Before playing the show at The Fillmore, Chris and Will stopped by the KFOG Studios for an interview with Irish Greg.

You can find download links here [thanks DefDazz]

Meanwhile, the setlist with commentary has been posted Setlist

San Francisco - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom boosted his hipness factor after spending about 15 minutes chatting with members of Coldplay on local radio.

Newsom, 36, called in to KLLC-FM to express his admiration for the band, quiz its members about recent performances and welcome them to the San Francisco Bay area. In return, singer and frontman Chris Martin and drummer Will Champion invited Newsom to the band's show at the Fillmore - 1 100 tickets sold out in mere seconds on Sunday.

During the Wednesday call-in, Newsom, Martin, Champion and two disc jockeys chatted about the elections in the United Kingdom; Martin's daughter, Apple, with his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow; and Newsom's luxury resort in Napa, where Champion stayed earlier in the week. After Newsom hung up, the band members said he sounded like a well-intentioned, genuine guy that San Francisco was lucky to have as mayor.

As for Wednesday night's sold-out show, Newsom didn't make it, spokesperson Peter Ragone said on Thursday. He attended a gala at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art instead.

Source: News24

Offers of sex, iPods follow rush of fans to box office for British band's Fillmore show

The sign on the box office of the Fillmore had been up for days: "Coldplay show is VERY sold out."

But that didn't stop some very desperate fans from taking very desperate measures to get into the British band's very limited engagement at the San Francisco venue Wednesday night.

"If there are any cool guys who'd like to share a ticket with a 27-year- old blonde haired blue eyed girl, I'd really appreciate it," wrote one of the almost 400 postings on Craigslist looking for one of the approximately 1,100 Coldplay tickets.

Among things fans said they were willing to give up for tickets -- which sold out Sunday within a minute -- were sex, iPods, airline tickets, thousands of dollars and even a 1994 Honda Accord."I'm 5'6, 140," continued the message. "Just to be fair, I want to note that I am 5 months pregnant. I'm not seeing the father anymore (psycho), so I'm definitely looking to jump back in to the dating scene ..." signed "hugs and kisses! Keri."

Keri's hopes -- whether legitimate or not -- may have been kept alive thanks to the equally desperate Chris, who posted a request for two cute girls on behalf of him and a friend: "My Buddy and I lucked out and got a couple of pairs of tickets to Coldplay. ... Unfortunately, we both recently been dumped by our girlfriends. We are not dirtbags and can actually take a couple of girls already, but we decided to hold out for a couple of girls that are prettier. ... Please no homosexual offer or reply's."

The tickets -- which were available online, by phone or at the box office -- sold out almost instantly Sunday. "Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m., and tickets sold out at 10 a.m.," said Aaron Siuda, a publicist with Bill Graham Presents, which put on the show. He explained it this way: If 2,100 people clicked on a button at that very second, 1,100 of them could conceivably get tickets. That's apparently what happened before 10:01 a.m. Sunday.

But while Coldplay fans may have closed crazy deals on Craigslist, they still had to get by the Fillmore's anti-scalping crew. Unlike most concerts handled by the venue, no tickets were printed for the 1,100 fans who bought them. Instead, the legitimate buyers of the $26 ticket (limited to two per transaction) had to wait in the will-call line before Wednesday's 9 p.m. show, present identification and be immediately escorted into the Fillmore, Siuda said.

"We just don't have enough supply to fill the demand," Siuda said after scoping out the almost 2-block-long line for potential scalpers. "It happens a couple times a year -- like with Prince and Metallica most recently. This is not a normal Fillmore show. Normally, the Fillmore sells tickets months in advance for a headliner." But in Wednesday night's case, only about 1,100 were sold to the public and some distributed among guests, promoters and a handful of others who were lucky enough to catch Coldplay, whose new album, "X&Y," will be released next month.

News of the ticket frenzy sent a rush of blood to the head of Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin. "Is this is a joke? It doesn't even enter my mind that people are wanting to fight for tickets because I'm still in awe that anyone wants to come see us in the first place," Chris said about an hour before the gig.

The day had already gotten off to a strange start for the band, who were at the studios of radio station Alice 97.3 FM on Wednesday afternoon when Mayor Gavin Newsom phoned in to the live show -- and wound up interviewing two band members for 15 minutes, covering some of the band's history and plans.

