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 even. -6 last night (20 Farenheit I think.. crikey). Nothing like the heat of Dallas.

Back in Dallas, Texas, it was more like a summer’s night than a winter freeze. No scarfs required. No jackets even. I was sweltering when I donned the Oxfam jacket to go and meet the patiently waiting volunteers. It was another night of activity for them. Getting the word out there, meeting fans, explaining Oxfam’s work and getting excited about the show ahead. One of them came back afterwards, and described the concert simply as “life-changing”. There are a lot of happy fans leaving these venues once the confetti has fallen.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Flaming Lips cover

Discuss this blog entry here onwards.

It's pretty common for shows in more out of the way places to be the ones with the most enthusiastic crowds. Oklahoma then, has potential to be a right good night out. We arrive late in the day, as soundcheck has been bypassed yet again. At the top of the ramp that leads us into the bowels of the arena are three young ladies holding banners who giddily bounce and wave as the band's vehicles swing around the corner. This is obviously not the only time this has happened, however when we emerge some hours later after the show, they are still there and they are just as excitable. I really do hope that they saw the show in between. Not just because they clearly were wonderfully bonkers about the band, but because it was a particularly good night.

Being in the hometown of the Flaming Lips means a lot at a Coldplay gig. Not only are the band great friends with the Lips guys, but so too are some of the crew. Hoppy, who looks after Chris's guitars worked for them many years ago. So did keyboard tech Neill Lambert (also now infamous as Chris's spooky Halloween attacker). I pass Neill in the corridor just as Wayne Coyne is making his way into the arena. Somewhat fittingly, Neill is in the middle of building a robot out of some metal electrical casings he's rescued from the dumpster. Proof if it were needed that we're heading now onto the beautiful slippery slope into what is commonly referred to as tour madness. I can only imagine that by Christmas, there are going to be a lot of inane grins and wonderfully skewed mental states. In the meantime, Neill's as yet unamed creation has been given a job in the Production Office dispensing setlists. I'm not sure he's even seen the Talk video. Maybe it's just subconscious...

The show itself is most enjoyable. As predicted, the crowd goes berserk even from before the intro tape and they're clearly out for a good time. Never ones to shy away from joining in, the fellas are lifted into the high gears early on. Will particularly, seems to be attacking the kit like it's something personal. I wouldn't wanna be a snare drum in Oklahoma tonight...

When we get to the B-Stage, Chris introduces The Hardest Part with a line he's used before: "It's not the best Coldplay song, and it's not the worst Coldplay song". Tonight though, he clearly gives it some thought, before stopping the song a few bars in to declare that the worst Coldplay song "was one of our first ever songs, that was called Ode To Deoderant". And I thought Parachutes was an oldie! You'd need to be breaking both your arms and both your legs to get to hear that one again, I reckon...

Talking of rarities, Politik ends to make way for a one-off Flaming Lips cover in honour of tonight's guests.

WATCH VIDEO

(Huge thanks to Andy Bramley and the rest of the video dept for the footage!)

It only remains for the butterfly confetti to fall and it's pretty much all over. I remember doing a festival some years ago where The Flaming Lips were playing. I think I may still have some of the confetti in the back of my racks even now. It was an utterly joyous experience watching them play. I wonder what Wayne thought of the butterflies. I hope he liked 'em. I'm just hoping Chris doesn't decide that he wants to do the encores in a huge bubble so he can walk over the audience's heads from now on. How the hell would we get the piano in there...?

Roadie #42

Houston, Texas. Home of one very famous and powerful man. Home of the ‘Rockets’ NBA team. I have seen a few very tall people walking around today.. Yao Ming is not small. Here we are in a huge state. 13′000 people have come to see the Coldplay show. All 26′000-or-so eyes, are now firmly fixed on the stage, on 4 guys who formed a band thousands of miles away, and wrote a song, and it was called ‘Yellow’. Probably also another 100 or so transfixed eyes are from crew members, waiting to jump in if anything goes wrong. I was just about to try to work out how many eyes might belong to people who also signed up with Oxfam tonight.. but i’m not sure my brain can do that..

The crowd are making all sorts of noises. Some of them screaming so loud, they must be sore. I didn’t think one pair of lungs could make that much noise, before I came on this tour. It’s been a great night for our Oxfam group. Loads of people have shown an interest. Feet were flooding through the doors, and heading right over to our Oxfam tables. Listening carefully.. taking it in, and then taking the pen (don’t worry i’m not going to go on about pens again - even though they are amazing).

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

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 Jonny, Will and Guy, starting up the thundering beat of ‘Lost!’. Two of the roadies just walked past me, carrying a small flight of stairs.. I guess the band will be leaving the stage soon, for an arena tour, here in Oklahoma City. Now the screaming begins, as they make their way through a mixture of bemused and excited fans. Here come those roadies again, with that flight of stairs.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the exit strategy

Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]

I start the day in Minnesota by going to the wrong arena. I've left the hotel in search of breakfast and spot the Target Center where we played last time we were here. Although I'm not due in for a good while yet, I know that catering will be up, so I wander over. I spend a good couple of minutes explaining to the folks on the back door at the Target Center that I've left my laminate at the hotel before eventually realising I need to back up and ask a fundamental question.

