Jay-Z and Coldplay approve of the mixtape released by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban

We already know Jay-Z and Coldplay dig each other's music, as evidenced by collaboration for "Lost +" on the band's upcoming Prospekt's March EP and "Beach Chair" from Jay's Kingdom Come, report MTV.

But what would it sound like if international-superstar pals Jay and Chris Martin made more than a two-off? That's what mixtape veterans Mick Boogie and Terry Urban wondered, so they pulled a Danger Mouse and recently locked themselves in the lab for two weeks to cook up vivalahova.com, a 19-track mash-up that lays Jay's unique flow over the atmospheric arena rock of England's finest.

"What Danger Mouse did with the Grey Album was momentous, and I was sitting there one day, and I saw that Coldplay was releasing a song with Jay-Z, and I had this idea. Because any time you read about Jay-Z in a nonurban magazine, they talk about his relationship with Chris and Gwyneth [Paltrow] and how Jay is an international star rather than just a rap star," said Boogie, 30, who recently created the mash-up mixtape, The Honor Roll for VH1's "Hip-Hop Honors."

"I thought it was cool they were doing a song [on the Coldplay EP], and I love 'Beach Chair,' so I thought, 'They should do a whole album together. What if we put it together? What would it sound like?' "So, Boogie and frequent collaborator Urban listened to "Lost +" when it leaked last month, got a feel for the sound of the dynamic music combo, and a project was born.

"It was exactly what I thought it might be — great Jay-Z rhymes over cool Coldplay songs," said Boogie of the mixtape, which debuted online on Tuesday. "So I reached out to some of our favorite producers, from 9th Wonder to some new guys, and they each produced a song and we each produced a song, which is the first time we've ever done that for a project." Boogie also roped in artist Glen Infante to remix Coldplay's Viva album cover, with the characters from the original Eugene Delacroix painting tricked out with characters wearing fly shades, Yankees caps and neckfuls of bling.

As Boogie suspected, the worlds-apart sounds do blend into a strangely compelling flow, as on producer Cookin' Soul's "Public Speeding," which melds Jay's hyped "Public Service Announcement" with the lighter-flicking Coldplay track "High Speed," speeding up Martin's vocals to a high-pitched chipmunk wheeze.

Elsewhere, the unlikely combinations make for an eerie disconnect, as when Jay spits gritty rhymes about the dangers of the street hustle from "U Don't Know" accompanied by the spare instrumental hook to "In My Place." For the most part, Boogie said, he and Urban — who chose all the mash-up pairings and worked closely with the producers on the tone and energy of their mixes — tried to choose non-hit tracks to keep the focus on the music, rather than the recognizable hooks. A few exceptions include "Miss Trouble," which drops Jay's "Excuse Me Miss" over the instantly hummable piano hook from "In My Place," and "Take the Hill," which uses the guitar line from Coldplay's recent hit, "Violet Hill," as the bed for Hova's "Takeover."

"It's real fall music," Boogie said of the simultaneously hard-core and melancholic tracks. "Coldplay is a very fall/wintery band, and Jay is known for dropping something every fall. And together it's darkly organic, so it makes sense for this time of the year."

Boogie said he hasn't reached out to either camp — and didn't need their blessing to do the project, since he's giving it away and not profiting from its sale — but he's heard from Jay's assistant that the rap mogul thought it was "amazing," so he's happy. Coldplay weighed in the day after the mixtape debuted, writing on their blog, "It may not quite be the cup of tea of the EMI and Roc-A-Fella music lawyers, but we're rather enjoying the new Viva la Hova bootleg album which has popped up on the Internet this week. ... Check out this impressive work of sonic alchemy."

"He's really artistic, and he brought Coldplay to the hip-hop world in the first place," Boogie said of Jay-Z. "And he's released the a cappellas of his albums, so he knows the deal. And they're kind of in a similar place, though their music is from two different genres. Coldplay is a rock band with a lot of soul and feeling and music that's not very busy, which makes it easily sample-able and remixable."

As proud as he is of tracks like the meditative "Lost Part 2," ("Momma Loves Me" and the import mix of "Lost") and one of the album's most elegant pairings, "Hola Blanco" (the bouncing "Hola Hovito" and the ethereal "White Shadows"), Boogie said the album is probably just a onetime venture. "This is a one of one," he said. "I don't really want to do another one, because the reason this works is because it really makes sense."

Download Viva La Hova via vivalahova.com or directly here

Eight lucky Latin American fans will win a trip to Miami and Houston to watch Coldplay's shows and twelve more will win a Viva La Vida album CD in a competition courtesy of Warner Brothers Latin America (WBLA).

Miami: To enter, visit wbla.com then choose your country, and click on the 'inside the music' icon. Fill the form with your personal information, and then answer approximately 20 Coldplay-related questions. The winners chosen will be the eight people who answer questions correctly in the quickest time. Winners must have a passport and American visa.

