R#42 blog

Last night I watched the Boston Celtics NBA World Championship banner be raised to the rafters, inside the TD Banknorth Garden. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (whose arena we were in the other day), to open the new season. Today, the Coldplay lights, rigging, screens, confetti canons, amp-stacks, PA, and huge inflatable spheres, are being slowly raised towards the roof of this famous arena.   This is the first time that we have returned to exactly the same place, on two separate occasions, so

After an overnight drive up to Glasgow, we are here at the SECC.   There’s frost on the trees and that kind of cold clear blue in the air. The Oxfam case is out in the ‘cold-zone’ as Fin described it earlier. That is right behind the stage. It’ll be good when that crowd show up later on and warm the place up a bit! Just a little short blog.. to say.. “brrr”.   Read more blogs at the Oxfam Blog website here  

If my memory serves me correctly.. It’s been 22 shows since the last time I was able to say this. We have a new world record sign-up number for the Viva La Vida tour 2008! Oxfam has had an amazing night so far at the 1st Coldplay show, here at the Birmingham NIA.   An incredible 2050 amazing Coldplay fans, signed to pledge their support for Health and Education For All. That’s almost a fifth of the audience! Thank you to our amazing 20 volunteers, organised by Kay, our star regional coordinator.

It must be such a strange thing to be in that position. I’m sure most of you have been at a concert before, where the lead singer stops between songs to talk to the crowd.   Due to the buzz of 15′000 (or however many thousand people), and the fuzz of a microphone.. it can all become a bit of a blur. Now Chris Martin is a very clearly spoken fella. I understand the things he says from stage, a whole lot better than some artists I have seen slurring into the mic. No slurring for Coldplay at all. S

Right. Time to catch up. Access to the internet on tour is never as easy as it is, when switching on a computer, in the ‘comfort’ of an office block or internet cafe. Wireless internet is set up in tour production and management offices. This usually leads to a line of roadies sitting on road cases outside, or sitting on the floor around the production team. In these concrete block buildings.. that signal doesn’t travel too far. Crew rooms are usually slightly less equipped for internet, as they

No. Not physically. That would be very silly. That’s a long old drive. Plus, let’s face it. There is not much to look at on the way. I spent much of the trip in the darkened cocoon of my bunk. The rest, faced with the slow realisation, as I peered out of the bus window, that this country is just vast. As soon as we headed out into that nothingness the day after the Dallas show.. the temperature dropped. We eventually hit the Colorado mountains on the way into Denver, and it fell again. Tumbled e

Directly in front of me, is the constant stream of Coldplay fans entering the Philadelphia Wachovia Center. Beep.. beep.. beep (etcetera), go the machines, as ticket bar code’s are scanned. There is one very enthusiastic security guard too, whooping and cheeing, singing ‘Violet Hill’, anything to put a smile on faces as they enter. That’s if the smiles aren’t already there.   Fans then walk directly over to the Oxfam booth to my right, where our Philly action group is busy signing up the masses,

Blog #1: Just in from our mystery guest blogger (Soha Yassine), who took the Oxfam reigns for the last three shows in US of 2008. 22nd November 2008. Salt Lake City. UT.   “… So come over, just be patient, and don’t worry” can be heard clearly enough that I forget for a moment that i’m standing in the middle of the concourse at Energy Solutions Arena. I take a peak inside, as the building-sized banner, that reads ‘VIVA’, drops behind Chris, Jonny, Guy, and Will. Audiences always seem to be moved

I’m sitting in the same little room as I was a few days ago, writing another blog, about another Coldplay show. We have had some adventures on this tour, playing 3 different countries in 3 days.. it’s not quite the same adventure when you return to the same city, but it was another great show in Glasgow. Oxfam’s brilliant bunch of volunteers, between them, got 1526 Health and Education For All pledges, to add to the thousands of others on the Coldplay tour.   Another noisy crowd greeted the band

There is a weird skeleton-skull-ghost-doll thing hanging from the door of the production office. I’m sat right outside, with it watching over me.   Skeletons will walk the halls of the Verizon Center, Washington D.C. tonight. It’s Halloween, and the Coldplay crew are dressing up for the occasion. I hear rumours of all sorts of alterations to the show. Projections on spheres, confetti, lights, video.. it should be fun to see what gets thrown in to the party. One of the roadies has a mask which is

Good old fashioned pen and paper. How refreshing it can be. I’m scribbling away in the dark, next to stage right ‘guitar world’. Writing on the back of a Coldplay setlist, and leaning on an Oxfam ’Health and Education FOR ALL’ campaign booklet, on top of a road case..   I just saw Chris Martin run out to the front of the Coldplay stage, to bounce with the packed audience to ‘Viva La Vida’. There was a deafening roar when those strings kicked in. Now, if I look to my left, up the steps, there is

We made it. And it was great! The band finally made it back to the start.. (well close enough, just a few tube stops away from Brixton). It was the first of three sold-out shows at the O2 Arena in London.   This morning, I stepped off the Jubilee Line, at Greenwich North Station, looked up, and saw huge cranes sticking out of a big, white, dome-shaped tent. It was the sight of the Millenium dome. I had only ever seen it on TV, or from a distance on my way around London.. but today, the big show

I walked across to the arena today, watching Christmas lights being strung up around trees. It’s the first day of a freezing cold December, in England. You know, when you go outside in the cold and then get back indoors, try to speak to someone, and your mouth doesn’t work properly.. like your cheeks are freezing up. When you stand talking to a friend, and your breath in the air makes you look like two boiling kettles. That’s the kind of day it is out there. Inside, everyone is wearing wolly hat

Coldplay just polished off the last notes of ‘Strawberry Swing’ and after a little wander down to the front of stage left, have now burst into life again on the remix version of ‘God put a smile…’ I just came back to production to write to you all, who aren’t in here. Seems to me like plenty of you are crammed in though.   It looks packed out there.. People are on their feet, clapping and cheeing. The atmosphere is incredible. Spare a thought for the nerves that must jangle in those 4 lads as th

Just counting the pledges at the Oxfam tables by section 110 at London’s O2 Arena. The Oxfam volunteers have handed in their sheets, and gone in to take their seats. ‘Speed of Sound’ is ringing through the doors, each time someone swings it open, to run to the toilet, or grab some fish n’ chips.   The total so far tonight is 1188. All those names, showing their support, can make a real difference to people’s lives. One person can make a big difference. 1188 can make a huge difference. Imagine wh

Here’s one from a couple of days ago..   Waiting in the Denver arena, looking through the glass at all manner of Denver Nuggets merch. It’s going to be a good night. I can feel it. I looked out at the setting sun, through swirls of rollercoasters.. to the huge Broncos stadium, and rugged line of mountains cutting off the sun. Now that sun has gone down, the temperature is in plummet mode again. I’m going to need some gloves for that trip outdoors.. This cooler air, is a good way to acclimatise b

Blog #2: Second instalment from our guest blogger (Soha Yassine), who took the Oxfam reigns for the last three shows in US of 2008. November 25th. 2008. Anaheim. CA.   Tonight we are in the backyard of Los Angeles, Anaheim, California, which is centrally located in Orange County. A few days ago the band rocked the American Music Awards and tonight we’re in the home of the Mighty Ducks.   Here’s an image from the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs with the palm trees shining under the California sun. This

Blog #3: The third and final instalment from our guest blogger, Soha Yassine. Soha took the reigns for all things Oxfam, for the final 3 US shows of 2008. Phoenix was the last of these 3 shows, before the UK tour kicked off.   We arrived in Phoenix at what seemed like an ungodly hour for a tour caravan that hit the road at 1:30am. As I rolled out of my bunk in the ungraceful manner that I do every morning and headed into the venue for some much needed coffee, I stopped by the stage area. It wasn

Half of them was anyway. The security here really stand out, in their bright yellow blazers. It was an odd sight when they all took their positions just before the doors. All these organised yellow dots, covering the arena entrances. The biggest line of yellow, being by the stage barriers. The dots of yellow were far less organised a few hours later. As balloons were thrown in to the crowd by the roadies at the mix desk, by the stage and up in the rafters. Yellow bopped and popped all around the

Actually. I’m not sure they were wooden. That’s probably classed as a fire hazard. There was plenty of stomping on metal bars though. Fantastic atmosphere tonight. The Scots came out to party in Glasgow’s SECC. Coldplay were the life and soul. Soon enough the whole room was all, sort of.. yellow.   Tonight’s surprise was a bunch of yellow balloons, which the band kicked out onto the crowd at the beginning of that song. It was a great sight. I’m always facinated to watch people’s reaction when so

I never get to see the end of the show from there. I’m usually upstairs, but just now, I watched as the band bowed, left the stage, bolted for the door, and the Oxfam sphere lit up, illuminating the clearing seats, so that the masses can find their way home, and find their way to take action with Oxfam.. It’s already emptied out in there, the contents of the arena, heading out into the misty Yorkshire night.   The stage is already cleared, and being torn apart. Rick marches down the catwalk, blo

From buses to desks. I’m sitting in Oxford, England, at a desk in the Media Unit of Oxfam House. I’ve been around the UK, North America and Europe on buses with Coldplay’s crew for the past 7 months. The desk in front of me is covered with files, newspapers, tapes, contact cards, campaigns pins, a gnawed pen, a rubber band, a coffee cup and a spoon.   It’s not mine. I’m borrowing it. Outside I can see the ‘arctic snap’ frost and yesterdays snow on the street and people bustling along to get wher

We are nearly there. It’s a couple of days until Christmas. Time for the holidays and to welcome in a new year. Soon we will be travelling home. Getting over coughs, colds and extreme sleep deprivation weirdness. Just one more Coldplay show to do this year. The pillows are in sight.   I hadn’t seen much of the set for a while. Tonight, I stood, stage-left, with some of the Oxfam volunteers, to watch the amazing show. OK, so most of the songs may be the same, but I love seeing the crowds every ti

I’m sitting in the newly revamped O2 Arena, Dublin. Last Tuesday, this venue was re-opened. Coldplay is only the third show to pass through. 8′500 people will pack into the arena tonight, and again tomorrow. There is only three days to go on this tour. I thought I was going to escape the strange illness that has been doing the rounds in the crew. Unfortunately, it got me in the end. I’m on the kiwi fruits and orange juice today..   Yesterday, I visited the famous storehouse of Arthur Guinness. T

A quick note of a memorable moment in history.   Outside my Atlanta hotel room, I can hear car horns beeping and voices shouting for joy. I have the TV on. More of the same. Celebrations in the street and huge crowds gathered in Time Square, NYC, and Grant Park, Chicago. The Chicago crowd awaiting their Senator, the President-elect, Barack Obama.   The tour made it’s way down to Atlanta today. All eyes on the bus were on the election. Some people in this city won’t get much sleep tonight. With