between the contrived stadium choruses and a singer whose favorite move was reaching up to the sky to make sure we got a long look at his white belt and even whiter midriff, they blandly satisfied all the requisite criteria of the adult-alternative idiom. A shout-out to Grimey's record shop--where an in-store by the band earlier in the day had resulted in Beatlesque pandemonium--was enough for us to forgive their mediocrity and endure a set that would make Coldplay's seem fiercely original by comparison.

The arena, which appeared to be at capacity, was brimming with excitement in anticipation of the night's headliners, and you didn't have to be a fan to share in the palpable enthusiasm that comes with knowing you're about to see one of the biggest bands in the world. The crowd's deafening reaction as the band took stage with the one-two opening punch of Viva La Vida's "Life in Technicolor" and "Violet Hill" only grew louder with the trifecta of "Clocks," "In My Place" and "Yellow" (with the last chorus dedicated to Faith and Tim) that immediately followed--a string of hits that we were surprised to see played so early in proceedings. The fact that they could blow such a load in the first quarter of the set was a testament to their sheer prowess as both hit-makers and arena-rockers. Combine this the band's unsullied musical execution, frontman Chris Martin's disgustingly boyish charisma and the multitude of lasers, video imagery, dragon costumes, bursting ballo0ns and confetti cannons, and you have exactly what we came to see--a hit-laden multi-media extravaganza of epic proportions.

Despite the hi-tech tableau on the grand stage, the part of the show that connected best with the audience was a three-song acoustic set the band played on a mini-stage in nosebleed territory, during which they had the crowd do the wave with their cell-phones before leading them in a sing-along of Neil Diamond's "I'm a Believer."

Mercifully, Martin & Co. spared us twelve of the thirteen tracks from 2005's critically maligned X&Y, opting only to play the overwrought anthem "Fix You," which was second only to the band's ultimate pussy-wetter "The Scientist" in eliciting the fever-pitch sing-along of the night. Along the way there was the epic fan favorite "Politick," nearly all of Viva La Vida and a smoke-break inducing solo piano set by Martin. While Martin's arrhythmic airplane imitations and cringetacular Bono-aping were a little much to handle at times, we found that our hands were up in the air, our heads were bobbing and our mouths were open more than we'd care to admit.

Article: http://blogs.nashvillescene.com

Coldplay at Sommet Center, Nashville, TN, USA (6th June 2009):

Pictures: http://nashville.metromix.com

In the Fountains of Wayne minidrama "Someone to Love," lovelorn corporate attorney Seth Shapiro "puts Coldplay on, pours a glass of wine/curls up with a book about organized crime." The implication is clear: Coldplay is the feel-good band of yuppies the world over, writes The Times-Picayune ahead of Coldplay's show in New Orleans.

In a decade, singer Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion have evolved from utter unknowns to cultural touchstones. They've sold tens of millions of albums, endorsed various charitable and political causes and, in the case of Martin, married Hollywood royalty without seeming insufferable.

Buckland called from his home in England during a recent break in Coldplay's tour, which stops at the New Orleans Arena on Tuesday, June 9... [discussion]

Coldplay has not performed in New Orleans since a 2003 show at the Saenger Theater. Should we take that personally?

I think we were supposed to come back just after Hurricane Katrina hit, but the gig was canceled. So I don't think you should take it personally.

You're over the career hump -- you've established who you are and what you do. I don't know if "relax" is the right word, but you've earned both credibility and success and can have some fun with it.

We've never enjoyed touring so much actually. We feel like we're playing better than we ever have and having more fun on stage than we ever have. The more we put into it, the more we get out of it. So it's the opposite of relaxing.

What element of the current show works best for you?

Where we go out and play in the audience. We try to get to the back of the crowd and pop up somewhere. It's kind of ramshackle, and we don't decide what songs we're going to do until we're there. In arenas, you can feel a long way away and disconnected. We try to make people feel like they've actually been to see a real band rather than watching them on the TV.

Do you use some sort of satellite stage?

"Stage" might be overstating it a bit. More like a satellite shelf.

You never set out to be a guitar hero -- your guitar work is in the service of the song. Is that a fair assessment?

