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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Performers often scalp tickets to their own performances, using TicketsNow.com and StubHub.com as outlets, says Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor in a blog posting. Maybe its a way of Coldplay getting one over on the ticket scalpers?   With the face value of tickets for the best seats so much less than what high rollers and avid fans are willing to pay, performers have to choose between letting scalpers reap the profits of their work or cashing in themselves, said indus

Three times a charm. And that charm has ensured Coldplay will receive a very warm welcome for their third performance in Singapore on Monday, reports The Jakarta Post.   Back in 2001, Coldplay, then an up-and-coming alternative rock group, paired up with Scottish quartet Travis for their first Singapore gig to promote their debut album Parachute. Playing to a modestly sized audience, the young band - Chris Martin on vocals, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion

Say what you like about Coldplay - the band knows how to control atmosphere. They have the rare and awe-inspiring ability to change how you feel, and change how an entire room feels.   It had been six long years - and two chart topping albums - since Coldplay last came for a meet-and-greet in New Zealand so it was only fitting the band put on a proper show at the Vector Arena. From the hypnotic laser show that accompanied Clocks early in the night, to the pulsing, blaze of strobe lights that cap

Forget about the faux French Revolution uniforms. Flag away accusations they make "music for bedwetters". And ignore all that gossip about the Hollywood marriage, the macrobiotic diet and naming your kids after fruit.   When Coldplay take to the stage, something epic happens. Singles you've dismissed as radio-friendly fodder become foot-stomping classics. Songs thought of as straight U2 ripoffs turn into surprisingly grunty rock numbers. And you'll find yourself singing along to previously ropey

Coldplay fans are expected to flock to Auckland's Vector Arena on Wednesday night for the first of two concerts by the Grammy award-winning band.   Coldplay are in New Zealand as part of their Viva la Vida world tour in support of their new album of the same name. Its first two singles, Violet Hill and Viva la Vida were both in the top three of New Zealand's airplay chart. The first time Coldplay was in New Zealand was at the Big Day Out in 2001. In 2006 thousands of Kiwi fans lobbied a national

Dreamy US popsters Mercury Rev are supporting Coldplay on their current tour across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. Coldplay.com called up frontman Jonathan Donahue to find out how they're getting on. Here is the interview:   Hello Jonathan. How's the tour going? It's going really, really well. Obviously the shows are all sold out and they've had really enthusiastic crowds, but we're having the time of our lives as well. We're being treated really well by everybody a

A national campaign to convince Coldplay to let a local band open for them has been running for a month with no sign of letting up - Coldplay are yet to respond according to Juliana Down, via PRNewswire.   When Juliana Down, an independent rock band in the UAE, contacted the promoter's for Coldplay's Abu Dhabi show to take place on the 28th of March, they were under the impression that a local support act slot would naturally be created for home grown talent. They were sadly mistaken. Upon conta

Over 120,000 people have attended the Sound Relief fundraising concerts in Sydney and Melbourne to help aid victims of devastating fires and floods in Australia, reports the NME.   In Sydney, Coldplay played their earliest festival slot in years, kicking off the event just after midday as the temperature edged toward 30 degrees. The band opened with 2000 hit 'Yellow', unleashing a cache of giant yellow balls and confetti into the crowd. Frontman Chris Martin acknowledged how much the day meant t

The rain is lashing as I stand ankle-deep in mud, along with more than 100,000 other bedraggled souls, at Glastonbury Festival in the UK. As Coldplay rip into their tender tear-jerker "Fix You", an extraordinary thing happens: people all around me start weeping. Everywhere I look people are singing along with tears streaming down their faces. Couples clutch each other in a "they're playing our song" kind of way. One young woman lies on her back in the cold, grey mud and bellows out the lyrics to

Getting the biggest bands in the country to play Sound Relief was always going to be enough to draw big crowds, report The Age. But when the show's co-promoters Michael Gudinski and Michael Chugg realised that two of the biggest rock bands in the world, Kings of Leon and Coldplay, would both be in the country on March 13 to play arena shows in Melbourne and Sydney, the stars had aligned in more ways than one.   The stage was set for the clash for the heavyweight rock world championship. Before K

Coldplay have opened Sydney's Sound Relief concert, with singer Chris Martin making an extraordinary dash through the crowd.   After a six song set, which included a duet with John Farnham, Martin leapt off the stage and ran half the length of the Sydney Cricket Ground to greet fans at the back of the event.   Martin embraced a number of fans, high fived people as he was running along and briefly took refuge on one side of the stadium, before returning into the crowd and clambering back on to th

You probably saw it coming: Coldplay hitting the stage with all guns, or at least sparklers, blazing. Not just because they are one of the world's biggest rock bands; more because of their faintly ridiculous home-made garb.   It's all military jackets and multicoloured frayed sashes, which, along with current fourth album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, appears to take at least some influence from the Spanish Civil War.   The Brit four-piece's self-confidence knows no bounds in terms

Coldplay really have become the biggest band in the world. The colossal commercial success of their latest release, 2008’s Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, means they can charge $140 a ticket and still be able to sell out stadium shows with their legion of fiercely loyal followers – and that’s exactly what they’re doing this week. Returning for their first Australian visit since 2006’s Twisted Logic tour, the British supergroup are playing five packed-out shows at Sydney’s Acer Arena,

