Chilly Tuesday nights in May isn't exactly what the Hollywood Bowl is all about. But despite the less-than-ideal conditions, Coldplay warmed up the sold out crowd last night with songs off their latest album, Mylo Xyloto, and an assortment of hits, writes the LA Weekly in the first review of Coldplay's concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night (1st May). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from the shows at the Coldplay Live [Hollywood Bowl night 1] forum now. Read on for the LA Weekly review article...
Since the band's 2000 breakthrough with "Yellow," they've become one of the preeminent voices in modern rock, if also one of the most hated. Singer Chris Martin is almost as well known for his marriage to actress Gwyneth Paltrow and friendship with Jay-Z as for his songs.
But Martin is still concerned with writing songs that appeal to as many people as possible. If Wayne's World were made today, Wayne Campbell's quote, "Led Zeppelin didn't write tunes everybody liked. They left that to the Bee Gees," would likely substitute Coldplay for the latter. But they probably wouldn't care.
Over the course of the night, the band was fully engaged with the audience and on their game. It's bold to shoot off fireworks at the end of a show, but during the first song? With that, the band set the benchmark for their U2-esque theatrics pretty high and did not disappoint. From the elaborate light show to confetti to the glowing wristbands that were handed out upon entry, the band had the crowd's attention. "Thanks for coming out on a Tuesday night," Martin said. "We know how hard it was to get and park here and we're gonna give it our all and hopefully you'll do the same."
Indeed, those in attendance dug the 20-song, 95-minute set. Songs like "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face," "Viva La Vida," and "The Scientist" received huge cheers, while the new songs held their own as well. One of the telling moments of the night came during the encore when Martin, solo, popped up on an impromptu stage in the middle of the crowd. As he introduced "Us Against The World," he told the audience that though it may not appear to be the case, the band was made up of four equal partners; the singer implored folks to cheers each of them equally loudly, and they obliged.
Coldplay gets a lot of shit from many due to their soft, bland, overly commercial pop songs -- think Seth Rogen's snarky quote in The 40 Year Old Virgin -- but that hasn't stopped them from having massive success. They can release anything from EDM influenced tracks to those featuring Rihanna, but the band continues to sell out arenas and stadiums across the world. Like it or not, the British quartet judges themselves on how they're able to please their audience, rather than crusty music critics.
Critical Bias: Not the world's biggest Coldplay fan, but they know how to put on a hell of an entertaining show.
Random Notebook Dump: I don't care what band you are; charging $40 for a t-shirt isn't cool.
New photos of Coldplay performing at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles (1st May 2012):
Photos courtesy of LA Weekly (click for more!)
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]
3 Los Angeles, CA @ American Idol show [discussion] [NEW!]
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 London, UK @ Wembley Stadium (Capital FM's Summertime Ball 2012) [discussion] [NEW!]
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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