How times have changed. Ten years after NME were influential in promoting Coldplay (watch video) as one of the bands to watch in 1999, they're now falling over themselves to ridicule the band they once helped to propel towards the title of biggest band in the world. Below is the NME's review of Coldplay in Manchester last week... brace yourselves. Discuss this review here onwards at the Coldplay Live forum [thanks mimixxx & crazyduckette]

Recessions make people act out of character; party animals won’t socialise at all while board game enthusiasts spend nights eternally pub-crawling. Others, like the fifty-something woman stood in front of NME tonight, will spend £50 on a ticket and then indecently expose themselves by urinating in a pint glass in public.

The ‘camouflage’ bit of her camouflage jacket isn’t doing what it should, and we don’t know what to think. Not a typical Coldplay fan, right? Right. But this isn’t a typical Coldplay gig; one of hip-hop’s strongest contenders is tonight supporting Britain’s most confusingly popular rock band.

Of course, Noel Gallagher insisted Jay-Z and guitar music couldn’t grace the same stage or ignite the same audience. Yet, just over a year later, the rapper is playing to a sell-out Coldplay crowd in the Oasis departee’s hometown – and what’s more, he’s winning with ease. While Coldplay insist on dressing like toy soldiers, Jay-Z strides onstage like a rock star, sporting shades and studded leather jacket. Sure, his confident Brooklyn drawl, as ever, suggests he could afford more gold toilets than we could Wispa Golds, but that doesn’t stop all 50,000 of us feeling like a collective of superstars when the thud of bass-heavy ‘99 Problems’ kicks in.

It’s a happy reception, but this crowd aren’t easy to work out, as exemplified by Madame Public Urination as she proceeds to drink her own freshly brewed export. Yep, really. As security drag her out by the arms, we wonder how the excitement of American hip-hop could summon up such English madness. We also feel obliged to point the OAP holding binoculars in the direction of the opera but, alas, his feet are tapping as the words “Rap critics that say he’s ‘Money Cash Hoes’/I’m from the hood, stupid, what type of facts are those?” blast out at mighty volume. Superfans wearing replica Coldplay army get-up, who you might have thought only knew Jigga from collaborations ‘Lost’ and ‘Beach Chair’, are in fact singing his back catalogue word for word. Iconic images of Muhammad Ali, JFK and Nirvana set the scene for ‘U Don’t Know’ and the soulful ‘Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)’. Rihanna’s vocals introduce ‘Run This Town’ and the crowd divide for group vocals on ‘Jigga What, Jigga Who’. But it’s ‘Encore’ which allows the rapper to be on top of his game tonight – even to a wall of guitar-loving Mancunians who apparently consider Chris Martin a stadium god.

And away he goes… sprinting from corner to corner like a hyperactive child, Martin and co have blown budgets on fireworks and giant yellow balloons which, in predictably cheesy fashion, float out during the soppiness of ‘Yellow’, which is then turned into a comedy X Factor skit. Fair enough, Coldplay do take the piss out of themselves, but Simon Cowell’s pink, smug face on a half a dozen TV screens cancels out any empathy. Mass singalongs are encouraged for ‘Clocks’, ‘Fix You’ and ‘Trouble’ and if said hits weren’t so debilitating to the soul, maybe we wouldn’t feel as hollow as a Songs Of Praise special for atheists. ‘Violet Hill’, ‘Viva La Vida’, the piano stirrings of ‘Politik’ and a (rubbish) acoustic ‘Billie Jean’ don’t muster up anything near the adrenaline caused by Jigga. Before he bursts into the rom-com-perfected ‘The Scientist’, Martin declares, “I think this is the only time we’ve ever had to play after someone who’s had about 10 more Number Ones than us!”

And with that, a line-up born out of mutual respect for different genres has no doubt opened up new sounds to die-hard fans. If, even in the credit crunch, the average listener clearly still values live music as an essential pleasure, no matter what the support, well, we can all take comfort in that – even if we have to sit through Coldplay to do so.

Photos of Coldplay at LCCC, Old Trafford, Manchester (12 September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

More questions answered by The Oracle... (over 1000 questions now answered - submit yours now!)

September 25, 2009 - submitted by Liam, United Kingdom

Q. How come towards the end of the European tour Chris started wearing a scarf during the gig? Is his voice ok or was he feeling a bit ill?

The Oracle replies:

To be honest, Chris, Will & Jonny do wear scarves a lot especially during soundchecks just to be on the safe side. At these outdoor venues Chris was just guarding against the evils. Jonny was feeling poorly at the Manchester show but overall they weren't doing so badly... thank you for asking!

September 25, 2009 - submitted by Nicky, United Kingdom

Q. Either I am completely thick but I cannot find the South Bank Show on the ITV player?? Do you know how I can catch it? Cheers

The Oracle replies:

Yes it's very disappointing to find that it's not available there isn't it? Anyway, if you search YouTube or other web sources, you won't have a problem watching it...

Wembley photoblog overflow: Saturday (from Coldplay.com):

Coldplay Karma!!... help Julie (juliejulle) win 3rd place and a 1-2-3 for our Coldplayers in Absolute Radio live stories! (hours to go)

Vote "Julie: Coldplay" @ http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html (18th name down from the top, brown icon!)

Voting in the Absolute Radio Live Stories (personal entries, not the main competition) ends in a couple of hours (Friday 5pm, BST) and Julie (juliejulle on the messageboard) needs your help to beat Oasis and Guns 'n Roses to get into third place.

Jenny and Lucy look to have 1st and 2nd places wrapped up with healthy leads, but Coldplay Karma dictates that we must have a 1-2-3 in the Absolute Competition where the results will be announced live on air today from 5pm (UK time) on Geoff's hometime show. Please look for Julie:Coldplay and donate any spare votes you have to make it a Coldplayer top three!

More questions answered by The Oracle... (over 1000 questions now answered - submit yours now!)

September 24, 2009 - submitted by Amber, United States of America

Q. I was lucky enough to see Elbow in Charlotte, NC when they opened for Coldplay and I thought they were amazing and quite the crowd pleasers. I would love to get all of their albums but money is a bit tight right now and I can only afford to get one. In your opinion, which one should I get??

The Oracle replies:

It's a tricky one because Elbow have some amazing songs on their fantastic catalogue of albums. My favourite overall album of theirs is The Seldom Seen Kid.

As that is their latest chances are most of the songs you heard and liked in Charlotte were from that very CD.

September 24, 2009 - submitted by Stacy, United Kingdom

Q. Dear Oracle, did you know sarcasm is the lowest form of wit? Or at least, apparently it is. I see a good number of your answers are seeping with sarcasm, or am I pereceiving it wrong? PS: Don't take offence :)

The Oracle replies:

I had heard that yes but I disagree. I do use it but more sparingly here than I'm tempted to... I didn't take offence either as I know sarcasm isn't everyone's cup of tea but I admit I'm a fan!

