WordPress Posts: Coldplay News

Coldplay and Satriani lawsuit already settled?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Various internet sources are already suggesting that the pending lawsuit between Coldplay and Joe Satriani may already be over. You can discuss this latest news on the Coldplay / Joe Satriani lawsuit at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks RedGirl76]. This from TechDirt:

The main event was supposed to be the lawsuit between Coldplay and Satriani -- scheduled to take place early next year. It looks like that's not happening. Blaise points to a blog post noting that the two sides, appear to have come to a settlement.

There aren't any details yet, just filings to dismiss the case, signed by both parties, suggesting a settlement has been reached. At this point, it's not at all clear what that settlement means, but the most likely scenario is that Coldplay handed over some cash to make Satriani go away. In the end, that's really too bad, as it would have been quite an interesting court case. Without an official ruling on the matter, we can expect to see other, similar lawsuits filed in the future, every time some musician gets jealous of another musician for using a similar melody.

Late last year, Joe Satriani sued Coldplay, claiming that the band's song Viva La Vida violated the copyright on his song, If I Could Fly. This resulted in all sorts of back and forth arguments, and eventually the realization that a bunch of other songs -- even many that predated Satriani's -- were quite similar. In fact, Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens later jumped in claiming that a song of his from the 70s was the real inspiration for the Coldplay song. Oddly... rather than recognize that this proved Satriani wrong, Islam insisted that he was going to see how Satriani did in court. He later claimed that he forgave Coldplay, even if there's no evidence at all that they actually copied -- and he admitted to coming up with song melodies that were first done elsewhere.

Joe Satriani had hoped that the pending copyright case with Coldplay would be settled "quietly behind closed doors," he claimed recently via an online article in Australia's Sunday edition of the Herald Sun.

"It's one of those things that I am not really at liberty to discuss the juicy parts," he says, as the case makes its way through the US courts. "It's not really something that should have been public. It's a minor tiff between musicians that had we been in the same band it never would have made it out of the rehearsal room. But it's complicated by the fact that we are not in the same band. But neither Coldplay nor myself are comfortable discussing the details and we hope we can take care of it quietly behind closed doors."

The legal dispute remains unresolved since Satriani filed suit in December, although Coldplay members have hotly denied his contention. But Howard King, Satriani's lawyer, said Coldplay has hired a high-profile legal firm in California to handle the suit after it became clear that the group's appearance at the 2009 Grammys in Los Angeles could be marred by the embarrassment of having the legal documents served on them publicly.

"We did have some service challenges, but once we made it known we were going to serve them at the Grammys ... they had a lawyer contact us, who agreed to accept service on their behalf," King said.

Both sides have set a tentative trial date for spring 2010, but King said they'll also hold "private mediation" talks in late July. "Cases like this either go to trial and have unpredictable and sometimes devastating results for one side or the other ... or get resolved behind closed doors. There is going to be an attempt in late July to see if the case is capable of being resolved behind closed doors," King said. Russell Frackman, representing Coldplay, had no comment.

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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Coldplay Live Reviews and Setlist - Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland (14th September 2009)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay's Viva La Vida stadium tour flew into Ireland last night as they played at Phoenix Park in Dublin. No changes to the setlist that was played in Manchester, except for a small cover of an Irish song called "Ride On" (best known for being performed by Christy Moore) at the end of The Hardest Part. 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

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Ride On (Christy Moore cover - acoustic)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

Trouble (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - sung by Will)

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: Irish Times

Too amazing to put into words right now! Best gig I've ever been at! Same setlist as Manchester except a small cover of an Irish song called "Ride On" (best known for being performed by Christy Moore) at the end of The Hardest Part. Also the first time in Cemeteries of London when it came to that part he changed it to Dublin. Other than that I'd imagine everything was the same as Manchester! Also someone near the front had a funny banner. It said, "Chris I wanna have your Apples!" [thanks bohs man]

Back from Coldplay. Absolutely amazing I'm too excited to sleep but also sad that the concert is over. Got really close to the stage Chris Martin is really really gorgeous. [thanks annabanana]

Okay folks, logging in from my hotel in Glasgow! Yesterday's show has been bloody amazing, everything around was more than perfect and Chris fucked up the beginning of THP as someone (a girl/woman) in the crowd yelled his name and he was really thrown off track by it and he was then joking that only his mum yelled at him like that ... everyone was laughing and cheering. He was in an absolutely chirpy mood despite his cold/throat problems. His singing voice was still great though but you could hear it when he was talking (which he did a lot). C-Stage was wonderful with Trouble and everyone singing along. So when Billie Jean was on Chris changed a line and instead of singing 'She thinks that I am the one ...' he sang 'She thinks that Will is the one ...' which got everyone laughing.

Loads of Chris/Will action to be seen on the huge screen ... a sight for sore eyes. I was standing miles away from the stage and therefore hardly took any decent pics but I am going to upload some later on nevertheless. Oh and I kind of pumped into Phil and he remembered me from Nijmegen (and that I told him which concerts I was going to see) and he gave me a signed LRLRL CD

When going out, I didn't get one and I just saw a few people having one CD so I don't know where they handed them out ... [thanks LittleMissMessy]

I couldn't find anyone giving out LRLRL either! Lucky I got two in Manchester, my friend asked someone where they got them but they said it was a long way back and they had an extra one so they gave it to my friend. I saw the poster of : Chris I want your Apples too! I think I saw Chris nudging Will and pointing at it and laughing..but maybe im wrong! [thanks x_Coldplay_x_Lover_x]

I was there last night and just happened to spot what I thought was gonna be the c-stage so promptly positioned myself right beside it! Sure enough, I was right!! Brilliant stuff! So close to the action....got great pics too (including Chris's sweaty backs of his knees!!) Another triumphant gig by our boys....certainly giving our very own Bono a major run for his money ;-) [thanks suzy66]

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

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

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:

Live Nation: Coldplay Tampa show is officially cancelled

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Live Nation have been sending out emails to those with unused tickets for the Tampa Coldplay show that never was last month. It reads:

Dear Live Nation Customer, regarding Coldplay in TAMPA, Ford Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds, please be advised of the following: It was announced today the postponed Coldplay show at Ford Amphitheatre has been cancelled. Refunds of the face value of the ticket and the per ticket convenience charge will automatically be processed to the credit card used at the time of purchase. This refund will appear on your next credit card statement depending upon billing cycle. There is no need to return any tickets you may have received in the mail. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Care at 1-888-598-4299 Sunday ˆ Saturday 9am -1am EDT, or email us at customercare@livenationtix.com. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you.

This puts an end to speculation that Coldplay would return to Tampa on the back of a possible Latin America tour, alhough this does not mean that a Latin American tour won't go ahead. As yet, nothing apart from this news has been announced.

More on this breaking news at the Coldplay Live forum here onwards. [thanks daNgoland, Rhianna, lfdianne & CitizenSnips]

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

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

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:

Coldplay enter 2010 Guinness World Records For...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Three British bands, Coldplay, Oasis and Take That have managed to score entries in the 2010 Guinness world records. Coldplay claimed two records: “Most downloaded free track of the week” and “Best selling download album in the UK”, according to the Telegraph today. After 22 successive Top 10 hits in the UK, Oasis has set the record for “Longest Top 10 UK chart run by a group”.

Take That’s comeback tour has earned them a place in the records with an entry for the “Fastest-Selling UK tour”. All 600,000 tickets for their 2009 tour sold out within five hours of going on sale. Fellow Brit Alexandra Burke achieved two record entries for her single Allelulia, which sold a record 576,046 copies in the UK, topping Leona Lewis’s record in 2006.

The new records suggest the increasingly successful numbers of online downloads. Leona Lewis’s single Bleeding Love sold a record 3.3 million online in the US. Other artists to break records include Sir Cliff Richard, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Britney Spears. Spears is the youngest female artist in history to have five of her albums reach number 1.

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

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

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:

Chris Martin to perform solo at 2009 Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, CA

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Chris Martin will take the stage during the 2009 Bridge School Benefit concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Mercury News are reporting online today. More on this at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks strawberryfields]

Stefani will perform with her platinum-selling band No Doubt, which recently came through the Bay Area on a highly successful reunion tour, while Martin will leave his mates in Coldplay behind to play rare solo sets. The concerts are set for 5 p.m. Oct. 24 and 2 p.m. Oct. 25. Tickets are $39.50-$150 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday through 877-598-6659 and livenation.com.

Other top names scheduled to perform at both concerts include pop-rocker Sheryl Crow, indie-folk act Fleet Foxes, Australian hard-rockers Wolfmother, alt-rock icon Gavin Rossdale (Stefani’s husband) and, of course, the event’s organizer, Neil Young. The Monsters of Folk, the indie-pop dream team of Conor Oberst, Yim Yames, M Ward and Mike Mogis, will also appear on both days.

Each concert, however, boosts individual appeal. Notably, Parrotheads will want to purchase tickets for Saturday’s affair, which is when their leader, Jimmy Buffett, will make his long-awaited Bridge School debut. On Sunday, Buffett’s spot will be filled by popular comedian Adam Sandler, who recently starred in the Judd Apatow-directed film “Funny People.” Sandler is best known for such films as “Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore,” but he’s also a platinum-selling recording artist.

