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

July 16, 2009 - submitted by Alyssa, Canada

Q. Dearest Oracle, At the June 21 show at GM Place I was sitting in the second row holding a sign that said 'Chris, are you havin' a laugh'? Since that reference is from the brilliant show 'Extras', as I was watching a behind the scenes segment where Chris discusses his reason to do the show etc he says that previous to accepting Ricky Gervais' offer, he was offered a role in a movie but turned it down because of his lack of acting ability. ( which, based on the episode, I have to disagree with ). Would you be able to tell me what role that was? And just for fun are there any roles/projects that the band would love to appear in?

The Oracle replies:

Chris was joking in both the episode of Extras and the behind the scenes interview. A weird but true fact is that Chris was actually approached to play the lead in a Hollywood major film but he never considered accepting the role. I can't tell you what it was either. So sorry to mysterious but Chris is a singer not an actor. They're up for cameos in spoofs which is why there have been appearances in Extras, Shaun Of The Dead and Bruno.

July 16, 2009 - submitted by adrian, Australia

Q. Dear Oracle I got two questions. 1. Has Coldplay ever been a fan of Jeff Buckley? 2. Was it possible that their works were similar to his playing? Thanks

The Oracle replies:

Yes they are fans of Jeff's music. He was certainly an influence on their early material over 10 years ago. I guess because of Chris' falsetto and general vocal range he has been compared to Jeff but their music isn't similar at all these days.

July 16, 2009 - submitted by Nicolle, Australia

Q. Oracle, Hello from a cold Australia!! (10 degrees this morning) Just a couple of questions about the one and only Harry Potter: Have you seen the new movie? If so, what are your thoughts on the interpretation? I thought they did a wonderful job, despite the changes and the new additions... Do you have a favourite character? If you have kids, have they read it? Also will the band give the books to their kids to read?? (Speaking as a huge fan, I think it would be a crime not to recommend the books to them) Thanks a lot, hope you are enjoying your summer.

The Oracle replies:

Oh how I wished I'd recapped where the story had ended before watching The Half-Blood Prince! I did enjoy it but didn't think there was much action. A very long film but it zipped by so I guess I must've liked it. Ron and Professor Snape are my favourite characters but Dobby is my all time fave. I don't have kids and I think it's still a bit too dark for the Coldplay offspring. Even I get cold and scared by the dementors!

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs may have been back at work two weeks ago, but his schedule has afforded him some time to relax, Coldplay's Roadie #42 discovered for himself Tuesday night. Jobs is a self-professed music lover, and was seen speaking with Dave Holmes, a TV host and celebrity news writer, Apple Insider, CNN Money and MacNN all report today.

At a show in the Shoreline Amphitheater near San Francisco, Roadie #42 spotted Jobs talking to TV host and celebrity news blogger Dave Holmes outside of the band's dressing room. What was discussed wasn't mentioned, but Jobs' identifiable presence was unusual; in spite of his self-professed love of music, few publicly single him out as having appeared at a given event. The roadie himself admitted that he couldn't bring himself to talk to Jobs directly.

"I suddenly [felt] like a star-struck teenager," Roadie #42 said. "In order to get the gall up to speak to the guy, I [downed] a double espresso. The mixture of caffeine buzz and feeling like a cheesy little fanboy [meant] that all I [could] manage to say to him is 'Thank you so much.' I [realised] that [i was] quite simply making a tit of myself and so [excused] myself as fast as I appeared."

Roadie #42 is described as a "confirmed Apple devotee" and credits his involvement in the music industry to Jobs' computers. He confesses to having been particularly nervous on seeing the CEO, and excusing himself quickly after realizing his fan-crazy appearance.

Jobs currently only works at Apple offices three days a week, and spends the rest of the time working from home. Jobs recently took a six month leave to recover from what was first claimed to be a "hormonal imbalance," but in short order restated to be a more serious condition. Third-party sources later confirmed a liver transplant.

Pictures of Coldplay at Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA (13th July 2009):

Source: Live Daily

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

July 15, 2009 - submitted by Sarah, Singapore

Q. Hello Oracle, I have 2 questions here! Will Coldplay ever do a music video of Lost! with JAY Z. I absolutely love the collaboration. And also, I would like to ask why is Coldplay's song like Parachutes and a piece from Chris Postcards From Far Away so short?! It always always always leaves me wanting more. (:

The Oracle replies:

There is a video for

July 15, 2009 - submitted by Guilaume, France

Q. Bonjour Monsieur/Madame/Mademoiselle Oracle! I got glasses today and they make me look stupid. No girls are talking to me now. Do Coldplay wear glasses? It would make me better if they did.

The Oracle replies:

I bet they don't look stupid at all! Maybe some people think you look different so they are getting used to seeing you wear them. At the end of the day, you need them so it's about finding a pair that you're happy with and that suit you. I wouldn't care about anyone who isn't speaking to you if it's because you're wearing spectacles, that's utterly ridiculous! Anyway, check out this photo of will to make you feel better but hopefully you will realize you don't need to see a photo of a Coldplay member wearing glasses to make you feel cool!

July 15, 2009 - submitted by Melissa, United States of America

Q. Dearest Oracle, My boyfriend and I broke up around 3 weeks ago. but, we had bought tickets to the Coldplay concert for this Saturday, July 18th. Although I paid for the tickets, I wouldn't have minded going with him [although he broke up with me]. I asked him about it after during our last fight, and he rudely said that I should go with someone else. And although I have a good friend I'm going with already, I still feel inconsiderate not going with him, because Coldplay is his FAVORITE band and he is such a HUGE fan of you guys. Should I still open up the option to him, that if he wants to go, then he should take it up with my friend? I don't want him to think that I'm inconsiderate but I also don't want him to think that I'm being clingy [because he thought that I was and it kinda led to us breaking up]. What should I do, Oracle?

The Oracle replies:

Right Melissa, I don't generally like to tell people what to do but to consider their options. However, today I am going to break my own rule and tell you what to do.

Go with your friend. I don't think you're truly worried about him thinking you inconsiderate, which you obviously aren't as you offered him the tickets after he broke up with you. I feel you just want to go with him because your feelings haven't yet changed towards him. If they are his favourite band and he didn't agree to accompany you to the gig, it sounds as if he's not intending to get back with you. I'm sorry to be so harsh but the sooner you realize this, the sooner you will move on, get over him and find someone else. I wouldn't bother offering him the opportunity to go with your friend either. They're YOUR tickets that you paid for. Go to the show, enjoy yourself and try not to cry during Fix You!

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 has a Pulp Fiction moment and meets Steve Jobs

Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Pris & Zeya]

Greetings from scorching Sacramento, folks. It's beyond warm here and we're well into "living in an oven" territory. We arrive in the early evening and do what all good Brits do when confronted by weather warmer than "overcast with regular drizzle" - that is, we walk around pulling at our collars discussing with each other just how hot it is (in case nobody else had noticed). After a few minutes of ant-under-a-magnifying glass confusion, we find a nice, dark, air conditioned room and wait for it to cool off a little.