It was unclear whether the motives of the mayor, a Coldplay fan, included scoring a ticket. Of all of the sexual innuendo, electronic gadgets and bumper-to-bumper guarantees for tickets spammed on Craiglist during the past week, at least one person did make it into the Coldplay concert, thanks to the community forum.

"I really, really wanted to go the concert tonight, but I wasn't about to give my first-born child or offer any sex like the ridiculous people I was reading about on Craigslist," said Kimberly Rosenberg of San Francisco. "So I just answered a posting that was looking for a true Coldplay fan to have a good time with. And now he's standing right next to me," Rosenberg said while in line for the concert.

It was Brad Fitzpatrick of Pittsburg who put a smile upon Rosenberg's face. The patron saint of Coldplay said he was just sending out good karma when he posted an offer for a Coldplay ticket for the $26 face value. "I had never been so amused in my life," Fitzpatrick said of the response he received. "Every time I needed a comedy break, I'd give them a read."

Fitzpatrick, 34, said he had chosen Rosenberg over the dozens of others requests (including ones with suggestive photographs) because she seemed like a real fan. He ended up giving the ticket to her for free as the two entered the concert as friends.

Meanwhile, a woman with fishnet stockings slowly paraded up and down the 2-block-long line outside the Fillmore swinging her hips and slowly whispering, "Tickets? Tickets?"

Apparently, nobody heard her.

Source: sfgate.com

Coldplay are on the cover of the June 2005 issue of Q. Inside there is an 8-page article on how the band nearly lost their minds making X&Y as well as a great track-by-track of the new album by the guys themselves.

To see the pages of Q click here

[thanks yellow_fever & shanecrofts]

Some live Coldplay pictures from this weekend's Coachella festival have been uploaded here

[thanks Robert for the pictures]

Chris Martin is grateful to people in London for letting him live in the British capital in peace - even though he is a prime paparazzi target.

Chris loves nothing more than to obscure his identity with a hooded top and walk the late night London streets in complete anonymity - something Chris relishes after finding worldwide fame with the success of his band and his marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow.

He says, "The public don't really bother me, I go on the Tube, I go everywhere. I don't get hassled. One thing I really like doing at the moment is walking around London late at night with my hood on. I look like a drug dealer. People don't think you're a pop star, so they treat you like they treat other people. And that to me is the why I try and keep normal."

Source: Contactmusic

The Christian O'Connell Breakfast show on Xfm today got a shock during their Bounty Hunter feature (listeners find celebs and call the show - the most outstanding celeb found at the end earns the listener £10,000). Chris Martin called them up to try and win the competition - by getting Steven Spielberg on for a chat.

The interview and article can be found here [thanks pseudofake]

CHris Martin's bandmates get jealous of all the attention he receives - until they see all the negative implications of being in the limelight.

Chris became a prime target for paparazzi photographers and tabloid gossip columns when he embarked on a high profile relationship with Hollywood leading lady Gwyneth Paltrow. Guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion are annoyed by the assumption that Martin is the band's sole creative force, but they remain content to hog the background behind their singer.

Jonny says, "It doesn't worry me that people think we don't do much, because I know we all work on everything together. I worry for the amount Chris is hassled by the paparazzi. We can go up to paps and push them away."

Will remains realistic about his role and he relishes detaching himself from the pressures of being in one of the world's biggest bands. He continues, "It would be foolish of me to pretend that I was the band's driving force. Chris is single-minded, he's focused 24 hours a day. I've got a short attention span and want to switch off when I get home. Part of me wants to remain hidden - but that puts a lot of pressure on Chris."

Guy admits to experiencing some envious feelings towards Martin: "At first, when Chris got all the attention, I was jealous, but when you realise how much hassle it is, the appeal wears off. We've got to make an effort to present ourselves as four this time."

Source: Contactmusic

Coldplay will feature on Saturday Night Live on May 21.

For more details click here

"Episode Number 586

First Aired May 21, 2005

Guest Stars: Lindsay Lohan (as Herself) Coldplay (as Themselves) "it seems i am the only person who noticed that Coldplay is going to be on Saturday Night Live on May 21! And Lindsay lohan is hosting!!! thanks- Clara

Thanks to wjang who left this comment on the site, it certainly seems to reflect the feeling of many Coldplay fans wanting to get hold of Buzz Gig tickets.

"Coldplay's latest buzz gigs in San Francisco and Chicago are nearly impossible to get into. The Fillmore tickets sold out in around 5 seconds, leaving thousands of fans disappointed and in tears.