In all, the lineup should be taken as a breath of fresh air by Bridge regulars, who have long complained that Young relies too heavily on the same cast of performers, such as Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews. Of all the acts on the bill, only Crow and Young have performed at past Bridge benefits. That number could change, however, since Young commonly adds more acts to the lineup as the dates draw closer.

These concerts are fundraisers for Hillsborough’s Bridge School, which aids students with severe learning disabilities.

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

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

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:

Manchester fan review: Coldplay at Lancashire Cricket Club (12th September 2009)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

A comprehensive review of Coldplay's concert at the LCCC (12th September 2009) has been published online, courtesy of Pete (Tonsu). Here is the review and some new photos:

Well, I've been back through the thread up to Jen's first posts of the morning (great work guys!) and I'm sure I've missed some stuff, but there's just so much to take in! I heard rumours that there was a pic of Jizo and myself being silly with lip-balm in front row centre, or at least a link to a pic on Twitter, but seeing as I have no idea how to use that it's probably for the best so that in my tired state I don't see the evidence! (too late...! Ian)

Seeing as I'm going to be angling for some writing commissions soon I was going to take my time and try to write the best review possible. But I'm lying here on my bed after a very tiring weekend, still in a daze from the gig last night, listening to LRLRL, so I reckon I'm just gonna go ahead stream-of-consciousness stylee, and get it all down while it's fresh in memory (if I can distract myself from the ringing in my ears!)

Chris (Jizo) and Pete (Tonsu) putting the final touches to their facepaint before Coldplay

Firstly the personal observational-type stuff. It was so nice to meet everyone at the meal on Friday, a great choice of restaurant by Jen - top-notch - and lovely of Jizo to bring gifts for everyone, and order the champagne (even if I didn't get actually get any myself ).

It was never my plan to aim for front row, in fact it was very much my plan NOT to, as I do like the overview you get from further back, and the freedom to leap around like a loon, with ample refreshment in hand. So, I didn't bother turning up at the breaking of the day like all the others, I just thought I'd mozy on down around lunch, spend a few hours with everyone, and then chill further back.

Well, after queueing for a few hours with the Vivacrew I realised that wanting to be with them for the gig was much more important to me than my dislike of the various discomforts of six and a half hours stuck at the front, so I too did the run-walk-run-walk (speed of footwork dependent on the number of stewards yelling at everyone not to run) and joined my fellow Coldplayers dead-centre stage.

Really I should have apologised to them all at the time for turning up four hours after them but still nabbing a place at the front, but it was never my intention, just an irresistable opportunity. I also have the defence that I probably had as little sleep as anyone due to the various 'goings-on' at Manchester Central Travelodge until five in the morning (both nights I stayed there). There may be a short story idea in there somewhere - it really was an experience. Highly recommended if you like to be entertained but don't care for sleep.

I suppose the consolation is that Jizo and myself were at least involved in some of the madness on the night after the gig (last night) as he managed to get us involved in a limbo dancing competition at four in the morning which was almost followed by a 100m hurdles race across the Travelodge bar/cafe area over the tables...but I digress. So, very many thanks to everyone for letting me join them in the queue and at the front. Thanks to jen for all her invaluable assistance with my planning. Thanks to Ian for turning up to the pre-dinner drink pre-drinks, it was great to meet you and have a good chat. Thanks to Jizo for organising a lot of stuff; for the kind presents; for all the laughs we had after the gig in town; and for almost causing a riot in the kebab shop by producing a fifty pound note!

So...onto the gig itself. I will tell it exactly how I saw it myself, and I know some of the other guys disagreed with me, but all this is just my opinion... So, we were absolute front centre and I can only say that when the White Lies came on the bass was THUNDEROUS. I've been to many a gig, but never felt anything like that in my life. I'm well used to bass hitting one right in the chest, but I've never before quite had the sensation that all my brain cells were being re-arranged everytime the bass drum kicked...

I was more impressed with them than I thought I would be. Two or three songs were really very good indeed, even if almost all their material is about death. But I just wanted them to finish because the bass was too much for me. Jay-Z: very good. Rocked the place with about half the numbers I thought. The other half was standard rap fare for me. But he and the band do what they do well very well indeed. Unfortunately even during the good songs when I was rocking out (is that right? 'rapping out' doesn't quite seem to work!?!) I was just praying it'd finish and the bass would stop, along with the strobe that was nicely placed right between my eyes if I looked up at Jay-Z who was eight or nine feet away.

And so a very tired stone elephant (me) moves on to his thoughts of the main event of the night...the boys themselves.

Well, there certainly were some lovely highlights! Not the best version of Yellow ever, but the Simon Cowell stuff at the end was very witty and went down well It was fantastic to hear CoL at long last, and Glass of Water, with probably my second-ever favourite lyric section (the 'hollowest of halos' bit) being sung just feet away. 42 was a delight (though Chris struggled so at the end, but more on that later...) as ever. A slightly extended outro to Strawberry Swing that was just a delicious moment. It was also fascinating to see Jonny and Guy adding depth to Postcards From Far Away with their guitars on stage while Chris was way out at the piano on the ramp, I'd never noticed that, still can't hear it by ear, but they were playing, so I guess it adds something.

Lovers in Japan. Wow. I won't say much as this whole board's probably sick of me going on about this song, but it was magical as ever I don't know if the Vivacrew's very own Japanese member beans knows that Jizo took a fantastic photo of her Japanese fan fluttering right in the middle of the sea of butterflies but my goodness what a shot that is!! Certainly going to be blown up as big as possible, framed, and hung on my wall. One of the best concert pics I've ever seen, just magical

Trouble, so lovely to hear again, and my first time for the acoustic. A sad moment in a way, as it's a reminder of so many wonderful songs lost to us all live now more or less forever, and we got another reminder when Chris said something about not playing Shiver, but we're gonna play this instead (Death Will Never Conquer?). Billie Jean was ok for me but went on for too long. Along with the little Manchester ditty I just feel like stuff like that is stealing time when they could be giving us Warning Sign, or Shiver, or Everything's Not Lost, or....so many others.

We've had the good, the bass...and now for the ugly. Speaking to the lovely Vivacrew ladies after the gig they didn't seem to think the same as me, but this was my impression... The minute Chris came on last night I thought he was VERY sick indeed. He looked really uncomfortable to me, and he was absolutely pouring with sweat even while they were playing with the sparklers (and by this time the sun had gone down and Manchester was getting chilly).

I had a wondrous night. There is nothing for me that beats a night listening to Coldplay, and we had such a wonderful view; the weekend had been perfect; the calzone at Jen's Italian restaurant splendid (and mine was bigger than Jizo's, naturally!) But Chris looked very very ill to me. He had a scarf on most of the night, had to change his shirt very early cos it was dripping, and there were a number of pauses when he had to go near the back of the stage to gargle or have his ginger (ginsing?) drink for his throat.

I was worried from the beginning, and I don't think he looked happy at all for most of it; at least until they'd got through more than half the gig, and then I guessed (could just be my imagination??) that there was a sense of relief that he'd pulled it off and the end was near. His voice was so croaky, I've never heard it like that. I've heard him tired before, I've seen many nights where he couldn't quite hit the highest notes, but where most of the rest of the evening was great. But he seemed to struggle on A LOT of stuff last night. Early on he took every opportunity to get the crowd to sing instead of him. Most noticeable was In My Place when he missed the beginning of the 'singing please please please, come back and sing to me' (I think it's that bit - when he runs down the ramp at Jonny). There was even one point (forget which song) when he couldn't even seem to find the right pitch at the end, but the crowd got it, and he re-tuned and thanked us for helping him out And it wasn't just Chris messing round like he so often does, he was really struggling I'm certain

Sweating buckets even before the show had got going; fighting for breath at times; seeming confused and laboured at points with the pre-planned banter - I swear he has some kind of pretty heavy virus (at least I really hope it's that and not some permanent problem with his voice ). He also missed a lot of the planned dance moves he does, didn't get around as much as normal, and there were gaps between some songs when usually they are seemless because he sprints right back into place so quick

Aw, I feel awful now, because I've ended my review of an amazing weekend with worries about Chris. I LOVED the show, had such an incredible time, and wouldn't have missed it for the world. But I said to Jizo today that the way he was I would rather he had cancelled the show for his own sake, because we need Chris to keep fit and healthy. I guess he's just so professional that he didn't want to do it, especially as it was the big homecoming at the start of what is going to be such a big week for them all. But now I'm really worried about how he'll be for Wembley.

As I said, some of the girl Vivacrew members didn't seem to really notice all this, so I guess it's just my opinion, but I'm pretty sure. Seen the band 11 or 12 times and never seen Chris so uncomfortable. He even barely looked at the front row, smiled, or waved, he seemed to be just working so hard on singing and getting through. GET WELL SOON CHRIS.