We were staying in San Francisco last night, so it made sense to drive down here today. We boarded a swanky coach and settled in for the two and a half hour drive. As we swung out onto the freeway over the bridge, the driver took the mic and introduced himself. To everyone's amusement, he then began a tour guide voiceover, pointing out Alcatrazz, the Golden Gate Bridge and so on. Now, when you're travelling for a few hours of every single day for a year or so at a time, peace and quiet is all you're after. Bizarrely, a two-plus hour journey is one of the few times you're sat still for any length of time - albeit sat still going at 55 mph. This makes it ideal "quiet time" to catch up with emails, get some work done or discuss upcoming work.

Our driver went on to explain how long the bridge beside us would take to complete and what the shipping lanes are known as. The horror slowly dawned upon us, that he might keep this up for the entire journey.

I'm not sure if he picked up the vibe that people would rather be left to their own devices, or whether he caught a glimpse in his rear view mirror of Franksy with his head in his hands, head-butting the seat in front of him. Either way, the tourist-friendly views of San Fran gave way to the desert scrub and silence was restored once again. Laptops came out, headphones went on and all was well with the world once again.

So, tonight's show is the fourth on this leg. We're all just about accustomed to the time difference and we're settled in like we'd never been away. (Given that our time at home was little over a week, it's hardly surprising...)

So what can I actually remember that I can share with you? As ever, events are out of sequence and more than a little confused. All the more reflective of the touring experience...

Let's see, we scream out of the Portland show in the customary race to beat the concert traffic. The band just about have time to discard their radio packs and in ear monitors before diving into the vans. The sweaty stage clothes they're still in though, need to be returned to the venue so that Tiff can have them cleaned and fresh for tomorrow's show. To this end, there is a car following behind us. The fellas change in the vehicles as we speed through the streets ahead of the crowds leaving the show.

After enough of a distance to get a good head start, we pull into a parking lot. There's a couple of kids sat on a bench by the roadside. It becomes impossible not to wonder exactly how this looks to them: three blacked out vehicles have approached at speed. From one vehicle emerges Kelly, looking every inch the brick shithouse, Geoff from the other, each carrying a large duffel bag. Franksy, dressed in black, complete with pimp hat, oversees as the bags are thrown into the car window and the van doors slam shut again. It has to look like some extremely dodgy deal going down

There's a great scene in Pulp Fiction where Samuel L Jackson's gangster character, Jules, is held at gunpoint and asked "What's in the bag?" His reply "My boss's dirty laundry" can't help but spring to mind...

I'm sure I'm not the first person to enthuse about the great beauty of the Gorge venue in Washington State and I doubtless won't be the last. Being a desert, the heat was, unsurprisingly, intense. The view though, even more so. The stage sits above a natural river valley and the audience area slopes up in a somewhat rugged natural amphitheatre. The views as the band begins and the sun sets are nothing short of breathtaking.

The "somewhat rugged" nature of the venue layout here is evidenced by the fact that the front edge of the "lawn" area forms a small jagged cliff. The view of the full house as the show begins is akin to one of those nature programmes on TV where there are thousands of penguins huddled on the ice caps. Rather than freezing in the Arctic, though, these folks are in shorts and bikinis, lying on picnic blankets and soaking up the view, the sun and the sounds. Without getting all hippy-dippy on yo ass, it's hard not to have one of those tiny "yeah, ok, this is a cool job" moments as you feel the vibe go up and the sun go down...

This leaves us with last night. Shoreline Amphitheatre, just outside of San Fran to be precise. I'll be honest with you folks, the only thing that mattered to me tonight was the presence of one Steve Jobs. I'm a confirmed Apple devotee and I really cannot imagine doing the job I do now (or even having got into this line of work) without my Macbook Pro (and all the Powerbooks that went before it). Creating these tools and putting them into the hands of folks like me was the vision of this man.

I spot Steve chatting with Dave Holmes outside the dressing room and suddenly feel like a star-struck teenager. In order to get the gall up to speak to the guy, I down a double espresso. The mixture of caffeine buzz and feeling like a cheesy little fanboy means that all I can manage to say to him is "Thank you so much". I realise that I'm quite simply making a tit of myself and so excuse myself as fast as I appeared.

With that, I suddenly have sympathy for every nervous and excitable kid that shakes hands with the band at a meet and greet. Time to hit send and fold up the laptop.

R#42

It's hard to pinpoint Chris Martin's most endearing moment Tuesday night at Sleep Train Amphitheater in Wheatland. But his miming of a swim stroke to illustrate a line ("tides that I tried to swim against ... ") from the band's anthemic hit "Clocks" ranked right up there, writes The Sacramento Bee.

Though Martin easily could put on airs -- he's British, married to Gwyneth Paltrow and leads a mega-selling pop band -- the Coldplay front man instead took pains to acknowledge and ingratiate himself to Sacramento-area fans.

He repeatedly thanked the audience of 12,000 or so at the 18,000-capacity amphitheater for showing up on a Tuesday evening -- one that moved from sweltering to merely uncomfortable as the sun descended on the mostly shadeless rural venue. (The breeze finally kicked in about 10:45 p.m., just in time for the encore.)

Martin defied the very un-British weather by roaming the stage clad in a dark, military-style jacket. He skipped and jumped even during the slower songs (or rather, slower halves of songs, since there's a crescendo around nearly every corner with Coldplay) as the band drew from all its albums but especially from 2008's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends".

In response, a well-scrubbed but sweaty crowd sang along to all the "Vida" songs, not just the ones that have been on the radio. This made sense, since "Vida," which has gone seven times platinum worldwide, was released more than a year ago, allowing listeners plenty of time to learn the lyrics.

Coldplay has been on tour with "Vida" nearly as long. But this famously meticulous band still seemed appealingly unrehearsed at times Tuesday night. For instance, an acoustic version of "Billie Jean" -- presumably a recent addition to the set list -- let Martin test his falsetto against Jackson's (not even close, but you have to admire Martin for being game).

You also have to love the way Martin constantly stretches his warm baritone to accommodate Coldplay's impressive musical ambitions. Hits such as "Clocks" and "Yellow" -- the latter accompanied by the release of large, yellow balloons into the audience -- sounded fantastic live, especially considering the work that goes into making them sound so perfect in the studio.

All the band members -- keyboardist Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berry man and drummer Will Champion -- appeared to play at least two instruments, with their superior musical skills most evident during a segment in which they left the main stage to crowd a tiny one placed higher up in the amphitheater, in order to better play to the audience on the lawn. The crowd-pleasing band ended up mounting two such small stages during the show.

The contrast in stage size underscored just how small a work force creates the band's big, elaborate sound in concert. And that Martin, though an incredibly charming and natural front man, is only part of the story. Or as Martin put it, before starting a perfectly lovely solo rendition of "The Hardest Part" on the small stage, he would be an "(expletive) nightmare" as a solo act.

He was being ridiculous, of course, but when he subsequently ran back to the main stage to join the band for a rousing "Viva la Vida" -- one of the band's more musically complex songs -- he proved that Coldplay only sounds like a dream with all parts in place.

Source: Sacramento Bee

Pictures of Coldplay at Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA (13th July 2009):

Source: http://www.checkitoutmusic.com

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued on the West Coast last night as they played at the Sleep Train Amphitheater, Sacramento, CA, the second in a series of five consecutive Californian shows (not including the 'not-so-secret' show on the 19th at Capitol Records!). All quiet from the puppets, Guy and Roadie #42. No major changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set again, and Sitting on the Dock of the Bay was added to Will's acoustic slot.