Houston: There is also a contest at starmedia.com to win a paid trip to Houston to see Coldplay at the Toyota Center on November 18th, including a meet and greet before the show!

The deadline for entries is 31st October. More details and discussion on these competitions here [thanks Pris]

The video for Coldplay's new single Lovers In Japan will be premiering on iTunes stores around the world from Friday 31st October, coldplay.com can exclusively reveal.

It was directed by Mat Whitecross, in London. Those of you in America will even be able to download it free of charge from iTunes for a week. The video will feature the new Osaka Sun mix of the song. Lovers In Japan, which will be Coldplay's 4th single from the new album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, had been rumoured to hit radiowaves from November 4th.

This follows our posting yesterday revealing the new artwork for the single (which incidentally has shades of pumpkin colour - happy halloween!). You can discuss the video release here and the new artwork here [thanks mimixxx, Nitehawk & Coldpatrix]

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 30, 2008 - submitted by Subki, Indonesia

Q. Why in every album of Coldplay, there's always a "color" song. Yellow, Green Eyes, White Shadows, and finally Violet Hill....what next? What is the different of Life in Technicolor and The Escapist? These songs have the same intro.. (Sorry for my bad english).

The Oracle replies:

So there is. There's no reason for it and it's definitely not a deliberate decision but I guess life is a colourful place! The second part of your question has already been answered so rather than answer again, I will just say Jon Hopkins and hope you can find out from that.

October 30, 2008 - submitted by Arwa, Egypt

Q. Dear Oracle, I really need to know more about the Lost Video Competition. I have been thinking of ideas and getting things ready to start my project. I checked out the dates when Coldplay will be playing in the UK. But I need to know if the person who wins will get to choose what day they can make it, 'cuz I have exams until mid Dec. and I really don't want to spend time making this video if I won't be able to go anyway.. please answer me! this may be the only chance for me to ever get to see my favourite band of all time play! Thanks!

The Oracle replies:

I don't want to seem pessimistic, see it as realistic, but surely this is something to worry about IF you win? As we say, let's cross that bridge when we come to it...

October 30, 2008 - submitted by Marco, Portugal

Q. Hi, uncle O! I Know the answer to that weird question you made! Someday, my friend, someday! The real question is what will you do while your still around? Look at me for example, i`m going to change the world. Wanna help?

The Oracle replies:

That is indeed the answer but to be honest I do believe in living your life to the maximum. I think it's better to live with a sense of adventure, going after what you want, having self-belief, bettering yourself without regret and without missing opportunities. Life is for living and also for the living so we all may as well make the best of it for however long we're here and help others do the same who are less fortunate. Right, that's deep enough for one session!

Coldplay are live onstage in Boston right now. I can see the spotlights on Guy, Will, Jonny and Chris, on the balcony, of the Boston Banknorth Garden.

The band are crammed onto a tiny stage amongst the crowd. All eyes on them, and camera flashes lighting up faces. People have swarmed towards the band. It’s an amazing sight. The lucky few, in those seats around them, have an incredible view. Best seat in the house. Bet they didn’t expect that.

Oxfam volunteers are scattered around the arena, enjoying the show. I’m going to head backstage to put this online. Next stop is Washington, when all eyes will again be on Coldplay, on Halloween. A few days after that.. all eyes, will be on the White House..

Read more entries at the Oxfam Blog website here

Coldplay played the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston last night in support of the latest album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. No changes to the normal setlist, and no Reign of Love this time around.

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Speed Of Sound

Cemeteries Of London

Chinese Sleep Chant

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (piano - Chris)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

The Scientist (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will singing)

Viva La Vida (remix interlude)

------

Politik

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

-------

Yellow

The Escapist (outro)

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

Just got home! The show was INCREDIBLE!!! They sounded amazing and seemed to have just as much energy and enthusiasm as when I saw them back in August. No surprises set list-wise, basically the same as what they've been doing, however I really liked the changes they made since they were here in August. Chris doing "The Hardest Part" as a piano solo was a highlight for me. He sounded amazing both on the piano and vocally. Just beautiful. I don't get why he sounds so off on TV...he's amazing live! He said "THP" and "The Scientist" were Hall & Oates songs that they ruined or something. haha He dedicated "The Scientist" as a "romantic song to the Governor of Alaska"! And then went on to tell us to vote for Barack Obama (the crowd cheered of course and booed at the Palin reference) and he said he knew he could safely say that here without being assasinated! One really nice addition from the last Boston show were video screens everywhere so we could watch them close-up. Very nice! I got to get to bed soon, but I just wanted to say that the show was amazing! [thanks reignoflove]

The show was beyond words! We got there before the doors opened. Went up to our balcony seats and sat in a section that tickets wernt sold for ( it was the balcony section that was next to us) we sat in the front row and a man with the show pulled us aside and gave us 3rd row floor seats. Chris saw my sign and liked right at me. As for merch I got the viva la vida hoodie and I love it! Amazing show amazing night ;-) [thanks JDFSX1]

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

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 29, 2008 - submitted by MARGIE, United States of America

Q. COLDPLAY PLAYED AT THE UNITED CENTER IN CHICAGO AROUND JULY OF THIS YEAR THEY SAID THEY WERE MAKING A DVD/VIDEO CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN IT IS TO BE RELEASED.