I think so. I've never gone in much for the solos. I was always more interested in atmospherics. Listening to bands like Mercury Rev or My Bloody Valentine or even The Verve, the way those guitarists played.

Do you solo at all during the show?

No, not really. I maybe have one, but it's not really shredding or anything like that. There's no Van Halen in me. (laughs)

Drummer Will Champion was Coldplay's original guitarist. It probably worked out best that you played guitar and not Will.

Yeah, well, he was a better drummer than me. (laughs) He probably is a better guitarist -- he's a very good guitarist. He's pretty much good at everything he does. He can even play the tin whistle. He's sort of a multitalented, Swiss Army drummer.

Don't you just hate that?

It is a bit annoying.

I'm guessing you don't wear the colored bits of tape on your fingers like Chris Martin because that would make it hard to play guitar.

That's Chris' thing. We can't all be doing the same thing.

You'd look like Devo.

Or Kraftwerk. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, actually.

You put out the EP "Prospekt's March" in November with songs left over from the "Viva la Vida" sessions.

There were some songs that didn't really fit on the album. We didn't want to save them for another record. It felt silly to save them; they were already a couple of years old.

So it wasn't a qualitative decision to leave them off "Viva la Vida"?

We started writing a record, then we went to South America and scrapped the initial idea of what the record was about. We changed it to "Viva la Vida." So some of the songs just didn't fit with that at all, but we still really liked those songs. They told a different story.

Do any of those turn up in the set?

We play "Glass of Water" quite a bit and "Life in Technicolor II" as well. We love playing them live. We wanted to get them out there, so that we could be indulged.

Have you started writing for the next album?

We've written tons. We've got so much material, it's almost hard to know in which direction to go. It's quite a nice stage where you're bringing together all your ideas and picking which way to take them.

Any early indication of the mood?

There's a possibility of being a more acoustic record. But that still remains a possibility rather than a certainty.

You're not going to really work on it until after the tour?

We never really stop working on stuff. It's continuous. Touring only really takes up an hour and a half (a night). There's plenty of time to be writing music and playing. We won't finish anything this year, but we'll certainly get started.

Momentum feeds itself.

Being on tour, you're excited about playing live and you want to keep on going. You never want it to end, that adrenaline rush. It does feed into you writing more songs and getting excited about new ideas. We love playing music. It's the best job in the world. We want to work all the time. It's hard to make us take a holiday.

It's definitely in the Top 5 jobs.

For us, it's No. 1. There's nothing else we'd rather be.

You don't want to trade being a guitarist for being a dentist?

No, thank you.

One last thing: Have you taken down all your Joe Satriani posters?

(laughs) Honestly, I never had a single one. I promise!

One minor bump in the road: In December, guitar wizard Joe Satriani filed a lawsuit alleging that the title track of Coldplay's current "Viva la Vida" album plagiarized his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly." Nice chaps even when sued, the band responded, "If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him.... Joe Satriani is a great musician.... We wish him well with all future endeavors."

COLDPLAY

With: Opening acts Snow Patrol and Howling Bells

When: Tuesday, June 9, 7 p.m..

Where: New Orleans Arena, 1501 Girod St.

Tickets: $49.50, $79.50, $97.50 plus service charges through Ticketmaster.

Source: http://blog.nola.com

Concerts rarely inspire audience members to turn their attention in as many different directions as Coldplay's Saturday night show at Nashville's Sommet Center did, writes The Tennessean.

The British rock group's lavish stage production frequently urged its attendees to take in the spectacle around them rather than focus on the band on stage. Lasers shot across the venue for their hypnotic performance of "Clocks." Giant balloons rained from the ceiling at the start of the band's breakthrough hit, "Yellow." A swarm of neon, butterfly-shaped confetti shot into the air during their closing number.

Still, the most transfixing moments of the evening came when all eyes were focused on front man Chris Martin, who manages to balance commanding showmanship with palpable humility in a one-of-a-kind way. As all the house lights turned on for "In My Place," Martin bounded down the stage catwalks, greeting his audience with equal measures of cockiness and gratitude. During the choruses, he turned the microphone toward the stands like he was lobbing a softball, and the crowd, in turn, knocked their cues out of the park.