Coldplay and Kings of Leon will be playing in Auckland within a week of each other and while they've been here before, having them in town is the noughties equivalent of hosting the Beatles and the Rolling Stones back to back.   Or at least seeing the contenders in the race to be "the next U2" – that is, if U2 ever give up being the next U2. To mark the double header, here's a recap of how the British outfit has gone from left-field beginnings to mainstream heavyweight…   2000 – In the beginning

There is nothing more life affirming for a music fan than falling in love with one of their favourite bands all over again. And about 18,000 Coldplay fans staged an infectious love-in for the all-conquering rock band at their opening Sydney concert at the Acer Arena last night.   While the self-deprecating band - which frontman Chris Martin refers to as soft rock - may insist they remain U2s understudy, Coldplay have put the Irish super group on notice that their crown can be taken. The British

There are many things Coldplay's frontman, Chris Martin, is uncomfortable discussing in interviews. Rumours of a rivalry with fellow supergroup U2 and his marriage to actress Gwyneth Paltrow are two.   Yesterday, it was whispers the band have been secretly rehearsing with John Farnham for a duet at the Sydney Sound Relief Concert on Saturday. Last week Coldplay's drummer, Will Champion, let slip that he had been learning Farnham songs, with the band seguing into the chorus of You're The Voice at

Coldplay.com have caught up with drummer Will Champion in Australia in the latest of their exclusive online interviews. In it, he discusses the possibility of a South American tour, the Brits, Grammys, and the latest studio sessions without Chris Martin including fruitful new experimentations. Read the interview below. More discussion on this interview is at the Coldplay forum here [thanks mimixxx]   Hello Will, how are you? I'm good, thanks.   We hear you're joining us direct from a game of cri

Coldplay's Chris Martin has applauded U2 for their latest album. The star claimed that No Line On The Horizon is "f***ing brilliant" and admitted that he listens to it before going on stage, reports the Daily Star.   Martin, who was recently labelled a "w***er" by Bono, went on to deny that Coldplay are trying to emulate U2's style. "We never started any rivalry, because we are fully aware that we are a number six band. We are not even number two. We are always very thrilled when someone even bo

It has taken the music industry a while to catch up with changing consumer behaviour. EMI has taken longer than most. The decline of the old album model and the rise of the iPod culture hastened its takeover by Guy Hands’s Terra Firma in 2007. Last week Hands wrote off half the £2.3 billion he invested, accepting that he is likely to make a loss on the deal.   Still, Leoni-Sceti, used to selling Cillit Bang stain remover and Airwick air freshener during his 16 years at Reckitt Benckiser, believ

There is an unmistakable thread of optimism running through Coldplay's music. Even their most melancholy moments tend to be more about hope than strife. That seems to echo the sentiments of the members as they gathered to play the first of two nights at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre last night.   What's the best part of being in Coldplay? "Every part is great, even the s--- bits," singer Chris Martin chirps, chattering backstage before last night's gig. Even when everyone is slagging you off

When Coldplay's Chris Martin bounded on to the stage at a packed Rod Laver Arena this week, rest assured of two things: he was utterly in his element and his breath was minty fresh, writes the Herald Sun, in the latest Australian Coldplay interview.   As the British quartet has morphed in the past decade from charming indie rockers to world-beating arena act, the singer has picked up a Rain Man-like list of rituals he ticks off before every show, one of which is cleaning his teeth.   "For me, t

Take40.com have reviewed Coldplay's recent shows in Melbourne and taken some stunning photos. Here is an excerpt of their review:   The last time I saw Coldplay was on the band's 'X&Y' tour a couple of years ago, when the 4 British men turned Rod Laver Arena into a spectacle of lights, video and effects that left me dazzled. The one disadvantage of putting on such an amazing light show, however, is that often the actual band playing the music can take somewhat of a back seat.   This time Co

It is certainly ironic that a Coldplay gig should carry a ‘once in a lifetime’ feel to it, writes fasterlouder.com.au. Yet, looking across a capacity Rod Laver Arena during what may quite possibly be the best live show on earth, you do start to wonder for just how many people has a Coldplay show been one of the best nights of their life?   How many have felt like they’ve shared an intimate moment with Chris Martin as his big blue’s did, by chance, stare back into theirs? A Coldplay gig does not

With thanks to some poorly placed words on the BBC last week, Bono generated a Coldplay vs U2 rivalry not seen since the days of Oasis vs Robbie Williams. That all begs the question. How good are Coldplay and where do they sit in a world of U2 and Radiohead?   The answer is they are all good. We don’t have to pick one because we have them all. Coldplay are about 100 shows into the Viva La Vida tour already so Australia got them at the well-oiled stage. Everything about this show was perfection.

They've sold millions of albums, packed out the world's biggest concert venues, and in Chris Martin they have one of the most recognisable front men in rock.   But Coldplay claim they're only just getting started. According to drummer Will Champion - on the phone from his snowed-in London home - Coldplay are about to do something 'really spectacular'. "We've worked very hard to get where we are, and we feel like there's a great big opportunity to do something really different," he said.   But,