Their new defense against scalping is both effective and ineffective. Only the credit card holders and their guests will be allowed into the show, which means any scalper who buys two tickets can only sell one. While it makes it harder for scalpers to grab all the tickets. It also leaves less options available for the unlucky fans that were one second too slow on the phone and website.

It's hard to say whether this new system is better or worse for fans. All in all, the lucky few who get tickets to these small venues, are definitely in for an awesome show."

Coldplay's record label EMI have a lot riding on the band's new album 'X&Y' and are reported to be keeping it under tight security until the official release date.

The stringent decision has been made in order to stop the release from falling in the wrong hands and appearing on illegal download networks before it is unleashed to the public. Coldplay's follow up up to the incredibly successful 2002 breakthrough release 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' stands to make enormous revenues for the record label, and the album is likely to be one of the biggest selling releases of the past decade.

An advance leak of the album would have great reprecussions for EMI Music, and potentially make an impact on its own commercial future. EMI have already lost a substantial amount of revenue due to the delay in the album's release where share prices plummeted earlier this year.

It is reported that 'X&Y' will be kept in sealed music players with security guards. Instead of a CD promo copy, reviewers may only preview Coldplay's third album via an iPod which is locked in a glass case and surrounded by security guards.

Even music reviewers and critics, who usually receive advance copies of releases for reviews in monthly publications, must adhere to the tight security policy surrounding the album. The question remains though, if the album leaks what will EMI say or do? It will be a major pie on the face for the music giant.

Do you think the album will leak before it is officially released? Enter our poll here

Reviews of Coldplay's performance have started to hit the site. You can read some here

BOB GELDOF is drawing up plans to organise a Live Aid-style concert to highlight world poverty during the G8 summit in Scotland this summer.

Organisers of the famous Live Aid concert held in 1985 believe that a televised pop extravaganza featuring world-famous groups would help focus the G8 leaders’ attention on suffering in poor countries. Heads of G8 nations will meet at Gleneagles hotel in Perthshire on July 6.

Plans for the concert are at an early stage, but it is believed that Geldof fears the leaders may not fully implement recommendations of an important report on world poverty.The Commission for Africa report, produced with the help of Geldof and several African leaders, called for at least an extra £26 billion a year in aid and debt cancellation and was planned to be the centrepiece of the G8 summit.

A spokesman for the Band Aid charity said: “Bob Geldof is taking calls from people. He is starting to think what he can do in the build-up to the G8 summit, but there are no dates and no bands.

“He feels obligated, because his Commission for Africa report seems to be collecting dust.”

The original Live Aid concert helped thrust the famine in Ethiopia into the spotlight. Among its highlights were performances by U2, Queen, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, the Who, Wham!, Elton John, Madonna and Status Quo.

Obtaining firm commitments from equally famous groups for July will prove testing. Music industry experts believe that performers with the clout of Madonna, U2, Robbie Williams, Coldplay and the Rolling Stones will be needed to recreate the impact of the original Live Aid concert.

The new event, according to people close to the project, is likely to differ in key respects from the original. Geldof has previously said that a “Live Aid II” would happen “over my dead body” and it is expected that the format and emphasis will be significantly different. Sources now say Geldof wants it to “top” the original Live Aid.

Geldof and others involved in the first concert, including Harvey Goldsmith, the music industry mogul, are to hold a “war council” to discuss the idea.

A spokesman for the former Boomtown Rats singer confirmed last week that he and Goldsmith are working out a plan for the concert, drawing on their music industry contacts and leverage with leading pop acts.

“There are discussions under way about the possibility of a concert,” said the spokesman. “The Band Aid trustees are meeting in two weeks to see where they go next with this . . . it’s on the agenda.

"Bob has always said this is the most important year because there’s the G8 summit, Britain has the presidency of the European Union and it’s 20 years since the first Live Aid."

Source: Times Online

It was chilly, the sky was threatening rain, and hundreds of Chicago's most enthusiastic Coldplay fans were seriously displeased. They'd been waiting for hours, some since the night before, to score tickets to a rare club performance by one of the world's most popular bands.

Tickets were to go on sale at noon at the Metro, a 1,200-person Wrigleyville venue. It was now 12:05 pm, and David-James Figueroa, the Metro's head of security, emerged from the ticket office. "I can take the first 10 people," he said. "Get your cash out." The chosen ones trudged into the office to buy their two-ticket limit. A few minutes later, they reappeared, waving their tickets above their heads before stowing them in wallets, bags, backpacks.