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

Setlist: (unconfirmed)

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Yellow

Glass Of Water

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

Green Eyes (acoustic)

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay / 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 jrodcarillo

Hey everyone, I just got back from the show and it was EPIC. The set list was the same. First off, I had Pit tickets but when we got there they had seats and took our Pit tickets and gave us random rows to sit in so I got row 12, well I was livid because I was like the fourth person in line and felt like I would have been front row so I talked to a LiveNation man and he said he would talk to his supervisor so finally I decided to go to the bathroom and I took my ticket with me and this other lady who was handing out tickets I told her the situation and she was like "I have row 5" I was like I will take it! So I go to the bathroom and come back to my seat and they escorted me right NEXT to the cat walk and it was really row 3 on Guy's side!! I was freaking out. I was less than a foot away from Chris on the catwalk! The crowd was fabulous and a lot better than last night in my opinion! When Chris looked at me I freaked out because I couldn't believe I was right next to him. [thanks ColdplayRulesTheWorld]

I went to both concerts and I agree that tonight' s crowd was much better. I don't know if it's because I had almost perfect seats tonight, but it seems that Chris gave a much better show tonight. He seemed more like I expected him to be tonight, from the great clips I've seen of his performances on Youtube. He even seemed to sing right on key, as he usually does, and his dancing was especially good. I wonder where he gets the energy. He is in great shape to go non-stop as he does for 2 hours. This concert was definitely worth the 120 miles I drove each way for my friend and me to go. It was simply an unforgettable experience.

[thanks starfish42]

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

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

July 14, 2009 - submitted by Natalie, United States of America

Q. I have 2 questions.. The first is does shampoo have an expiration date? The second is, is Coldplay ever coming out with a new concert video? Thanks.

The Oracle replies:

Every cosmetic product should carry a symbol that tells you its shelf life. If you look on the back you should see what looks like a pot with an open lid accompanied with a number and the letter M. The M stands for months and the number is how many months it's good for. For example, mascaras usually have 3M or 6M maximum but your shampoo should be good for a year. There's no official word on any such live DVD at this point. Keep an eye out for Anchorman's posts as that's where you'd hear it first if/when there's anything to announce.

July 14, 2009 - submitted by Ready for July Twenty, Portugal

Q. Fix You video is confusing me. I know when a band makes a music video at a show they do the song twice. With Fix You though, I look at the people in the front row and they are actually different people. So this proves that it wasn't filmed twice in one night (like most music videos). Then I thought, it was filmed at two venues. This cant be true since it as the same place in all shots. What is going on Mr. Oracle? How did Coldplay film the Fix You video?

The Oracle replies:

They played 2 nights at Bolton's Reebok stadium where it was filmed.

July 14, 2009 - submitted by Nya, United States of America

Q. Dear Oracle, why do they call them buffalo wings when its chicken?

The Oracle replies:

As Jessica Simpson discovered, those particular chicken wings are named after the area they originated from; Buffalo, NY. They're also marinated in what's known as Buffalo sauce.

July 14, 2009 - submitted by Andy, Norway

Q. How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?

The Oracle replies:

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. Not even sure if Bob Dylan could respond any more than that.

Coldplay are pleased to announce that the new video for Strawberry Swing will premiere on Monday July 20th on Babelgum.com. The groundbreaking short film was directed by visual artists Shynola and features Chris Martin as an animated superhero in a chalk-drawn world (with a killer squirrel).

The film will also be shown at ODEON cinemas across the UK from Wednesday July 22nd, where it will be programmed in front of both Bruno and The Proposal. You can watch a sneak preview of the video, plus some stills from the full version, on Coldplay.com right now by clicking here. Strawberry Swing (the single) will be released globally as a digital download on September 14th. The video will be commercially available a little while before that, on August 3rd. You can check out the artwork for the single at Coldplay.com.

You can discuss the single release, video details and preview at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks iPsy & svenky]

Here are some stills from the video to further whet your appetite...

Strawberry Swinging! New Coldplay video coming later in July

Later this month, Coldplay's amazing new video for Strawberry Swing will be unveiled - keep it locked to Coldplay.com for details and watch out for some superb new Coldplaying banners ahead of the video. In the meantime, you can read again the official site's latest interview with Chris Martin in which Chris confirms that the video for the song 'Strawberry Swing' had already been finished by May. You can discuss the forthcoming video for Strawberry Swing video in the Coldplay forum here onwards. [thanks 1der]

The Strawberry Swing excerpts of the interview are also included after the jump, along with Roadie #42's tweets from tonight's Rock Werchter Festival in Belgium. Full scale discussions and live updates from the festival have already started in earnest at the Coldplay live forum in the Rock Werchter thread!

You're currently a few dates into a new leg of the tour, after having a little break.

Yeah, we've just done the video for Strawberry Swing, which is going to be pretty good, I think.

Is that officially a single, then?

Well, it's officially going to be a really great video. I don't know whether it counts as a single or not.

Can you tell us anything about the video?

It is a new concept in video making, which will either be a woeful disaster or a triumphant Bafta winner. I guess you'll be seeing it at some point in the summer, as it's a summery song.

Arguably the best song on the album.

That's what I think! And we should also say that if you like that song you should listen to The Rock by Delakota. That song had this amazing backwards guitar loop going all the way through. And although Strawberry Swing doesn't have that, the Delakota song was definitely inspirational.

A Strawberry Swinging!

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued on the West Coast last night as they played at the Shoreline Amphitheater in San Francisco, CA, the first in a series of five consecutive Californian shows (not including the 'not-so-secret' show on the 19th at Capitol Records!). The Coldplay-shaped puppets were out and about again, this time in sunny San Fransisco - see those pictures after the jump. Roadie #42 also posted two videos during and after the show which you can watch here at the Coldplay Live forum. No major changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set again, and Sitting on the Dock of the Bay was added to Will's acoustic slot.

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

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Yellow

Glass Of Water

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

Green Eyes (acoustic)

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay / 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 billonahill

AHHAFHDFLKAHFSLSAFH. I just got home, it was fucking amazing, the best night of my life. Can't write now, I'm SO tired and sweaty and need a shower/bedddd. BUT I TOUCHED CHRIS MARTIN! (and Jonny and Will! Guy was being silly and shy, but OMG ANYWAY). [thanks strawberryfields]

Hey guys, I was about 10 feet away from Coldplay! The set list was the same and I have a bunch of videos I will load up tomorrow. The boys were great and Chris was saying how they loved San Francisco and that they don't tell that to everyone. He kept saying 'fuck' it was really funny! The crowd was pretty good, but I have PIT tickets for the show later today so I'm hoping for front row! Oh, when they went to the C-stage tons of people were grabbing at Chris and he was like "careful, careful" but he said it very sweetly. It took me over an hour to get out of the parking lot! [thanks ColdplayRulesTheWorld]