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

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

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:

Livenation: Coldplay coming to Israel in May/June 2010

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Following great success of Madonna concerts, Live Nation announces two popular rock bands to perform in Holy Land some time next summer

Madonna's successful shows in Israel last week have paved the way for more major international artists to follow her lead, and now, Irish rock band U2 and Coldplay are expected to perform in the Holy Land next summer, according to Ynet news, an Israeli-based media source. Both groups are represented by the Live Nation events company, which represents most of the world's leading artists. The company's heads were amazed by the scope of sales to the Madonna concert – some 100,000 tickets were sold for two shows. This lead the company to realize that the Israeli public is hungry for concerts and is willing to pay for them.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Coldplay has already agreed to appear in Israel, and even planned on arriving this month, but due to a busy performance schedule, decided to postpone the trip. Barring any special surprises, Coldplay will perform in Israel some time between May and June, 2010. More on this is at the discussion thread at the Coldplay Live forum.

U2, who appeared in Israel in 1997, is expected to put on another show in the Holy Land some time between June and September 2010. Shuki Weiss, who collaborates with Live Nation, said, "Live Nation was very impressed with the Israeli audience that swarmed to the Madonna and Depeche Mode concerts. The company now views Israel as an important market.

"The Israeli production is also pleased to learn what a warm and great crowd there is for international shows. We would love to report of future performances when the time comes."

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

Pictures by busybeeburns

Dublin preview: Coldplay's tour schedule dictated Phoenix Park slot (plus more Manchester photos)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

The Decision to hold a Coldplay concert in the middle of September and on a working night is as a result of the band’s tour schedule, promoters said yesterday. Coldplay will be playing the Phoenix Park on Monday in what will be the last major concert of the year in Ireland. The band will be supported by the 2008 Mercury Prize winners Elbow and White Lies.

MCD event organiser Louis Harte said Coldplay are currently completing their outdoor European tour and this was the only date available. “We are tying in with European tour dates. In the schedule, we either pick this date and bring as many people as we can to the concert or we reject it and disappoint people,” he said.

Coldplay sold out two concerts at the O2 in minutes in December just before Christmas. Their latest album Viva La Vida was the biggest-selling record last year. The concert takes place in the Ashtown Castle section of the park where MCD hosted previous concerts in 2007 featuring Arcade Fire and others. Garda spokesman Insp John Ferris said dealing with concert traffic during the traditional rush-hour will be a challenge, but the Phoenix Park had hosted bigger events. He said there were 18 bus services servicing the park, along with the Luas at Heuston Station and a shuttle bus from the Customs House Quay which is expected to carry between 4,000 and 5,000 patrons.

There will also be extensive park-and-ride facilities at the Red Cow Luas stop. Motorists who normally use the park to get home from work are advised to take alternative routes out of the city and use the M50 to access west Dublin via the M3. Chesterfield Avenue, the main road through the park, will be closed to traffic from 6.30pm. “Our message is clear. We are asking patrons to use public transport,” Insp Ferris said.

The concert will have a capacity of 40,000 and is not yet sold out. Weather for the event is likely to be dry.

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

Pictures by busybeeburns

Coldplay 'really nervous' before homecoming UK concert in Manchester

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin revealed the band was "really nervous" before its homecoming gig at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Saturday night. It was the band's first UK show this year, and Martin told the 50,000-strong crowd he did not know what to expect, writes the free Press Association.

"It feels like we have been away for a long time. The four of us were feeling really nervous about coming back home but you have given us a better reception than we could possibly have asked for. "It is a bit like when Stefan Dennis went back to Neighbours - he didn't know what the reaction would be," he said.

The Grammy-award winning band has been travelling the world on the Viva La Vida tour, which took their fourth studio album to the people. It began in June 2008 and will finish in London at Wembley Stadium on September 19. Guitarists Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion joined Martin on the Manchester stage, opening with Life In Technicolor and Violet Hill, the first single from their latest album.

Lasers, confetti, fireworks, fire torches and giant inflatable balls created a carnival atmosphere during the gig, which was the 155th on the 159-date tour. Martin said: "We have had 154 rehearsals around the world just to be good in Manchester. I had a message from Mr N Gallagher that this was one of the best places to play in the world."

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

Pictures by busybeeburns

Coldplay Live Reviews and Setlist - LCCC, Manchester (12th September 2009)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay's Viva La Vida stadium tour returned to the UK last night as they played at Lancashire Cricket Club in Old Trafford, Manchester. One minor change to the setlist - Trouble replaced Green Eyes in the acoustic set. Both ColdplayingHQ and Vivacrew twittered live updates from the venue, mainly throughout the day before the show. Chris 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. See a video of that 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

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!

Trouble (acoustic)

Manchester Rhyming Song (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - sung by Will)

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)

Photos by me!

First in the queue at 6.45am. Front row almost 10 hours later. No setlist changes really, Trouble in for Green Eyes, and a Manchester Rhyming Song introduced Will. I know Mich got one of Will's bell sticks, and I nearly got one when Chris bounced his right off Will's VLV drum and it came flying off the stage in my direction, missing me with a direct hit by no more than a couple of feet. Chris 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. Chris gave us a second chance which was obviously going to be louder, and then he panned back to the recording of Simon Cowell who gave it a "bloody fantastic". [busybeeburns]

Just got back, been awake since 7.30 and im shattered. Been standing up since around 2.30, and my back is gone. Had a fantastic time though, got a load of butterflies as well. Took quite a few pics and some vids, will do my best to upload them tomorrow. Oh and coldplay covering billie jean = AWESOME. [thanks gib786]

Amazing! Jay-Z was awesome, as were Coldplay. H to the Izzo!!! Great to hear Glass Of Water and Cemeteries Of London. Caught a butterfly, too. Hope everyone had a great time! [thanks Fixed]

Gig was incredible !!!!!!! Was right by the C-stage and they ran straight past us. That Jackie security woman was manic, she is pretty f*cking scary! She was barking orders around at everyone. We got pushed forward just before Jay Z while they roped at bit of space off next to the c-stage but we stayed close to the barrier and the three songs they played there were fabulous. The audio wasn't great, Chris sounded so quiet but Will doing the high parts of Billie Jean more than made up for it They all looked like they were really enjoying themselves up there, laughing and smiling and Chris looked quite cheeky and mischievous. Him singing Trouble to Will was awww cute. [thanks squareone13]

What a fantastic day,we managed to get at the front of the b-stage so had a brilliant view of the band,the only downsides where whilst waiting for the bands to come on a girl behind us sitting with her back right against my wife's legs so she couldn't move them it was only when The white lies came on that she could move properly,also flying bottles of piss one of which sprayed my wife on the shoulder on the person next to her on the head.Beside that really enjoyed the whole day and wish I was going to Wembley. Thought Jay Z was brilliant but wasn't that keen on The white lies,Oh and one other thing we didn't manage to get a cd so if anybody has a spare please let me know. [thanks hooper68]

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

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MAC 250 Beams added to Coldplay production

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Lighting Designer Paul Normandale has upped the lighting fixture quantities for a series of European stadium shows for Coldplay's ongoing Viva La Vida tour, including a conversion of eight MAC 250 Washes into new MAC 250 Beams, writes L&Si Online, an entertainment, presentation and communications company.

Martin Professional's new MAC 250 Beam upgrade kit converts any standard Martin MAC 250 Wash into a punchy beam fixture that projects powerful variably sized pencil beams. Normandale, who serves as production designer handling lights, set and video on the tour, chose to use the MAC 250 Beam because of the outdoor set's 180ft wide span, which allows the 250 Beams to do aerial work as well as cross light.

Located on the stage floor on side wings, the 250 Beams provide an intense light output and tight beam for a powerful mid air effect. The upgrade kit includes a micro Fresnel lens and set of six beam effect gobos/apertures and only takes five minutes to install.

Normandale states that he likes "the real power" of the 250 Beam. "We even run one song with 7k Synchrolites and the 250 Beams together," he says. "Regarding the upgrade process, there were no issues and it was quick. They've been great so far."

The stadium show rig includes 52 MAC 2000 Wash XBs, 44 MAC 700 Profiles, 9 MAC 700 Washes, 32 Atomic 3000 strobes, 14 MAC 250 Washes and eight MAC 250 Beams. The lighting vendor is Lite Alternative.

Coldplay live at Goffertpark, Nijmegen (10th September 2009):

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Stage times for Coldplay's remaining UK/Ireland shows (starting in Manchester tonight)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Quite a few of you have been in touch with The Oracle to ask what time the four acts will be playing at the upcoming Wembley Stadium shows. So, Coldplay.com have posted the official times for those gigs on the website, as well as the upcoming shows in Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow.

Meanwhile, a reminder that London's Trinity Hospice recently put on an exhibition entitled Larger than Life, showing portraits of well-known folks with a personal reflection written on the artwork on the theme of life and laughter. One of the photographs (taken by Rich Hardcastle) is of Chris. The hospice is now selling 50 of the prints, each individually signed by Chris, for £250 each. The money raised will go towards their valuable work. Click here to check out the prints, or to buy one.

UPDATE: It looks like Trinity Hospice's website is working again now. If you have any problems, please either call them on +44 (0)20 787 1086 or email fward@trinityhospice.org.uk if you'd like to purchase a print.