Moments like these also gave Martin a quick chance to catch his breath, which he'd certainly earned. The singer would leap and whirl in his trademark fashion from one end of the stage to the other, drop his guitar to pound some chords on his upright piano, then hop over to aid guitarist Jonny Buckland in keyboard accompaniment. By the end of "Fix You," he slumped onto the piano and pointed to the crowd to go on singing without him. The audience also aided him in forming "the world's biggest backing band" to sing a single note at the end of "Yellow," which he dedicated to "Faith and Tim."

Getting a number of their biggest songs out of the way early in the set, Coldplay piled on the mood lighting and video effects for a stretch of songs from their latest album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Tunes like "Cemeteries of London" and "Strawberry Swing" are smart and charming enough, but lack the dynamic arena punch of, say, the epic, show-stopping "Politik" from 2002's A Rush Of Blood To The Head.

Vida's title track, however, was greeted with the set's most energetic roar. Its orchestral flourishes and techno-inspired beat were a surprisingly good fit for an arena rock show, and also served as the perfect segue between two additional stages the band performed on during the evening.

The first was at the tip of the catwalk on stage left, where the band stood in close proximity and pounded out electronic versions of "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Talk." The second -- to the crowd's surprise -- was situated at the opposite end of the arena, where the band did a few acoustic numbers, including "Green Eyes" and an unlikely cover of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer."

When Martin returned to center stage to play "The Scientist" as the band's encore, he had one more (potential) surprise: free copies of Coldplay's live CD, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, would be available to fans as they left the concert. (The band announced the gift on their website recently -- the album is available as a download, but the hard copies are going to Coldplay ticketholders.)

The CD table was of course all but impossible to get anywhere near as the thousands made their exit, but judging by the rapturous response Martin and his band received at night's end, nobody was going home without a smile on their face -- with or without their free souvenir.

Source: tennessean.com/

Coldplay at Sommet Center, Nashville, TN, USA (6th June 2009):

Pictures: theblacknail.com

Pictures: http://web.me.com/thebizzle

Even if he's singing in character, it can be a little hard to swallow the opening line of Coldplay's 2008 hit Viva la Vida. "I used to rule the world," front man Chris Martin croons over a mix of regal cellos and dance beats, but anyone who's even casually followed popular music in the past few years can tell you that the British rock group's rule is far from over, writes the Tennessean ahead of Coldplay's show at the Sommet Center on Saturday.

The group is one of the few modern rock acts able to perform in arenas and stadiums throughout the world — they'll headline Sommet Center on Saturday — and they picked up awards for song of the year and best rock album at this year's Grammys. But an equally impressive accomplishment is the fact that Martin and his bandmates have, by all accounts, remained some of the warmest and most sincere rock stars around.

They have similar strengths as performers. They manage to transcend arena rock's super-size scale and close the gap between performers and fans with sets that feel downright intimate — even when you're sharing them with 15,000 others. During a brief chat, Martin told us how he attempts to make that connection, explained why his band is giving away copies of a CD to fans and surprised us with his recent listening habits.

When Coldplay played at the Ryman in 2003, you played a bit of "Ring of Fire" and told the crowd, "So many of our heroes have played here, from Johnny Cash all the way through to Johnny Cash, including Johnny Cash."

Of course. You'd have to be an idiot not to have Johnny Cash as one of your musical heroes. I'd like to meet someone for whom he isn't a musical hero. I'm sure every band that comes through Nashville says it, but you have to be aware of what you're stepping into.

Besides Johnny Cash, do you listen to any other country artists, past or present?

The last country thing I listened to was that band Sugarland, and they're more modern country, and they're not from Tennessee, I know that. They're from Atlanta.

It might surprise some people that you listen to modern country music as well.

I listen to everything. That's my job. I've got to know.

Even six years ago, you could have played in a larger venue than the Ryman. These days, it seems like it'd be impossible for Coldplay to do that. Are there benefits and drawbacks to playing in these huge spaces?