Man if there was anyway to describe tonight, it wouldn't be too far from an outdoor house party. Seriously most of all the little kids, couples, and friends I saw were in good spirits just enjoying the music, whether under the influence or not. And maybe since it's summer, it was like going to a baseball game. The fooood did help though, lemonade, Ben & Jerry's, kettle corn, garlic fries, cotton candy, I could go on but I'll stop here. All the same, very nice vibe from the crowd tonight. My seat was in the 101 section so the ramp was smack dab in front of me. This time, I was able to feel the butterfly rain, get hit by the yellow balloons, and get a glow stick that Chris threw. I definitely had to watch my head tonight, lol. Very worth it all though. I second the Billie Jean request, sounded awesome live. I believe they did a version of Sitting on the Dock of the Bay on the C-stage as well... I'm glad I went to see Coldplay in concert again, cause this time around the album was saturated more and the live instruments brought out sounds and melodies you just don't fully get from the cd. While I did notice that sometimes the crowd wasn't fully into the concert by means of dancing or other "physical output", it was only a few times. The interest was still there, it was just a laid back energy. Favorite banter: "I don't mean to sound like a schoolteacher...but, that's just the way it's going to be." - Chris *along the lines of*. I have a lack of pictures and videos, though I did manage to get screen footage of God Put A Smile Upon Your Face and snippets of a roadie breakdancing to Jay-Z before the concert began. just a nice nice nice way to spend a summer monday night. [thanks soulsalsa7]

This was my first Coldplay concert. Shoreline Amphitheater, July 13, 2009. Section 202, Row P, Seat 23. And all I can think now is this... What an amazing show. Though I was pretty far away from the stage, as soon as Coldplay took it the entire audience was filled with energy and enthusiasm. All of the songs, from Violet Hill, to Cemeteries of Shoreline London, and yes, even to one of my least favorite Coldplay tunes, Green Eyes, were performed flawlessly. The way they walked, galloped, (and if you caught a glimpse of Chris at the beginning of VLV, ran) between stages just added to the excitement in the air. It was also great when Chris interacted with the audience, asking for us to perform the "Mexican Cell Phone Wave", and encouraging us to sing a very overwhelming one note melody to Mr. William Champion. And we obliged. Because "that's just the way it's got to be". Coldplay knows how to put on an amazing show, and they sure as hell delivered this last night. Absolutely fantastic. Oh, and Chris seems to like us a bit, unlike, as quoted by him, some of the other "fucking arseholes" out there. [thanks 4getregret]

What an amazing show!!This being my 6th time ive seen the boys live,it was by far the best one!!I think being in the 10th row had something to do with it.But I also believe a big part of it is that they are playing the best they have ever played live right now.They were so energetic from the start.Chris was very talkative with the crowd.I think the one thing that stood out for me was Johnnys playing.His guitar was very loud and he was on his game!!Like i said they were energetic but sometimes I think Guy is a little too casual as the other 3 just go nuts. During Death And All His Friends the banner got stuck and didnt come down all the way.But the production team was right on it and flashed the VIVA sign on the big screen that they use.During Yellow the baloons were all over the stage.I think at one point the whole stage was covered with them!!It was funny seeing Johnny,Chris,and Guy kicking the balls throughout the whole song.I even got hit in the head with one.I wasnt paying attention haha.Lovers In Japan was amazing with the butterfly confetti falling on me and my party.We all got a copy of LRLRL.It was pretty easy and smooth as they handed them out at the gates on the way out.Overall it was a flawless performance by the boys.And reminded me yet again why they are my favorite band!!Cant wait til next time!! [thanks IneedYou23]

Wow....that's all I can say. I was at the Shoreline Ampitheater last night - on my birthday July 13th - and I wish I had been able to afford regular seats as I couldn't see squat from the lawn; everyone was standing and I'm vertically challenged. I've got to say though - they were AWESOME and Chris is quite the showman. He seems like he's the type of guy you could just walk up to and strike up a conversation about whatever. Great show and I came home with a (popped) yellow ball and lots of confetti - some of it was plastered and decopauged to my right tennis shoe I think I am going to laquer it and go get some new shoes! [thanks harleycoder]

this show was a HELL of a lot better than last year's san jose show. i've got some crappy pics as well, but took some cool vids. although, i got shut down halfway through billie jean. and then my cam died. but it was cool to see the band run by on their way backstage for the first encore. god damn those kids move around a lot! they were all over the damn place! definitely got my money's worth with cemeteries of london, and part of talk. viva was awesome as always, and yellow was a hilight last night. great gig. [thanks electricalstorm1]

yesterday was my very first Coldplay concert and it was the most perfect monday of my life!!!! i cannot believe my luck after all the stress i had to go through to get tickets, the tickets i ended up with were a few seats from the b-stage!! i was section 200

i got a great shot of the guys i still cannot believe it!! too bad my stupid camera ran out of memory and i got like 8 seconds of the B-stage performance.

although i hate that almost no butterflies went my way and absolutely no yellow balloons went my way either BUT i still got the B-stage so itsall good. and i did get some butterflies that i snatched from the reach of the people next to me

one thing i hated was that there so many people around me that did not even seem like REAL coldplay fans they barely knew the words to the songs and they had no spirit and they were in my way! but the B-stage and all the songs make me forget about all that. it was simply an AWESOME show and i cannot wait to see them again! and i believe they did the micheal jackson song amazingly.I love COLDPLAY!! [thanks anacaren08]

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

The Coldplay-shaped puppets hit San Francisco (no flowers in their hair, though)

Unconfirmed reports say internationally renowned bands like Coldplay and the Killers will perform in Bogota before the end of this year and that promoters are doing their best to get Metallica to include Colombia's capital in their upcoming tour.

According to Colombian music magazine Shock, Coldplay are close to confirming a show in Bogota, and if all goes well, this gig will be taking place sometime the end of this year.

The same magazine reports that it is 97% certain that alternative rockers The Killers will be performing their latest album, Day and Age, in Colombia's capital. The band's website has not announced a Colombian gig yet though. The magazine also reports that concert organizer Evenpro says it is busy trying to get U.S. rock gods Metallica to visit Colombia for the second time to promote their upcoming cd Death Magnetic.

More on the Latin America grapevine is at the Coldplay Live forum here onwards.

Related Latin American tour articles:

Coldplay schedule Chilean concert for November 15th... but Estadio Nacional refuse permission

Coldplay nearing ever closer to a 2009 Latin America tour

New pictures of Coldplay at the Rock Werchter Festival, Belgium (3rd July 2009):

Pictures by raceer

Southern California’s top rated Alternative Rock Radio station, 98.7fm, presents an exclusive 'Stripped' performance event with Coldplay (when they describe the band as 'one of the biggest and most dynamic artists of the day', who are we to argue!?). The performance will take place at a secret location on an undisclosed date in July, and the ONLY way to get inside the show is to win passes from 98.7fm.

Having sold well over 5 million copies of their current album, “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” Coldplay is wrapping up their tour by doing this exclusive, private and intimate 'Stripped' performance for 98.7 listeners. 'Stripped' is an exclusive in-studio performance series created for artists who thrive on performing without the typical studio and video embellishments.

The signature series in Clear Channel’s stable of online programming is shot with four to six cameras in an intimate studio. The performance will be distributed across the Clear Channel Radio network of websites (including 987fm.com) on a date to be determined.

To win passes inside the show, listen to Kennedy and “Music In The Mornings” on 98.7fm at 7:20 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. to win through July 17th , and remember to have your cell phone handy! Details at 987fm.com, keyword “Coldplay.”

More on this competition (did you enter, did you win?!) at the Coldplay forum here onwards.