The Oracle replies:

It was where the video for Lost! was filmed, that's what they were referring to. You can see it here.

October 29, 2008 - submitted by Jade, Canada

Q. Hi Oracle, You now how people speak of decades as the 90's, 80's or 10's, for example. How do you refer to the decade before the "10's" without saying it like you are referring to the whole century (ex. 1900's)? Thanks.

The Oracle replies:

They're known as the Noughties, not to be confused with the naughties as often happens. Unless of course one spends the entire 00's being naughty that is.

October 29, 2008 - submitted by Francisco, Guatemala

Q. Hey dude. My question is: What would be the weirdest question you would ask and be able to answer yourself?

The Oracle replies:

Well there are countless weird questions that I know the answer to, that's part & parcel of being an Oracle so how about one I can't answer? I don't want to be morbid but hey, it is Hallowe'en in 2 days so I guess it would have to be 'when am I going to die?'

The artwork for Coldplay's new single Lovers In Japan has been revealed online today. The song, which will be Coldplay's 4th single from the new album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, had been rumoured to hit radiowaves from November 4th.

The new single artwork is below and you can discuss it here [thanks Nitehawk, Coldpatrix]

Coldplay and Leona Lewis have been added to the performance lineup for the American Music Awards, Billboard.com can reveal. The event will be held Nov. 23 at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.

Also on the bill are Kanye West, Jonas Brothers, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, New Kids On The Block, Pussycat Dolls, Taylor Swift, P!nk, the Fray and Annie Lennox. David Archuleta, Ashley Tisdale, Demi Lovato and T-Pain will present awards at the event, which will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Winners are being determined by fan vote at AMAvote.com, through Nov. 7.

Read more on this here [thanks holdenc]

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 28, 2008 - submitted by Juliana, United States of America

Q. Hey oracle! So last night, I was watching SNL because Coldplay was going to perform. It was spectacular. however, at the end of Yellow, Chris said "barack obama", clearly showing his support. that's perfectly fine, but can he even vote in America, being as he is from Great Britain?

The Oracle replies:

I don't usually pass comment on politics/religion/personal life etc but this is a hot topic so figured I might as well join in! So, Juliana that may be true but don't forget he has children who are part of an Anglo-American family through his marriage...

October 28, 2008 - submitted by rohan, India

Q. How can I get the new Prospekt's March cd without buying the Viva la Vida special edition ?

The Oracle replies:

I think a few people are a little confused. You don't have to buy the album to get Prospekt's March, you can buy it separately OR as part of a special edition of Viva la Vida as it says here. In fact, we also announced that you'll be able to order it from this very website.

October 28, 2008 - submitted by Raymond, Canada

Q. If Coldplay were hosting a party, which of the four band members would be:

a) DJ?

b) bartender?

c) off in the corner caught up in an intellectual conversation?

d) last man standing?

The Oracle replies:

Super question Raymond!

a) Will

b) Guy

c) Chris

d) Jonny

Coldplay played the second of two nights at the Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ, last night in support of the latest album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. They added Reign of Love to the setlist.

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Speed Of Sound

Cemeteries Of London

Chinese Sleep Chant

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (piano - Chris)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

The Scientist (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will singing)

Viva La Vida (remix interlude)

------

Politik

Reign Of Love

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

-------

Yellow

The Escapist (outro)

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

The setlist was the same with the exception of Reign of Love. I seriously screamed every time I got any glimpse of Will (Jonny was blocking him most of the time) I noticed that Guy had his back turned to the audience for a lot of the concert, I agree with people who were mentioning a couple of pages back, that He doesn’t seem to like to interact with the audience that much. At some point during the concert, the lady behind me spilled her beer all over my hair. It was so annoying and made me miss the end of fix you. It took me a while to get back into singing dancing mode. Some cute moments: when Chris thought that people were smoking weed up by the C-stage, When they dedicated The Hardest Part to Jennifer Hudson, At the end when Chris said “Have a great election, enjoy your next four years of democrats!” , also I saw the cutest thing… at the end when they were all clapping and going to different places on the stage, Will and Guy passed each other and did this cute little face/hand gesture to each other as if they were surprised to see each other.. Almost like “omg man what are you doing here??” it was adorable. Yellow was incredible. [Thanks cold_love23]

Now on to tonight. As I said, I'm not writing a full review, but after the show, comparing it to Boston on this tour, I think that while both were utterly astounding and near-perfect, Coldplay are tired, as they are reaching the end of this tour, and it shows. I think that the energy level and enthusiasm shared by both the band and the audience was noticeably higher, but at the same time, Coldplay are always awesome live, and to anyone who hadn't been to a show on this tour before (my friend that I went with) this would have been a jaw-dropping experience. [thanks zodiac192]

