School is just about out for the summer, but on Wednesday night, Coldplay gave a lesson at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater on how to put on a fantastic show. Pencils sharpened? Fresh sheet of paper? Here we go, reports Hampton Roads (dot com).
1. Keep your show full of surprises. Secretly set up small stages in the middle of the crowd and even in the lawn seats, so that when the lights go low, you can run to your predetermined little island and sing a few songs. Do some covers too: something hip and fresh by a group like say, Arctic Monkeys, and then later, cover something totally dorky fun like “I’m a Believer,” so everyone can sing along. People love that stuff.
2. Be into it. Be like lead singer Chris Martin: totally present, totally immersed in what you’re doing, and have fun. Run and jump and slide across the stage. People will know you’re having a good time. They’ll think you’re deep too when you sing with your eyes closed.
3. Dazzle their eyes. Unleash giant saffron balloons filled with confetti for your song “Yellow.” (Note: if your song is “Blue” or “Red” adjust balloon color accordingly.) Set up giant spheres on stage, and project images on them. Multi-colored lasers? Now you’re thinking. Use varying film types for the jumbo screens, so they sometimes make you look like you’re on one of those HBO concert specials; or at other times just playing with the settings on your Mac. It’s all good.
4. Sound terrific playing hits both old – “Politik”, “Clocks” – and new, like “Lost” or “When I Ruled The World.” And then, just as people are leaving, and the anxiety about where their cars might be begins to set in, have someone hand them a CD to remember the magical night. Perfect. A+
Source: hamptonroads.com
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