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    Seattle reviews 2 & 3: Coldplay lights up the KeyArena (25th April)

    6972597052_5f5d42f0c8_s.jpgI don't care what anybody says, Coldplay is awesome - Chris Martin is a star and that show last night was incredible - I should probably start at the beginning before I get too deep into my crush on the whole band, writes the Herald Net in another review of Coldplay's concert at the Keyarena, Seattle on Wednesday night (25th April). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from the shows at the Coldplay Live [seattle] forum now. Read on for the Herald Net review article...

     

    When I entered KeyArena last night, I was greeted by a very nice ticket taking lady who handed me blue and pink a bracelet that looked like an Easter egg I found once and announced, “You have to wear this. It's part of the show.” I don't like being told what to do but I put it on anyway because it said “Coldplay” on it and everybody else was wearing one. More on these bracelets in a bit. Music played throughout the arena as the stage was being set for Coldplay, much like it does at any venue between sets. Then that music suddenly got louder and unedited version Jay-Z's “99 Problems” began to play...

     

    The energy level in the crowd picked up and I sat laughing as the mothers of the very underage concert goers panicked and covered the ears of their children. As soon Jay-Z finished, the place went pitch black and the crowd began to scream. Then, for just a second, the place went silent as every bracelet in the arena lit up creating a brilliant sea of colorful light. It actually took my breath away and the whole crowd seemed to skip a beat to realize what just happened. The screams resumed at a decibel level that would rival that of a Seattle SuperSonics playoff game.

     

    Coldplay opened with “Hurts Like Heaven” and “In My Place” and by the end of the second song the stage and crowd were covered in confetti. These guys opened their show the way most huge bands close a show. They set the bar high at the start and didn't let up for the rest of the show.

     

    At one point in the show, the lights went out again and in what seemed like a matter of seconds Chris Martin was standing under a spotlight in the middle of the crowd at the other end of the arena to perform the “Us Against the World.” The guy has got to be in amazing shape because he covered some serious ground in a hurry and it didn't seem to faze him. Martin was later joined by the rest of the band and when they finished the song they all sprinted back to the main stage.

     

    A few people gave me a hard time when I told them I was going to see Coldplay. At one point my excitement was interrupted by the thought that this might be one of those guilty pleasures I should keep to myself. Nope. Not even close. That show was unreal and the next time Coldplay comes to town, you all need to attend just like I needed to wear that bracelet. [Article ends]

     

    And also this review from SSG Music, entitled "Live Review, Photo Set: Coldplay, Metronomy, The Pierces at Key Arena": A little over a decade ago, I saw Coldplay live for the first time. I actually went to the show for Grandaddy; The Sophtware Slump had just come out and they were touring with the buzzworthy young band from England. Coldplay’s Parachutes, already a hit with the press across the Atlantic, were now barely scraping into 120 Mintues regular rotation, and only hinting at a break into TRL canon. But Chris Martin was as chatty as ever, charmingly nervous but willing to play up the part of the big rock star. Multiple times he commented on the strangeness of the venue (they played Benaroya Hall of all places), and even once he said that this would be the perfect venue for a band much, much bigger than they were.

     

    Fast forward to 2012. Coldplay is now playing soccer and football stadiums, with extravagant stage setups and enough set designers in tow to screw in many many fluorescent lightbulbs. Mylo Xyloto marks their fifth album and their fifth reimaging, this time as like a fluorescent, ravetastic version of Disney’s “Newsies”. They brought a piece of the city with them, a large graffiti mural emblazoned with inspirational tidbits and lyric snippet. And of course they have the Arena Rock Catwalk, so they can of course “come into the crowd” and “feel the audience’s energy.” Which they did. Multiple times.

     

    Their set breezed by on a tight schedule, bouncing back and forth between earlier and later hits. All killer, no filler, as they say. Taking notes from the Flaming Lips’ live shows, Coldplay brought their toys: paint splattered balloons, a metric ton of M, X, and heart shaped confetti, fluorescent fish (?), lasers, spotlights, scaffolding, blacklights, you name it. Wristbands were distributed before the show which lit up in sequence to the music, giving the concert at the Key Arena the air of a soccer game. And by the feel of the crowd, our team was winning. Speaking of sports, Chris Martin’s banter was very sports heavy. A shout out to the Seahawks during “ “ and a song dedicated to the poor start of the Mariners (“Us Against The World“) had an audience of all ages eating out of the palm of his hand. When you think about it objectively, it’s amazing that a band like Coldplay, spanning the years that they have, haven’t really made an egregious misstep in their careers. Every single one of their studio albums is a little better than average, with a healthy amount of truly memorable modern rock moments sprinkled amongst them. And they’ve never been afraid to grow, to reinvent, to change form and run with it. Kind of like Radiohead, but without the art school shackling or the moody estrangement. It was never meant to be more than fun.

     

    But the question remains, does a band like Coldplay, inoffensive enough but never really groundbreaking, deserve a concert like this? As their albums go on, their sound becomes more and more bombastic, epic, arena. But even older tunes like “Warning Sign,” “In My Place,” and even “Yellow,” sound larger than life, larger than they were back in 2001. When Martin and company were playing Benaroya, I believe he didn’t think Coldplay were going to be the biggest band in the world. But I do believe he thought they’d get close. PS Metronomy played too. They are a small, small band, rigidly English and not really worth noting. They played like they couldn’t wait to get away from the crowd. {Article ends]

     

    New photos of Coldplay performing at the Keyarena, Seattle, WA (25th April 2012):

     

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    Photos courtesy of SeattlePi (click for more!)

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    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]

     

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    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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