Coldplay are seeking unknown acts to join the bill on their upcoming "Viva La Vida" tour of North America.

The band have announced details of a contest for six summer concerts, appealing for aspiring groups to submit video performances. Support roles are required for concerts in Chicago, San Jose, Philadelphia, DC, Boston and Hartford. Interested acts should visit coldplayontour.com and can apply using YouTube clips of their band at work.

Coldplay's US tour opens next month in Los Angeles.

More on this here [thanks mimixxx]

If rapper Lil Wayne was expecting his latest LP, Tha Carter III to spend a second-straight week as the US nation's best-selling release, he definitely underestimated the sales prowess of Coldplay. Here are several reasons why:

Coldplay Dethrone Lil Wayne To Score Second Consecutive #1 Debut

Viva la Coldplay! Brit Crew Dominates Charts

Coldplay Cruises To No. 1 On The Billboard 200

Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” Continues Big Sales Trend

Coldplay tops charts

Coldplay's 'Viva' tops charts

Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” is No. 1

Coldplay Tops US Album Charts

Album Sales Charts - Week Ending 6/20

Coldplay Is Living The High Life

'Viva' is No. 1 on US album chart

Coldplay Album Blows Doors Off...But, No, It Won't Save Music Industry

Viva Coldplay! New Album Easily Debuts At #1

It'll be a while before Le Rapper tops the UK and US singles and albums charts simultaneously.

Some photos from last night's show have been posted on the official site - you can see them here (taster below)

They've also posted a reminder that they will be on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tomorrow (June 25th), then on the Today show on NBC this coming Friday (June 27th). Confirmation too that Coldplay will be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC on July 17th.

R#42's thoughts on the MSG show have been posted.

Well there we go. It's done.

Madison Square Garden is, in many ways, just an arena. The way it's talked about in touring circles though, you'd believe it was only one small step down from doing a show on another planet. The weight of expectation and history is simply huge. Even amongst us, this concert has been talked about in hushed, concerned tones since rumours of this free show were first heard.

Monday's gig was not perfect. In fact, there were gremlins tap-dancing merrily at regular intervals. In many ways though, that's exactly the point. The early days of this band are remembered by many for Chris's habit of constantly apologising throughout gigs. Here they are taking on one of the most prestigious venues in the entire world, cheerfully announcing that there will be mistakes and that things aren't nearly ready yet.

Maybe this marks the point at which the fear, the apologising and the bumbling lack of confidence are behind them. Squaring up to such an imposing and 'grown up' venue and approaching it like a club warm-up show demonstrates a level of nerve I don't believe I've seen before.

"We've got some incredible balls" quoth CM.

Indeed they do.

R#42

Coldplay keeps the good times rolling at the top of the Billboard 200, as tomorrow's (June 25) Nielsen SoundScan reports will show the band leading U.S. album sales with an opening week of more than 700,000 copies.

The British band's tall number comes a week after Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" became the first album in more than three years to sell 1 million units in a week. Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" (Capitol) locks the top spot with 721,000 sold, and bows atop the U.S. chart while holding No. 1 for a second week in its native U.K. This becomes the band's second No. 1 in the U.S., as last album "X&Y" started with 737,000 in 2005.

This marks the first time since March 2005 that The Billboard 200 is led by a total of more than 700,000 in two consecutive weeks. That last happened when 50 Cent's "The Massacre" began with 1.1 million units and then went on to sell 771,000 in the second week.

The handoff from Cash Money/Universal Motown's Lil Wayne to Coldplay also represents just the second time in Nielsen SoundScan history that two albums start with sums greater than 700,000 in back-to-back weeks. The last time it happened was May 2000, when Britney Spears' "Oops! ... I Did It Again," followed by Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP" each broke the million milestone in successive frames, the former with 1.8 million, and Spears' with 1.3 million.

Source: Billboard

2008 Concert Volunteer Application - Support Oxfam at Coldplay shows!

A reminder that Oxfam America are still looking for volunteers to help out at Coldplay shows in the US - there are still spots available for most Coldplay US shows. Fill in the form here for your application. If you wish to apply to more than one concert please fill out one application per concert.

An Oxfam America organizer will respond to you as soon as possible and will send more exact schedules along with other instructions to those volunteers who are selected and reconfirmed. Spaces are limited. Volunteers typically arrive 1-2 hours before the concert and stay about an hour after the concert.

There is more information on this here (and an opportunity to read latest information from Oxfam directly posting on the messageboard).

Coldplay will be only the third Musical act to appear on Comedy Central hit

Comedy Central Tuesday announced that Coldplay will perform on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Wednesday, June 25 at 11 p.m. ET, marking just the third musical act to appear on the network’s hit program. Coldplay’s performance will then be available online the following day at www.thedailyshow.com

The group’s appearance comes just after the release of its latest album, “Viva La Vida,” and ahead of its North American tour. Coldplay joins The White Stripes and Tom Waits as the only musical acts to perform on the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning news satire show.