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued through North America last night as they played at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA. Roadie #42 was back tweeting again, with twitpics of Guy and of the venue; see those pictures after the jump. No changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set again.

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

Setlist: [thanks clisaj]

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Yellow

Glass Of Water

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

Green Eyes (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will vocals)

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 Squid Vicious

Only Coldplay can make a location as beautiful as the Gorge even more gorgeous. And i can tell they have officially left the Pacific Northwest. It is now cloudy, cold and rainy, and for the two days they graced us with their presence, it was beautiful, warm and sunny. Same setlist as yesterday, but where I was seated I spotted a few famous backstage players, Franksy, Hoppy, Jackie, of course Kelly, the girl from Oxfam Soha Yassine, Vicky Taylor and Dan the Trainer, oh is that man gorgeous! The place was PACKED! I have never seen this many people before in my life, i was blown away. This pic is just ONE section, multiply this by FIVE! Chris agreed as well, at the beginning of In My Place he said, "That's a lot of people!" Again, great crowd, everyone dancing and singing along, even the Event Staff. This getting old I know, but the boys ran past me again, but no touchy this time, except i tried when Chris ran back to start VLV, but he zipped past by everyone, that boy should try out for the Olympics. During Yellow, Chris mentioned something about an early birthday gift for Will, and embarrassed the hell out of him. Will had the cutest smile up on the jumbotron. I thought I was recording it, but didn't. Poor Guy looked emaciated to me, I hope I'm just over reacting, but I'm getting kind of concerned, did anyone else notice? It's very windy at the Gorge and the Viva curtain that drops during DAAHF started blowing in the wind instead of just hanging, the boys got a big kick out if and they were all laughing. I drove over 250 miles for over 4.5 hours, got blisters on my feet from walking over an hour in the grassy parking lot looking for my car, my muscles and joints are stiff from SLEEPING in my car, because I was too exhausted to drive back 4.5 hours. But you know what? I'd do it all again in a heartbeat just to see them again. [thanks clisaj]

Howdy gang ^^ I was there too last night, took a bunch of videos and pictures, but I haven't loaded them yet or seen if any of them are good (had reserved seats, but was pretty far back and my camera isn't that great ). But, I'll look through them and post what is worthy! But it's worth noting chris said the Gorge was the most beautiful outdoor amphitheater in the world, and maybe he says that often, but I have to agree. Everyone needs to see a show here! [thanks Oceana]

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

Tweets:

Ok, this is hands down the most gorgeous venue on earth. R#42

Checking out of portland hotel, post hat shop. R#42

A few reviews of the new film Bruno, released on July 10, have been published online — and the news for Cohen fans is very postive. For those not in the know, Bruno is one of the characters Cohen created for his Channel 4 and HBO series, Da Ali G Show.

As Wikipedia desribes, Bruno is a homosexual character claiming to be a reporter from an Austrian television station and interviews unsuspecting guests about topics such as fashion, entertainment, celebrities and homosexuality, with an emphasis on the latter as each interview progresses.” Needless to say, just like Borat, he’s absolutely hilarious. And he’s getting his own movie.

Anyways, according to the reviews, part of the plot involves Bruno drawing inspiration from people like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie to, as he says, find a “new shithole to save”..and…”Clooney has Darfur, I need to find my Darfive…” In his quest to become a big time celebrity, Bruno feels that the only way he can accomplish this is by giving back. He even flies to the Middle East to negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine by telling them “Why are you all so mad at Hamas, Pita bread is the real enemy, yes?”

The best part? There’s a giant charity song at the end of the movie featuring Bono, Coldplay, Elton John and Snoop Dogg. Any other movie and I’d call bullshit — but this is Sacha Baron Cohen, so expect it. Go see it!

More discussion on Coldplay's participation is at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks a-chan]

New pictures of Coldplay at Clark County Amphitheater, Portland, OR (10th July 2009):

Pictures by benie_boi

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued again through North America last night as they played at the Clark County Amphitheatre, Portland, OR. The Coldplay-shaped puppets were out and about again in Portland - see those pictures after the jump. No changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set.

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

Setlist: [thanks clisaj]

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Yellow

Glass Of Water

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (Chris piano)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

Green Eyes (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will vocals)

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 benie_boi

Parking and traffic was a cluster fuck, took me an hour to get out of the venue. That adorable dancing roadie is a gem, complete with Michael Jackson glovethat kid is gonna go places, i'm predicting. The show was amazing as usual, best one yet. They sounded absolutely unbelievable! Clocks and Glass of Water just stand out because they are so powerful and visually stimulating. The crowd was awesome, except during 42 when Chris wanted us to sing along to the ohhhhh ooooh's, they kind of choked and the Mexican wave fizzled, but other than that they came through I thought. Chris was in his usual playful mood, his vocals were stellar. During Clocks Jonny was rockin' his little heart out, i would have gotten it on video, but the king of all butt-faces(security) told me to stop filming and get back to my seat, prick OMG, and they ran past me AGAIN when they went to the back of the stage to play acoustic! This time I managed to grab all of them and not just Chris, I even grabbed Kelly!Please excuse my squeals of delight and ecstacy. [thanks clisaj]

oh myyy. i dont really have enough time to write a review that is good and/or coherent.but the show was AMAZING. heres some quick thoughts: i got there super early and heard a bit of the soundcheck.. mostly violet hill and guy fooling around on bass. the second opening band was very very good. when they finally came on, it was so surreal! like, "AH IM ACTUALLY SEEING THEM HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING" type of thing. AMAZING SOUND. wow, wow wow. the platforms out into the audience were uber short): billie jean cover was quite good, esp. jonnys guitar. the guy next to me was dancing and singing the entire time. cool dude.

when they walked up to the b stage, i was only 10 seats away. two very nice roadies gave me a pick and a setlist! [thanks bear]

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

The Coldplay-shaped puppets reach Portland, discover "Outrageous Jet Boat"

Mostly unaware that they were about to be part of the largest concert in Clark County history, a buoyant mob equal to the population of Battle Ground turned out Friday to see the biggest British band since — hey, to hear a few fans tell it, since the big one, writes The Columbian.

They wore sundresses, shredded jeans or Coldplay T-shirts. They braved scalpers, a hail forecast and $8 cups of Miller Lite for a few hours in the sun and a finale under the stars. With pop music splintering into subcultures, there are almost no acts left in the world that could draw a crowd this big, said Brent Sagnotti, 29, of Portland, looking across a sea of blankets inside the Amphitheater at Clark County. "The Beatles aren't around anymore," Sagnotti said. "Led Zeppelin's gone."

At just under 17,800, the Coldplay crowd's size was technically a tie with Many said they'd busted their budgets even to score lawn tickets, which had a face value of $35 but were reselling for more than $100 on Craigslist. They came with dads and with dates. They came to get loose or get lucky.

Elya Christensen of Portland said she remembered seeing one couple getting quite lucky beneath their blanket during Coldplay's last visit to the Amphitheater, in 2005. "It's like a little mini-Woodstock out here," said Christensen, 22. "I really like the song 'Yellow,'" Christensen added. "I'm pretty sure they're going to play that, and that'll be the epic experience of my life."