With the songs we've been writing for these last two albums, we love playing them in the big places, because we love the sound of everyone singing together. For us, it's always been about trying to create some sort of communal spirit. The sound of thousands of people singing the same melody, it really makes me feel alive. But I can definitely see (us) in a couple of years doing something more stripped-down and playing in smaller places. It's such a great privilege to be able to play a bigger place, but I think we'll take a leaf out of Bruce Springsteen's book and go back and forth. But I think for this album, for this concert, it's more fun the more people there are.

You guys are giving out a free live CD (LeftRightLeftRightLeft) on this tour. What motivated you to do that?

We looked at how many people had gone to see us in concert in the last year, and we thought, "Man, that's a lot of people. We should do something in return." So we thought that this summer, we'll make a record and we'll pay for it ourselves, and we'll give it to people that bought tickets. It's really just a way of saying, "Thank you." Maybe it came from my son's birthday party a while ago. I remembered that when you leave a birthday party, everybody gets a little bag.

It's also nice that it's actually a physical gift. It'd be easy to just say, "Here's your download code."

Well, it will be available for download for people who can't get to the concert. Who knows if it's the last CD we'll make, since CDs are disappearing, but it's a nice package. I'm pretty proud of the fact that we can do that.

Is it harder to make a personal connection with a larger audience? If so, how do you combat that?

There are a lot of things we're doing to try to break the barrier between band and audience. Most of it involves going into the audience — physically crossing the barrier.

Are you escorted by security, or is it more spontaneous than that?

We do it very safely (laughs). We're Coldplay. We do everything safely.

Is there a mindset that you get into while performing to make a concert feel more personal, more real?

If I can be totally honest, I just think about the fact that people have spent some of their wages, had to go through parking, missed their homework, got a baby sitter, or they're taping Desperate Housewives. I try to think of the audience as individuals, and I just feel extremely buzzed about the fact that they've come to see our concert. I don't know how it translates into our performance, but it makes you try harder.

Coldplay at Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH (4 June 2009):

Article: tennessean.com

Pictures: luscious mix of words and tricks

The rock ’n’ roll crown rests easily on the collective head of Coldplay, a band that balanced earnestness against whimsy and virtuosity against the basics Friday night at Verizon Wireless Music Center, writes Metromix Indianapolis.

Vocalist Chris Martin -- the focal point of attention since the U.K. band released debut album “Parachutes” in 2000 -- makes everything land in its right place in a live setting. At the top of the show, Coldplay and its audience of 20,207 fumbled for common ground across two songs. But once Martin uncorked pub-rock triumph “In My Place,” a massive sing-along latched onto its tipsy tempo.

Criticized at times for being too solemn and other times for being too goofy, Martin appeared comfortable in his own skin during this picture-perfect Indiana night.

His lyrics turn outward and consider big questions on current album “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.” The what-does-it-all-mean duo “Cemeteries of London” and “42” were paired effectively and enhanced by the singer’s full-throated delivery.

Martin’s ideas are catching up to Coldplay’s position of grandeur, and the art is fortunately less grandiose. The biggest reward of a Coldplay show is the integration of all of the band’s albums. When Martin gushes the lyrics of “Yellow,” the audience hears the romantic upstarts of “Parachutes.”

A slamming rendition of “Politik” brings back the days when the band felt its rock-star oats on “A Rush of Blood to the Head.”

A soul-stirring rendition of “Fix You” proves that “X&Y” strived for importance and succeeded at least once. It even could be argued that “Fix You” puts the band on equal footing with towering influences U2 and Radiohead. One thing Coldplay doesn’t do is muscle up its sound by using recorded tracks or hiring sidemen who lurk at the back of the stage. Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bass player Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion go it alone, and they’re sometimes stretched thin (especially when listeners hope for a $100 show to match their $100 ticket).

There’s no question Champion carries his weight. He strikes with ferocity, and he revealed the sweetest voice in the band when singing “Death Will Never Conquer” on one of two satellite stages that placed the musicians closer to their fans. Coldplay’s roster might be counted as four plus the thousands of loyalists who come together for the heavy thoughts of “42” as well as summer-fun covers such as “I’m a Believer.”

Coldplay at Verizon Wireless Music Center, Indianapolis, IN (5 June 2009):

Article: indianapolis.metromix.com