Stage times for Coldplay's remaining UK/Ireland shows

MANCHESTER

4:00pm Doors open

5:40-6:20pm White Lies

6:50-7:50pm Jay-Z

8:30-10:30pm Coldplay

DUBLIN

5:00pm Doors open

6:20-6:50pm White Lies

7:10-8:10pm Elbow

8:40-10:40pm Coldplay

GLASGOW

4:00pm Doors open

6:00-6:40pm White Lies

7:00-8:00pm Jay-Z

8:40-10:40pm Coldplay

LONDON (both nights)

4:00pm Doors open

5:20-5:50pm White Lies

6:05-6:50pm Girls Aloud

7:20-8:20pm Jay-Z

9:00-11:00pm Coldplay

Coldplay live at Goffertpark, Nijmegen (10th September 2009):

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Coldplay.com interviews latest support act, Flaming Lips

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay.com have called up Flaming Lips member Wayne Coyne about playing with Coldplay just before the band (one of Coldplay's all-time favourites) played their final show on the Viva tour.

Hi Wayne. How are you?

I'm good. We're backstage here at Nijmegen.

Crikey, you know how to pronounce it.

Well, I only know because back in 1988 we stayed at an abandoned church full of nuns. It was at the end of our tour and we had three or four days before we had to go home. They didn't want to put us in a hotel, so they put us in this makeshift youth hostel thing. It was weird. I remember it was that Christmas when the Lockerbie flight went down, so everybody was afraid to fly home from Europe for fear that they'd be shot down. When we landed in America, people stood up crying and applauding. It was pretty weird.

And the church you stayed in was in Nijmegen?

Yeah! So while I'm no expert on Dutch things, I do know how to pronounce that.

What's the venue like?

This one is more of a field than a stadium. It looks like a giant Coldplay festival, only instead of it being 20 bands, it's just a couple of us and Coldplay.

Have the gigs in Barcelona and Paris felt similar to playing at a festival?

No, because - and this is in no way a reflection on Coldplay - there is just a mentality that when you go to see your band play a stadium, it's different than going to a festival. At festivals you could be the first band on that day and people are ready to greet whatever's on stage. But for these fans to come and see Coldplay - the ones who rush the stage as soon as the doors opened - they really can not be bothered by anything that isn't Coldplay. They'll think, "Oh, Bat For Lashes, you're great, but where's Coldplay?" And then the Flaming Lips will play and they'll think, "OK, you guys are weird and you're old and this could be cool, but where's Coldplay?"

Ah. Tricky.

But I can only speak from my own experience when I saw the Rolling Stones in, I think, 1981. I saw them play in a giant stadium in Dallas, Texas and Billy Squier and ZZ Top opened up for them. And I stood in that stadium and thought, "Get the fuck off the stage, where are the Rolling Stones?" I can say for sure, if I'd seen ZZ Top even a week later, I would've thought they were great. It's just a mentality that sort of takes over when you're standing in a stadium full of people, who are just there to see this one group. But, y'know, we expected that coming into this. We're really doing it because we like the guys and we know a lot of their crew. And, y'know because they asked us. And, of all the giant groups out there in the world, they probably are the coolest as far as people and the way they treat their audience and their crew. So we kind of knew going into it that we'd have a good time, even if the audience didn't understand us.

Did they not understand you?

Actually, I think they respond good enough. I beg them to respond, and they do! We're like, "Look, Chris sent us out here as the opening group, we're supposed to warm you up. So if, by the time they come out, you're not fully charged, I feel like we won't have done our job!" So, in that sense, I'm really just pleading to them from a Coldplay point of view. I think they respond to that best! But I certainly don't want to make it sound like it's been a horrible experience. It's just you know there are times while our set is going on that the audience is actually singing a Coldplay song. You can be tricked into thinking they're singing your song, but it's the Coldplay chant they do the whole time. But that's great. I want them to enjoy this spectacle that Coldplay is putting on. It's pretty unbelievable. And we don't mind - we find a way to make every experience we have happy and good.

You've had a pretty crazy summer - playing big festival slots all over the world. This is presumably just another part of your summer 2009 experience.

That is exactly the way to look at it. We wouldn't do it if we weren't gonna find a way to say, "Oh this is interesting and different". That's part of what's great about doing all these different things - you jump from one thing to another. We've been in Australia and Japan and America, we did Coldplay and then we jumped to Ireland for a festival and now we're back. So sometimes you don't really know where you're at. But you make the experience what you can. That being said, everything around Coldplay and their organisation is top notch. It's a great spot to be in.

How did you come to be on the Coldplay tour?

When Coldplay played in Oklahoma City, where we're from in America, last November, Chris called me about a week later and said, "Hey Wayne, do you guys want to do some of these shows with us, playing these giant stadiums in Europe next summer?" I just said, "Sure, sounds like fun!" Then I didn't really think about it again until we arrived in Barcelona! And that's what made it fun. I'm not really doing it from a marketing point of view, I'm doing it cos Chris loves us and we like them.

Did you go to the Oklahoma show in November?

Yeah. Luckily almost every time that they've played there I've been home. The previous time I went down there in my truck and Chris and Jonny jumped in the back and I gave them a tour around Oklahoma and some of the significant places that are important to Flaming Lips folklore, like the first place we played and where we filmed Christmas On Mars. It was a lot of fun.

What did you make of Chris's Flaming Lips cover at the November show?

Oh, he always gives us the greatest shout outs. For days afterwards I'll run into people at the malls or whatever in Oklahoma and they'll say, "Chris Martin talked about you at the Coldplay show!" I think he did Superman and, y'know, when you're sitting there and there's 15,000 people in Oklahoma City thinking, "Wow, according to Chris Martin, Wayne is the coolest guy in the world", that's pretty hard to beat!

When did you first meet Coldplay?

I have to say that we've been connected from the very beginning. We both played at a festival in Scotland around the time that Yellow went into the charts in the UK. I remember we were standing there with them when they came off stage and we all talked about each other's music and I think we've just had a connection with them ever since. For whatever reason, we've just stayed real casual and real friendly, admiring each other's ways of doing things. It's mostly just cos they're cool people. There's a lot of musicians out there in bands that are popular but you simply don't like being around them that much when they're doing their thing. I think now that they're so popular they can obviously pick and choose whatever they want. They stick to these hard-fought priorities and think, "We like these bands and this music" and they prove it by inviting you along, it's wonderful! And you can tell the kind of effect they have on their organisation because everybody they work with is really respectful and nice and tries as hard as they can. And that's simply because of the way they are. There's a lot of other groups out there that you travel with and their organisation isn't nearly as nice to be around.

The balloons that Coldplay put out during Yellow are, in a sense, a tribute to the Flaming Lips.

I wouldn't want to say we were the first group ever to use balloons! But I think we were the ones within the past decade who made that famous. There's been times when me and Chris will go back and forth and he'll say, "I'm gonna do the balloons and the confetti as a tribute to the Flaming Lips" even though we all know it's just stuff. My suggestion was instead of using confetti they should just let it rain down dollar bills. That would really one up the Flaming Lips. And you wouldn't need to hire a clean-up crew, because the audience would just clean it up themselves.

Having known Coldplay since the start, do you think they've developed as a band.

Well, I really think that there's an authenticity and a truth in Chris in the way that he sings to the audience. And even though you'd have to think there has to be some difference between playing to a couple of hundred people when they started and playing to literally tens of thousands of people now, I still see that in him. That's why I like them so much, because he is the real deal. He's not faking it when he gets up there and that enthusiasm still effects him. So in that way, I think they're virtually unchanged. They haven't become these unapproachable mega rock stars, even though they're arguably the biggest band in the world right now. If they wanted to they could just walk around and piss on everybody's head. But I just don't get the feeling it's of them. Obviously their stage show has taken over this corner of Holland, but I think that's all fun. That's probably one of the reasons why Coldplay and the Flaming Lips like each other. There's just a sense of "Fuck, let's go for it! Let's get 50 laser beams and 20 tonnes of confetti and let's throw this shit at the audience and sing songs to them". I think we both relate to that a lot.

Flaming Lips have got a new album coming soon.

We do. I think it's coming in the second week of October. So we've been playing new songs and trying new things. I think when bands have new stuff, it has a different energy to it. You feel like you're living in the now instead of singing a song that you did in 1990 or something. It's exciting.

Have you got any big plans up your sleeves for the new campaign?

Actually, when I get home from this I'm going straight off to Portland, Oregon where I'm shooting a video for a couple of days with a group of bicyclists that cycles through town nude three times a year. I'm gonna grab them and use them in my video, doing various things around Portland. They've promised me anything between 500 and 5,000 naked people. I should ask Chris if he's ever had any experience with 5,000 naked people and see what he would do.

It's been 23 years since your first album. It's pretty amazing to have a career that long.

Well, it seems like it's getting more and more normal. We played in Japan a couple of weeks back with Sonic Youth, who's actually been around longer than we have. We've played with Red Hot Chili Peppers who have been around longer than we have. U2 has too. If you stop and think about it, there's quite a few groups that are still going. Beastie Boys have been around longer than us. So as time goes on, it doesn't feel as impossible to keep trudging along.

But it's tricky to stay relevant. People half your age still love your band.