September 24, 2009 - submitted by Thierry, France

Q. Oracle, What's the date of your first answer ?

The Oracle replies:

I took up residency here from 25th July 2008.

Wembley photoblog overflow: Friday (from Coldplay.com):

More questions answered by The Oracle... (over 1000 questions now answered - submit yours now!)

September 23, 2009 - submitted by Kevin, United States of America

Q. Hello Great Oracle! A few years back I came across a video of Coldplay performing Trouble on MTV2. Before they started, Chris said "This is for Kevin McCan/be" later I found out that it was Kevin McCabe and not Kevin McCane (my name. Although I showed Eeeeveryone and told them they dedicated it to me!) Then, I just watched the BRILLIANT South Bank Show the other day and saw Kevin McCabe in the credits. What does this fella do with the band? And on days he is ill, may I take his place on occasion? :) Thank you

The Oracle replies:

Kevin works for the band's U.K label Parlophone. His job is in radio promotions so looks after the boys in all things radio related.

September 23, 2009 - submitted by Nick M, United States of America

Q. I recently watched the 2005 Glastonbury Festival on TV. During In My Place, Chris lifted his pant legs and showed writing on both his knees. I couldn't quite make out what it said. Any idea?

The Oracle replies:

On his right knee Michael and on his left Eavis so that when stood together it showed the name of the Glastonbury organiser and proprietor.

September 23, 2009 - submitted by Steve, United Kingdom

Q. Hi, I've only recently bothered looking at getting a concert ticket because I presumed they would be mega expensive. After learning that they're actually quiet cheap I looked into the tour dates etc... and I read the Viva tour appeared at Old Trafford today (such a legendary band in such a legendary venue?!?! - simply amazing!!), seeing Coldplay live at Old Trafford would have been beyond an absolute dream for me honestly as a Manchester Utd fan so I really need to ask if this opportunity will ever arise again? Is there a way to book tickets in advance of this because I'd forget to book one if they were free and Coldplay were playing in my home town of York... Cheers, Steve. (thumbs up :D )

The Oracle replies:

Well I can put you out of your misery in a little way by telling you that there are 2 Old Traffords in Manchester. The one the band played at is in fact home to Lancashire Cricket not therefore The Theatre of Dreams.

Wembley photoblog overflow: Friday (from Coldplay.com):

Shynola, the directors of Coldplay's latest video for Strawberry Swing video have responded to claims of plagiarism by releasing a statement online, which has also been distributed via Coldplay.com. Here's Anchorman:

Good evening. In light of a recent statement about the Strawberry Swing video by musician Andy J. Gallagher, the video's directors, Shynola, have put together this response.

In a previous statement, Gallagher said, “While I can’t say they copied me, there are an awful lot of similarities between my video and theirs. I think it’s unfair that ‘Strawberry Swing’ will probably be nominated for numerous awards and is being universally acclaimed as groundbreaking when [‘Something Else’ director] Owen Trevor had virtually the same idea at least a year before.”

Mr Gallagher goes on to say, under the heading of, "coldplay - the copyright controversy", the following statement on his website:

Further to the increasing coverage the "coldplays video looks an awful lot like andy j gallagher's one", i would like to add the following. there are striking similarities between the two videos and we wrote to coldplays management asking them to explain the bizarre coincidences between the videos (both in style and script) and also to qualify chris martins assertion that 'strawberry swings' video is "unique and groundbreaking". suprisingly, they took the time to respond by email with the following: "i'm afraid the creative on the video was written by shynola not coldplay".

The groundbreaking short film was directed by visual artists Shynola and features Chris Martin as an animated superhero in a chalk-drawn world (with a killer squirrel). You can discuss Shynola's exclusive response here at the Coldplay forum now [thanks mayurshikotra]

Here are some stills from the Strawberry Swing video...

Gary Barlow has vowed to improve Take That's live show after his mother told him she prefers Coldplay to Take That and enjoyed Coldplay's concert more, writes ContactMusic today.

The 'Greatest Day' singer has revealed Marjorie loved his group's spectacular 'Circus' stadium tour - which they undertook earlier this year and which featured elaborate stunts, a 60 ft mechanical elephant and carnival performers - but has now told him they need to improve after watching the 'Viva La Vida' tour concert at Wembley in London last week. He said: "My mum was blown away by Coldplay. She thought we were brilliant but they were better - and wasn't afraid to tell me. So I'll have to up the ante for the next tour."

In February, Coldplay performed with Take That's Gary Barlow, The Killers... and a special appearance from U2's Bono... all on the same stage at the same time! Coldplay rushed from the BRIT Awards, from which they left empty-handed despite being up for four prizes, across London to perform at a charity show for War Child at the 02 Shepherd's Bush Empire. They were firstly joined by Gary Barlow - who had played their hit single 'Greatest Day' at the BRITS earlier - for a rendition of the boy band's classic song 'Back For Good'.

As he introduced the group, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin joked: "I think everyone agrees the band to see at the moment is Take That. We've just got back from Japan, lost all the BRITs, it's been a shit day frankly, but it's going to get better, please welcome Mr Gary Barlow!"

More discussion on this new article is at here onwards at the Coldplay forum.

Photos of Coldplay with Gary Barlow at War Child gig, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London (18th February 2009):

Pictures by vivalarevolution

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Rap superstar Jay-Z stunned his pal Chris Martin on Friday when he joined Coldplay onstage during their London concert and began wrestling him to the ground. The Run This Town hitmaker, real name Shawn Carter, has been entertaining fans as the support act on Coldplay's UK tour (Glasgow and London at least) - but he had a surprise in store for Chris Martin when they performed at Wembley Stadium.

Media reports confirm that Jay-Z appeared on stage on Friday as Chris Martin was playing a song on the piano and embraced him in a bear hug before playfully tackling him to the floor. The friends rolled around on stage before Martin managed to climb to his feet and resume his set.

A source tells OK magazine, "It was a strange moment, Everyone went wild when Jay-Z joined the boys on stage but seeing him grab Chris away from the piano and on to the floor was a bit weird to say the least."