After the first 10, there was another wait, and then Figueroa reappeared. "I've got one more ticket, guys. One more." That made 21 tickets total; the rest had gone instantaneously, either through authorized brokers or worse, according to Figueroa.

A groan went up from the front of the line, and, as word trickled back, shouts rose from the crowd. "What?!" "How many tickets did they sell us?!" "Twenty-one tickets? That's it?!"

Christopher Crompton, 23, of Chicago, who was first in line and got a ticket, said before the window opened: "I figure this could either be the best date of all time. … Or it could be a great way to put a dent in the old Visa card bill."

Source: Chicago Tribune

An interesting article outlining a historian view on Coldplay can be found on the BBC Website

The extraordinary love-in between Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Noel Gallagher continues with more sweet nothings being exchanged.

The Oasis star gushed about Chris: "The new songs sounded fucking great... I love him, he cracks me up. He's a really funny fucker. It's like the Bash Street Kids talking to him, he's the toff and we're the toughs! I think he finds us pretty amusing, too."

Source: Mirror

With more than 90 bands on five stages,it's hard to sort out all the great acts at the two-day Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Coachella, in a nutshell: The rock fest's two-day lineup embraces both popular bands (Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails) and emerging acts (The Bravery, Eisley, The Futureheads). Since it lasts a full weekend, many attendees camp on site, Woodstock-style.

Why it matters: Big things can happen at this little summer fest. Last year's most talked-about Coachella performance by reunited alt-rockers The Pixies resulted in new material and a nationwide tour. Who knows what will happen this year?

Who's playing?: Some of the big-name artists at this year's fest include Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Bright Eyes, New Order, Bauhaus, Keane and Wilco.

Other performers include The Prodigy, Bloc Party, The Chemical Brothers, Rilo Kiley, Gang of Four, The Arcade Fire, Jem, Mercury Rev, The Futureheads, The Bravery and dozens more. (See the full lineup at coachella.com.)The Arcade Fire: (Sunday) Fronted by husband-and-wife team Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, this Canadian indie outfit is drawing kudos.

Jamie Cullum: (Saturday) The biggest-selling U.K. jazz artist ever, Cullum seamlessly mixes rock, New Orleans r&b and show tunes.

Jean Grae: (Saturday) Daughter of jazz musicians, indie hip-hop up-and-comer Grae has a grasp of multiple genres.

Jem: (Sunday) The Welsh singer-songwriter's acclaimed debut, "Finally Woken," is an eclectic mix of trip-hop, urban beats and reggae-tinged sounds.

Katie Melua: (Saturday) The 20-year-old guitar-wielding hottie from Georgia (in the former U.S.S.R.) recently signed a five-album recording deal.

The Prodigy: (Sunday) Gods in the U.K.'s underground dance scene, the Prodigy brings reinvented funk-punk and manic acid house rhythms.

Sage Francis: (Saturday) A fiery, quick-tongued emcee who labels his gigs "performance art."

Armin Van Buuren: (Sunday) This trance master wows with blends of progressive, tribal, techno and other cutting-edge dance styles.

OTHERS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

Along with much-anticipated sets from Weezer and Bauhaus, other not-to-be-missed acts Saturday include Los Angeles alt-pop quartet Rilo Kiley, garage-rock duo The Kills, mixologist Josh Wink, dream-rockers M83 and London's witty post-punkers Bloc Party.

Sunday brings a recharged New Order, fey crit-pick Bright Eyes and, perhaps most interestingly, a reunion of the original four members of Gang of Four, the late-1970s/early-'80s U.K. post-punk quartet that mixed socialism, dub reggae and jagged funk rhythms. Also worth noting Sunday is a DJ set from Everything but the Girl's Ben Watt, '80s revivalists The Bravery and the stormy noise of British Sea Power.

Coldplay have become the first British band to have a new entry in the US Top 10 singles chart since The Beatles.

Coldplay's debut at number eight with Speed of Sound is the second time a UK band has achieved the feat. The Beatles managed it with Hey Jude in 1968.

Speed of Sound is the highest new entry since American Idol winner Fantasia went in at number one last July.

Rapper 50 Cent's nine-week reign at the top of the chart with Candy Shop was ended by Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl.

The Fab Four had a run of US number one hits in the 1960s - but Hey Jude, which made its debut at number 10, was their first single to go straight into the Top 10.