That's just dumb luck. In a way, that's the greatest thing that's ever happened to us, that we're still viewed as a band that's making music now, that matters. I think when it was 10 years, it shocked us. We were like, "Well that seems old for a weird group like us". Then at 15 years, it almost felt embarrassing, like "Oh my God, we should break up or something, this just seems pathetic". But then it got to 20 years and we started to feel like, maybe we're one of those "classic" groups. You saw how I lumped myself in with Sonic Youth, U2 and all these cool, old groups out there! But I guess we're just lucky that this has really become our whole adult life now.

Do you enjoy it as much as ever?

Yeah, I think really that's the key to being able to do it. If you weren't able to enjoy it, gee what a torturous existence it would be. Because it really demands every bit of your energy and time. You can't do this half asleep. And that's why I applaud groups like Coldplay. When we showed up, they'd been doing this tour for 18 months. And yet their crew and them are still pleasant to be around. That's an achievement. So, yeah, I'm lucky because I'm more obsessed with it than ever. I find more opportunity and more stuff that I like about it all the time. I think that's got to be the secret.

You can be a wise uncle for younger bands.

Well, I don't know if it's "wise", but certainly "experienced"! But I can tell them, here's how it was for me. And really that there is an element of being out here, seeing the world and just being able to be around people who love music and art all the time, that's a joy in itself. There are stresses and pressures of being out there every day being a performer, but there's a lot of other things about it that are really wonderful and you gotta hope that the wonderful things outweigh the horrible things. But that's true in life. Everybody's life has stress in it. Even people who work just an 8 to 5 job seem to have more stress than doing this. So I think we're all lucky. Who knows how long the world will let us do this thing?

Finally, what is your favourite Coldplay song?

I like a lot of their songs, but there's a song on the album before this one that kind of reminds me of Johnny Cash. Where he says "I don't know what I've become".

'Til Kingdom Come.

Yes, that's the one. I don't think they're doing it at these shows, but they used to do it as part of their acoustic part and I saw that several times. I just felt like Chris was saying that to himself like, "What is this?" Especially with what was happening with them during that time, where they went from, "Are they really gonna be the biggest band in the world?" to being, "Fuck, they're really taking over!". And I thought that was a cool thing for a guy to sing about, like "I don't know what this shit is, what's happening to me?" And not necessarily struggling with it in a bad way, but just looking at himself like, "What am I gonna become?". They've got a lot of great songs, but that would be my favourite for now.

For more info on the Flaming Lips, head to flaminglips.com

Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #103 (Paris round-up)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the "best gig we've ever done - ever"

Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks strawberryswinger & SueDeNimes]

It's utterly crazy. I've heard crowds excited before the band come on, many times. Here in Paris though, it's completely berserk. They start Mexican waving, Again, not unusual. Then they start the Viva Chant. This too, happens very often. Here though, they get louder and louder until there is just a fantastic roaring cheer going on - a full 20 minutes before the band have even left the dressing room.

It actually feels quite peculiar - it's like they can see something we can't. As us roadies scurry about making busy with gaffer tape and cables, they're screaming like it's time for the encores. Myself and Neill do a lot of checks via walkie talkie and the crowd is so loud when he's at the B-stage that I simply can't hear his voice over the noise. I've been doing this for over 20 years now and I have never experienced this.

On a tour of this length, the repetition and fatigue can easily leave you punch-drunk and numb a lot of the time. Sometimes though, things like this happen that jolt you out of that. Cynicism and a refusal to be impressed are almost a job requirement amongst roadies, but it is impossible to ignore the level of excitement firing off all around the stadium tonight. This is plainly going to be a night that a lot of people here will remember for the rest of their lives. It's hard not to be affected by that.

Now, Chris is an enthusiastic fella. He's said on more than one occasion "that was the best gig we've ever done - ever". For me though, tonight I might just be in full agreement. There's something completely unquantifiable about what makes a show truly outstanding. It's not something you can take a photograph of, or point a video camera at.

For me, the Paris show genuinely is the best show I've seen on this tour so far. Quite possibly in the time I've worked for them. There's an exchange of energy between the audience and the band that feeds upon itself until it feels like the whole place is humming. A very special night on a tour of great shows.

This brings us to Nijmegan. You'll have to forgive me now, for talking a while about the Flaming Lips. As a show, they're utterly the most joyous thing that you'll ever see. Their gigs are the most gloriously bonkers thing you'll ever see. Again, sleep deprivation robs me of the words to do them justice. Go see for yourselves, you have my personal guarantee that you won't regret it.

As people, they're every bit as wonderful. As I potter in my workstation below the stage, I spot Chris sat at the side of the stage with Wayne Coyne, both watching Bat For Lashes play. Despite the hugeness of the show and the machine that this tour has become, it's great to see two folks simply enjoying each other's company and having such genuine shared enthusiasm for another artist.

Neill, who works alongside me, is an old friend of the Lips, having worked for them some time ago. Stephen, their drummer spends much of Coldplay's show standing with Neill and I, watching the show on our little monitor and out of the peephole through the stage. He's animated, enthusiastic and clearly having fun.

When the band bust out a very rare version of Trouble on the C-stage, he lets slip that it was for him. Apparently, Chris asked the Lips guys earlier if they'd play Somewhere Over The Rainbow tonight. Stephen asked for Trouble in return. Seems like a fair deal to me. Everyone's a winner...

We leave the huge site at Nijmegen, racing the 60,000 punters out with the help of a police escort. All very flash. For some wonderfully odd reason, the only hotel available to us tonight is a nice, but somewhat basic place a little out of town. When I get to the room, it reminds me of the hotels at motorway services that I spent so much of my early roadie career staying in. Now, admittedly, I'm not sharing rooms like the old days, but the nostalgia is kicking off nonetheless.

When I head into the bar, there's a very small group of us gathered for a free bar and a wind down. It continues the "just like the old days" vibe perfectly. The barman has stepped outside to collect glasses on the terrace. Will leans over the bar and picks up a glass, proceeding to pour himself a beer. It really is like the old days. It's always the drummers...

Two shows in a row means a very rare chance for the crew to enjoy a break from the constant (and rather gruelling) schedule of loading in and loading out the show. The fact that nobody can string a sentence together means it's hard to find out how exactly they went about celebrating their night of freedom, but it's a fair bet that they were extremely thorough.

There's no impromptu version of Trouble out on the C-stage tonight. Instead, the audience take matters into their own hands and seize a between-song moment to start singing Happy Birthday to Jonny. It's another "this is the second time we've sung him happy birthday on this tour" moment.

I'm writing this laid on a sofa in an empty hut that used to be a dressing room. The sounds outside the door are of hundreds of flightcases being wrestled into trucks. People shout in several languages and forklifts buzz about busily. Tonight I've bypassed the runner in favour of a ride back to Manchester on the crew bus. Two nights of "just like the old days" - dear god, will someone please stop me....

R#42

Coldplay Live Reviews and Setlist - Goffertpark, Nijmegen (10th September 2009)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay's Viva La Vida stadium tour passed through the Netherlands last night as they played at Goffertpark in Nijmegen on the second of two consecutive shows, with an estimated audience of 60,000 people per night. One major change to the setlist - Green Eyes replaced Trouble that had been played the previous night. There were fan reports that Chris Martin again looked ill - just in time for Saturday's concert at LCCC and then two massive Wembley dates. He also messed up Postcards which turned out to be a funny moment. Some excellent photos of the concert were taken and published online almost immediately by srijken. You can view all the pictures on Flickr here now. Don't worry, Guy hasn't gone missing - he was just out of shot of this excellent picture, below.

[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

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!

Green Eyes (acoustic)

Holland Song (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - sung by Will)

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)

Photos by srijken @ Flickr

I just got home from the concert. it was freaking amazing! i was there on time, so i had fine places. when we could go into the park, i just run the fast i could. guess what? first row place at the fences in de middle of the stage. i felt so great. when the boys came on stage everybody was freaking out. i saw chris really close and you could see he didn't felt good at all. he looked white, had a scarf around his neck en looked very tired. he needed 3 songs to get in it. then he was back! he was screaming, jumping, running, laughing, everything. so amazing. in the middle of postcards from far away he stoped, looked at johnny on the stage and said 'i really fucked up that part, i'm sorry for that! lets go 2 minutes back, yknow, lalala that was the hardest part!!! wow, wasn't that amazing?' and played pffa again. the boys had so much fun on stage, they were all dancing, running, throwing with everything. it was great to see. later on the c-stage we sang happy b-day for johnny! but he felt really embaressed, pretty cute. then he came with the rhyming part just before death will never conquer, but at the half he coudn't find the word so it was. nananana idont know! i didn't really prepared this part of it, so then you get words that sound like shit. (or something like that) it was really funny to hear and see. i really loved the show. i'm so 'high' at the moment, can't sleep. it REALLY was the best day of my life. guys, thank you SOOOOOOO much! edit: they played green eyes instead of trouble. [thanks chlllll]