But that wasn't the audience's only surprise - Star Trek actor Simon Pegg also joined Coldplay at their London gig and showed off his skills on the harmonica during the band's rendition of Trouble. Jay-Z and Martin have been close friends since collaborating in the studio together in 2006 and the pair is regularly spotted out on dinner dates with their respective wives Beyonce and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Meanwhile, Jay-Z wishes to learn yoga from Chris Martin because he is envious of his flexible dance steps, according to ContactMusic. The hip-hop star has been supporting Coldplay on their tour, and confesses that he is unable to dance like his pal Chris. [thanks Sirhc]

Contactmusic quoted Jay-Z as saying: "I try and work out four times a week – cardio, weights, push ups, pull ups – but I haven’t for a month because of vacation and touring. Chris hasn’t tried to get me to do yoga yet but I am close to doing it. I’m envious of what he can do on stage. Watching him is amazing, he can really move. I want to be able to move like that, get my leg behind my ear, things like that."

However the ‘99 Problems’ hitmaker also admits that he misses comforts at home. He said: "I miss my bed, the comfort of your own bed, there’s nothing like it. I only trust my own sheets. I don’t take my own with me though."

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

Photos by karenb51

More questions answered by The Oracle... (over 1000 questions now answered - submit yours now!)

September 22, 2009 - submitted by John, United States of America

Q. What happened to Chris' cockiness from way back in 2000?

The Oracle replies:

I know what you mean but I wouldn't have chosen that word; it was more a cheeky manner which I think he still has. In fact, I don't think he's changed that much at all.

September 22, 2009 - submitted by Antek, Poland

Q. Hello Oracle. You said Coldplay knew Viva la Vida was the 2nd biggest seller in the U.K. What was the 1st one? Cheers, A.

The Oracle replies:

The biggest selling album in the U.K in 2008 was Duffy's Rockferry. F.Y.I: Viva la Vida was the biggest seller in the world beating AC/DC's Black Ice to pole position.

September 22, 2009 - submitted by Clive, United States of America

Q. Is it true that Chris and da boys were singing and shooting a video on a rooftop in midtown Manhattan during this past week? My brother-in-law swears blind he saw that out of his office window but I thought you guys were all back in Blighty playing concerts and preparing for Wembley. Please advise. Thanks!

The Oracle replies:

The U.K dates took place from the 12th to the 19th September with little time in between for anything else let alone a trip to New York...

September 22, 2009 - submitted by Frank, Germany

Q. Hi Oracle, please help me. I found Mince Spies on Ebay. Artikelnumber: 330361327368. I only need this cd than i have all CDs and DVDs from Coldplay. Can you say me is this really a Original CD? I had buy Safety on Ebay and thats a copy. I'm very unhappy. Greeting from Hamburg. Frank

The Oracle replies:

The photograph is showing a genuine Mince Spies CD so as long as that's what they send to the highest bidder there's no worry about it being a copy.

Wembley photoblog overflow: Friday (from Coldplay.com):

More questions answered by The Oracle... (over 1000 questions now answered - submit yours now!)

September 18, 2009 - submitted by lLsa, United States of America

Q. I'm not a big fan of this term, but "OMG", you guys must be flipping out! There are only 2! *^&%'ing concerts left on the tour!!! I'm slightly embarrassed to say that over the year-and-a-half I saw 4 of the concerts, and they were all memorable for different reasons. It's a bit sad knowing there is not another one to look forward to...well I suppose I am looking forward to the next album and tour - a whole new ball game. What happens to you, Dear Oracle? Will you continue to answer questions? Will you dig into the stash of unanswered questions from the past year?

The Oracle replies:

We will all return after the weekend as usual so keep checking back. I will of course be delving into my substantial archive of questions but you'll still be able to ask new ones. See you all on the other side of the mammoth Wembley shows. To all who are attending, have a great night and stay safe!

September 18, 2009 - submitted by Simone, Germany

Q. Hi clever Oracle! My question refers to the crew. are all of them British or are they composed of different nations? Love, S.

The Oracle replies:

The crew is international. Obviously there are many British crew members but a tour of this size requires so many people, they're from all over.

September 18, 2009 - submitted by Alison, United Kingdom

Q. Dear Oracle. I am currently listening to the Glasgow concert on Radio 1. Did we upset Jay-Z in Manchester as he did not come out and sing on Lost like I have just heard on the Radio. I feel disappointed that he did not do this at Old Trafford.

The Oracle replies:

It would have been amazing and I even had my camera ready to film the moment if it happened but as you know, it didn't. Disappointing as it was for 'us' listening to Glasgow hearing Lost+ in its glory we have to remember Jay had a very tight schedule that weekend that saw him in NYC the following evening at the VMAs so it just wasn't possible in Manchester. At least we can listen online to the Radio 1 show and enjoy it over and over. It was a real goosebump moment; even Anchorman got them!

September 18, 2009 - submitted by Mathilde, France

Q. Hi!!I'll celebrate my 19th birthday on September 24th. Could Coldplay sing for me? Thanx!

The Oracle replies:

Sappy as this may sound, the band sing for you all with every song; they won't be able to sing for your birthday I'm afraid. It's my Mum's 70th birthday today so big Oracle love to her - even she won't be getting a Happy Birthday from the band. It's also my niece's birthday today and she will be representing at Wembley but there'll be no shout out.

So, happy birthday to one and all whenever your big day is! Special mention to Bianca in Peru who's having her party tonight...

September 18, 2009 - submitted by Emily, United States of America

Q. Dear Oracle, In The interview with Jonny on Coldplay.com the interviewer said to Jonny, "Well, you had the biggest selling album in the world last year" and then Jonny replies "Did we? That is incredible." So did the band (or Jonny) not know about this? I'm just curious. But please reply though! Sincerely, Emily

The Oracle replies:

On 28th January I was in the studio and we were talking about the fact Viva was the biggest selling album in the world in 2008 and they hadn't known long; Jonny found out the day before during that interview. They did know it was the 2nd biggest seller in the U.K.

Coldplay are reportedly facing another accusation of plagiarism from a singer who alleges that the band's new video is "awfully similar" to a previous release, according to DigitalSpy tonight.

Coldplay recently reached a settlement over their highly-publicised copyright dispute with guitarist Joe Satriani regarding their single 'Viva La Vida'. However, singer-songwriter Andy J. Gallagher has now come forward to suggest that the group copied his idea in their video for new single 'Strawberry Swing', which was made using stop-animation and features singer Chris Martin acting alongside chalk drawings.

Gallagher claimed that it bears similarities to his music video for 'Something Else', which he released last year.

He told CMU Music: "While I can't say they copied me, there are an awful lot of similarities between my video and theirs. I think it's unfair that 'Strawberry Swing' will probably be nominated for numerous awards and is being universally-acclaimed as groundbreaking, when ['Something Else' director] Owen Trevor had virtually the same idea at least a year before."

More discussion on this news is here at the Coldplay forum [thanks chlllll]

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Our Wembley Coldplaying t-shirts are still on sale - don't miss out! (Click on the banners):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

More questions answered by The Oracle... (over 1000 questions now answered - submit yours now!)