I'm back!!!! wow it was fanfuckingtastic!!!!! Noelia is amazing and we had a blast!! Sean (Proffessa95) and his great family met us with all of his amazing signs!!!!! The band totally loved the signs!! When we first got there i was in need of a beer and we saw the Oxfam table and met Pete! what a cutie. i took some pics of us, will upload tomorrow, i am so tired. we walked around a bit to veg and realize where we were and how friggin amazing the night was going to be. we started to walk down the stairs and the guards would look at our tix and tell us to keep going, i knew we had great seats but these were amazing. we were right next to Guy;s ramp and literally 5-7 feet from the stage. it was so surreal, almost like the Today show but that was daylight and this was an arena. [thanks Christa1]

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

[thanks CookyMnstr]

Eight lucky Latin American fans will win a trip to Miami and Houston to watch Coldplay's shows and twelve more will win a Viva La Vida album CD in a competition courtesy of Warner Brothers Latin America (WBLA).

Miami: To enter, visit wbla.com then choose your country, and click on the 'inside the music' icon. Fill the form with your personal information, and then answer approximately 20 Coldplay-related questions. The winners chosen will be the eight people who answer questions correctly in the quickest time. Winners must have a passport and American visa.

Houston: There is also a contest at starmedia.com to win a paid trip to Houston to see Coldplay at the Toyota Center on November 18th, including a meet and greet before the show!

The deadline for entries is 31st October. More details and discussion on these competitions here [thanks Pris]

Before playing harmonica on "Death Will Never Conquer," Sunday night at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin apologized. "You paid good money to hear someone play an instrument very badly," he said. Then he proceeded to play it perfectly well, reports The Star-Ledger.

It was still a sharp move to apologize. Coldplay is one of the popular rock bands in the world, and Martin's lyrics sometimes seem self-absorbed, so anything he can do to make himself and the band appear down-to-earth works in his favor.

Martin literally dropped to his knees when thanking the crowd for coming, toward the end of the evening. And "Death Will Never Conquer" was part of a segment (also including "The Scientist") where the band ventured into section 104 of the arena -- located a long way from the stage -- and played there. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, as they did in another part of the show that took place on a small stage at the end of a ramp that extended onto the arena floor.

Throughout the show, the British quartet, which was also scheduled to perform at the arena tonight, mixed loud, aggressive rock with ethereal ballads. It's no wonder the band describes its music, on its official MySpace page, as "very heavy soft rock."

Two of the most explosive numbers came from the band's June album, "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends." On the soaring "Viva la Vida," Will Champion stepped out from behind his drum kit to pound on a huge bass drum, and the crowd sang along enthusiastically. For "Lovers in Japan," which has an upbeat, celebratory vibe, thousands of glow-in-the-dark, butterfly-shaped pieces of confetti dropped from the rafters.

Among the other new songs, "Strawberry Swing" had a lighter, almost lilting feel, while "42" and "Cemeteries of London" were darker in tone. Both these songs also had some perfect-for-Halloween-season lyrics.

"Those who are dead are not dead/They're just living in my head," sang Martin in the former, while the latter was full of lines like: "We rode down to the river/Where Victorian ghosts pray/For their curses to be broken."

This show rarely stayed gloomy for long. Martin is too much of a crowd-pleaser for that: he bounced around the stage all evening, pumping up the capacity crowd. And while his bandmates (guitarist Jonny Buckland and bassist Guy Berryman, in addition to Champion) seemed happy to let him be the focus of attention, they did generate a big, propulsive wall of sound on songs like "Life in Technicolor," "Chinese Sleep Chant" and "Politik." Lasers and videos (sometimes projected onto six huge balls hovering over the stage and the crowd) made the show into a spectacle.

These guys aren't the most original musicians in the world. Martin sometimes seems like a more pop-friendly version of Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Buckland borrows too many of his guitar riffs from U2's The Edge, and Berryman and Champion do their respective jobs with little flash. Yet over the course of their four albums they have generated lots of memorable songs.

Derivative or not, they have managed to put together a nearly two-hour show that is devoid of dull spots. Except, maybe, for the lull that came when they were returning from section 104.

More on this review here onwards [thanks mimixxx]

5

After the propaganda mission by Coldplay to support Barack Obama's political cause during the Saturday Night Live performance, Coldplay and Obama may join forces at a victory concert in 2009, should the democrat win the forthcoming election, report La Repubblica.

In fact, Michael Rapino, one of the chiefs at Live Nation stated - in an interview on 'D - La Repubblica delle Donne' (a supplement of 'La Repubblica' italian newspaper) - that in 2009 a concert will be held to celebrate the probable victory of Barack Obama at next US presidential elections. He goes on to say that for this event the main musical role will be given to Coldplay.