I just got back. I got there pretty early too and was having a few doubts about where to stand: at the front of the stage (about 4th row or so at that stage) or near stage B. I decided on the latter as it seemed the stage was quite high up and I figured I'd get a sore neck. And near stage B, I could lean against the railings. To see Chris up close, it was a brilliant choice. It's just a shame the people around me were like dead fish. None of them were singing. It felt like a rather lame crowd, to be honest. It took some time for the crowd to warm up. Or maybe it's because I'm comparing it to Werchter. I suppose a festival crowd is always more fun. At Werchter, people were singing from the very first note. Whereas here, Chris literally had to tell the crowd to start singing and he went over the words first so that people could sing along - and this was for Yellow! Go figure! I enjoyed the gig, I certainly don't regret going. It was amazing to see Chris so close, to have a clear view of his piano playing. I just wish the people around would have been more interested in the actual gig, rather than taking pictures and videos of it (whilst blocking my view with their digital cameras). The organisation at Nijmegen was quite good though. It's not that easy to get 60.000 out of a place at once. Traffic was going fairly smoothly. They played green eyes on the C stage. (I was talking to one of the security guards a little, before the show. He was a fan of Coldplay too. He said that he expected tonight to be better than last night as he'd heard them try out different songs during sound check. ) [thanks bye]

Just came back from another amazing night! I arrived at about 4 p.m. and made it tenth row on Guy's side, with a great view to the main and the B-stage. The part where he screwed up Postcards was indeed very funny. I also got a better view of the stage and of the fireworks this time, it was really beautiful. And so... the Nijmegen nights come to an end... the Viva la Vida Tour is almost over, but there is still Wembley as a great finish. After next week I've seen them six times this tour... which is enough. I'll post pictures and vids later (from both nights), I filmed almost the whole acoustic set, with Green Eyes, Happy Birthday for Jonny and the improvisation song. Setlist the same as always, but they played Green Eyes again instead of Trouble. Crowd wasn't great, I agree. A little better yesterday I think, but I was front row then and everybody there was really into it. I also spotted Phil today, tried to take a picture but it is dark and blurry. [thanks Stefan-C8]

Whaaa just had the best day! I made it front row, got a setlist and I touched Jonny when he ran to the c-stage They were so close, simply amazing! Oh and I spotted Kelly, Hoppy and Bash, and Miller who was taking pictures of the crowd. Though the crowd was lame and Chris really did look sick, it was an absolutely amazing gig and I enjoyed every minute of it. Will post review tomorrow, I really need some sleep now! [thanks Sirhc]

I arrived home 45 minutes ago. Still could not sleep coz I am too excited. I really don't know what to say now. But I felt very sad after this concert. Because I don't know when will be the next time that I could see them again in concert. It was a great night for me. I almost cried.... I was there quite late, 18:30, because of the traffic. So I was in front row of the middle part. Don't know if I made myself clear. There was an area in front of the stage, but I did not know how to enter. People there all got a red braclet on them. Can anyone tell me how they got it? So I was behind this fence, where Coldplay passed by during the concert into the crowd. They walked in front of me... hoho, only 50cm distance. [thanks candlize]

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

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

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Coldplay's Oracle looks back at the 'In My Place' video

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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

September 10, 2009 - submitted by Christina, United States of America

Q. Oracle, I was watching the In My Place music video and remembered something to ask... do you know who those people are sitting wayyy in the background that Chris runs up to? I'm sure you do, you're the Oracle. :]! Thanks a bunch!

The Oracle replies:

Indeed I do; the stylist on the shoot and EMI's video commissioner. They were sat on the step when the band were setting up and the video's director - Sophie Muller - asked them to stay there to show the size of the room.

September 10, 2009 - submitted by Emily, United Kingdom

Q. Dear Oracle, You responded to a question today about accents and you said that Chris was not born or raised in London. Where was he born in raised? I could have sworn it was London. Thanks!

The Oracle replies:

He was born and brought up in Devon; he went to London to study and as he says "to meet Jonny, Will & Guy".

September 10, 2009 - submitted by Shihui, Singapore

Q. Dear Oracle, How many questions do you receive a day?

The Oracle replies:

A few of you wanted to know the answer to this so I decided to let you know; it's well over a hundred every day.

September 10, 2009 - submitted by Daan, United Kingdom

Q. Hi Oracle, In response to your question about the highest note sung by Chris on a CP studio album, it is indeed Everything's Not Lost, where around 4:12 Chris goes up to a C sharp just over an octave above middle C. For as far as the bet goes, I'm afraid it's a draw. He goes up to B flat just less than an octave above middle C as the top note in both songs: in Fix You it's the top note of the melody in the verse (verse 1, at 0:37, "reverse"; verse 2, at 1:04, "worse"; verse 3, at 2:08, "worth") and in Talk "tell me how you feel", on "feel" at 2:17. So you were half-right Oracle. Fix You sounds higher because it's sung in a more fragile way, which is possible because of the lighter instrumentation. And yes, I have too much time on my hands today. Glad to be of help.

The Oracle replies:

Wow, the response to that question has been phenomenal but Daan, if there was a prize for most effort put into a reply, this would definitely get it!

But... Easy to Please goes pretty high doesn't it? (Yes coldplaying.com forum, I got that from you!)

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Coldplay's Oracle discusses old demo tape Ode To Deodorant

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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

September 9, 2009 - submitted by Lucas, Canada

Q. Hi Oracle, Is the song Ode to Deodorant by Coldplay, or by a different band, The Coldplay, as shown on the demo tape?

The Oracle replies:

That tape recording is from 1998 when Coldplay were still The Coldplay. It's our boys, not the band that were previously called Coldplay before changing their name to The Bettina Motive; Chris asked if they could use The Coldplay once it had been discarded. Keeping up? Good!

September 9, 2009 - submitted by Sue, Italy

Q. Hello dear Oracle! I heard of Cockney, the London's dialect, and I wonder: what are the features of it? And who, among famous people, speaks that way (among the singers maybe Lily Allen? Luke Pritchard?)? Does Chris speak Cockney? Hope you can help. Thanks a lot! Lots of love, sue =)

The Oracle replies:

Cockney is a dialect of London but NOT the sole London accent; it's associated more with the East End of the City. It's famous for having a rhyming slang such as "apples & pears" meaning "stairs" as well as a very distinctive pronunciation. Famous Cockneys include David Beckham, Michael Caine, Ray Winstone and

. Lily Allen and Kate Nash both sing with a Cockney accent. Luke Pritchard doesn't; he just has a very distinctive singing voice. Chris isn't the least bit Cockney and wasn't born or raised in London to acquire the accent.

September 9, 2009 - submitted by Jim, United States of America

Q. Dear Oracle, My son and I were wondering what is the highest note sung by Chris on a studio album? He thinks it's in the beginning of Fix You, but I think he goes higher in Talk. We have a small wager riding on this - please enlighten us!

The Oracle replies:

Off the top of my head, I'd have actually said it's neither. Everything's Not Lost would have got my money. Between the two of you though I'd say it's a close call, but Fix You sounds higher to me. I shall ask the man himself in case we're overlooking something obvious.

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Coldplay Live Reviews and Setlist - Goffertpark, Nijmegen (9th September 2009)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay's Viva La Vida stadium tour arrived in the Netherlands last night as they played at Goffertpark in Nijmegen on the first of two consecutive shows. One major change to the setlist - Trouble replaced Til Kingdom Come/Green Eyes [thanks littlemissmessy & Stefan-C8]. Some excellent photos of the concert were taken and published online almost immediately by 3FM. You can view all the pictures on Flickr here now.

[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

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!

Trouble (acoustic)

Holland Song (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - sung by Will)

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)

Photos: 3FM @ Flickr

Hi! Just came back from the concert, completely exhausted, but it was AWESOME. Best Coldplay concert I've been to, the audience was great (where I was at least), the weather was perfect, the supporting acts were absolutely fabulous and oh yeah... Coldplay was ok too ! We were lucky to choose the right entrance for once, so I was (one of) the first to enter the field. After a long run we easily made it first row, right in front of Chris' piano. Wasn't able to get a setlist or anything... except for a Bat of Lashes setlist. Yay. The setlist was the same as always, except Trouble replaced Til Kingdom Come/Green Eyes. So many songs and it was still over so quickly. By the way, The Flaming Lips are fucking awesome! The music sucked, but the act was so great! [thanks Stefan-C8]

WOW... Awesome night. I was at the venue around 1.30 pm and I had a spot right in front of Chris No surprises in the setlist though, apart form Trouble @ the C-stage. I will try to write a review tomorrow... before I go to Nijmegen again.. The Gigs in Rotterdam were superb but this concert was just the best coldplay show I've ever been too. [thanks BigFatNoises]

I'm back! IT was !!! Trouble at the C-stage.. WOW! I was just near C-stage WOW!

More from me later.. just returned home 10 minutes ago.. missed the last bus so used a taxi. Yeah the Flaming Lips had a great act! Loved the Allien and Frog costumes. But the singer... very bad voice.. alot out of tune [thanks stephanbass]

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

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Coldplay fans demand a replay for 'ruined' Barcelona gig

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay have incurred the wrath of fans after sound problems marred a concert in Spain, writes the London Evening Standard online today. Thousands of people have signed an online petition demanding the band performs a free gig or gives them a refund, they go on to write.

Frontman Chris Martin's wife Gwyneth Paltrow was among the 63,000 fans at the sell-out show on Friday at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium. But sound problems began 30 seconds in following the failure of three amplifier towers. By today more than 2,200 concert-goers had signed an online petition calling on Coldplay to perform a free gig or refund the £60 ticket price.