More on this story here [thanks gib786]

Toronto- MuchMusic welcomes the return of Coldplay to its Toronto studios for an exclusive LIVE interview on MuchOnDemand (M.O.D.) taking place on Monday, May 9th @ 5:00pm ET.

Fans nationwide (Canada) can get their chance to catch up with Chris and Jonny as they speak with M.O.D. co-hosts Matte Babel and Leah Miller to discuss the highly anticipated release of, X&Y.

Fans at home can also participate in the interview by emailing their questions to ondemand@muchmusic.com.

Speed of Sound, the first single from the X&Y debuted #1 this week on the Digital Tracks Chart for Canada. Wednesday, May 11 at the Kool Haus in Toronto marks Coldplay’s only Canadian stop on their pre-album release promo tour. Tickets to this show sold-out in just one minute.

If you're ever invited around to Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's house, don't expect to see any of their awards on show.

The Coldplay singer has revealed that actually he doesn't think much of his Grammy gong or Gwynnie's Oscar statue. It seems that Chris wants more from an inanimate award than it just sitting there looking pretty, as he said, "A Grammy just sits there. An Oscar just sits there. It's just a hunk of junk."

Coldplay won record of the year at the 2004 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles and Gwyn picked up an Oscar for Shakespeare In Love in 1999 and cried quite a bit. Gwyneth looks reasonably chuffed with her Oscar statue back in 1999

However Chris does reveal what would make him happy and proud - and that's if his band's next album, due out in June, is better than the Beatles' Sgt Pepper.

"I don't reckon it's only about 'making it'. I reckon it's about competing with Sgt Pepper. It simply doesn't matter just how famous or rich the band that tries to do that is," he concluded - rather philosophically.

For Coldplay singer Chris Martin, there’s more to life than chart-toppers .

"Our goal is to take over from U2," Coldplay's Chris Martin said during lunch in a funky beachfront restaurant in Malibu. The comment was so audacious that he quickly moved to put it in context.

"I don't mean 'take over' in a commercial sense or careerist sense, but in writing songs that move people in a big way. When I'm in a crowd of thousands of people singing a song I love, I get the best feeling - a sense of genuine community."

One of the most promising prospects of this weekend's sixth Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is hearing some 50,000 fans sing along Saturday night when Coldplay performs such lovely, caressing tunes as "Yellow."

You can read the full story here [thanks mimi]

More local news has filtered through about Coldplay's forthcoming buzz gigs in the US

More on the Chicago show here

More links to follow.

The whirlwind of activity recently began last weekend, when Coldplay holed up on a Los Angeles soundstage to shoot a video for X&Y's the first single, Speed of Sound.

Details were hard to come by, but it is known that the clip was helmed by Mark Romanek, famous for stark videos like Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and Johnny Cash's "Hurt," and shooting took place on several large sets equipped with huge LED light displays.

Source: MTV

X&Y hits stores on June 6th... but don't expect to hear it before then.

The new album will be kept under a watchful eye until its retail release date in order to prohibit it from "finding its way" onto the plethora of Internet download sites. Even critics, who typically receive advance copies of release to review, must adhere to the tight security policy surrounding "X&Y." Instead of a CD copy of the recording, reviewers may only preview Coldplay's latest via an IPod locked in a glass case and surrounded by security guards.

The album, which is the follow-up to the band's multi-platinum 2002 smash "A Rush of Blood to the Head," stands to make alot of money for its distributor (EMI Records) and they are certainly taking no chances with said revenue. The company already reported a marked decline in profits when the album was delayed earlier this year, which perhaps explains the overzealous security measures.

If the first single from "X&Y" is anything to go by, EMI is smart to take such extreme measures with the album. In its first week, "Speed of Sound" topped the ITunes music charts worldwide, indicating the future commercial potential for its parent album. In Addition, "Speed of Sound" has also become one of the most requested songs on American radio stations since its April 18 airwave release.

Source: Various!

Coldplay have confirmed two club shows in the US next month.

The band, who recently played a number of tiny shows across Europe in the build up to the release of their third album 'X&Y', had already announced a number of dates starting later this week at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Cafe' (April 29).

The two dates confirmed today will take place at San Francisco's Filmore on May 4 and Chicago's Metro club on May 6. Tickets go on sale April 30 for Chicago and May 1st in San Francisco, limited to two per person.

As previously reported, other dates include a headline slot at Coachella Festival on May 30 and a May 11 show at Toronto's Kool Haus, before further European shows.