September 21, 2009 - submitted by Chris, United Kingdom

Q. Did the band know that Saturday 1909 fans had to leave early to catch last trains from Victoria leaving at 23.32 ,therefore missing from 22.30 onwards , what a shame it was going so well , even with the rain...

The Oracle replies:

I don't mean to sound rude at all so forgive me if the written word comes across that way... but I am quite sure that no, the band do not know that, or how the entire contents of each venue got home over the last 16 months. In all that time of touring this is the first Q that I have received mentioning trouble with the journey home. Anchorman gave the Wembley stage times in advance so that fans could work out their logistics and I'm afraid to say that as with every gig, concert, film, play or any performance it is the same; travel arrangements are the responsibility of the ticket holder. The finish time was not unusually late for such an event either. I am glad you enjoyed what you did see, though it really is a shame that other arrangements weren't made in advance so that you could see it all; I am sure there were alternatives...?

September 21, 2009 - submitted by Brendon, United Kingdom

Q. I just caught the last ten minutes of the South Bank Show . No-one told me it was on!!! Is there any way I can get to see it?? Looked really interesting. : (

The Oracle replies:

I beg to differ Brendon as Anchorman announced the South Bank Show with transmission times more than once on this site as well as via Twitter! Being as you're from the U.K you'll be able to watch it online but I'm sorry that this is not the case for all overseas fans.

September 21, 2009 - submitted by Becca, United States of America

Q. Dear Oracle, PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION! It's been eating at me all day and will continue until I find the answer! In the Live Photo Blog @ Wembley, during the soundcheck vid, what song is the band playing? ~Thank you!:)

The Oracle replies:

The reason you may not have recognized the song played during the soundcheck is because it is a very different version of God Put A Smile Upon Your Face. You can't actually tell from that clip at all but if you've been to a live show you'll recall it was one of the Stage B songs.

The Chris Martin / Jay Z love-in always felt like a match made in celebdom rather than musical heaven, but at Wembley their shared ability to interpret the wisdom of crowds was obvious, writes BBC 6Music. [thanks RedGirl76]

Viva La Vida already has a Grammy and the title of the world’s biggest selling album behind it, but since the record itself is a brisk 47 minutes, the two-hour set demanded by a Wembley headline inevitably had to draw heavily on their previous three efforts. Yellow was dropped into the set quite early on – complete with giant yellow balloons, while there were big roars for Fix You, and Trouble, on which the band were joined by their comedian friend Simon Pegg.

Coldplay have been beating a path to stadium rock ever since A Rush of Blood to the Head with ever more expansive guitars and layered harmonies, but the Eno/U2 blueprint evident in Viva La Vida undoubtedly kicks them a lot further along. Moreover, the acknowledged Kraftwerk hook in Talk aside, plagiarism disputes with Joe Satriani and Cat Stevens seem a touch irrelevant since so much of band’s material feels like an unabashed aggregation of recent rock history into large crowd-pleasing form.

The problem for Coldplay though, is that in spite of a sound that is big enough and songs that are universal enough to sate such a crowd, the quartet’s audience participation feels a bit contrived. Having said that they did manage one very amusing moment in getting the seventy thousand-strong crowd to sing along to the last verse of Yellow, and apparently in honour of Cheryl Cole, played clips of Simon Cowell’s reaction cut from Pop Idol.

Indeed, special mention should also go to Girls Aloud, who despite being sandwiched between the hip hop star and White Lies, were unswerving in their exposition of the purest manufactured pop. Probably the most curious moment, though, was a cover of Billie Jean to close the main set, by which point the band had decamped to a small square stage within the crowd. Needless to say, it was one of several features within the show that cynics would term gimmicks, but which fans undoubtedly appreciated.

Either way they were clearly a band determined to prove themselves all-round entertainers, and repay the thousands who, in Chris Martin's words, "trusted us with your Friday night," rather than seek the approval of indie rock critics. Meanwhile Jay Z, fresh from a showcase of his latest album Blueprint 3 at London’s Roundhouse last night, took the opportunity to give a brief but high energy cocktail of his biggest hits – dropping in touches of Pharrel and Busta Rhymes along the way.

Recently Jay Z said that he’s enjoying indie rock more than hip hop at the moment – lionising Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear along the way – and tonight’s gig demonstrated that it can be much easier for a rock band to connect with a big audience. The problem is that few bands have been able to tap into the mass market psyche as effectively as Coldplay – even if they’re very much the daughters of invention rather than the mothers of it when it comes to musical innovation.

The latest discussion on both of the Wembley concerts is at the Coldplay forum here.

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Our Wembley Coldplaying t-shirts are still on sale - don't miss out! (Click on the banners):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

Coldplay have donated £1million to a kids charity, The Sun can reveal today. The band are keenly involved with Kids Company, which helps underprivileged children who lack adult support.

They have visited its various centres - and also plan to give music lessons. Founder Camila Batmanghelidjh, based in South London, said: "They were moved by the tough stories they heard, and want to be genuine participants." She said of the donation: "I got the feeling it was something they had planned from the start of their careers."

More discussion on this news is here at the Coldplay forum (registered members only for the time being due to high traffic).

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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It nearly wasn't to be for ace drummer Will Champion - it is the job that has made him an international rock star who has played sell-out stadium shows all around the world, sold millions of records, won dozens of awards and earned a reported £10m, writes the Southern Daily Echo ahead of tonight's showing of the South Bank Show that features Coldplay.

But now it has been revealed it nearly wasn’t to be for the Hampshire student who went on to be one quarter of Coldplay. For drummer Will Champion, who was born and raised in Southampton, was sacked by his bandmates before they had even released a single.

Talking about the 1998 incident for the first time, the group – whose hits include Clocks, Yellow and Violet Hill – have revealed they blamed their percussionist when they were told they would never make it big. “We got signed and went to a studio and we were doing OK but this producer we were working with told us we weren’t good enough, we weren’t technically good enough,” said singer Chris Martin.

“What bands often do in that situation is blame the drummer for going out of time or whatever. We didn’t really know that music is supposed to be about the feel of it, we thought it had to be technically perfect because we have a record deal now, so it ended up with us asking Will to leave. Three days went by and we were doing our thing and playing with a drum machine and stuff, but just felt really miserable.”

Chris, who is married to Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, said he had to grovel to convince Will to rejoin, which he only agreed to if the singer drank a large amount of vodka and cranberry to make him remember his mistake. And four multi-million selling albums later, he will tell viewers he hasn’t forgotten how stupid he had nearly been in a profile piece on the South Bank Show to be aired on ITV tomorrow.