A Coldplay spokesperson admitted the problem, but claimed it had been put right by the third song.Fan Juan Manuel Ramos said: "I spent a lot of money to get from Tenerife to Barcelona to see this, and it was the worst concert."

Follow the discussion on this in the Barcelona thread here at the Coldplay Live forum.

#42 and the Catalan chorus, as written on 7th September 2009

I remember somewhere back last year I talked about the band's stadium show in Tokyo. It was an absolutely belting night and I wrote the following: "You get the impression that the guys are on such a roll that the PA system could fail, the lights could go dead and they'd still carry on, just them and the crowd, too caught up in the moment to notice anything had changed."

Roadie sensibility sometimes approaches the superstitious - so much so that phrases such as "tempting fate" and "touch wood" are commonplace and spoken with completely straight faces. It should come as no surprise then, that the chance to test out the bold claim above, comes on a night with 64,000 punters and a bunch of cameras filming for an as yet unspecified project.

The band take to the stage to absolutely deafening cheers. If any crowds on this tour have actually sung the opening melody from Life In Technicolor, they haven't done it as loudly as this lot. I'm underneath the stage and I can hear them. Great night, guaranteed.

There I go again....

Suddenly, as the band hit the huge thumping chords before the verse of Violet Hill, something is plainly up. Intermittently, I stop feeling the thud of the bass through my feet. From where I am, I can't place what's going on exactly, but the scrambling of audio crew makes it plain that the problem-solving hot potato appears to be theirs.

Much happens very quickly to get the stage left PA stable. From Clocks forwards, my feet remain shaken throughout, which means that we're back on track. It also means that the problem has been nipped in the bud by the third song. This could easily have turned into a gig-spoiling nightmare, but there are many very experienced and skilled people here who weren't about to let that happen.

Lets not forget though, that there's also four very stubborn and determined fellas on stage not about to let that happen either. I remember Jonny telling me about the band's first Glastonbury show, way back when. They were dropped off at the wrong gate, miles from their stage with only minutes before they were due on.

Many fledgling bands would have accepted defeat, perhaps been a bit gutted, perhaps just taken it away as a story to tell in the pub. Coldplay however, ran the width of the festival site with their guitars, borrowed as much as they could lay hands on from other bands present and did the gig whilst still trying to catch their breath.

There are many stories throughout their history that illustrate this shared personality trait. Problems, setbacks and obstacles seem to fuel them on to succeed out of sheer defiance. If anything, this has got stronger with age. They don't let up one bit tonight and turn in an astonishingly impassioned performance.

And then finally, we have the sixty thousand Spaniards. They're jet engine loud throughout, willing the band onwards and chasing away the demons. The decision to film here was down to one thing only - that is, the fact that the crowd are utterly astounding.

FC Barcelona, the world-beating football team that play in this city, have apparently adopted Viva La Vida as their unofficial anthem. This means that many of the crowd here tonight are already well-used to belting out the "woah-oh-woah-oh-oh" from the chorus during matches.

Today, they've been singing it outside whilst queuing, they've been singing it between the opening acts and they're singing it between songs tonight. When the song itself kicks in, it's the proof that what I said way back in Tokyo is indeed true. The event and the emotion are bigger than any technical concerns.

What's important here is the band and the audience and more even than that, the songs. It's the shared experience, the communal celebration of this thing that so many people feel the same way about.

It's been an emotional night, for sure. Never a dull moment.... R#42

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Coldplay's Oracle hoping for Chris Martin appearance on Top Gear

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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

September 8, 2009 - submitted by Jam, United Kingdom

Q. Chris Martin = Star in a reasonably priced car???

The Oracle replies:

How great would that be? I would love to see Chris in that segment of

September 8, 2009 - submitted by J, United Kingdom

Q. I'm sure you've probably been asked this question but during the live photoblog there's a little girl running across the Astroturf, is this a member of crew's daughter?

The Oracle replies:

Yes; she's not a band member's daughter though.

September 8, 2009 - submitted by Elizabeth, Mexico

Q. Hello Oracle!!!This question just came to my mind a second ago.... Why doesn't Phil have his own puppet if he's the fifth member of Coldplay? Thanks for answering all these questions, know it's a lot of work!!! Have a nice day!!

The Oracle replies:

As Phil is in the video where we first saw the puppets, it would be very strange to have a puppet of him in it too! Granted he isn't appearing as himself but it's a cameo appearance nonetheless.

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Bragg attacks decision to axe South Bank Show (12 days to Coldplay episode)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Lord Bragg has hit out at ITV's decision to axe The South Bank Show, saying there was "no way forward" and "no negotiation" over swingeing cuts to its programme budget. Bragg said he thought he was going to a "routine meeting" with ITV's director of television, channels and online, Peter Fincham, only to be told of budget cuts so deep that "in effect they cancelled the programme".

"He made me an offer I couldn't accept; made the programme an offer I couldn't accept," Bragg told the latest edition of the Radio Times. "I'd stripped the department down two years ago. We made 12 redundancies, reduced from seven producers to two; we were a very lean and tight machine." But given the scale of the cutbacks he said were put to him by Fincham, Bragg said it would have been "impossible to make two or three programmes, never mind 18 or 12. Eighteen programmes cost them about £2m, including my wages and everybody's wages. That's about £100,000 a programme - one quarter of one per cent of their programme spend. I don't think the economic argument makes much sense, frankly," he added.

The final 10-part season of the South Bank Show, which includes programmes about Coldplay (who are featured on the 2nd show on 20th September), the Wagner family, Royal Ballet choreographer Wayne McGregor, Nick Hornby, begins on ITV1 on Sunday. Bragg said it was a "good, strong season".

As we reported back in early May and mid June, Coldplay are to feature in a documentary for the South Bank Show later this year, and details on the format of the show have been confirmed today, thanks to the official Coldplay site. Here's Anchorman:

We're pleased to announce that Coldplay are to be the subject of an episode of the South Bank Show, the highly-respected arts TV programme. The Coldplay show will be broadcast on ITV1 in the UK at 10.15pm on September 20th 2009. We'll let you know any international broadcast details as soon as we get them.

The show accompanied Coldplay for six months, taking in their wins at this year’s Grammys Awards, touring Japan, the Brit Awards and the War Child concert in London; and spending quality time with them whilst they work on their next album in the Bakery, with Brian Eno. It also features host Melvyn Bragg in discussion with the band. This is one of nine shows which will mark the final series of The South Bank Show, 31 years after it began.

The band will be seen in discussion with Melvyn Bragg in the autumn as he travels with them for six months, taking in their win at this year’s Grammy Awards, a tour throughout Japan, the Brit Awards and the War Child concert in London, where they performed with Bono, the Killers and Gary Barlow of Take That. Bragg will also be seen spending quality time with the band whilst they work on their next album in their north London studios, with Brian Eno who also produced Coldplay’s 2008 critically acclaimed album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.

The South Bank Show is in its final series, with the last South Bank Show Awards being transmitted in January 2010. Discussion on Coldplay's documentary is at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks worldtrav]

Coldplay at Parc des Princes, Paris (7th September 2009):

See more pictures at Sound of Violence online now.

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Coldplay Live Reviews and Setlist - Parc des Princes, Paris, France (7th September 2009)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Coldplay's Viva La Vida stadium tour arrived in France this evening as they played at the Parc Des Princes in Paris. No major changes to the usual setlist. The newly formed ;@vivacrew tweets commenced in Paris today as several Coldplayers took over the new Twitter account - see the pictures after the jump. The free CD Leftrightleftrightleft was not distributed tonight due to restrictions imposed at the venue by the police [thanks charley], but Coldplay.com confirm that the album to be available from FNAC and Virgin stores as long as you keep hold of your ticket stubs. The white balloons previously seen in some photos were actually used during support act performances, not Coldplay's - which 'were all yellow'! Some more excellent photos of the concert were taken and published online almost immediately by Sound of Violence. You can view all the pictures here now [thanks SOV]

[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

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!

