Now that the final traces of Oasis fans have been politely cleared from the Odyssey, an audience of a different nature will be arriving tonight.
The latest sell-out gig in a bonanza week for the venue is Coldplay, with Rod Stewart still set for a Friday festive frolic before Christmas.
And if John Lennon once told the Royal Variety audience in the posh seats to rattle their jewellery, maybe Coldplay frontman Chris Martin will get his devotees to shake their charity wristbands.
Coldplay's social conscience is well documented, and if their setlist is like the other dates on their UK mini tour, which started in Newcastle upon Tyne on December 15 and finishes in Belfast tonight, it will open with Square One and feature Politik as song two.Politik was the song which the band contributed to a compilation CD in aid of Amnesty International, an organisation close to the band's heart, as Scottish bass-player Guy Berryman explains: "Anyone in our position has a certain responsibility. Odd though it may seem to us, a lot of people read what we're saying, see us on TV, buy our records and read the sleeves, and that can be a great platform.
"You can make people aware of issues. It isn't very much effort for us at all, but if it can help people, then we want to do it." Devon frontman Chris Martin defines the finely-measured ethos of Coldplay, their music and their causes.
"We were trying to say that there is an alternative, that you can try to be catchy without being slick, poppy without being pop, and you can be uplifting without being pompous," he says.
"Because we're sometimes playing quieter stuff, it's hard to sound like we're trying to change things, but we wanted to be a reaction against soulless rubbish." Megahit lovesong Yellow was their major wake-up call for rock. It has been appearing as third on their set-list, followed by Speed of Sound, God Put A Smile Upon Your Face and X&Y. The set usually includes White Shadows, Ring of Fire and Don't Panic, and normally ends with Clocks and Talk, before the encore showcases Swallowed in the Sea, In My Place and Fix You.
Chris Martin, Jon Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion formed Coldplay in 1998 while students at University College London And Martin is married to macrobiotic food-loving Gwyneth Paltrow. Born in 1972 in Los Angeles, Gwyneth is the daughter of film director Bruce Paltrow and Tony award-winning actress Blythe Danner. Famously known as the woman who broke up with Brad Pitt, Paltrow ended her much
publicised engagement to the Alist star in 1997, citing the fact, ironically in face of Pitt's subsequent failed marriage with Jennifer Aniston, that neither she nor Pitt felt that they could pursue their respective careers and at the same time maintain a happy marriage.
Paltrow is often seen at Coldplay concerts to watch husband Chris, father of Apple Blythe Alison Martin (born May 2004), perform. As to whether the whole family will be in Belfast, all will be revealed tonight, in the most uplifting and non-pompous way, of course.
Source: http://www.newsletter.co.uk
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