Father of three Will, 31, who went to Southampton’s Cantell School and Peter Symonds College in Winchester, says he is always sure the band remember how lucky they are to be in the position they are now in. Coldplay have just finished a 163-day world tour, which saw them play in 112 cities including London, Tokyo and LA. “Literally just before we go on stage, when we’re standing by the side of the stage, we just have a little moment,” said Will.

“We all get together and remind each other of why and how we are in the position we are, and that it’s not an opportunity to be wasted, and then we go on. Every day we wake up knowing how lucky we are, but it drives us on to work harder.”

The South Bank Show is on ITV1 at 10.15pm on Sunday.

Photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Coldplay's Viva La Vida stadium tour ended in spectacular fashion last night at the massive Wembley stadium in the second of two consecutive concerts in London. Torrential rain arrived just as the band took to the stage and didn't subside until well into the set. Once again Jay-Z made a special appearance during Lost but Simon Pegg did not return for the acoustic set on the C-stage. See more C-stage photos at the Coldplay Live forum and also after the jump. Chris, Jonny, Will, Guy AND phil gave the most emotional group hug after Life In Technicolor ii to signal the end of the Viva tour. The official website has now been revamped and Viva no longer appears. However, there is still evidence that a Latin America tour will be going ahead...

[discussion] [photos] [videos] [wiki reviews/setlist] (updated over the next 24-48 hours)

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Glass Of Water

Yellow

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost+ (feat. Jay-Z)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - sung by Will)

Trouble (acoustic)

Billie Jean

Viva La Vida (remix interlude)

------

Politik

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

-------

The Scientist

Life in Technicolor ii

The Escapist (outro)

Photo by me!

Hello just got back. Incredible, no changes to setlist. It was an incredible performance and atmosphere. life in technicolor ii was great as was lost with jay-z. all supports were great as well. Very touching at the end when the band Hugged and phil Harvey joined them onstage. It's an end of an era and what a way to finish. Best night of my life. [thanks cleeson7]

Even better concert that the 18th. As soon as Blue Danube started it began raining torrentially and for the first 6 songs EVERYONE on the floor (probably half of the 80,000 crowd) were soaked to the skin. The atmosphere was incredible and must surely surpass that of Red Rocks several years ago when rain almost cancelled the show. With the rain, glowsticks, flying beer glasses (!), the end of the Viva tour, group huddle after the very last song which included Phil Harvey... etc etc... it really was the best show that Coldplay have ever put on. You just know when the lasers during Clocks glitter as raindrops pass through them that its going to be a special show. Yes #42 even better than Paris :P Thanks to Chavi who gave me her setlist :D and the Coldplayitalia crew at the C-stage for the Viva crown :D and thanks to the roadie who left his cap behind near the C-stage - you won't be needing it again for a while! Please don't arrest me it has gone to a very good home!! :X At one point we were wondering if the C-stage would actually go ahead - watching the roadies clear buckets of water from the under the stage and rip the carpets up didn't look good. Thank fuck it stopped raining by Glass of Water. No changes to the setlist and no appearance by Simon Pegg this time. [busybeeburns]

just got home, in short White Lies deserved longer, that was the 3rd time I've seen them and each time they get better. Girls Aloud, well that was my diner break. Jay Z bought the house down, was not expecting the crowd to be as into it as they were, was so lovely to see him genuinely humbled by it all and of course CP. I'd made it a point not to come on the forum in the past weeks so it was all a surprise and it was worth it. Could be the concert of the year for me and thats saying something seeing as I've seen this year The Warchild gig/ killers in Rome, Muse Teignmouth and Paris and Radohead (to name a few). Brilliant night and the parents loved it too. Job well done. I've taken so many pics, tomorrow will be sorting through them day <3 [thanks bello-lo]

Not much energy or inspiration to write a full review tonight, so just a few observations. We were sat on Jonny's side, third block from the front next to the aisle, an absolutely superb position to view the whole show, nip to the bar and for food, and also down to the pitch standing where the secret and illicit ciggie-smoking took place. SO, Coldplay! There's not much to say here really, lol. It seemed a much slicker operation at Wembley than Manchester, with the different bits of the set hanging together much tighter and far better organised. The band, roadies, all the crew really nailed this tonight, it went like clockwork. It was great to be further back than the last gig too, to have the perpective of the whole scene. Chris didn't seem to play too much to the front rowers again, but I didn't mind this time as I wasn't front row. And the scene was GORGEOUS. The lighting was brilliant, the video screens looked absolutely awesome from a distance away. It was mindblowing to see Coldplay play to this many people in this setting and seem so at home. Seriously good stuff. Ah, as always the gig passed in a flash. Before I really knew it Politik was on and I was planning my hasty exit after my beloved LiJ. Chris seemed quite tired again to me, but more relaxed and his voice less croaky than at Manchester. He really seemed to be having fun most of the time. I was bit disappointed he seems to have ditched the best bit of In My Place ('singing please please please...') and again only picked it up halfway through the phrase. LiJ was probably the weakest vocal of the night (BOO!), and he changed 'Osaka sun' to something unintelligible ('London sun'?) which always pisses me off (Imagine Bono changing it to Late Tuesday Afternoon, Bloody Late Tuesday Afternoon, or REM singing Losing my Agnosticism). So, not a great night for vocals, but everything else was almost perfect, and in many senses things were better than I could ever have imagined. What a long way we've come! From first gig of the tour at Brixton, to the last at Wembley...I can't believe it's all over. But, Viva La Vida, indeed. [thanks Tonsu]

I'm back! feet aching, throat sore, eyes red raw - but what an effing awesome gig! GA were plain awful - Sarah was definately on something, very reminiscent of Robbie pre: the Leaving Take That" announcement (hmmm i wonder...) anyway everything else was fantastic. Generally speaking i think the sound quality at Wembley Stadium is not the best, but it didn't spoil it for me. Jay Z was fab. Totally worked the crowd up into a frenzy - I loved the new song from Blueprint 3 as well, "New York" - female singer that does the vocal on that had an amazing voice. Then before you know it the sound of the classical music build up, the stage cuts to black out and we're off to the sounds of LIT. The sell out crowd are then given a whistle stop tour of 26 examples of a band at the top of their game. Then before you know it's over. The fireworks are exploding overhead, we return full circle (well almost) to LITii and the boys then play their final number. and. In the end. we lie awake and we dream of making our escape... Let's hope they don't escape just yet eh folks. 159 gigs on and the VLV Tour is at an end. Will, Johnny, Guy & Chris I hope you have a fantastic and well earned holiday. I for one cannot wait for Album number 5, but until then. Ohhh Woooaaaaa--aaaa-hhhhh Ohhh, Ohhh Woooaaaaa--aaaa-hhhhh Ohhh.. etc etc to fade.... [thanks rushofbloodUK]

More on this concert including reviews, videos, pictures and tweets here onwards.