Read the pages of the interview here [thanks coldpatrix & www.coldplayzone.it]

Coldplay played the Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ, last night in support of the latest album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. There were no surprises in the setlist, and no surprise appearance from Jay-Z either.

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Speed Of Sound

Cemeteries Of London

Chinese Sleep Chant

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)

Talk (techno version)

The Hardest Part (piano - Chris)

Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)

Viva La Vida

Lost!

The Scientist (acoustic)

Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will singing)

Viva La Vida (remix interlude)

------

Politik

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

-------

Yellow

The Escapist (outro)

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

At almost exactly 8:00, Duffy started playing. She had barely started singing the first song, when I saw GUY BERRYMAN!!! He came and stood directly in front of us. He was leaning against the stage watching Duffy, and moving his head to the beat. It took a while to register in my head, but when I saw the scruffly beard and hoop earring, I said to my sister "OMG that's guy berryman"... at first she thought that he was too short to be guy berryman, but then she saw the earring.

He was wearing a short sleeved gray v-neck t-shirt. and he looked adorable. He only stayed for the first duffy song and then left. [thanks cold_love23]

Phenominal show. Loved the joe the plumber thing. some great numbers were 42, fix you, the scientist acoustic. the hardest part turned out to be the biggest surprise of the night i actually loved it and i didn't think i would.

But the highlight was no doubt the first encore. Politik is the best song i've ever heard live, now twice. The bridge just gives me the chills. Lovers in japan was phenominal, especially with the obama sun. And then death and all his friends, the best song on the album. [thanks winigwl]

i orignially had the most crap seats in the stadium, literally. but the nice man next to me...pointed out none other than ROADIE 42...and convinced me to ask one of his helpers for tickets. so i worked up my courage and went to ask him. i said "erm, are you by any chance giving ticket upgrades?" and the helper man (a camera guy) said "well that depends. how big of a coldplay fan are you?" and i went "" and he was like "right. you can have them." [thanks ApproximatelyInfinite]

More on this concert including lots of reviews, videos and pictures here onwards [thanks melanieau, ohmystarisfading, cold_love23, ApproximatelyInfinite, jo_saw_sparks, winigwl, pallavi, MacBook86, xneverwherex, CookyMnstr, halokiti, apocalyptica]

5

COLDPLAY, IZOD CENTER, E Rutherford, NJ. That’s what it says on the white A4 sheet taped to the mirror above my laptop screen. Below that title is a list of phone numbers and times for today’s daysheet. It’s taped to a mirrow in my (borrowed) office. Surrounding the mirror are those big white bulbs, like the ones you would imagine backstage at a Broadway show, or on Bugsy Malone..

It’s just over 8 hours until Coldplay are due to take the stage here. About 5 hours until today’s troop of Oxfam volunteers arrive. We’re back to the big shows again. The buses rolled into Manhatten on Wednesday morning. The backline crew unloaded for a Yahoo Sessions show at the Hammerstein Ballroom, which aired on TV that night. The next couple of days was preparing for the Saturday Night Live show which aired last night, .. and exploring Manhatten. I took the chance to check out Longwave at the Bowery Ballroom. Steve Schiltz from Albert Hammond Jr (the Coldplay support out in Europe), is the lead-singer for Longwave. They put on a great show. Switching between gentle melodies and a wall of sound. They also have a new record coming out in November..

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Gwyneth Paltrow may be busy consoling Madonna about her divorce, but never fear - her hubby isn't sitting idly by, report Central Jersey.

Mr. Paltrow, aka Chris Martin, the lead singer of the British supergroup Coldplay, is in the midst of a U.S. tour. The band hits Jersey this weekend for a pair of shows at the Izod Center. But that's not all Martin and bandmates have up their sleeves. On Tuesday, Nov. 25, Coldplay will release an EP called "Prospekt's March,'' which contains new mixes of songs from "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,'' as well as songs that never made it on that album.

Among the remixes on "Prospekt's March'' is a new version of "Lost!'' - featuring rap wunderkind Jay-Z. Does that mean that Jay-Z will be dropping by any of the band's gigs? We'll just have to wait and see.

Coldplay, 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, and Monday, Oct. 27, Izod Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, 50 Route 120, East Rutherford. $49.50-$97.50. 201-935-8500 or meadowlands.com.

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 23, 2008 - submitted by Jon, United States of America

Q. Where was Coldplay when 9-11 took place?

The Oracle replies:

They were in London but had been due to fly to New York to perform a couple of days later. That day is also Jonny’s birthday but there were no celebrations in 2001.

October 23, 2008 - submitted by Constance, Chile

Q. I have a serious problem and it is my shyness, I’m in a music class at school, but I am about to have a very bad qualification because I do not dare to play guitar, piano or sing in front of people. With just think that there are people watching and listening me, I am very nervous. But I really want to demonstrate to others that I can be good at what I like, which is mainly music and playing the piano. What can I do?

