Walking into the first of two sold-out Coldplay concerts at Rogers Arena Friday night, fans were handed a strange wristband they were asked to put on, writes the Vancouver Sun in a review of last night's first of two concerts at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver (20th April). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from this show at the Coldplay Live forum now. Read on for the Vancouver Sun review article...
On the wristband, the Twitter hashtag #coldplayfilm was printed, referring to to a forthcoming live DVD (the first since 2003) that will be shot at an unknown date on the band's current tour for latest album Mylo Xyloto. There was also a plastic radio-controled device attached to the wristband, each a different colour -- yellow, pink, blue, white... no, it wasn't a tool for some kind of nefarious mind-control experiment, but rather a tiny lighting device that would later turn the entire arena into a giant bowl of twinkling specks, each individual joining the rest of the crowd in becoming a part of the concert's elaborate visual elements...
To say that Coldplay's latest appearance in Vancouver was a communal experience would be to understate the obvious. Singer Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion have proven to be masters at connecting with their audiences and making their audiences connect with them, even when they didn't have the kind of stadium-sized gadgetry that was on display Friday night, from the myriad flashing "glowbands," to lasers, balloons, confetti and more.
Coldplay's material - heartfelt rock with a genuine loving feel that hasn't really changed all that much over the years - hits you exactly where it counts. And when you add a phenomenally oversized sound and a "we're all in this together" visual element like the glowbands, you have a concert that lingers in your mind for a long time. This one will definitely stick.
Opening with a recording of the main theme from Back To The Future, Coldplay launched into Hurts Like Heaven, Rogers Arena blinking from not just glowbands but also camera flashes and cell phones. Multiple circular screens lit up to show Martin, Buckland, Berryman and Champion doing their thing. Martin, as always, was the one that smiled the brightest, an infectious beaming grin that lit up the place as much as all the flashing, blinking stuff did. "Is there anybody out there?" Martin asked. "Anybody ready to have a good time?"
It didn't take long for the place to be filled with confetti, thanks to a spectacular In My Place, the song that kicked off what is arguably Coldplay's best album, 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head, Martin rushing down the catwalk to pump his fist in the air as canons blasted bits of paper shaped like birds, butterflies, hearts and flowers onto his fans.
The concert was an oversized spectacle for a large-hearted band: giant balloons popped out during Major Minus, the entire crowd sang along with Martin during The Scientist ("Nobody said it was easy..."), and the place was one big collective smile during breakout hit Yellow, a song that still manages to get fans all worked up over a decade later. Granted it was all rather soft-edged and pretty tame, save for a few songs like Violet Hill where Buckland worked his guitar with sharper strokes, and a U2-worthy God Put A Smile Upon Your Face.
Coldplay then moved over to the X-shaped stage at the end of the catwalk for a softer segment including Princess of China with the added presence of Rihanna singing on screen, Up In Flames and a delicate Warning Sign, Martin serenading his fans behind his neon paint-splattered piano. In the end you couldn't help but be swept away by singalong Paradise, which made full use of the crowd's help singing Martin's trademark "ooh-woah-ohs" and lit up every glowband in the house, an Us Against the World played in the stands, and encore Clocks (lasers galore), Fix You and finale Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall.
"Thank you for giving us the best job in the world," Martin said on a few occasions. It sure looked like the four Brits were having a ball. In the opening slot, New York-based sister duo The Pierces - Allison Margaret and Catherine Eleanor - channeled the more ethereal, psych-laden folk-rock vibes of Steve Nicks and Heart. The sisters' presence was probably mainly due to Berryman producing their latest album You & I, but the pair has been active for a number of years.
Another act with more experience under its belt than they let on was British act Metronomy, who has been around for a decade and whose synth-heavy rock didn't always click. Not to slag their attention-worthy The English Riviera, which was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize last year, but the band's new wave-inspired, wobbly bass stomp would have been better suited for the after-party rather than the warm-up slot.
If you're going Saturday night, note that Dallas Green's City and Colour is opening in place of Metronomy. That being said, if you are going Saturday and dared read all the way through this review and all its spoilers, you're still in for a treat. Because for a solid 90 minutes at Rogers Arena Friday night, Coldplay made the world a little bit brighter.
New photos of Coldplay at the Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada (20th April 2012)
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]
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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