As the minutes ticked toward Coldplay's 9 p.m. appearance, the phones were still going crazy inside the Amphitheater's little command center. Jackie McLoughlin fielded pleas from one desperate fan after another. "His tickets are in Grants Pass!" she shouted to ticket services manager Paul Kovin. "He left them on the table!" "We can reprint them, then," Kovin offered. "But he bought them off someone." McLoughlin said sadly. Kovin shugged. "Can't help him."

Outside, venue marketing manager Keevin Wagner power-walked from booth to booth, distributing high fives and last-minute instructions. "Right when song four hits, get the hell out of there," he told a house photographer. "They're going to drop the balloons and all hell is going to break loose."

Bryan Ross and Jen Lough, both 30 and from Portland, had brought lawn chairs, beer and chips to relax in the parking lot before the show. Ross said he hates amphitheaters. "From '98 to '03, they were going into every city in the country," Ross said. "It's so cookie-cutter and boring."

Ross said he prefers small, quirkier venues with nightlife nearby. But Coldplay was Lough's favorite band in the world, so Ross had bought them front-section tickets — $95 face value, $350 for the pair. He'd been obsessively refreshing the Ticketmaster Web site the day the tickets went on sale, he said, but missed the tickets he was hoping for. Resale brokers must be writing computer programs to swoop in and buy tickets in blocks, Ross said. "You can refresh the minute they go on sale, and you won't get any," Ross said, still upset.

Jim Garaventa, 61, of Salem, said he'd been turned on to Coldplay by his daughter, Karen, 22. Karen Garavata said she was hoping that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin might step down from the stage to sing to her personally. Connor McCue, 17, of Vancouver, was setting his sights higher. He entered the concert area with a hand-decorated poster reading "Marry Me, Martin (alliteration)."

"I'm looking forward to his answer," McCue said. "I drew a heart. And I used the word 'alliteration,' so he knows I'm smart."

McCue said he's pretty sure Martin, who has two children with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, is attracted to tall, smart men. As the sun set, throwing shadows over Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens, Coldplay finally took the stage to a swell of cheers. Four songs in, Martin broke into a song everyone knew. It was "Yellow."

Source: The Columbian

New pictures of Coldplay at Roskilde Festival, Denmark (5th July 2009):

Pictures by boelsen @ Flickr (click to see the full album)

Take a sellout or near-sellout crowd at the Amphitheater at Clark County. Mix in the usual afternoon rush-hour traffic. Then add in motorists leaving Vancouver-Portland for a summer weekend, reports The Colombian (Vancouver).

State transportation officials are bracing for a traffic headache this afternoon. Anticipating a crowd of 17,000 for Coldplay, the Washington Department of Transportation is advising concertgoers coming from the south to consider a slightly unorthodox alternative — especially if concert traffic is backing up at the main fairgrounds exit at 179th Street.

"It could save them a lot of time and frustration," DOT spokeswoman Abbi Russell said. Officials suggest northbound motorists bypass the exit at 179th Street; travel two miles north to the new Battle Ground exit at 219th Street; then use the new interchange to circle back on I-5 south. They'll then take the southbound exit at 179th.

3p.m.:The Friday night blues on I-5 northbound are already underway, as tonight's Coldplay show at the Amphitheater at Clark County adds about 6,000 vehicles to the week's busiest rush hour. It's just the start of a weekend of traffic hell that will also bring a Red Line MAX closure and major repaving in Gresham.

Meanwhile, one lane of eastbound Interstate 84 remains closed seven miles east of Multnomah Falls as crews continue to clean up road tar that spilled from an overturned tanker on Wednesday morning. ODOT is offering no estimated time when the entire section of The Gorge highway will be completely reopened.

The alternative could be especially useful for motorists heading north on I-5 before the freeway converges with I-205. Bypassing the 179th exit will eliminate the need for those motorists to immediately weave to the right. In addition, C-Tran is planning to run eight shuttle buses to the amphitheater from the Salmon Creek Park and Ride at 134th Street beginning at 6 p.m.

The buses will run every 15 minutes, using back roads otherwise dedicated to local traffic only. After the show, the transit service will beef up its shuttle fleet to 17 buses available to ferry concertgoers out of the arena. Riders will pay a round-trip fare of $2.

Meanwhile, amphitheater officials were busy on Thursday making preparations for what one called an "elaborate" setup for Coldplay, the popular British band that has been touring the United States since May. The band is scheduled to go on to perform at the Gorge Amphitheater in central Washington on Saturday. "We're just thrilled that they're here," said Keevin Wagner, the Clark County venue's marketing manager. "You couldn't have planned a better season-opener with that act."

Parking will begin at 5 p.m., with gates to the venue opening at 5:30 p.m. Coldplay will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., following two opening acts: Kitty Daisy & Lewis, and Amadou & Mariam.

Coldplay at Main Square Festival, Arras, France (2nd July 2009):

Picture by TiteFleur59

Beg your pardon, but would you mind if we, well, took over the world? Quietly and politely, Coldplay has become one of the biggest musical acts on the planet. They did it with some dreamy piano pop, a sensitive, falsettoed frontman, and that U.K. magic that's worked for the likes of the Beatles, U2 and Radiohead, writes The Seattle Times, ahead of this weekend's shows in Portland and George.

Coldplay has been accused of being bland, even yawn-inducing (a British TraveLodge poll voted them the Band Most Likely to Put You to Sleep). But that hasn't stopped them from selling more than 30 million albums and trucking in a heap of Grammys. They're so big their tours are massive spectacles only appropriately launched with a trio of continent-spanning free concerts. (And speaking of gigs, they're playing the Gorge Amphitheatre Saturday — not free, but sure to be epic.)

But their fourth album released last year is a testament to Coldplay's willingness to change, evolve and improve to stay at the top. With "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," the British foursome staged a revolution — a well-behaved one, of course.

Before you even get to the music, the album's cover art is Eugène Delacroix's painting of "Liberty Leading the People." And the first half of the name is a battle cry: "Long Live Life."

Dubbed by the band as their "experimental album," "Viva" does forge new territory, for them. Under the guidance of producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire), the songs benefit from Middle Eastern instruments, exotic percussion and galloping guitar melodies. Chris Martin has reeled in his soaring falsetto and wraps the melodies with a deeper baritone. His lyrics veer more political than past albums.

Eno did what he could to break the band of old habits and shake them from their insecurities. They spent time in Spanish cathedrals ("Cemeteries of London" has some Flamenco-inspired hand claps). They built their own pianos. Eno even hired a hypnotist to put them in a trance for some of their music making.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the ever-self-deprecating Martin said, "Things like the hypnotism, all these little crazy experiments that he tried with us was just an effort to say, 'It's OK. Not everybody hates you because you're in Coldplay. Just play some music and don't worry about it.' "

Eno produced a number of U2 albums, most notably "The Joshua Tree." His influence comes through on a track like "Lovers in Japan," with its striding rhythm, or on "Lost!," with its Edge- inspired guitar solo. You can also hear strains of Radiohead, Blur, even My Bloody Valentine. "We look at what other people are doing and try and steal all the good bits," Martin said in an interview with MTV. "We steal from so many different places that hopefully it becomes untraceable."

They have created a blend that's all their own, but they're not reinventing Brit rock. Just doing it well. And for that, the album really wasn't the sort of experiment that proves risky. That's a smart move for a group with a huge fan base to keep happy and gargantuan arenas to fill on their current 100-stop Viva la Vida world tour, which begins in the Portland area tonight.

