Taking a look back at Coldplay’s two major live releases, (2003 + 2012) it’s hard not to think how far they’ve come along in size and stature. Live 2003 and MX Live follow their live tour in support of A Rush Of Blood To The Head and Mylo Xyloto respectively. Sandwiched in between this long gap was the presence of two other massive albums in the form of X&Y and Viva La Vida. Therefore, it would be 9 years before fans could enjoy the splendour of an official live dvd the first documenting the A Rush Of Blood To The Head Tour in 2003 and the latter delivering us the full colour and flourish of the MX Tour in 2012).
Ever since they made a groundbreaking super sub headline appearance at Glastonbury in 2002, Chris Martin and co have long had a reputation of gracing and owning the stage they've performed on with their endless collection of communal pop hymns, gracing every kind of town hall, arena and stadium seen on this earth. As Glastonbury 2002 proved, this was a band going places, a band that could have the audience in the palm of its hands with their collection of sweet, melancholic pop/rock music that made them such a commercial and critical success at the turn of the century.
But what of these two major live releases from Coldplay? Visually the two performances are light years away. The first, a rather,grey and austere affair that very much reflects the moody and earnest nature of their first two albums the second a flourish of lights, colour and big bangs – from performers to show men. In their attire, gone was the look that resembled the substitute teacher look a decade previously and in its place something that resembled something closer to a wacky kids tv presenter!
Coldplay are certainly not the band they used to be in sound or appearance but at the same time they’re not a band to have conjured up a new formula ala Radiohead or U2. More or less they’ve stuck to what they know best but greatly embellished within a cocoon of new sounds, confidence and importantly for them, comfort. Live 2012 releases all the shackles that Live 2003 displayed. It’s a lush display in appearance and performance. The Mylo Xyloto tunes in their live format take on a whole new energised life of their own compared to their studio recordings, best displayed no more than in their opening song, ‘Hurts Like Heaven’. Driven by a relentless performance on guitar by Jonny Buckland it successfully combines John Squire like pop guitar sweetness with massive doses of adrenaline. It sets the scene and the tone of a show that never touches the ground until the very end. It is a performance to get caught up in and even marvel at. Chris Martin has come a long way in his time as a frontman as well. A modest but affable nature on stage hasn’t prevented him from developing into one of the most well rounded showmen of his time. And showmen they are. They get it right from the off – assisted by flashing wristbands that flash in sync with the music, it’s an awe inspiring, highly competent performance where every member of the audience feels like they are participating in the grand spectacle. Perhaps Charlie Brown displayed this better than any other song in their catalogue, taking stadium pop to a whole new level. People can accuse the band of gimmicks, but with stadium anthems as good as Charlie Brown, In My Place and Yellow, the lights, fireworks and confetti only serves to support the spectacle that is already in place thanks to the sheer pop quality of those tunes. It’s something that even U2 would look at and think ‘damn, why didn’t we think of that?’
Of course some might say the music has suffered in the process – Coldplay are a far more energetic, upbeat pop band on Mylo Xyloto, a departure from the melancholy moods exhibited so beautifully perfected on A Rush of Blood to the Head. To a lot of those who fell in love with the band in that earlier period, that is a tough transition to accept.
People like to be comforted by the duvet of melancholy on a rainy day and Coldplay did that better than anyone else in the early 00s. Live 2003 satisfies those meandering sobered souls in abundance. This is a performance from a time of a more stripped back and restrained era. Naturally sing along moments are rare compared with MX Live but in the absence of these songs we are served performances of songs that we’d be lucky to hear again on the stage. Performances including never cut to CD ‘Moses’, ‘In My Place’ b side ‘One I Love’ and the truly beautiful ‘See You Soon’ are standout moments that are gold dust to the hardcore Coldplay fan.
Instead of revelling in a big budget, glitzy production (both musically and aesthetically) we get something so pure and introspective from the band, quite a change from the confident and greater ease of performance put on show in Live 2012. The lyrics throughout are personal and ambiguous, enhanced by Chris Martin’s vulnerable delivery. One other thing that is striking is the maturity displayed by the band throughout, not just in the songs but the performance. One would be forgiven for thinking that Live 2012 with its vibrant and energetic confidence was the performance of a band only starting out, not Live 2003. For the Coldplay purist (of which there are many!), Live 2003 is a vital and precious ornament within the discography. While it may lack the style and glitziness of their later tours it is packed full of substance and Live 2003 and 2012 may be different in style and feeling but one that factor of guitarist Jonny Buckland’s serene and beautiful guitar work continues to be the tidal force that carries Martin’s already robust vocal melodies on its way. That magical chemistry between frontman and guitarist and that talent for melody from both remains a constant ingredient by which the band continue to satisfy the desire and appetite of its audience whether it’s in the intimate surroundings of a small arena or a gigantic world class football stadium.
Their detractors will always remain but such voices will always be drowned out by their energetic, triumphant and vibrant stage performances, an act that they’ve been able to perfect and expand upon with each live tour.
Poll : Live 2003 v 2012, which concert film is the most special to you?
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.