R#42 blog

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Coldplay in a fan's back garden.   Last week the band had a crazy day where they finished the Jay Leno show and headed off to play their first ever barbeque (in a fans back garden!). It sounded like a ridiculous idea, but we got there it turned out to be really rather wonderful.   Here's a little home movie of it. R#42.  

Time for a breather.. time I caught up with the world.   I am in the production office at the United Center, Chicago. Home of the Bulls and the Blackhawks! Banners marking their history of success hangs from one of the highest ceilings on the tour.   This venue is apparently one of the ‘big 3′ (in terms of height at least). Got a bit of vertigo on the ‘noseblead’ seats when I took a wander earlier. There is history everywhere. I met tonight’s Oxfam volunteers a couple of hours ago, by a statue o

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports on a magical night in Vegas   San Jose sees set-list tweakage continue. The LA shows have gone very well and feedback has largely been extremely positive. The band, however, aren't really ones for auto-pilot. Everyone is very pleased with the show, but the search for the ultimate knockout punch continues.   To this end, Politik is pulled out of storage and gets a good airing. I can't really see the point in ever doing a Coldplay show witho

I’m on the bus. Front top bunk. Driver’s side. I just marked my name on the mini-whiteboard that has the 11 other scribbled names for this bus. One of 5 on the tour. I can hear the set frantically being wheeled out case-by-case from the loading bay, onto the shining red trucks. Drivers eager to hit the road, and crew, ready to hit the hay. I’m fascinated by how fast that whole set gets boxed up and heads for another venue. That venue waiting for us this time is the MGM Grand.. Las Vegas.   I hea

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 expands his role to passport photo snapper...   Two for two.   Well, it seems that we're airborne. The maiden flights of the Viva La Vida tour have been a success and it looks like we're in for a good run. Admittedly, the shows passed in a blur - a mixture of concentration and panic that leaves one utterly shattered. I have to say, the standout aspect of the shows for me is how effective the acoustic section has been. This is possibly because I do

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 blogs from LA on the day of the first show   It struck me today that so far we've spent time in Wembley Arena, Madison Square Garden and the LA Forum - and yet the tour hasn't yet officially begun. Either it's all downhill from here, or this is going to be one hell of a ride...   Somewhat predictably, the week of production rehearsals has passed in the blink of an eye. For the first couple of days, the band were still in the UK. The lighting depar

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 sends an update from LA   Back to school.   After the past few weeks of complete and utter chaos, we find ourselves loading into a huge empty space in LA with an entire week until the doors open for the first show of the tour. It's a little like finally getting a chance to move into your new home after a mad month of parties and visitors. Finally, we have time to arrange the furniture, to work out where the fusebox is and to attend to that trouble

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: R#42 blogs amid crazy scenes in NYC   I had yesterday pegged as just another TV show all the way up to about 6am. Just as the sun came up, it began to dawn on me just how amazing this was going to be. I can't remember anything like it in my whole time working for the band. The first Jimmy Kimmel show in 2002 was pretty amazing, but even that was just closing down Hollywood Boulevard. Here, there was major disruption to traffic on two different NYC str

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: More Paris pics from #42   I expect I'm either on a Plane to NYC, or in the back of a truck at MSG as you read this. Couple more from Paris for you. First, the Q&A session..   More on this here onwards [thanks iriden]       And here's the fellas giving it some to a crowd of Parisians. Capital city crowds can occasionally be a little 'too cool'. None of that here though, this lot were bonkers!          

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 sends pics from Paris   Well that was one of the more intense weeks I've had in this game. To be honest, these promo shows have wiped us all right out. The thousand-yard stare has been replaced with the utter 'man down' exhaustion where merely being awake and having to function feels like cruel and unusual punishment. We're off for a few days to get home, do some laundry and then pinball off to New York. Nobody said it was easy! ;-) In the meanti

Short but sweet post from #42   I'm with the band...   Roadie #42 @ coldplay.com  

Hello there, I am Roadie #42. My good friend Prospekt has asked me to keep you all posted on the goings on from inside the tour. I sit somewhere stage left through every performance. Wherever the band are in the world, I'll be there and I'll be reporting back to you.   So here we are in Brixton Academy. The crowd's gone home, the floor's a mess and the truck's nearly packed. It must be the first night of the Viva La Vida tour.   In many ways, it feels as though we've run a marathon just to get t