Green Eyes (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (Acoustic, sung by Will)

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)

Picture by aclearbluesky @ Twitter

Unfortunately, Coldplay were forbidden from giving out the Left Right Left Right Left live album at tonight's show in Paris. However, ticket holders will still be able to get a copy of the album CD from selected FNAC and Virgin record stores. Please check back in the morning for details of the stores where it will be available. Until then KEEP YOUR TICKET STUBS. ps - apologies for our dodgy French [Anchorman @ Coldplay.com]

Malheureusement, Coldplay était interdit de donner le Left Right Left Right album au show ce soir à Paris. Toutefois, les détenteurs de billets pourrez encore obtenir une copie du CD de quelques magasins FNAC et Virgin. S'il vous plaît, retournez ici domain matin pour vérifiez les détails des magasins où vous pouvez trouvez le CD. Jusque-là, TENIR VOTRE BILLETS. [Anchorman @ Coldplay.com]

I'm not long back from the Parc des Princes show - it was really great! My own personal highlight was The Scientist, it was sublime Other standout tracks were Life in Technicolor ii and Fix You.......I enjoyed this concert more than Bercy last year. Sidenote: WHY must so many people try and video the whole show with their f##king phones?! It really pisses me off! [thanks cant think of a name]

Hi! I just came back ! This show was just AMAZING ! But I do not know, I have bad luck for this day.... Unfortunatly, my camera just decided to say "f...ck you" when we arrived in Paris. So I just have my phone for my pictures. Then, I had to find my friends on coldplaying who were in standing place.... But I could not find my friends ! But I met Virginie and Patricia, they signed my Teddy Bear ! After that, I noticed I have forgot to bring lots of stuff and I was pretty sad. We went to the concert and Chris said we will not have our LRLRL, today. And after that, we were completely lost, at 1.30 AM !!!! We were exhausted AND lost ! Here is my concert review. Well, I was here hours before the show, juste because I wanted to see my friends on coldplaying. I was overexcited, of course. I saw their trucks and I was just . There were plenty of trucks ! And it was like a .... myth. THEIR trucks, in front of ME !!! I was pretty sad because there were not as many coldplayers in red and white and with a crown as expected. But sad also because my camera fucked for the first time ever THIS DAY !!! At 7.00 PM, I decided to enter because I wanted to see the supporting acts. It was Bat for Lashes. Pretty Good. The singer was disguised in Indian. Nice. Then, I went to see the trucks and the roadies. I saw Jackie. And I suddently felt very good. I was hoping for meeting the band, I did not know why ! So, I missed Flaming lips. I just see this band few secondes. And I did not meet Coldplay. I suddently heard Magnificient and I runned like a crazy girl ! Then, it was Kanye West and we saw the Dancing Roadie, Wayne ! He is amazing, eh ? I almost yelled because I have seen Miller, then. He was taking pictures. And then tadadadada dada dada.... The lights turned on. A,d it was a big roar. LIT began and Coldplay appears like 4 angels. All my tribun suddently gets up. Me too, I am dancing, I am yelling. I am in another world. That's the Coldplay effect ! ...

The phone wave was just AMAZING ! It was a huge success ! So beautiful ! I have to explain something.... When I am euphoric, I yell "yououh".... During this concert, I always yelled yououh ! My mom was like " eh calm down ! It's a concert !" But VLV was the most intense moment according to me. I do not know, it was moving. All these people who were single ohohohohoh..... During The Hardest Part, Chris sat in front of his piano, played during 3 secondes and left his piano with a "merci" . It was so funny ! The phone waves were AMAZING. So beautiful. And Chris explained the whole thing in French. So cute. I love the way he pronouced "mobile". When the lights began to light up my area ( almost at the end of the show ! ), I took my signs. A nice girl took by her own one side and we began to yell and shaked it ! It was cool ! The, I show her my second sign and we laught and did the same thing. I am not sure they saw it but it was fun all the same ! I thanked her to help me to be a groupie. Chris explained we will not have our LRLRL. The audience yelled. He said something like that " If you want to complain, go to see the police. It is not our fault !" He said then, we will have LRLRL later thanks to Fnac if we kept our tickets. I hoped it was a joke or something like that but NO. I was so upset and sad. And the yellow encore with fans did not happen ! But it was great, I am happy ! But I do not know if it is just me but for this concert he did not speak very much. What a pitty, usually, you cannot stop him ! I tried to wait for the band but my mother was tired. So we left. The, I met the "signs girls" she was singing ohohohoh with her boyfriend. She recognized me and his boyfriend told her for fun : "Hey, don't sing in front of her, she will become mad !!!" [thanks angedediamant]

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

Our very own ;@vivacrew:

The Scientist. K#42

Here it's Paris!

Many different and customized crowns... K#42

Back of the stadium... Doesnt look like it but we ran a looong way!

Merchandising... K#42

30 people at 8am! In your face Udine.......... C#42. Queue problems? barriers were set up after we got there which helped the pushing and cheating

We're back in the first 20 people queuing. Here is the stadium. K#42

Wanna see the stage trucks ? K#42

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Coldplay's Oracle enlightens us with what happens to bored roadies

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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

September 7, 2009 - submitted by Lucas, Spain

Q. So...Oracle...What happens to the rest of the Coldplay crew after the tour is over? (You know, everyone else besides be actual 4 members)?

The Oracle replies:

The majority start by taking a well-earned break but depending on the length of the break in between, some work on other projects/ with other bands.

September 7, 2009 - submitted by Tina, United States of America

Q. Where can I sign onto the Coldplay fan club?

The Oracle replies:

There isn't an official fan club so that's not possible...

September 7, 2009 - submitted by Angela, Portugal

Q. Hey dear Oracle!!! How are you? If you answer my question I will be much better so,that is my question: how many assistants Coldplay have? Kisses for all :)

The Oracle replies:

They have 2 assistants; Vicki & E.J.

September 7, 2009 - submitted by Am, United Kingdom

Q. Hey Oracle. I just saw the spoof video where Jonny and Chris do an interview with Vernon Kay about ZombAid. Simon Pegg plays Simon Champion but I was just wondering who was the person who played the spoof Guy? I didn't hear his name and I didn't recognise him. Thanks so much, Am

The Oracle replies:

The part of Nick Berryman was played by Nick Frost who also starred alongside Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead amongst other collaborations.

The Coldplay-shaped puppets say hooray for Udine:

The Coldplay-shaped puppets see some lovely sights in Barcelona:

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Chris Martin star gives band top music marks, Coldplay style

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

A Bolton rock band has received the seal of approval from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Singer Cameron Maunder of OCD entered the band’s song, Shanana, into the 14 to 16 year-old age group section of the rock category of the Make It Break It competition, writes This Is Lancashire. online.

The song won its category, and the Coldplay singer, who won the award himself in 1995 when it was known as the Yamaha Rock and Pop Awards, gave Shanana the highest mark of any song across all the categories. The awards are organised by the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and Yamaha music. Hundreds of songs were entered into the competition which was judged by Chris Martin, Bolton-born DJ Mark Radcliffe, EMI head of publishing Guy Moot and Grammy award winning record producer Steve Levine. Mark Radcliffe said: “The song really motors along. OCD have crafted a perfectly decent radio pop song.”

The band line-up is completed by twin brother Kurtis and older brother Jack. They have won an all expenses paid music course at LIPA, a recording session and an A&R meeting with EMI. They will also play at the Make It Break It awards ceremony on October 31.

Cameron said: “We’re very excited, we keep looking at the pictures of the auditorium. We’re going to put a lot of practice in beforehand. “We’re very nervous about meeting the guys from EMI — I still can’t believe we’ve won.”

The boys, who are pupils at Smithills School, have also won a £500 Yamaha voucher for the school to spend on music equipment. Last year the band won a national competition on BBC Radio 1 to open up the main stage at the Underage Music Festival in London’s Victoria Park.

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Coldplay used 'Oblique Strategies' cards with Brian Eno during studio sessions

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Forget Aleister Crowley and his tarot pack, this set of cards devised by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt has been a bigger source of inspiration to frustrated musicians. They are the most famous of Brian Eno's dadaist mind games with music production.

The original

(Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas), was a set of cards created by Eno and his painter friend Peter Schmidt, and published as a signed limited edition in 1975. On each card is printed an (often quite abstract) instruction, which is invoked when an artist, producer or band has reached some form of creative impasse and requires external disruptive influence to suggest new ideas.

Oblique Strategies is most associated with bands Eno famously produced during his mid to late-70s creative highpoint, including Talking Heads, Berlin trilogy-era Bowie and Devo. More recently, Coldplay used Oblique Strategies when working with Eno on Viva La Vida.

When working with Coldplay, Eno would give each member of the band a random card and ask them to interpret its instruction musically as the band jammed, without letting the other members know what their card says. "Of course, the chances of you getting a great piece of music are quite remote," Eno acknowledges. "But the chances of you getting a seed for something are quite strong. You hear a voice singing a single note over a drumbeat and you think ... 'Ooh, it's not quite the right drumbeat or quite the right note, but there's something good about it.'"

The new iPhone app has made Oblique Strategies available to the masses for the first time. Previously, intrigued Eno-ites would have to watch eBay like a hawk for a deck to become available (the editions were usually released in small presses of 500 to 1000 and no two decks were the same). For a while, a small cult of Eno followers started up their own internet-based Acute Strategies system, where anyone could submit their own strategies, providing they followed lots of geeky rules about avoiding jargon and inside jokes and urging a familiarity with the I Ching and other oracular sources.

How do they work? The actual instructions? Try getting your heads around these: "Discard an axiom"; "Honor thy error as a hidden intention"; "Not building a wall, but making a brick"; "What are the sections sections of?"; "Always first steps"; "Idiot glee", or indeed, "Short-circuit principle – a man eating peas in the belief that they will improve virility shovels them straight into his lap."

Where do they come from? Eno claims that he and Schmidt devised almost identical Oblique Strategy systems, at the same time and using almost exactly the same words, but completely independently of each other. The power of the synchronicity was enough to convince them to make the messages available to other artists. Despite Schmidt's death in 1980, Eno has continued to revise the Strategies, and the fifth edition of the cards was published this year, along with the inevitable iPhone app.

Why are they classic? Depends who you ask. U2 didn't use them, but the Edge applied the cards' rationale of "seeing limitations as some kind of a strength and a governing influence over what you do" to their work with Eno. David Byrne thinks that "Brian's cards are funny and sometimes useful", but the rest of Talking Heads resented Eno's input.

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