But fill they will (the Gorge has long been sold out). "Viva" does nothing except solidify Coldplay's place at the top. It was the best-selling album of 2008 and won the 2009 Grammy for Best Rock Album.

And it's arena-worthy for sure. Not only are the melodies soaring and the choruses begging to be sung along to, its themes tackle the big guns: life, death, love, war, peace. That is to say the album is universal. Appropriate for this moment's biggest band in the world.

Source: Seattle Times

Coldplay at Roskilde Festival, Denmark (5th July 2009):

Pictures by rockfoto.nu

Coldplay will reportedly hand out free hot dogs at their US live shows for fans who buy their tickets today. Promoters Live Nation have started a 'No Service Fee Wednesday' incentive to encourage more concert-goers during the global recession.

Further perks for fans purchasing tickets midweek include free parking and a soft drink. The campaign has also been extended to cover live dates by No Doubt and Blink-182. Coldplay start touring North America again as part of their 'Viva La Vida' jaunt. The UK leg kicks off in Manchester on September 12.

Meanwhile according to philly.com, a New Jersey man has sued Live Nation Inc., accusing the concert promoter of violating consumer protection laws by padding ticket prices at the PNC Bank Arts Center during its "No service fee Wednesday" promotion. Michael Katz, of Freehold Township, is seeking to have his lawsuit classified as class-action. It was filed late last month in Superior Court in Mercer County.

Katz bought two batches of lawn tickets to an upcoming Blink 182 concert at the Arts Center in Holmdel. The base ticket price of the first batch were $7.75 each, not including $12.25 in fees. The base price of the second batch , purchased a few days later on a Wednesday , were $29 each, not including a $6 parking fee and a 25 cent "charity" fee.

In the lawsuit alleges that the company wasn't truthful about its no-fee promotion, that instead of dropping the fees Live Nation merely incorporated them into the base price of the ticket and then raised the base price. "They have this ticket fee system that seems to be elastic," said Katz attorney Henry Wolfe.

The lawsuit seeks to recover money for all consumers who paid inflated base prices during the no-fee promotion and to stop Live Nation from charging mandatory parking and charity fees at future events. "I don't think it's fair," Katz said. "The ones that suffer the most are the loyal fans."

Live Nation has acknowledged that some fees never went away during the promotion, but called the lawsuit "frivolous" and denied ticket padding. According to Live Nation spokesman John Vlautin, the first several thousand lawn tickets for the Blink 182 concert were offered on sale for the total price of $20, including fees. He said that by the time Katz made his second purchase, those promotional lawn seat may have all been gone.

Typically, service fees help pay the ticket-selling company. Live Nation was able to cut certain surcharges for their no-fee promotion in the hopes that it would make that money up by getting more people to come to the venues it owns and having them pay for such things as parking and concessions. Tickets at the Arts Center sold during the no-fee promotion are still subject to a $6 parking fee and a 25 cent charity fee, Live Nation said.

The parking fee has long had concertgoers seeing red because it is tacked onto every ticket, regardless of whether the ticket holder drives to the show. And the facility maintains far fewer parking spaces than the Arts Center's 17,500-person capacity. Live Nation said the parking fee is needed to keep traffic flowing. "In an effort to alleviate the traffic issues on the Garden State Parkway that would occur if fans were forced to stop and pay for parking at the entrance of the PNC Bank Arts Center parking lot, we instead charge a per ticket parking fee of $6," the company said in a statement.

It said the charity fee is required under their lease with the state-owned Arts Center. All the money goes to the Garden State Arts Foundation, which funds free entertainment for seniors and children. Some fans worry that ticket prices would go up even more should Live Nation's proposed merger with ticketing giant Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. be approved this year following an antitrust review.

Coldplay at Main Square Festival, Arras, France (2nd July 2009):

Picture by TiteFleur59

Despite being the adored, much analyzed and fantasized about lead singer of one of the planet’s biggest rock bands, Chris Martin of Coldplay is practical, even humble about his role, writes The Olympian.

“It just comes from pure gratitude at being given this job, particularly in a period of time when music is hard to be employed by,” Martin says of the free CDs that Coldplay is giving to concert- goers on their U.S. tour, which kicked off in Florida in May and stops at The Gorge Amphitheatre on Saturday night. “We wanted to give something to the people who have paid money to come see us or buy the album,” he adds, referring to “Viva La Vida,” the best-selling album in the world in 2008. “It’s like a reward system in a grocery store.”

Material sustenance is not what most fans think of when it comes to Coldplay’s music or its live shows, which are known for the passionate connection that Martin makes with audiences. The free CD, “LeftRightLeftRightLeft,” with nine live songs culled from the band’s last tour, is partly an attempt to capture that link. “It is like a snapshot of where we’re at at the moment as a band,” Martin says.

Given that Coldplay is returning to the United States so soon after finishing another North American tour last November, audiences seem to like whatever the band does. The combination of Martin’s charisma and emotionally introspective, obliquely poetic lyrics, and Coldplay’s darkly anthemic, lushly melodic music has proved to be potent. The group has grown in stature and sales since debuting in 2000 with “Parachutes,” quickly shooting from indie darlings to the top of the U.S. and global charts. Their third album, 2005’s “X&Y,” sold 8 million copies in the first year, while “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” sold 6.7 million physical and downloaded copies – stellar figures in an age of free downloads and splintering audiences.

The press, however, has been divided on Coldplay and on Martin himself. The band’s music has been criticized as indulgent and repetitive, while Martin, who is married to actor Gwyneth Paltrow (the couple have two children, Apple, 5 and Moses, 3), is sometimes faulted for being arrogant, a vegetarian, righteously well-behaved, and generally avoiding the classically entertaining rock star behavior.

While social themes don’t inspire Coldplay’s songs, Martin says he feels a responsibility to try to affect the world in a positive way. “It appeases the guilt I sometimes feel for being given such an incredible job,” he says. “I think when you are contributing to or talking about something that you know is important on an activist level, it somehow feels better than if you’re just sitting back taking coke.”

Source: The Olympian

Coldplay at Main Square Festival, Arras, France (2nd July 2009):

Picture by TiteFleur59

As the music industry changes, so have the methods by which music is promoted. Traditional marketing is being replaced by artists and bands using social media sites like Twitter to engage fans, promote their work, and connect with others, writes Mashable, the social media guide.

The modern web and the future of the music industry seem almost inextricably intertwined in terms of marketing, listening, communicating, and purchasing. Twitter is one of the many ways for people to instantly and quickly communicate, and artists are taking advantage of its vast potential. Is your favorite artist tweeting? Here are over 100 musicians who tweet to keep fans and friends informed. Here's what they said about Coldplay...

Coldplay – The British rock band posts updates about their music and performances. Some of their tweets are likely from assistants, but there are plenty signed by individual members of the band.

And a few select others...

Muse – Unlike many other (popular) and well known bands, Muse actually runs their own Twitter account, frequently updating with photos and other little snippets of news that might not be found anywhere else as quickly. The band enjoys integrating photos with news, so for those out there who are purely visual people and love Muse, a follow may be necessary.