More on the Daily Show with Coldplay here [thanks ApproximatelyInfinite]

Month-Long Dedicated Coldplay Channel to Feature Exclusive, Uncut Live Performances from Viva La Vida Tour, Tracks from their New Album, Interviews With the Band and More

Washington, D.C., June 24, 2008 – GRAMMY® Award-winning band Coldplay will have a dedicated channel on XM Radio, it was announced today.

Beginning July 15, the month-long channel, "30 Days of Coldplay" (XM 51), will provide fans with music from the Coldplay catalog, including import-only released tracks and other hard-to-find recordings and tracks from their new album, an uncut, exclusive concert broadcast from the Viva La Vida North American Tour, plus other live performances, interviews and more. Viva La Vida, the band’s fifth full-length album was released in the U.S. last week and holds the record for the biggest number of pre-sales on iTunes. Their Viva La Vida North American Tour kicks off in Los Angeles on June 29.

Read the full details here

From coldplay.com:

As you'll have gathered from Roadie #42's blogs, we played some songs for French TV in Paris last week. They will be broadcast on channel W9 on Friday, June 27th and on channel M6 on Saturday, July 5th.

Please check les local listings for exact times.

Coldplay may have to settle for only a week at number one on the UK singles chart with Ne-Yo gearing up to take their place.

Early sales figures suggest the Def Jam/Mercury track Closer will overtake Coldplay’s Viva La Vida this weekend with the Parlophone track currently around 2,000 sales behind Ne-Yo. A close-run battle elsewhere in the top five has Columbia’s Sara Bareilles, Def Jam/Mercury’s Rihanna and Jive/RCA’s Chris Brown presently separated by little more than 200 sales at this stage.

While Coldplay face a challenge to hold onto their singles crown, their status at the top of the UK artist albums chart looks safe for a third week with Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends presently selling at more than twice the rate of its closest challenger, A&M/Polydor’s Duffy with Rockferry.

More on this here [thanks mimixxx]

He doesn't understand bad press...

Luke Pritchard, frontman of The Kooks, has called Coldplay the “best band in the world” and compared them to David Bowie.

The singer said he couldn't understand how the band had received negative press despite their latest album, 'Viva La Vida', topping the charts in the UK and America. “I can’t believe that they’re getting a hard time,” he said. “It’s weird. How can people undermine them? To me Cold­play are other-worldly. I love the whole thing they’ve got going on on this album with the Les Misérables theme.”

More on this here [thanks mayurshikotra]

NEW YORK - Yes, there were mistakes and technical glitches.

But about 10,000 lucky contest winners from all over the world who attended Coldplay's only free concert in North America at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, which followed similar events in London and Barcelona last week, didn't seem to mind the-less-than perfect show one little bit.

In fact, as the hour-and-10-minute concert emptied out, fans could be heard singing the rousing chorus of the title track from Coldplay's week-old new album, Viva La Vida, which has become the group's first ever No. 1 single in both England and the U.S.

Read the full reviews here. You can see photos from the show here, here and here

Thanks 'Bunnyman' for the following report:

Just got back from Madison Square Garden and heard some of Coldplay's soundcheck. These are some of the songs I caught them doing (not in any order):

In My place

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face

Lost!

Lovers In Japan

Yes / Chinese Sleep Chant

Strawberry Swing

I was ushered out before catching all of it. Heard either Jonny or Chris play a bit of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' on guitar between songs.

More on the MSG show tonight here onwards (including Roadie #42 live blog!)

Coldplay success is contagious - following Viva La Vida and Violet Hill's rise up the UK singles chart - they are now joined in the top 100 by Lost! and old favourites Yellow and Fix You. Chart positions are:

1. COLDPLAY / VIVA LA VIDA (new entry)

11. COLDPLAY / VIOLET HILL (up from 12)

55. COLDPLAY / LOST (up from 62)

61. COLDPLAY / FIX YOU (up from 98)

80. COLDPLAY / YELLOW (up from 140)

More on this here [thanks chileandude1]

...reaching no.1 in the singles charts in the UK and US simultaneously.

Coldplay are the first British act in 37 years to have held the No. 1 position on both sides of the Atlantic simultaneously. Rod Stewart last turned the trick in 1971 with the song Maggie May.

Read more Viva La Vida (album and single) facts here [thanks dylan86]

Although understandably unable to maintain the hectic sales pace it set on its first three days in the shops, Coldplay’s Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends sold a further 197,978 copies last week to surge past the half million sales mark in just 10 days, and remains well clear of its rivals at the top of the albums chart, while the band lands its first-ever number one single.