Pictures by busybeeburns

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Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Today (Saturday) the official Coldplay site will be providing fans with pictures and live blog updates ahead of the band's second concert at Wembley stadium in London this evening. You can keep track of the discussion to the live blog at the Coldplay forum here onwards. Here's Anchorman with more details:

Good afternoon. Following our warmly-received live photoblogs at Brixton, Lyon, Birmingham, Roskilde and Dusseldorf, we thought it was only appropriate that we gave you live backstage access to tomorrow's Viva tour finale at Wembley Stadium. Join us from lunchtime 'til late for all the behind-the-scenes news, photos and catering reports. To whet your appetites, here's a picture we took during the band's soundcheck earlier.

You can also discuss Coldplay's performance at Wembley stadium at the Coldplay Live forum too, and also the 'Ongoing Non-going Wembley party extravaganza!' [thanks MK & coldplayisawesome]

More photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (18th September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Coldplay's Viva La Vida stadium tour arrived at the massive Wembley stadium for the first of two consecutive concerts in London. This show was recorded for a DVD after the Barcelona film was scrapped following sound problems. Once again Jay-Z made a special appearance during Lost. No other major changes to the setlist. Simon Pegg made an appearance during the acoustic set on the C-stage and wore his own military outfit. See more pictures from the front of the C-stage after the jump. Check out the first videos of the Coldplay Wembley yellow glowstick choreography at the Coldplay live forum. More on this concert tomorrow!

[discussion] [photos] [videos] [wiki reviews/setlist] (updated over the next 24-48 hours)

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Glass Of Water

Yellow

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost+ (feat. Jay-Z)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - sung by Will)

Trouble (acoustic)

Billie Jean

Viva La Vida (remix interlude)

------

Politik

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

-------

The Scientist

Life in Technicolor ii

The Escapist (outro)

Photo by me!

Iwona and myself are also back at the hotel. Transportation into London worked amazingly well, we were really surprised that it didn't take that long at all to get away from Wembley, given the amount of people heading to Wembley Park Tube station. Front row C-Stage, got my banner out which Iwona and Petra helped holding with me and when Chris entered the C-Stage he was looking closely to read it and we got another thumbs up. This is so great to be acknowledged ... Even my penfriend Paul who was standing behind me said completely surprised that Chris recognized me and the banner which really seemed to have impressed him. [thanks Littlemissmessy]

I am still quite speechless - they totally rocked Wembley!!!! It was amazing!!!! The audience and whole atmosphaere was amazing! Sooooooooooooo happy to have the guys back home - in Chris words "...it's nice to have a home come back to!". I am sure I will have tears streaming down my face tomorrow! P. [thanks worldtrav]

Unbelieveable concert - Far too much to tell you so I will keep this review snappy and concentrate on the pics. Decided not to take up a position for front row and instead went for the beer and seat option - but the C-Stage which was still quite empty at around 6pm was becoming too hard to resist. Got front row with the band facing us and Simon Pegg with a cameo roll again! There were one or two idiots in the crowd almost starting fights because of the pushing and shoving. The end of the concert was fun with several Coldplayers taking handfuls of LRLRL CDs and distributing them to the leaving crowd, especially Chavi who almost got mobbed by 20 people when they realised she was holding a full box. Also, hi to the guy I spoke with at the C-stage about running the Coldplaying site [busybeeburns]

More on this concert including reviews, videos, pictures and tweets here onwards.

Pictures by busybeeburns

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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A reminder that later today Radio 1 will be broadcasting Coldplay's Glasgow gig highlights, an interview and live lounge performance today. This from Anchorman (below). More discussion on this news is at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mayurshikotra]

Good morning. We're pleased to report that, on Friday 18th Sept, BBC Radio 1's Jo Whiley show will broadcast a Coldplay interview, a special Live Lounge performance from the band and 60 minutes of highlights from the Glasgow Hampden Park show. Jo's show starts at 10am and you'll be able to listen online, wherever in the world you are.

You can listen to the Radio 1 webstream via the Coldplaying toolbar - which you can download here prior to the interview and live gig. If you have any problems with the toolbar please log them here as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Coldplay live article is featured in October edition of Q Magazine: [thanks mimixxx & kspillers2]

Coldplay have today been nominated for 'Best Act In The World Today' alongside the likes of Kings Of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, and Muse. This just in from Anchorman:

Good afternoon. It was announced earlier that Coldplay have been nominated for the Best Act In The World Today award at this year's Q Awards, which will take place in London on Monday, October 26th. Coldplay were nominated for - and won - the same award last year. If you'd like to vote for the band to retain their crowd, then please click here (thanks folks). Anchorman

Sheffield band the Arctic Monkeys lead this year's Q Awards with four nominations, while Oasis, who recently announced their split, are up for two prizes. Among other artists with multiple nominations for the music publication's annual awards were U2, Florence & The Machine, The Prodigy, Kasabian and Dizzee Rascal. The prizes are handed out on October 26.

Arctic Monkeys, who have just released their third album, appear on the shortlist for best track ("Crying Lightning"), best live act, best album ("Humbug") and best act in the world. Manchester's Oasis have been nominated for best live act and best act in the world, despite songwriter and guitarist Noel Gallagher announcing last month that he had quit the band due to a bust up with his brother and frontman Liam.

"The nominations are compiled from votes cast in their thousands by Q's readers, listeners, viewers and online users, so they reflect the choice of the nation's music fans," said Q Magazine editor-in-chief Paul Rees.

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

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Pop stars Girls Aloud say they will not make any concessions to rock fans when they support Coldplay at Wembley Stadium this weekend. "Coldplay asked us to do the gig because they like what we do," singer Nicola Roberts told BBC Radio 5 live. So for us to turn around and scrap a few songs and do a few covers to try and please the crowd - that's not what Girls Aloud are about at all."

The 24-year-old added that the band "can't wait" to play at Wembley. "We've had the summer off. I've been in St Tropez for three weeks, I've sunned myself, I've had a blowout with my friends from Liverpool, and I'm ready to get back on stage now."

Jay-Z and White Lies are also scheduled to perform at the two concerts on Friday and Saturday. "You've got the pop element there, you've got the indie element there and you've got the hip hop element there," Roberts said. "I think anybody who comes - whether it's a man, a woman, a young teenage girl, a young teenage boy - I think everybody will be entertained. We're not going to change for anybody, we're just going to stick to what we do - our formula. So far it hasn't gone so badly."