The Oracle replies:

It’s very hard to break the cycle of fear and nerves but it can be done. It will take bravery on your part but very many people get nervous before performing, even famous people. Nerves can be a good thing and help you give your best. There are many things you can do to help your self-esteem. There are books you can read, CDs you can listen to and mantras you can repeat to yourself in the mirror. The main thing you have to do is to start believing in your own talent. If you push yourself out of your comfort zone you will find with time that you will get used to performing in front of others. When you hear the effects of your playing you may gain in confidence too.

Chris Martin wears homemade armband and makes impromptu shout-out

NEW YORK (Hollywood Today) 10/26/08 – These days, it seems one can’t mention John McCain, Barack Obama or Sarah Palin without also including NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in the conversation, reports Hollywood Today.

Coldplay's Chris Martin ensured the show would remain the center of political discussion this week by endorsing Obama’s presidential campaign twice during Saturday night’s broadcast. During Coldplay’s second performance during the show, which was hosted by “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm, Martin sported a white armband with the Democratic presidential nominee’s name handwritten on it. At the end of the third song, Martin, who had removed the armband, yelled out “Barack Obama!”

Chris Martin previously expressed his support for Obama during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine released in June, where he suggested foreign opinion of the United States would improve if the Illinois senator won the election. “If Obama was to be president, it would immediately change the whole outside world’s opinion of America overnight,” Martin posited in the publication.

Coldplay went on four times during the hour-and-a-half program, instead of the standard two times for musical guests, possibly because regular cast member Amy Poehler had given birth earlier in the day. TV Guide reported Saturday that portions of the show had to be rewritten due to the baby boy’s arrival.

Catch up with the very latest on Coldplay on 'Saturday Night Live' in the mammoth thread here

Coldplay's Shiver has been confirmed as part of the setlist for the new version of Guitar Hero 'World Tour'. Watch a video of Shiver being played here (we accept no responsibility for the quality of singing) [thanks sa_spurs_tx]

Guitar Hero World Tour (initially referred to as Guitar Hero IV) is a forthcoming entry in the music video game Guitar Hero series, and is being developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. The game is expected to be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Wii consoles on October 26, 2008.

Coldplaying.com recently reported on the news that tracks from Coldplay’s new album Viva La Vida and previous LPs are to become available on Guitar Hero III. The new three-track downloadable song pack will Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock with the release of a three-track downloadable song pack. Included in the song pack is the new single Violet Hill, classic anthem Yellow and the upbeat God Put A Smile Upon Your Face.

The complete Guitar Hero World Tour on-disc set list available this autumn will include:

• 311 - “Beautiful Disaster”

• 30 Seconds To Mars - “The Kill”

• Airbourne - “Too Much Too Young”

• The Allman Brothers Band - “Ramblin’ Man”

• Anouk - “Good God”

• The Answer - “Never Too Late”

• At The Drive-In - “One Armed Scissor”

• Beastie Boys - “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”

• Beatsteaks - “Hail to the Freaks”

• Billy Idol - “Rebel Yell”

• Black Label Society - “Stillborn”

• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Weapon of Choice”

• blink-182 - “Dammit”

• Blondie - “One Way or Another”

• Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - “Hollywood Nights”

• Bon Jovi - “Livin’ On A Prayer”

• Bullet For My Valentine - “Scream Aim Fire”

• Coldplay - “Shiver”

• Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Up Around The Bend”

• The Cult - “Love Removal Machine”

• Dinosaur Jr. - “Feel The Pain”

• The Doors - “Love Me Two Times”

• Dream Theater - “Pull Me Under”

• The Eagles - “Hotel California”

• The Enemy - “Aggro”

• Filter - “Hey Man, Nice Shot”

• Fleetwood Mac - “Go Your Own Way”

• Foo Fighters - “Everlong”

• The Guess Who - “American Woman”

• Hush Puppies - “You’re Gonna Say Yeah!”

• Interpol - “Obstacle 1”

• Jane’s Addiction - “Mountain Song”

• Jimi Hendrix - “Purple Haze (Live)”

• Jimi Hendrix - “The Wind Cries Mary”

• Jimmy Eat World - “The Middle”

• Joe Satriani - “Satch Boogie”

• Kent - “Vinternoll2”

• Korn - “Freak On A Leash”

• Lacuna Coil - “Our Truth”

• Lenny Kravitz - “Are You Gonna Go My Way”

• Linkin Park - “What I’ve Done”

• The Living End - “Prisoner of Society”

• Los Lobos - “La Bamba”

• Lost Prophets - “Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)”

• Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Sweet Home Alabama (Live)”

• Mars Volta - “L’Via L’Viaquez”

• MC5’s Wayne Kramer - “Kick Out The Jams”

• Metallica - “Trapped Under Ice”

• Michael Jackson - “Beat It”

• Modest Mouse - “Float On”

• Motörhead - “Overkill”

• Muse - “Assassin”

• Negramaro - “Nuvole e Lenzuola”

• Nirvana - “About a Girl (Unplugged)”

• No Doubt - “Spiderwebs”

• NOFX - “Soul Doubt”

• Oasis - “Some Might Say”

• Ozzy Osbourne - “Crazy Train”

• Ozzy Osbourne - “Mr. Crowley”

• Paramore - “Misery Business”

• Pat Benatar - “Heartbreaker”

• R.E.M. - “The One I Love”

• Radio Futura - “Escuela De Calor”

• Rise Against - “Re-Education Through Labor”

• Sex Pistols - “Pretty Vacant”

• Silversun Pickups - “Lazy Eye”

• Smashing Pumpkins - “Today”

• Steely Dan - “Do It Again”

• Steve Miller Band - “The Joker”

• Sting - “Demolition Man (Live)”

• The Stone Roses - “Love Spreads”

• Stuck In The Sound - “Toy Boy”

• Sublime - “Santeria”

• Survivor - “Eye of the Tiger”

• System of a Down - “B.Y.O.B.”

• Ted Nugent - “Stranglehold”

• Ted Nugent’s Original Guitar Duel Recording

• Tokio Hotel - “Monsoon”

• Tool - “Parabola”

• Tool - “Schism”

• Tool - “Vicarious”

• Trust - “Antisocial”

• Van Halen - “Hot For Teacher”

• Willie Nelson - “On The Road Again”

• Wings - “Band on the Run”

• Zakk Wylde’s Original Guitar Duel Recording

When the house lights go down this autumn, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour. The latest installment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is rated 12+ by PEGI and 12 by the BBFC. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

Eight lucky Latin American fans will win a trip to Miami and Houston to watch Coldplay's shows and twelve more will win a Viva La Vida album CD in a competition courtesy of Warner Brothers Latin America (WBLA).

Miami: To enter, visit wbla.com then choose your country, and click on the 'inside the music' icon. Fill the form with your personal information, and then answer approximately 20 Coldplay-related questions. The winners chosen will be the eight people who answer questions correctly in the quickest time. Winners must have a passport and American visa.

Houston: There is also a contest at starmedia.com to win a paid trip to Houston to see Coldplay at the Toyota Center on November 18th, including a meet and greet before the show!

The deadline for entries is 31st October. More details and discussion on these competitions here [thanks Pris]

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 20, 2008 - submitted by Julian, Germany

Q. Dear Oracle! I attended Coldplay’s concert in Strasbourg, and after The Hardest Part I realized that Chris was beginning to play Postcards From Far Away! Is this the whole song, or was it just an excerpt taken from the original song? Second question: what is the exact email address of Coldplay?

The Oracle replies:

The song is very short, clocking in at under a minute. It precedes Glass Of Water but is still a song in its own right, brief as it is. The email address that mail should be directed to is debswild@coldplay.com.

October 22, 2008 - submitted by Andree, Canada

Q. My 8 year old son looked at me one day and said “the shadow of a flower made by the moon is sad only because the sun will never see it”. After a bizarre moment of silence, I confirmed his statement and wondered to myself - should I be worried or proud?

The Oracle replies:

What an amazing poet he is already! As strange as that may have sounded, keep an eye on his talent and be there ready to nurture it.

October 22, 2008 - submitted by Elspeth, United States of America

Q. My sister is pregnant with triplet girls and wants me to name one of them. Do you have any suggestions, O Great Oracle?

The Oracle replies:

Minerva is the Roman name of the Greek goddess Athena. She is so cool that either of those names would be too.

October 22, 2008 - submitted by Mariano, Venezuela

Q. Dear Oracle, aren’t you afraid that your advice on personal questions might turn bad?

The Oracle replies:

Not really because although we are all unique individuals, we can experience many of the same situations and emotions. We’re all human after all and therefore can empathize and relate to a lot of shared circumstances. My main focus is the issue at hand, but we must remember that advice can be offered but it doesn’t have to be taken. So hopefully if anyone thought my suggestions were rubbish they’d use their own judgement and thus feel empowered!

October 21, 2008 - submitted by Javier Rebull, Mexico

Q. Hi great Oracle, I have a big question for you, I saw and heard a video where Coldplay sing Clocks in a live concert but the questions is Chris sing the last part “Home, home Where I wanted to go” and repeat this part more or less 8 or 9 times. Do you know what live concert is that?

The Oracle replies:

That refrain was often added to the song on tour (2002) so it could be any of them. Maybe try searching for Glastonbury 2002 as a start.

October 21, 2008 - submitted by Cindy, Netherlands

Q. Dear Oracle, can you tell me when and where the video for Viva La Vida 2 was filmed? It looks like Holland, and seeing Anton Corbijn filmed it, it probably is Holland. If so, too bad I missed them.