Roadie #42 crashes the Barcelona press conference   17.6.08 - Barcelona   The crew is running entirely on espresso today. I sneak along to the press conference in a nearby swanky hotel. When we get to the rather impressive and imposing foyer, there is a gent in a suit at a grand piano playing a lounge jazz version of Trouble. Given my level of sleep deprivation, it seems wonderfully twisted. Lord only knows how the band manage to be so affable and approachable throughout. The wit and good hum

Check out the 2008 section of Coldplay.com for a new Prospekt entry.   Thursday 12 June, London I feel very relieved that the album is finally released out into the big wide world today. It's out of our hands now. It doesn't belong to us anymore. I hope that you like it. I hope that there's songs on there that will make a shit day slightly less shit, or a good day even better. Thank you for all your patience and support. Prospekt.   More on this here onwards [thanks Stefan-C8]   Read the full ch

Check out the 2000 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.   Mince Spies EP 2000 Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Even big soft rock bands like us are frustrated Karaoke singers. CM   You can listen to Chris Martin's version here. More on this story here [thanks melanieau]   Read the full chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay  

Check out the 2003 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.   Dec 2003 - Christmas cover of 2000 Miles by the Pretenders (wonderful band with fringes/bangs). We love Christmas songs, but every time we try and write one it’s awful. So we often cover them. Well, once or twice actually. The one song I would most like to have written is ‘Fairytale of New York’ by de bloody Pogues of Ireland. CM   You can listen to the band covering a festive classic here. More on this story here [thanks Stefan-C8 &am

Check out the 2001 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   Jonny Goes Jazz - 12/01/01 It was just a phase! JMB   You can discuss this star here onwards [thanks doritji]   Read the full Coldplay chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay  

Check out the 2005 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   Talk Video In our 3D video for Talk (only visible on HD) we played astronauts landing on a distant planet. GB   You can discuss this star here onwards [thanks crestingwaves]  

Check out the 2006 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   Square One at Brits 15 Feb 06 Having performed averagely at the Grammy's a few days earlier we felt we had a bit of redeeming to do. Thankfully it was a much better experience. Award shows are hard, TV shows are hard, award shows on TV are a nightmare. W x   You can discuss this star here [thanks joyhannah]        

Check out the 2001 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   Trouble Video 2 USA - Sept 25, 2001 Tim Hope (of the Mighty Boosh) made this. He's very talented, but we haven't seen him since. Our favourite bit of the Mighty Boosh is the moon singing 'Neil Armstrong walkin' on me face'. On that note, did you ever watch 'The Day Today'? For us, its the comedic equivalent of The Beatles. CM   You can discuss this star here [thanks fixed] and click here for the WikiColdplay chronology page.  

Check out the 2000 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   The next (new) men who NME cover - 6 July 2000 Now famous as the NME's worst selling issue CM   You can discuss this star here [thanks doritji]  

Check out the 2003 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   Hollywood Bowl, 31 May 03 I remember watching Monty Python at the bowl on TV when I was young. When we played there were a few less dead parrots and silly walks but it was an amazing venue. Being surrounded by the bowl and being able to project on to LA made it feel like playing inside a giant fish tank. Wx   You can discuss this star here [thanks joyhannah].  

Check out the 2003 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   We liked this song but our people (we have a lot of people) said it was balls. So it was just sitting gathering dust and then Danny McNamara heard it on Limewire and we said would he like it and he said yes he would and then it was a good song. CAJM   You can discuss this star here [thanks doritji]  

Check out the 2005 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   When X&Y was coming out we were pretty nervous. It was a difficult time for us as we had a lot of opinions flying around from within and without. But we got through it. Mainly by playing live I think. Plus, we discovered that we played better and liked each other more when we wore white trainers. CM   You can discuss this star and previous stars here.  

Check out the 2005 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...   This article changed our lives quite considerably. Although it was pretty painful at the time, it did us a lot of good I think. CM   You can discuss this star and previous stars here.