Coldplay played their first ever concert in South Africa last night as they rocked the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town (5th October 2011). They now head to Johannesburg for the second South Africa concert this Saturday (8th October) before heading home to the release of their fifth album, Mylo Xyloto.
It was a brilliant show by the majority of Twitter reviewers, however some still had cause for concern over sound problems according to some on Twitter, with most complaints coming from the back of the stadium, where some of the seats were empty. On Twitter, @RayaRossi saying: "Loved #coldplay but was a little disappointed with the sound quality last night :( It became too distorted in the stands!" and "Coldplay were cool. Sound was crap. At least, from my not-very-cheap seats. Irritated." was written by @COSMOcathy. Up in the stands was @ClaireLecila: "Hello Chris Martin. The sound is so shit I didn't even hear you start." Blackdelilah was more scathing, who commented: "Please hang the sound engineer and the idiot who okayed the soundcheck #coldplay".
There were two additions to the setlist - Shiver was brought back and also 'Til Kingdom Come. Other than those, the setlist was generally the same as the recent festival performances. Some excellent photos from the concert are already available at Facebook courtesy of Big Concerts and also from Laura Baasch. There are also some via outlet http://iol.co.za. More live discussion on this show is at the Coldplay Live forum (reviews start around page 11 onwards). Thanks to everyone who has contributed on the forums, Youtube and twitters. We'll have more on this show over the next few hours/days!
Setlist (confirmed): [thanks shunmander]
Mylo Xyloto
Hurts Like Heaven
Yellow
In My Place
Major Minus
Paradise
Lost!
Violet Hill
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
The Scientist
Us Against The World
Shiver
(Mexican phone wave)
'Til Kingdom Come
Us Against The World
Politik
Viva La Vida
Charlie Brown
Life Is For Living
---------
Clocks
(Amy Winehouse - Rehab cover intro)
Fix You
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
Photo courtesy of Big Concerts @ Facebook
Well, first off. I heard Coldplay doing there sound check in Cape Town stadium, because I waited in the golden circle line since 9am. To be honest, they didn't really do much of a sound check. In the beginning, they played pre-recorded live versions of each song on the set list and I don't think it had anything to do with Coldplay, probably the organizers. I think it had to do with the organizers or sound techs, because the U2 concert in February at the same stadium also had pathetic sound at the back from where I was sitting. BUT. I also heard Coldplay doing their own proper souncheck, and they didn't really do too much. Just a little silly sounds and stuff. I don't know. I just know that Chris got very cross at the CPT concert during shiver, he asked "what the fuck is that sound???" to some techi who was fiddling around (in front of the whole stadium). So I donno. [thanks playingcolder]
Cape Town turned yellow last night as English superstars Coldplay rocked the city’s stadium, delighting tens of thousands of fans. The city’s crowds may have a reputation for being laid back, but Coldplay warmed them up last night with an almost two-hour set of hit songs, fireworks and balloons. “We’re so happy to be here finally, after 12 years. It took us that long to get a visa, we apologise,” said lead singer Chris Martin as an introduction and an obvious clue he’d read yesterday’s local headlines. They started their set with a song from Xylo Myloto, their soon-to-be released album, but Martin then launched into Yellow, from debut album Parachutes, which brought them to the world’s attention...
ok im finally ready to give my post-mortem from last night. ill keep this as simple as possible as its hard to properly describe such an experience that id been waiting for for over 10 years, it all seemed very surreal and still does. The Good: Coldplay! The band were flawless and completely up for it, they looked as it they were absolutely loving it, even guy who shows little emotion was smiling and really into it. The setlist was brilliant although shorter than a proper touring show. the whole acoustic set at the end of the catwalk was beautiful and i was very happily surprised to hear til kingdom come, so brilliant. The set up was awesome. The stage with catwalk was better than a b/c stage for me, and the fireworks from the stadium roof were very special. There were also the big balls and lots of beach balls, one of which i managed to take home with me. Chris had a smile at the sign which i help up during violet hill which read, if you love me, wont you let me know, he acknowledged my bit of the crowd quite a lot and was very vocal and had a good few lyric changes. (come up to cape town, tell you im sorry, etc)... The Bad: The crowd was the major disappointment for me. I managed to get pretty much front row, and it was quite lively there, but even there i struggled to get a viva chant going, and most people didnt know lyrics of even big songs. half way through the show i moved further back to the end of the catwalk to get a better view of the whole stage and fireworks which werent visible from front row, and the crowd were actually embarassing. no one knew lyrics, and many people just standing with folded arms. ive got to say though, for the big songs such as viva, scientist, yellow and a few others, the crowd were really good. The security guards were really pedantic, they wouldnt let me hang a banner over the railings because it was a "security hazard" which is a load of rubbish. The organisation was pretty poor. the admission process as well as transport arrangements which were terrible. From what i hear, some parts of the stadium got really bad sound, although it was perfect throughout for me. I got the attention of miller and hoppy, and asked them both for setlists, but they both said that theres absolutely nothing to give out, which i find hard to believe. Im sure theres so many things ive left out, but if theres anything anyone is interested in, then just ask and ill respond. Overall it was an incredible experience which i was privileged to attend. i can finally cross off the most important item on my bucket list, now i need to cross off the second most important item, seeing coldplay again. [thanks lutzno]
“When the cold wind starts to blow in Cape Town,” was how he started The Scientist. The crowd started to sing along and he had them eating out of his hand. South African band Parlotones had opened the stadium two hours earlier as the 50 000-strong crowd streamed in steadily and while the crowd response was polite it was non-committal because they were there to see the world’s biggest touring rock act. People may not take lighters along to concerts any more, but they do take their cellphones and Martin got the 28 000 fans on the stands to start a Mexican light wave. Fireworks, lasers and balloons abounded, but it was the music the crowd wanted.
The fans at the back of Cape Town Stadium had the best sound, while those in the coveted Golden Circle got close enough to almost touch Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland. They couldn’t leave without an encore, which included Martin’s take on Amy Winehouse’s Rehab and, of course, the beautiful ballad Fix You. A new hit, Every Tear is a Waterfall, ended the set. Earlier, the popular Fan Walk from the CBD to the stadium was filled with excited fans – many wearing yellow in honour of the hit song. Restaurants and bars along the Fan Walk were filled with the sound of people singing Coldplay hits.
Andrea Collins, 28, of Goodwood, was with five friends, all wearing T-shirts that read “Diehard Coldplay Fans”. She said seeing the band live was on her “bucket list” of things to do before she died. UCT students Susan Tissiman, 22, and Catherine Edward, 21, were wearing T-shirts they had painted themselves. Isaline Goemaere said she had been given concert tickets as a 21st birthday present from her friend, Taliah Abrams. “As a birthday present it was perfect. They stir emotion and are nostalgic. “We listened to them when they just came out… like every band a 13-year-old needs in a teenage crisis, they spoke to us.”
It wasn’t all plain sailing, though – some frustrated fans complained about traffic volumes and that the sound quality wasn’t up to scratch. But when Martin bent down and kissed the stage after Every Tear is a Waterfall, signalling an end to the concert, gripes were forgotten and elated fans streamed out of the stadium, talking about one of the biggest musical nights of the year. [via iol.co.za]
More Coldplayer reviews to follow...
New photos of Coldplay @ Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa (5th October 2011):
More photos available via Big Concerts @ Flickr now.
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