The Oracle replies:

It was shot in the Netherlands by, as you say, Anton Corbijn which is also why is bears more than a passing resemblance to another of his previous videos for Depeche Mode; Enjoy The Silence.

October 21, 2008 - submitted by Samantha, United Kingdom

Q. Why are bingo wings called bingo wings if they’ve got nothing to do with bingo?

The Oracle replies:

Apparently it has everything to do with bingo! It’s a derogatory term that comes from a stereotype that many ladies who play bingo have excess flab under their arms. It’s horrible isn’t it?

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 24, 2008 - submitted by Hector, United States of America

Q. Who came up with the album cover of Coldplays 2nd album, A Rush of Blood to the Head? It's amazing.

The Oracle replies:

The cover is the creation of Norwegian artist Solve Sundsbo.

October 24, 2008 - submitted by pedro nicolas, Mexico

Q. hola oracle my question is: it is true that the great-great-grandfather of chris invention daylight savings time?

The Oracle replies:

It is indeed true that Chris's great-great-grandfather, William Willett, was the inventor of daylight saving.October 24, 2008 - submitted by Melissa, Canada

Q. Dear Oracle, as I am sure the members of Coldplay had to experience before they were able to make a living from their passion, I am working more than I am creating (I am an aspiring writer), and I want to quit my job to follow my dreams (I have saved a lot and can totally live without a job for awhile), but I am afraid of following my dreams in case I cannot publish my book. What would you do? Would you stick with the job that doesn't allow time to follow your dreams but is "secure"? Or would you follow your dreams?

The Oracle replies:

If you truly believe in yourself you have either got to give it all your time or make time around your current job. You say you haven't any, but can't you make sacrifices to find some? It's tough in the publishing world but as someone we know and love said, if you never try you'll never know. Personally, I think if you can afford to survive whilst pursuing your dream, go for it! You only have one life so better to live it without regrets. Or should I say in this case, better to regret what you did than what you didn't.

The “Lost” quartet play an invite-only show at the Hammerstein Ballroom

While the CMJ Music Marathon is taking over New York City, Coldplay snuck into town to tape a Yahoo / Nissan Live Show at Hammerstein Ballroom. While the 4,000 capacity venue ain’t peanuts, it certainly is a small venue for the arena rockers who have won back a devote fanbase with Viva La Vida.

A mellow crowd of mostly industry folks filled the Hammerstein floors, but the balconies, which were open, were surprisingly empty. The producers of the show easily could have gotten another thousand or so folks in. At one point, Chris even joked about how, apparently, Coldplay couldn’t get rid of enough tickets to pack the venue for a free show.

Considering the last time Coldplay played a show like this was when they did an AOL live session at the Beacon Theatre to kick off the X&Y tour and it was a total disaster, I’m surprised how close this show came to becoming a repeat of that. What saved the show was the fact that the Viva songs are so much stronger than the X&Y songs and the band is so much more energized.

Oh. Jay-Z was in the house with his woman. Everyone noticed him and was hoping for him to come out on “Lost,” but sadly, he did not. Oh well.

Setlist

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

Lost!

Chinese Sleep Chant

42

Yellow

Strawberry Swing

Viva La Vida

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

(Q&A With Audience)

You can read more on this show including fan reviews and all the pictures here and here [thanks CookyMnstr, StephBerryman & ericjones]

Source: storiesinhighfidelity.com

Ears were buzzing, adrenaline was pumping and vocal cords were strained at Tuesday's amazing Coldplay concert, report buchtelite.com.

The concert was at the Q arena in Cleveland, which was the perfect venue for the concert. First arriving at the Q, there appeared to be many empty seats.Shortly after Duffy finished, the audience trickled in.

Then, at roughly 9 p.m., "Life in Technicolor" started, and so did the Coldplay concert. The stage was set with lots of lighting, a huge backdrop of their album cover, glowing balls hanging from the ceiling and a few hanging screens.

The backdrop changed with every song they played. Sometimes it had pictures playing, almost like a music video, other times there was just a logo. The hanging glowing balls changed colors to match the songs, and also showed images of the band. The concert felt like a music video.

The video screens they had showed the band, but in a way that made it not seem like you were looking at a video screen. The entire atmosphere made you feel like you were right there with the band, even if you were not. Coldplay met and exceeded my expectations.

They opened with Life in Technicolor and then went to some of their older music off of A Rush of Blood to the Head, and also played some from X&Y. To end the show they played Death and All His Friends, and for an encore, Yellow. It was perfect, and the crowd went nuts.

Chris Martin is an absolutely amazing performer. He has an insane amount of energy and ran around the stage the entire show. I've never seen anyone perform the way he did. He was jumping around, running around, playing guitar and never missing a note. At one point in the concert, the band even ran into the top section and played an acoustic version of The Scientist.

There is not one thing to change about this Coldplay performance. Their concert was amazing, and it will be in my top 10 for a long time.

More on this review here onwards.