Already the year’s second-biggest selling artist album – Duffy’s Rockferry, up 3-2 this week on sales of 46,027, has sold 852,111 copies since its release 16 weeks ago – Viva La Vida… has sold 500,052 copies so far.

Overall, sales of Viva La Vida dipped 34.5% week-on-week, but it did remarkably well on downloads, which slipped by a more minor 16.7% to 25,613. That lifts 10-day download sales of the album to 55,991.

After reaching a 2008 high of 2,810,459 sales in the previous frame boosted by Father’s Day and Coldplay, the market understandably contracted considerably last week, sliding by 21.9% to 2,194,835. More encouragingly, that is 3.2% above sales of 2,126,679 in the same week last year, when The White Stripes’ Icky Thump debuted at number one on sales of 66,249.

While Scooter’s Jumpin’ All Over The World album dips out of the Top 10, dance label All Around The World still maintains a presence thanks to hardcore DJ Darren Styles, whose double-disc 30-song debut solo set Skydivin’ arrives at number four on sales of 22,197. Meanwhile, veteran chanteur Petula Clark secures her highest chart placing for 41 years, debuting at number 17 with Then & Now: The Very Best Of, on sales of 10,535. Another veteran act to return to chart action this week is Judas Priest with new album Nostradamus, which debuts at 30.

Despite the modest performance of their latest single, We Are The People, which slumps 25-92 on its second week, veteran Welsh rockers Feeder safely secure their sixth Top 10 album with parent album Silent Cry debuting at number eight on sales of 16,029.

Meanwhile, on the singles chart Coldplay’s 12th chart entry Viva La Vida provides the band with its first number one single this week, debuting in pole position on sales of 23,212. That is the lowest sale for a number one single since Rihanna’s Umbrella shifted 22,143 copies on its last week at number one 11 months ago, but it is still a major achievement for Coldplay, who previously reached number two with In My Place in 2002 and Speed Of Sound in 2005, behind Darius’ Colourblind and Crazy Frog’s Axel F.

As Mint Royale drop from one to eight with Singin' In The Rain, 28-year-old Californian singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles’ debut single Love Song climbs for the seventh week in a row, moving 5-4 on sales of 19,143, its impetus apparently undamaged by the release of Bareilles’ debut album, Little Voice, which also acquits itself well, debuting at number nine on sales of 14,484.

Rihanna is back in the Top 10 for the first time in 17 weeks, with Good Girl Gone Bad climbing 16-10, on sales of 14,443.

Source: musicweek.com

Coldplay tops UK single charts with Viva La Vida. From Coldplay.com:

BBC Radio 1 have just announced that Viva La Vida has become our first ever UK number one single. Amazing.

(Where are you now Crazy Frog?)

Enjoy all the celebrations of Coldplay's first ever no.1 UK single right here. Congratulations to Will, Jonny, Guy and Chris from everyone at Coldplaying.com!

Coldplay top singles chart for first time

Coldplay's new single tops chart

Coldplay clean up in both UK charts

Coldplay clinch chart double

Coldplay score first ever UK number one single

Coldplay secure first UK number one single

As previously shown here on Coldplaying.com, Rolling Stone's full article on Coldplay is now available on the shelves. See the full article in scans here [thanks texasluvsjonny]

Confessions of an anxious rock god: The Coldplay frontman sits down with Rolling Stone for his most in-depth interview yet. When Chris Martin emerges from a town car on a quiet West Village street one afternoon in May, he's dressed like a stagehand — black khakis, black hooded top. You'd never notice him, which is probably the idea.

But then he starts singing Talking Heads' "Girlfriend Is Better" loud enough to be heard from across the street. The guy can't help it: He's a ham. The paparazzi siege that came with marrying Gwyneth Paltrow and having two angelic blond children with her has forced a certain public guardedness on him, but it seems he can't keep it up. As Martin sits down for what he calls "an epic interview" — seven hours over three sessions — the band are about to release its fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.

Video: Behind the Scenes With Chris Martin

Coldplay Live: Concert Photos From Throughout the Band’s Career

Coldplay have burnt up the charts this week, achieving their first ever UK No.1 single while holding the top slot in the albums chart (hear that announcement here)

The band have stormed to the top with Viva La Vida - released as a download single only, according to The Official Charts Company. And the band have two top-20 hits in the singles chart with Violet Hill sitting at number 11 along with the album at no.1 for a second week (hear that announcement here)

More on this exclusive news here [thanks Jizo & fixed]

Congratulations to Will, Jonny, Guy and Chris on their first UK no.1 single!

Coldplay could be heading for their first UK number one single, in just a few hours time.

Coldplay have stormed into first place with all four of their albums, but perhaps surprisingly they have never hit the top spot in the UK with a single. All that could change when the Official Charts Company announce the new top 40 tonight. You can listen to the countdown live on BBC Radio 1 which starts from 4pm BST (11am EST).

