Jump to content
✨ STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE WORLD TOUR ✨
  • Guest
    Guest

    Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #168 (the joys of an off-stage band member)

    428.jpgCheck out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the joys of an off-stage band member

     

    Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]

     

    My God, can we be a week into the tour already? We’re sitting on the tarmac waiting for departure to show number six.

     

    It has to be said that this first week has felt not entirely unlike a jet taking off. The rush of getting the first few shows happening has much the same adrenaline inducing surge that you get as the engines kick in and the pilot eases off the brakes...

    20120429blog1.jpg

     

    20120429blog2.jpg

     

    We’ve managed to get airborne pretty quickly too, I’d say - and with pleasingly minimal turbulence. And the view has been pretty great.

     

    20120429blog3.jpg

     

    First thing’s first though, I have to say that the Canadian crowds (and Vancouver in particular) were truly outstanding. Chris has taken to chanting “the more you give, the more you get” over and over through the intro to God Put A Smile. This was most certainly the case here. As someone who sees the show night after night, you can always tell when the fellas are enjoying themselves and feel the show gaining intensity as a result.

     

    Good job, folks!

     

    If there’s been a pilot through the takeoff of the tour, you’d have to point in Phil Harvey’s direction. I’ve often said before that he’s got a unique perspective on events, in that he can look at the show through both the band’s eyes and the fans’.

     

    One of the frustrations for any touring band, is that they’ll never be able to truly watch their own show and know how it looks sounds and feels. Having a “fifth member” then, who isn’t onstage, is an asset beyond measure. He knows intimately what the band are trying to achieve and can report back with complete honesty whether or not they’re delivering.

     

    This works both ways, too. Phil also knows what strikes a chord with the crowd - the things that they’ll take home as a treasured memory. Sometimes the band would be more comfortable doing things their own way, or feel uneasy making a grand gesture. Having an enthusiastic audience member on stage in soundcheck that can wield considerable influence, means the comfort-zone gets challenged.

     

    20120429blog4.jpg

     

    We’ve also seen the return of the C-Stage on this leg. The band leave the huge sprawling main stage before the ‘encore’, only to confuse one and all by appearing behind them, way up in the back. It’s one of my favourite gags in the show.

     

    20120429blog5.jpg

     

    The platform the four of them stand on up there, is no bigger than the tiny “rolling riser” that Chris’s piano sits on down on the main stage. When you see that Will has a mini-piano of his own up there, you realise that the four of them really are perched on a postage stamp.

     

    They’re also quite literally surrounded by the punters. There’s no fancy stage, no big gimmicks, just a band, singing a song under a single spotlight - about as up close and personal as it’s possible to get.

     

    20120429blog6.jpg

     

    Something I noticed the first time I took a hike up to the C-stage took me somewhat by surprise. Those close to the band often stand staring at the video screens in the other direction - often with a camera-phone held up towards the band. This is somewhat baffling, initially. The people they’ve come to see are now standing close enough to touch and they’re gazing off at a screen a hundred feet away.

     

    It only dawns on me when I take a look at the screens myself. With the band essentially standing on the row of seats in front of them, these folks are now squarely in camera shot. They’re not watching the screen to see the band that are at arms length from them - they’re checking themselves out. It’s a little like the studio audiences you see on TV, where they’re looking off to the side at the monitors. It makes perfect sense on the screen, but when you’re standing next to them, it looks faintly ridiculous.

     

    As for the mobile phones, we’re well past the age of “pics or it didn’t happen” and now we’re into “video on Facebook, NOW”…

     

    Well, our flight from Portland to Seattle is almost done. The journey that is the Mylo Xyloto Tour though, has very much just begun.

     

    R42

     

    twittercoldplaying.jpg facebook.png youtube1a.png lastfm_1.png myspace1.jpg

     

    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]

     

    cpingshopdesigns1.png cpingshopdesigns2.png cpingshopdesigns3.png cpingshopdesigns4.png cpingshopdesigns5.png

     

    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]

     




    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    There are no comments to display.



    Guest
    This is now closed for further comments

×
×
  • Create New...