The band, who found fame on the TV reality show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, have released five albums and won a Brit award for best single this year. But they have all decided to take a year off from the group to pursue other projects. Cheryl Cole and Nadine Coyle both have solo records planned. Roberts is expected to concentrate on her cosmetics range for people with fair skin.

"All five of us are strong enough to go out and test the water and do things on our own," she said. "I've gone from GCSEs at school to being in the band. It is all I've ever known, so for me this year break is going to be a huge test."

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Going to Coldplay at Wembley? Arm yourself with YELLOW glowsticks! (Click on the bracelets):

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Coldplay's whistlestop Viva La Vida stadium tour flew into Scotland last night as they played at Hampden Park in Glasgow. This show will be featured on Radio 1 tomorrow as was reported recently - and Jay-Z made a special appearance during Lost, which effectively turned the song into Lost+ (as featured on the Prospekt's March EP). No other major changes to the setlist but the playing order of Trouble and Death will Never Conquer where switched, however. Chris Martin once again did an interactive question and answer set on stage talking to a video recording of Simon Cowell on X-Factor, who basically criticised the crowds rendition of the ending of Yellow... until it was done a second time. If you missed it the first time around in Manchester, see a video of it here at the Coldplay Live forum. [thanks SueDeNimes]

[discussion] [photos] [videos] [wiki reviews/setlist] (updated over the next 24-48 hours)

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Yellow

Glass Of Water

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost+ (feat. Jay-Z)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - sung by Will)

Trouble (acoustic)

Billie Jean

Viva La Vida (remix interlude)

------

Politik

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

-------

The Scientist

Life in Technicolor ii

The Escapist (outro)

Another great show but I do prefer them indoors if I had to choose. Lots of arseholes in the crowd tonight where I was standing that wanted to chat away quite loudly anytime they played a quieter song. Maybe I attract them I dunno lol... anyway! Band were on top form tonight even when they tried playing 2 songs at the one time (they fucked up the start of Postcards From Far Away when somebody hit the Viva La Vida switch) but things like that make gigs special for me. Loved the setlist tonight. Jay Z coming on for Lost+ was the highlight for me. Thought he would seeing as its being recorded for Radio 1 and it was amazing! Sound was good where I was although I prefer it a bit louder. Hampden does have shitty sound mind you so maybe the louder it gets the worse it becomes. Not the most boisterous crowd I've ever seen in Glasgow although it looked really special down the front anytime they were on the screen. The screen is fantastic!! Stage is really simple but the screen is just superb. Great vids during most of the songs. Thought Glass of Water's visuals were stunning. The X Factor thing after Yellow was cheesy as but still funny in a sort of watch through your hands cringe way lol. Bit of fun. Anyway to sum it up another special gig. Jay Z put in the best support slot I've seen since Red Hot Chilli Peppers supported U2 at Slane Castle (With Coldplay on before them ). The man is amazing!! Oh and I was standing next to Jo Whiley! She is absolutely stunning in the flesh! Oh can I just add.....I don't think the mini stage thing works in a stadium. Was really cool in the arena's but it kinda broke up the show too much and there was too much delay in getting them back to the stage. Was a bit disjointed. Would have been cool for the folk up the back mind you that were close so swings and roundabouts. [thanks kevvvy]

Okay ... back at my current 'home' (R#42 would point out that you can't call a hotel home unless you've got WiFi, which I have). What can I say?!!?!? Not much I'm afraid as I am still blown away. I guess it will take some time until everything has sunk in ... Two things I have to mention though! I 'only' showed up at Hampden Park at around 1.45 pm and just two dozen of people were there by then, spread on the different turnstiles. The second thing which stood out was the 'organisation' when getting people to the front of the stage. Running was not allowed, instead they gathered all the fans at some kind of police barrier tape and stewarts walked backwards with the barriertape and kind of 'escorted' everyone to the front. Only the last few meters was a bit of running...

I was soooo happy about this, as I would have failed awfully in the long run and now I was even lucky enough to end up first row really center. People didn't sit down though so it was standing all the time but since the entry was delayed we only had to wait for another hour until the White Lies took the stage. Atmosphere was brilliant and people sang along. Jay-Z entered the stage shortly after 7 pm but honestly, he's definitely NOT my cup of tea. He will never grow on me ... however the audience went wild and loved it ... There was loads of pushing from behind and for a longer while there was this scottish lass standing behind me, smelling of beer ... yuk!!! I really had to defend my spot more than once which was a bit annoying but I reckon' that's how it is. Coldplay came on and everyone went nuts. I just loved it and hardly took photos even though I had such a good spot. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed that Chris was more concentrating on singing (probably because it was recorded for BBC radio) and not that much into 'interacting with the audience front row'? In any way, he spotted my banner during Violet Hill but didn't show any reaction. Later he looked again and had a big grin on his face and then looked up to me (probably to check if it was really me who was holding the banner ). Of course Guy noticed it too and yes ... he had some time for a killersmile again. I will sooo miss it. Shortly before VLV was about to start Chris interrupted and said someone had just pushed the wrong button and they had technical difficulties ... don't know what was wrong though ... Maybe R#42 is going to shed some light into this?! Yep ... and when Lost! was on, Jay-Z entered the stage to share it with Coldplay for his bit. The audience went completely crazy! No exaggeration!!! As for the C-Stage, Chris started with his Glaswegian Rhyming Song but left out the 'fu**ing' bit and filled it in with 'bollocks' and explained that he couldn't sing it on the radio ... I was confused when he led over to Will, as C-Stage usuallly starts either with Green Eyes or Trouble. Now they started with Death Will Never Conquer and played Trouble afterwards. What really surprised me was how fast the show was over ... I never had this feeling before?! Maybe it was because of standing first row so close to the center?! [thanks LittleMissMessy]

I was at Hampden tonight.Thought it was quite poor to be honest. I saw them in 2003 and in 2005 and they were brilliant and blew me away.Tonight just didnt stand up to them. Firstly, i got hit about 3 times with thrown cups of pee and generally there were idiots in the crowd trying to push past to the front. Secondly the sound where i was, was awful. I was just in front of the leg of the C stage and the sound was far too quiet,i remember they were up on the stage at the back and the acoustic guitar sounded really poor. Thirdly going up to the back and using the stage just doesnt work in a stadium it really disjoints everything. Best songs for me were LIJ,Politik and LIT 2. I saw U2 last month at Hampden and perhaps they have set the bar too high with the 360 tour but Coldplay tonight was nowhere near it. P.S Hope i dont get flamed for this but its just my honest opinion. [thanks Choldplayer]

More on this concert including reviews, videos, pictures and tweets here onwards.

Pictures by Littlemissmessy

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Going to Coldplay at Wembley? Arm yourself with YELLOW glowsticks! (Click on the bracelets):

Join the new Facebook page for more Coldplay news, reviews, setlists and links:

More questions answered by The Oracle... (1000 questions answered - submit yours now!)

September 16, 2009 - submitted by Innes, Portugal

Q. Have you ever heard about Post Concert Depression? It happens to me everytime I see my favourite band live and it's very hard. What do you think about this? I know, this sounds more than silly but, just wanted to know...

The Oracle replies:

It seemed appropriate to have this question as my 1000th answered so close to Coldplay's homecoming shows. It does not sound at all silly to me Innes and I suffer from it too with my favourite bands. Specifically with Coldplay mine is more of an end of tour slump but it's natural that a low follows the euphoric high of any adrenalin fuelled gig experience.

September 16, 2009 - submitted by Baedal, Thailand

Q. Cool Q, I was just reading the wikipedia page of Coldplay, when I found out that in the early beginning of the band Chris kicked out Will. Only 3/4 sentences later 2 rules of the band are there. The second one says: "the band would fire anyone who used hard drugs." so, should I link this then just written rule (just after this 'thing' between Martin and Champion) with the fight of the two?? Did Will do something that did not agree with that rule? Or was it just some discussion about girls and money?:P Hope you have the answer and of course that you are allowed to give it.you are the best Coldplay! I'm really glad chris and will made up their fight and that coldplay is so big right now!

The Oracle replies:

Good grief no. Will didn't break any rule and it wasn't anything about girls or money. It was just a low point for Chris that he has since talked about and they had a falling out. Chris regretted the decision and begged him to return and yes, we're all glad about that!

September 16, 2009 - submitted by Eve, Belgium

Q. Dear Oracle, How does one decide to go for kids? My husband and I are both 32, and although we both love kids, we don't feel the desire to have a kid of our own yet. But we realise we aren't getting any younger, and we can't wait forever. Plus I think it's not very nice for a kid to have "old" parents. What would you advise us? (sorry for the bad English)

The Oracle replies:

That's not something anyone can advise but I truly believe you just know when you want to start a family regardless of whether the time is right. Some people may never feel there's a right time because of finances etc. but as you say, the age is an issue for you both so don't let that time pass and live the rest of life in regret. People do have children in later life; I wouldn't worry too much about being older parents. You're 32 so you still have a few years to make a decision, unless of course you opt for freezing your eggs now? Ooh I suddenly feel like I am intruding in something very personal!

September 16, 2009 - submitted by Heide, United States of America

Q. Coldplay has Christmas messages and videos from 2004 to 2007. Why did they stop? Do they not like us as much anymore? Any hope they might do once this year! Afterall it's been quite a while. Thank you Oracle.

The Oracle replies:

They didn't stop... Last year for example there was a video from Earl's Court's Stage C acoustic set don't you remember? Ah go on, you do...The band were wearing festive headgear and Simon Pegg was the special guest on harmonica. No? Ah well...

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Joe Satriani and Coldplay have settled their legal entanglements and the guitarist's lawsuit alleging copyright infringement has been dismissed, Satriani's representative confirmed to Billboard today. While details of the case remain sealed, legal sources tell Billboard a financial settlement between the two parties may have been reached. Coldplay will not be required to admit to any wrongdoing.

Last December, Satriani filed a lawsuit against the members of Coldplay and Capitol Records, alleging the band's song, "Viva La Vida," contained "substantial, original portions" of his 2004 track "If I Could Fly." "I felt like a dagger went right through my heart. It hurt so much," Satriani told website Music Radar at the time . "The second I heard it, I knew it was [my own] 'If I Could Fly'.

"Almost immediately, from the minute their song came out, my e-mail box flooded with people going, 'Have you heard this song by Coldplay? They ripped you off man.' I mean, I couldn't tell you how many e-mails I received. Everybody noticed the similarities between the songs. It's pretty obvious.">/i>

Coldplay denied the allegations. "If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him," the band said in a statement at the time.

Over the summer, Satriani - who was on tour with his Chickenfoot supergroup with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith - was reluctant to discuss details of the negotiations. "You know it's one of those things that's annoying to talk about because I can't talk about it," he told Billboard. "But I can tell you that the legal system is going through it's paces, the protocols are all being met and it's making its way between various law offices and the courts. I'm pretty confident that there will be an equitable solution reached at some point."

According to court documents posted at justia.com, the case came to a conclusion yesterday. Through his representative, Satriani declined to comment on today's developments.

You can discuss this latest news on the Coldplay / Joe Satriani lawsuit at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks RedGirl76].

Vote for Jenny and win £500 prize pot for the Coldplaying Awards 2009!

The forthcoming Coldplaying Awards 2009 just got a little tastier! Our admin person Jenjie has just submitted a personal entry into the Absolute Radio Live Stories mini-competition that closes on Friday 25th September at 5pm. Here's the interesting part - if Jenjie (Jenny) comes FIRST in the online voting competition, all winners of the Coldplaying Awards 2009 categories will go into a prize draw to win a share of £500! Five lucky category winners drawn out at random will each win £100 - but once again... ONLY if Jenjie wins the Absolute competition!

VOTE FOR "JENNY: COLDPLAY" - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/voting_new.html

Photos of Coldplay at LCCC, Old Trafford, Manchester (12 September 2009):

Pictures by busybeeburns

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More questions answered by The Oracle... (submit yours now!)

September 15, 2009 - submitted by Eszti, Hungary

Q. Hi Dear Oracle!I saw the cover of the new A-ha album and I realized Guy Berryman's name on the cover. Is he the member of Coldplay or just an other Guy?

have a nice day Oracle!:) x

The Oracle replies:

It is indeed our very own Mr. Berryman. He is credited for photographs used on its inner sleeve.

September 15, 2009 - submitted by Jill, United States of America

Q. Hello Oracle. You're great. But enough about you, I'm wondering what inspired William to get a hand tattooed onto his left arm. Could you help me out?Thanks.

The Oracle replies:

Will's tattoo is inspired by his first-born daughter whose hand print it is!

September 15, 2009 - submitted by Valentina, Denmark

Q. Dear Oracle, I am going crazy! Someone in my building area is playing really loud music late in the evening (and it's not even Coldplay!). I am not big and scary so I can't even knock at their door and tell them to shut up! What can I do?

The Oracle replies:

So if it was Coldplay you wouldn't mind? Only joking... I totally empathize with you Valentina as I have new neighbours and had a similar problem. Maybe you could try what I did? I wrote a note mentioning that the building wasn't very soundproof and politely asked them to consider the residents by keeping noise, after a certain hour, to a minimum and promised I would do the same. That said, it didn't work, so there was a second note after which they definitely improved!

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