Even though the single is not physically in the shops yet, Viva La Vida - the title track from the band's new album, is being downloaded by large numbers of fans and has a real chance of making the top spot to give the band their first-ever UK number one single. Also battling for pole position are Closer by NeYo and Love Song by Sara Bareilles, as well as the current number one single Singin' In The Rain by Mint Royale.

Count the countdown down (if you know what I mean) with us here [thanks 42rock89]

You can listen to the Radio 1 webstream via the Coldplaying toolbar - which you can download here prior to the chart countdown which starts at 4pm BST (11am EST).

Coldplay will be on David Letterman (30 June), Jay Leno (17 July) during their warm up to their first leg of a US Viva La Vida tour. More details to come, but times are as follows:

David Letterman:

Network : CBS

Date : 2008/06/30

Time : 11:35 PM ET

Jay Leno:

Network : NBC

Date : 2008/07/17

Time : 11:35 PM ET

More on this here [thanks maricircus]

2008 Concert Volunteer Application - Support Oxfam at Coldplay shows!

A reminder that Oxfam America are still looking for volunteers to help out at Coldplay shows in the US - starting THIS MONDAY at the MSG free gig. Fill in the form here for your application. If you wish to apply to more than one concert please fill out one application per concert.

An Oxfam America organizer will respond to you as soon as possible and will send more exact schedules along with other instructions to those volunteers who are selected and reconfirmed. Spaces are limited. Volunteers typically arrive 1-2 hours before the concert and stay about an hour after the concert.

Have you registered your interest and even been successful? Let us know here!

The American band which accused Coldplay of stealing their music has admitted that the allegations might be unfounded.

Creaky Boards, a little-known US group, had claimed that Coldplay's latest single, Viva La Vida, was taken from a song they wrote last year. In a video posted on YouTube, the video sharing website, the group's singer said that The Songs I Didn't Write bore a "striking" similarity to Coldplay's new single.

Andrew Hoepfner pointed the finger firmly at Chris Martin, saying that Coldplay's frontman attended a Creaky Boards concert in New York last year.

However, the singer has now taken back the accusations. "As this thing unfolds, I'm not sure if there was any copying going on," he said. "I think it's possible that Coldplay and I are just heavily influenced by 'The Legend of Zelda [a fantasy adventure computer game].

Coldplay had categorically denied the allegations. Murray Chalmers, the band's spokesman, said that Viva La Vida was written last March, more than six months before Creaky Boards claim that Chris went to see them.

"We totally refute their claims,' he said. "Chris has never heard of the band. On the night that they claim he was watching them, he was actually working at the Air Studio in London."

More on the plagiarism row here

The band Coldplay is photographed in an alleyway outside the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” studio in Hollywood this month. From left, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion, singer-keyboardist Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland:

Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, signs an autograph for a fan outside the “Jimmy Kimmel LIve” studio in Hollywood:

Fans wait their turn to meet Coldplay singer Chris Martin outside the “Jimmy Kimmel LIve” studio in Hollywood:

Guy Berryman, left, and Chris Martin of Coldplay greet and pose with fans in an alleyway outside the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” studio. The band performed two songs from its new “Viva la Vida” album on the show:

Chris Martin poses with a self-photographing fan:

Fans, fans and more fans — it’s all in the course of a meet-and-greet session for Chris Martin:

Coldplay performs the title track from its new album, “Viva la Vida,” at the MTV Movie Awards on June 1:

Confetti flutters down on singer Chris Martin during the band’s performance at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles:

Source: latimes.com/

Chris Martin invited Ricky Gervais into his dressing room before Coldplay’s BBC gig this week it has been revealed.

On his blog Gervais wrote: ‘I was worried they'd all be trying to focus and I'd mess with their karma. But no. It was like they were just hanging out on a Sunday morning with not much to do. Not nervous. No big deal. At one point Chris stubbed his toe, and, in pain, turned to me and said, "You'll have to go on instead." He is a very funny man. But a part of me... It would've been a very different gig.’

Meanwhile Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland has admitted that the band have felt little pressure during their recent comeback shows. Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, Buckland said that their two London shows, in Brixton on Monday and BBC Television Centre on Wednesday, had both been “really fun” to play.

The next free show is on 23rd June in Madison Square Garden, NYC.

After picking up hot commodity Santogold for a few dates, Coldplay will be joined at four shows by Jonathan Meiberg's Shearwater.

The Austin troupe, still soaring after the recent Matador release of their fine Rook LP, have a few dates of their own in North America before taking the big stages generally populated by the likes of Coldplay. The dates are as follows:

Coldplay and Shearwater:

07-14 Los Angeles, CA - The Forum

07-15 Los Angeles, CA - The Forum

07-18 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion

07-19 Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena