R#42 blog

Hello all! Today is the last of two days off in New Orleans. I’ve been here before, but this city and its people never cease to amaze me with their vibrance. Check out the picture below; it is part of a tape graffiti mural just outside the famous french Quarter.   Saturday night’s show in the Sommet Center in Nashville was a bit of a shift for the tour as it was the start of the arena portion of this leg. I love arenas because their enclosed nature causes the audience’s cheers to reverberate and

Hey gang, So, you know that I’ve been referring to a big announcement a lot lately. A few days ago in my entry written from the departure terminal at Vancouver International airport, I alluded to sitting with an important package by my side.   Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, I posted a picture of Chris Martin and Guy Berryman facing a poster of sorts with writing that appears to match the graphics on this page. Well, In the immortal words of one Jim Morrison, “The time to hesitate is

This morning I’ve arrived in the Estadio Universitario in Monterrey quite early to enjoy the last day from the start. The sun is shining, someone has put Lou Reed on to test the sound so here comes the title of the post (I haven’t slept enough last night so I’m short of ideas). The Oxfam stand is not set up yet, so I’ve got time for an update about Guadalajara’s concert.   The show was fantastic: my confetti shot was the best one since I’ve been using the ‘advanced’ machines. Butterflies came ou

Hello all! Soha here, your Oxfam representative on the North American leg of the Viva La Vida 2009 world tour. From West Palm Beach to East Troy- Montreal to Mansfield, I’ll be your on the ground source of news for all things related to Oxfam volunteers, campaigns, and more!   The tour kicked off with bang yesterday at the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL. Team West Palm Beach consisted of 20 of the most energetic, and enthusiastic volunteers I’ve met. How many sign-ups do you think th

As the sweet summer month began (August 4th), Coldplay was honored with four nominations for Viva la Vida at the VMA’s; this included the nomination for Best Rock Video.   Four days later Coldplay were sorry to announce that they had to cancel the last show on their US tour due to illness. The fans in Tampa were of course devastated, and unfortunately the promised re-scheduling of the show has not yet happened. Some comments to the Coldplay cancellation in Tampa, taken from Coldplaying.com are

To the relief of Latin America Coldplay Fans, Coldplay finally announced their Viva La Vida Latin American Tour. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are featured on the list and a second Mexico show was announced at the end of October. "Coldplay are pleased to announce a tour of Latin America for February/March 2010. The seven stadium shows will mark the end of the band's Viva La Vida world tour, which has so far seen them play 159 shows to 2.75 million fans across 25 countries."   Two weeks

Will Champion writes from between Bologna and Milan   There are a few fans we know by name. Plenty we know by sight. The loyalty and dedication of our fans always astounds me. There are faces that I have seen in the front row in three different continents.   When we play anywhere in Italy, I know I'll see Francesco, front row, dead centre. A friendly face in a foreign city. Sure enough he was there in his usual place in Bologna tonight. We are very lucky to have such incredible fans; all through

Coldplay's Will Champion explains via the official site the formative influence Mercury Rev had on Coldplay. Here's what he had to say about them...   If I could go back to 1998 and tell a 20-year-old me that we would be playing some shows with Mercury Rev in 2009, I think my younger self would laugh me all the way back to the present. Such was the importance of Deserter's Songs to me and to our band. When we started out making music, trying to soak up as much information about songwriting, reco

Check out coldplay.com for a new newsreel entry: Fortis est veritas ("truth is strong")   Good afternoon. It has been brought to our attention that the Wikipedia article on hard-living rock combo Coldplay is not as accurate as it could be. For starters, it was Mr Tim Crompton who first suggested the name Coldplay, not Mr Tim Rice-Oxley.   Also, the song featuring Miss Kylie Minogue is called Lhuna, not Lunar, and is not confirmed to be on the band's next album. Furthermore, eagled-eyed readers o

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 reaches his century   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks SueDeNimes]   So then, the hundredth blog. I suppose I should be doing something special for the end of the first century. Let's face it though folks, every single one of them is special.... (This is another way of saying that if I wait until I've had time to do something uber-cool, we'll be stuck on 99 forever, so we'd better move swiftly along).   T

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the dodgy merch   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Zeya]   Italy can occasionally be challenging for the roadie community. Things are never quite as you expect them and you get the distinct impression sometimes that people would rather be wearing sunglasses and smoking cigarettes than helping you get the job done. Quite frankly, I don't blame them. There's something about the gorgeous weather that makes all th

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Catalan chorus   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards.   I remember somewhere back last year I talked about the band's stadium show in Tokyo. It was an absolutely belting night and I wrote the following: "You get the impression that the guys are on such a roll that the PA system could fail, the lights could go dead and they'd still carry on, just them and the crowd, too caught up in the moment to notice anything had c

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the hometown hijinks   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Noémie]   So here we are in Manchester. I live here (well, it's where the suitcase gets unpacked, anyway). It's famous for many things, not least some of the finest bands of all time. It's also well known in the UK for often being somewhat damp. Today though, there literally is not a cloud in the sky. The white covering they've used on the cricket pitch i

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the huge mass of humanity   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks pris]   I've never not had a great time in Dublin. Pardon the double negative, but it's absolutely true. I worry sometimes that it may get tiresome for you the reader, to continually be told what a belting crowd it's been, but it's been a tour so absolutely rammed with highlights that it has become unavoidable.   I travel alone from Manchester to Dub

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Beehive's clean slate   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards.   Happy New Year folks! Somewhat fittingly for the season of fresh starts and new beginnings, we're finally installed in The Beehive. The builders have been in here for months, but last week, we got word that they were all but finished. Obviously, the band are chomping at the bit to get in and get started. So, in typical Coldplay style, the process of build

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 gets scared, discusses new songs and looks forward to the tour   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks AnnaElisabeth]   Where on earth does the time go? One minute it's Christmas and I'm rushing about wondering whether we're going to get the eBay auction finished, or whether it's going to finish us first. Suddenly, I look around to see that the Latin America leg has begun and it's nearly March. Before I start

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which Coldplay bow to pressure and play Shiver   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here [thanks marie/pims]   So we're three shows in and what belters they've been. Buenos Aires had the task of getting us back on track after a lengthy break. I can't deny I was nervous before the gig. The scale of the show and all that goes into making it happen had become much more apparent having had five months to forget which buttons to press.   With

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Bogota barnstormer   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks svenky]   Now, don't get me wrong, - Argentina and Brazil were both fantastic. Each wonderful in their own way (largely down to the people and the response). For me personally though, things really get interesting when we leave for Bogota. Not for any reasons pertaining to one of their more well known exports, but because I've never been before. When we

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42, the bootleg merch and the unexpected Mexican singalong   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks svenky]   Coldplay have history with Mexico. The Rush Of Blood tour finished here at the Palacio Des Deportes in 2003. The X&Y tour also finished up here in 2007. Now, we're putting Viva to bed here in 2010. Of course, there is also the fact that the artist Frida Kahlo was born here - and that she provided so much of the

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42, the Parachutes song and the farewell dinner   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks tisnowflake]   As I write, we're only hours from the final closing bell on the Viva Tour. The realisation that we're reaching the end seems to have hit everyone simultaneously after the Guadalajara show. The fact that there is "just one more gig" - that the Monterrey show tomorrow is "the last one" flicks the switch and we're all faced

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: They think it's all over...   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks marie/pims]   So there we have it folks. There goes the final whistle. The fat lady has sung and the world's Vida has been well and truly Viva-ed. Summing up two years of your life in a few words is a little like trying to mow a lawn using only scissors. I could try, but I'd pretty soon have sore fingers and give up. All I know is that I'm ready for a day

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Chris has got a little project for #42   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards.   I've talked before about differences between what I've experienced when touring with the band and work here at the studio. Mostly, it's the fact that you're not sure what's coming next. Touring is fairly repetitive; the scenery changes a great deal, but the daily routine is pretty much set in stone. Here in the studio, it isn't like that. As you'd ex

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 returns with more news from the studio...   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks SueDeNimes]   Greetings to you from Budapest. I'm nearing the end of a two week break from the studio. We're back in on Monday. I greet you hanging my head and begging forgiveness. Yes, seven weeks is an obscenely long time to be leaving you hanging. Apart from this couple of weeks of being a civilian, my primary distraction has been that

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 watches as Coldplay create   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks coldplayisawesome]   Greetings folks, from back inside the Beehive. I'm at my desk, which is tucked away behind one of the pianos. Over my shoulder are two rather beaten up old sofas. This "lounge area" is where every recording day starts - beginning, as every day should, with strong coffee.   I talked in the last blog about different ways in which the

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Our man on the inside is back...   Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks AnnaElisabeth]   Oh yes, I should have mentioned that we were going away for our summer holidays.... But today, like legions of kids across the land being dragged away from their Xboxes (or their surfboards...) we're back to school. Interestingly and somewhat predictably, we've spent the last ten days prepping the studio ready for what we thought woul