Dave Matthews – Yep, this is the official Dave Matthews. Not the band, not commercialized updates, but the musician himself. Although he doesn’t follow anyone sans Obama, CNN, and Brett Radin, Matthews still makes himself unbelievably social, with most of his tweets being replies to others. Sure, there are the occasional band updates, but Matthews’ Twitter tends to be strictly social.

John Mayer – Mayer uses Twitter to communicate with his fans, as well as occasionally share and promote new music. Few music related updates will be found on Mayer’s account, however, he likes to keep it strictly personal. You may even remember Twitter being implicated in Mayer’s breakup with Jennifer Aniston. Be advised: long tweets in caps, links to TwitPicTwitpic and profanity make regular appearances in his stream.

Slash – Former lead guitarist for Guns N Roses and current lead guitarist for Velvet Revolver, Slash’s tweets mostly focus on his music and what the band is up to. He sometimes posts TwitPics of himself and others, too.

New pictures of Coldplay at Roskilde Festival, Denmark (5th July 2009):

Pictures by rockfoto.nu

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

July 8, 2009 - submitted by Claire, Ireland

Q. Hello, I just thought the band and those who read your answers would be interested to know that one of the biggest Coldplay fans ever and I mean that with no exaggeration at all died recently in a road accident on her way to the Eden Sessions. She was one of those vibrant, soulful and truly admirable people that those who met her, always remembered her. Jennifer or Nettie as she was often known as had websites such as mycoldplay.com and guyberryman.net. She travelled all over her home in the U.K and to the U.S to see the boys. She was known by many Coldplay fans on the web as 'a famous fan'. She will be sorely missed. Anyone who knew her would know that she was a force of nature and grabbed life by the horns. Always friendly and eager to chat or help people out. On behalf of the people who knew her, I would like to honor her here as I know that would have been something she would have truly appreciated. R.I.P Jennifer xxx

The Oracle replies:

Everyone here was terribly saddened by this tragic news. Nettie will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. Her face was a constant front row beam of light. Even security will miss her hanging round stage doors trying to blag her way in! She was a true music fan with a big heart. It won't be the same without her. As a tribute there'll only be one question answered today.

We have a thread of condolences at the forums which you can read and post on here [thanks bello-lo]

Ticket registration for the 2010 Glastonbury festival has been opened for fans just days after the 2009 festival closed with a headline set from Blur. Anyone wanting to attend next year's music and arts event can now apply on the festival's official website. It is not possible to buy a ticket without signing up. Registration can also been done via post, but you will be required to send passport photos and contact details.

Glastonbury 2010, which will mark the festival's 40th anniversary, will run from Wednesday, June 23 to June 27 at Worthy Farm, Somerset. Early speculation about acts who could headline include Oasis, Bob Dylan, U2, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, Kanye West and Radiohead.

Speaking about next year's bill, organiser Michael Eavis said: "We've got some headliners who haven't played for a few years and some who have never played here. I'm not saying names, it will be the same old guessing game. But they're all on the phone at the moment so it will be special."

Coldplay at Roskilde Festival, Denmark (5th July 2009):

Pictures by rockfoto.nu

Actor Simon Pegg’s wife Maureen McCann has given birth to the couple’s first child. The actor’s rep has confirmed that Simon’s wife has given birth to the couple’s daughter, but no other details are known about the birth. The couple announced that they were expecting in February when McCann was already five months pregnant.

Although this is the first child for Pegg, he does have some practice with chidlren as he is the godfather of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s five-year-old daughter Apple - with the possibility of a reciprocating godfather duty on the cards. A few months ago, Pegg has this to say about being a soon-to-be dad. “It’s the most important thing to me. I’m very excited. I want to be a really good dad, a good influence and a good role model — someone my child can turn to, whatever the hell that means… It’s all to do with your attitude and making sure they stay grounded, but making sure they aren’t deprived of anything.”

We recently reported that Simon Pegg was hoping Coldplay will let him direct one of their next music videos. The comedian, who features in the new Star Trek movie, told GQ magazine: "I'd love to direct some day. Doing a music video would be a great start. I've said to Chris [Martin, Coldplay frontman] a couple of times, if we get some time, I'd love to script a song."

Here's what Coldplay's Roadie #42 blogged when Simon Pegg joined Coldplay on stage at London's O2 Arena back in December:

This feel spreads further than the simple fact that much of the touring party is based here in London. The show itself has a family vibe through and through. The opening acts on all three nights have deep friendships and history with the band stretching way back. Having friends and family about them even extends to a guest appearance from Mr Simon Pegg. The man is obviously a star in his own right, but when you see the band beaming from ear to ear and cracking up as he adds harmonica to the C-Stage, you can see that he's here primarily because he's their mate.

His contribution on night one is solid, although it's clear the fact that he's standing in the spotlight in front of 18,000 people hasn't escaped his notice. The second night, he's positively on fire and appears to be loving every minute of it. By the third night he pretty much owns the place. Top fella.

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

July 7, 2009 - submitted by Matthew, United States of America

Q. Dear wise one, Firece Panda Records Re-released Brothers and Sisters due to its extreme limited first run production. Are there any plans to do the same for the Safety ep? I think I speak for many Coldplay fans whose CD collections are incomplete without it. I understand that the original recordings can be found on other CD singles but it's nice to have the CD itself with album art. If there are no plans I think it would be a great idea....Just a thought. Please let me know what you think. If you can post this I would like everyone to know, if you have an original copy of the Safety ep....name your price. Thank you!

The Oracle replies:

Safety goes for around £1000 these days but I would never sell mine! There'll never be a re-release as it was for demo purposes only. Plus all the original recordings have appeared on official releases now, so you can have those... Check the discography to see the singles which contain the Safety tracks.

July 7, 2009 - submitted by Rent, Brazil

Q. Dear Oracle, I have a dream, a very big dream - one of those which make your eyes shine - and I really really wanna go after it. Though, I'm discouraged by my family and friends. What do I do? I know that it is the only thing that would make me smile, someday, while looking to the past. I don't know if I mispelled something, or if it's clear. But, please, help me to follow my dream! Thank you very much. :)

The Oracle replies:

The exact same thing happened to me and quite frankly, the fact that family and friends weren't supportive or encouraging only made me more determined. I think you need to listen to your inner self and go for it!

Just over one month to go before the English Premiership starts - JOIN THE 'COLDPLAYING V' FANTASY LEAGUE NOW!

You can now join the new 'Coldplaying V' Fantasy Football League at http://fantasy.premierleague.com and create your own team, then use the code 2197-898 to join the Coldplaying league. Previous teams can be re-registered with the Coldplaying league by simply logging in and refreshing your settings. For full details on how to register, create a team and join the Coldplaying.com league, click here

Please ensure you have registered a team and joined the Coldplaying league 11.30am (BST) on Saturday 15th August 2009 to start gaining points from the outset. Additionally, The 2009/10 IKTS (I Know The Score) Coldplaying game will be launching later in July. Please come back soon to make your first predictions!

Previous Coldplaying Winners:

2005-06: (Winner: Sky Blues; Manager: Sky Blues Fan)

2006-07: (Winner: FC Arpeggi; Manager: Nik)

2007-08: (Winner: MK Red Bulls; Manager: Matt French [mkmatt])

2008-09: (Winner: SQUADto BEAT; Manager: zeddy zeddy)