There's long been one steadfast rule in the touring industry: You don't shoot the confetti cannons until the end of the show. Yet, there we were, just a few minutes into the Coldplay concert on Friday night at HP Pavilion in San Jose, being showered with massive amounts of confetti, writes the Contra Costa Times in a review of two concerts at the HP Pavillion (27th & 28th April). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from the shows at the Coldplay Live forum here (27th) and here (28th) now. Read on for the Contra Costa review article...
The downpour seemed like it might never stop, as colorful cutouts of various shapes swirled about in the air, obscuring the view of the stage and creating a scene akin to a World Series victory parade. It was truly a climactic moment, one that seemed tailor-made for when a band plays its biggest hit as the final encore of the night. But, in this case, it was actually only the second song of the evening -- "Hurts Like Heaven," a recent single that never even charted in the U.S...That's Coldplay in a nutshell. More than anything else -- or, for that matter, pretty much anyone else -- vocalist Chris Martin and crew simply want to please their fans. It doesn't matter if others (i.e. critics) think the group is making some wrong moves, Coldplay is going to fire those confetti cannons early and often if that's what it takes to satisfy the crowd.
And it's certainly working for the British pop-rock quartet.
Coldplay charmed the masses right from the very start of its career, with its 2000 debut, "Parachutes," going on to sell nearly nine million copies. Now, it's pretty easy to make the case that Coldplay is the world's biggest rock band. Its latest release, "Mylo Xyloto," was the world's top-selling rock record of 2011. The two prior efforts, 2005's "X&Y" and 2008's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends," were simply the world's best-selling records, of any genre, for their respective years.
Of course, you don't get that big without making quite a few enemies along the way. Many people love to hate Coldplay, blasting Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion for making what some perceive to be watered-down, bland and overly commercial pop. Yet, that's just another way of saying the band makes music that is suitable for mass consumption — and I think the Coldplay guys would be just fine with that description, since they seem to want to please as many people as possible.
On Friday night, during the first half of a two-night stand at HP Pavilion, the 35-year-old Martin, who is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, went out of his way to show his gratitude to his fans.
"I know it is a pain to go to concerts these days," said the vocalist-guitarist-pianist, noting the price of tickets and traffic as two of the prime pains. "All we can do is to give you everything we have (in return)."
The band would do just that as it rolled through an utterly professional 100-minute set that was filled with nearly two dozen solid songs and even more cool special effects -- including a wonderful laser light show and three different performance spaces, which allowed multiple fans to get up-close views of the group.
Opening the show with the title track to "Mylo Xyloto," and quickly continuing through such longtime fan favorites as "In My Place" and "The Scientist," Coldplay went for broke on each tune. The band put equal emphasis on both its signature numbers, such as the breakthrough single "Yellow," and relatively obscure cuts, such as "Lovers in Japan."
While the performance level never varied, the quality of the actual material certainly did. Coldplay has a handful of truly magical compositions, which stand tall among the best alt-rock tunes of the last dozen years, and the ones performed live in San Jose certainly thrilled the 15,000-strong audience. The most memorable ones were the achingly beautiful "Fix You," the undeniably grand "Viva La Vida" and, of course, "Clocks," which still ticks with precision and power.
The players came across more like regular Joes than rock stars. Studied individually, the musicians often seem quite ordinary -- there's not a single flashy player in the bunch. Yet, the whole manages to feel so much greater than the sum of its parts.
That sense of synergy, even more so than a few confetti cannons, is what truly makes a Coldplay concert special.
New photos of Coldplay performing at the HP Pavillion, San Jose, CA (27th April 2012):
Photos courtesy of Mercury News (click for more!)
Don't forget to check out your tour discussion thread if you are getting Coldplay tickets or just getting excited for the European & North American 2012 shows and other forthcoming appearances:
FEBRUARY 2012
8 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia (iHeartRadio) [discussion]
9 Los Angeles, CA @ Jimmy Kimmel Live [discussion]
10 Los Angeles, CA @ GRAMMY Week MusiCares Person of the Year tribute [discussion]
12 Los Angeles, CA @ 54th Grammy Awards, Staples Center [discussion]
16 Sydney, Australia @ 2DayFM, Mobile Live Set (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
17 Sydney, Australia @ Sunrise (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
21 London @ Brit Awards 2012, O2 Arena [discussion]
MARCH 2012
2 New York, NY @ Good Morning America [discussion]
4 New York, NY @ The Secret Policeman's Ball, Radio City Music Hall (Amnesty International) [discussion]
APRIL 2012
17 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place [discussion]
18 Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome [discussion]
20 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
21 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
24 Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena [discussion]
25 Seattle, WA @ KeyArena [discussion]
27 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
28 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
MAY 2012
1 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
2 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
3 Los Angeles, CA @ American Idol show [discussion] [NEW!]
4 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
5 Los Angeles, CA @ KROQ's Weenie Roast y Fiesta [discussion] [NEW!]
18 Porto, Portugal @ Dragao Stadium [discussion]
20 Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Vicente Calderón [discussion]
22 Nice, France @ Stade Charles Herman / Nikaia [discussion]
24 Turin, Italy @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
26 Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund [discussion]
29 Coventry, UK @ Ricoh Stadium [discussion]
JUNE 2012
1 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
2 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
4 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
7 Sunderland, UK @ the Stadium of Light [discussion]
9 London, UK @ Wembley Stadium (Capital FM's Summertime Ball 2012) [discussion] [NEW!]
9 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
10 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
22 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
23 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
25 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
26 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
28 Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum [discussion]
29 Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena [discussion]
JULY 2012
2 Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena [discussion]
3 Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena [discussion]
5 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
6 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
8 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
9 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
23 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
24 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
26 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
27 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
29 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
30 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
AUGUST 2012
1 Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills [discussion]
3 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
4 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
7 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
8 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
11 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center [discussion]
28 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Parken Stadium [discussion]
30 Stockholm, Sweden @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
SEPTEMBER 2012
2 Paris, France @ Stade de France [discussion]
4 Cologne, Germany @ Rheinenergie Stadium [discussion]
6 The Hague, Netherlands @ Malieveld [discussion]
12 Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion [discussion]
14 Leipzig, Germany @ Red Bull Stadium [discussion]
16 Prague, Czech Republic @ Slavia Eden Stadium [discussion]
19 Warsaw, Poland @ National Stadium [discussion]
22 Hannover, Germany @ AWD Arena [discussion]
Read also: European Stadium Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the Europe tour)
Read also: North America Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the US/Canada tour)
Read also: 2012: Live Appearances - Easy Thread Finder (last updated - 12th January 2012)
Read also: 2012 tour date rumours (please post dates for ALL countries in here)
Kit yourself up for the forthcoming MX tour and get spotted with Coldplaying's new range of merchandise! [click on the items for the full shop]
The new range of Coldplaying merchanise (unofficial of course to the official shop) has hit our stores, with our biggest range of goods so far. Prices are as low as they can be for a Cafepress shop so more people will be able to afford them. We don't take any profits for the sale of the merchandise as a result. Take a browse in one of the online stores nearest to you: UK | US | Canada | Australia | European (shipping is worldwide, but you can choose what currency to pay in) - simply alter the country dropdown menu at the top of the shop page. [thanks to TracieMorgan and zzz]
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