It’s flattering when a world famous band chooses Edmonton to launch a world tour. Either that or it’s “paid rehearsal” — because if they screw up in Edmonton who cares, writes the Toronto Sun in a review of Coldplay at Rexall Place last night (17th April 2012). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from this show at the Coldplay Live forum now.
The Coldplay concert Tuesday night was no place for such negativity. This was a happy, shiny offering of British pop-rock goodness of the highest order. We are blessed. There was little sign this band was ironing out its show for more prestigious gigs in Los Angeles or Prague or wherever.
Sure, singer Chris Martin screwed up the intro to God Put a Smile On My Face, but he glossed over it gracefully and from there was in fine, often ferocious form, spinning himself dizzy at every opportunity. The rest of the show was a slick display of pure Coldplay hit power. The band sounded great — spine-tingling and powerful when required, sensitive when called for (and they called for it a lot) and at times too perfect when you noticed there were lots of sounds coming from the stage with no live musicians creating them — just a little pet peeve of mine about allegedly live rock concerts, but no matter.
The show looked amazing, too. Bonus points were awarded before Coldplay even played a single note, having offered every one of the 14,500 fans at Rexall Place a free — free — electronic glowing wristband, remotely activated to light depending on the songs. Wow. Eat that, gouging glowstick merch-men at Selena Gomez concerts.
The sight of 14,000 glow-bands going off all at once in the brisk opening song Hurts Like Heaven was spectacular. Some fans demurred, perhaps fearing it to be a brain-controlling device: All Hail Coldplay. Too late. Resistance is futile.
As way of introduction, Martin shouted, “Is there anybody out there?!” — thrice, got the expected response (thrice) and led the band into the first of the massive power ballads of the evening, In My Place. Ba-bam! Confetti cannons blanketed everyone in the floor seats with paper snow. A little later, in Yellow — the second of the massive power ballads and the hit that launched the band’s career — 100 giant balloons floated down from the ceiling. All sang along, “I wrote a song for you, and all the things you do, and it was called Yellow.”
Twenty minutes in and the place looked like Cirque du Soleil had exploded.
This was basically a stadium show packed into an arena. Each song was a grand singalong anthem of U2-ian proportions, each ending was a potential show stopper, each musical climax was more dramatic than the last — right down to the impossibly sensitive last encore ballad, Fix You. All sang along, “I will try to fix you.” Not sure that’s a healthy emotion.
Here and there, Martin brought the energy level right down and sat behind his day-glo graffitied piano, as on the delicate not-so-power ballad Scientist and again during a centre stage interlude, but the band shifted back into its feel-good arena-rock anthems with ease. Later came the heavy hitters like Viva La Vida — which almost demands to be heard in an outdoor stadium. Likewise Clocks.
During the encore set, Martin acknowledged Edmonton being the launchpad of the tour, thanking the crowd for “cheering in all the right places and forgiving all the mistakes” — before promptly going off the rails in the Celtic strummer Us Against the World and having to start it over again. How ironic.
Expectations are high when it comes to the world famous band’s opening acts, too. Coldplay did not disappoint here. The Pierces, a band of New York sisters who sound like (young) Stevie Nicks to the power of two, impressed a very sparse crowd — where was everybody, in the parking lot getting lit up? — with its powerhouse neo-folk sound, superb vocals and songs about various kinds of self-destructive behaviour. Deadly combination.
To name the next act is to know them: Metronomy, the British electro-disco band whose crisp metronomic grooves gave a new wave-Brian Eno-Talking Heads-like shape to their unusual songs. Call it “new rave.” So weird, in fact, was this band that its more “conventional” songs — that is, songs that sounded like songs — came off as dull. They were at their best in zany arrangements, some completely instrumental — and some completely, jaw-droppingly off the wall — rich in squeaking, blooping, wheezing vintage synthesizers and chord changes not found in nature. There is no understanding the British. That’s part of why we love them so.
[Four out of five Suns]
Don't forget to check out your tour discussion thread if you are getting Coldplay tickets or just getting excited for the European & North American 2012 shows and other forthcoming appearances:
FEBRUARY 2012
8 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia (iHeartRadio) [discussion]
9 Los Angeles, CA @ Jimmy Kimmel Live [discussion]
10 Los Angeles, CA @ GRAMMY Week MusiCares Person of the Year tribute [discussion]
12 Los Angeles, CA @ 54th Grammy Awards, Staples Center [discussion]
16 Sydney, Australia @ 2DayFM, Mobile Live Set (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
17 Sydney, Australia @ Sunrise (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
21 London @ Brit Awards 2012, O2 Arena [discussion]
MARCH 2012
2 New York, NY @ Good Morning America [discussion]
4 New York, NY @ The Secret Policeman's Ball, Radio City Music Hall (Amnesty International) [discussion]
APRIL 2012
17 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place [discussion]
18 Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome [discussion]
20 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
21 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
24 Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena [discussion]
25 Seattle, WA @ KeyArena [discussion]
27 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
28 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
MAY 2012
1 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
2 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
4 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
5 Los Angeles, CA @ KROQ's Weenie Roast y Fiesta [discussion] [NEW!]
18 Porto, Portugal @ Dragao Stadium [discussion]
20 Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Vicente Calderón [discussion]
22 Nice, France @ Stade Charles Herman / Nikaia [discussion]
24 Turin, Italy @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
26 Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund [discussion]
29 Coventry, UK @ Ricoh Stadium [discussion]
JUNE 2012
1 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
2 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
4 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
7 Sunderland, UK @ the Stadium of Light [discussion]
9 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
10 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
22 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
23 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
25 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
26 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
28 Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum [discussion]
29 Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena [discussion]
JULY 2012
2 Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena [discussion]
3 Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena [discussion]
5 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
6 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
8 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
9 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
23 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
24 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
26 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
27 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
29 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
30 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
AUGUST 2012
1 Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills [discussion]
3 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
4 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
7 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
8 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
11 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center [discussion]
28 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Parken Stadium [discussion]
30 Stockholm, Sweden @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
SEPTEMBER 2012
2 Paris, France @ Stade de France [discussion]
4 Cologne, Germany @ Rheinenergie Stadium [discussion]
6 The Hague, Netherlands @ Malieveld [discussion]
12 Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion [discussion]
14 Leipzig, Germany @ Red Bull Stadium [discussion]
16 Prague, Czech Republic @ Slavia Eden Stadium [discussion]
19 Warsaw, Poland @ National Stadium [discussion]
22 Hannover, Germany @ AWD Arena [discussion]
Read also: European Stadium Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the Europe tour)
Read also: North America Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the US/Canada tour)
Read also: 2012: Live Appearances - Easy Thread Finder (last updated - 12th January 2012)
Read also: 2012 tour date rumours (please post dates for ALL countries in here)
Kit yourself up for the forthcoming MX tour and get spotted with Coldplaying's new range of merchandise! [click on the items for the full shop]
The new range of Coldplaying merchanise (unofficial of course to the official shop) has hit our stores, with our biggest range of goods so far. Prices are as low as they can be for a Cafepress shop so more people will be able to afford them. We don't take any profits for the sale of the merchandise as a result. Take a browse in one of the online stores nearest to you: UK | US | Canada | Australia | European (shipping is worldwide, but you can choose what currency to pay in) - simply alter the country dropdown menu at the top of the shop page. [thanks to TracieMorgan and zzz]
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