"Do Coldplay have a show here today?" "No sir, that is the Xcel Center," comes the reply. I thank them kindly and wander off looking for somewhere to get a coffee.

I turn around the next corner and bump into the first band I ever went on tour with. They have a show at a theatre here and their gear is being rolled off the back of the truck into the loading dock. I wander in to say hello and end up having my breakfast with them instead. Touring is excellent for the fact that not only do things like this happen out of the blue quite regularly but also, they seem completely normal until later. These are people I haven't worked with for over ten years and here we all are a few thousand miles from home having a catch up over coffee. If I'd have taken a left instead of a right out of the hotel, I'd never have even known they were in town.

It's another soundcheck party today and there's a bit of work to be done on the Prospekt's songs before the band arrive, so myself and soundman Dan Green head in early. When the soundcheck gets going, Chris notes that someone in the gathered crowd has two broken legs. It seems the least they can do to play a song for them, so Chris asks what they'd like to hear. The request comes up that they'd like "Parachutes". There has to be a gag somewhere in someone with two broken legs wanting a parachute, but I might have to get back to you on that. After Life In Technicolour II and Prospekt's March, Chris gets out the acoustic and gives Parachutes a go. I can't imagine when the last time he played it would be, but I'll wager it's been a few years at least. Wonder if it'll ever get played again?

The St Paul show is notable particularly for the return of the mobile phone glowsticks during the Viva Remix. Not seen that for ages and it always looks utterly utterly amazing. Lets hope it's making a comeback...

After the show, I make my way to the van for the runner. The band's vehicles are inside, close to the stage at the bottom of a ramp in the loading dock. The van I'm in is outside, so I head up the ramp and hear Jackie, (who is in charge of venue security) shouting up at the guy who controls the roller shutter. She's rather keen that the huge metal shutter go up so that the band's vehicles can get out. He seems to be cheerfully oblivious. She's shouting louder and the door is doing a lot of nothing. As I get closer, I begin to realise that it's not that he can't hear, rather that his key is having no effect. He's employing the age old technique of swearing rather colourfully at the key, but to no avail.

It's all rather excellent. The police car has started up outside, there are fifteen thousand or so folks streaming out of the venue. The band are in their vehicles inside and a man with a bit of a worn out key has ground everything to a halt. I decide that the most useful thing I can do at this point is get my video camera from the van and so head outside. Sadly, before I get back to record the chaos, the shutter groans into life and things continue as planned.

We arrive at our new hotel after a few hours' travel. We're staying at a rather posh 'resort' which means that it's not like a normal hotel where you walk in, get given your key and then walk to the lift (elevator). Here, somebody has to "meet us at the gate" and then we are escorted on by golf buggies. Things soon descend into a farce of driving back and forth trying to work out where exactly everyone is staying. The fact that everyone is half asleep means things are surreal enough. The fact that they keep referring to the blocks of accommodation as 'compounds' as the golf buggies swarm around like angry bees means that it feels a little as though we've landed in the middle of some weird religious cult run by the Banana Splits.

I think I may spend the day off keeping my head down...

Roadie #42

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. Still. I never catch it all. It always amuses me when a singer stops to speak and everyone just cheers anyway.

When they stop talking, it’s like the crowd collectively thinks (*oh.. erm.. it’s our turn to say something.. umm.. what should we say?.. umm.. WHOOOP! YEAH! (or just a general screaming noise of appreciation). You know who you are. I’m not saying I mind it. Quite the opposite. I mean it’s not like the band can stop the momentum and have a talking shop about how everyone is finding it so far.. no round tables, no half time analysis. No time for discussions in the Coldplay show.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 muses on Hooters and parties

Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Loud Meditation]

Our show in Fort Lauderdale or Miami (nobody seems exactly sure where we are) is a nicely noisy affair. You can always pretty much judge how raucous an audience is going to be by watching them during the Blue Danube intro. Tonight it's arms aloft, swaying in time. It can't hurt, obviously that many of these arms are attached to rather large plastic cups full of beer...

Most arenas have advertising boards on the front of the balconies. The majority of modern ones have LED panels that make a bright ring all around the venue. Tonight, when the lights go up after Speed Of Sound, Chris notes that all the way around the arena there are boards advertising a certain drinking establishment. Despite Jonny's assertion in a Canadian radio interview that the album had been a success mainly due to the fact that "there are boobs on the cover", Chris is at pains to point out that the "the band Coldplay has nothing to do with Hooters". Never one to burn his bridges though, he follows this up with "although we'd like to..."

I decide to take a wander out to the back of the room during the C-Stage. The mixing desk is way out at the back of the crowd, so I make my way into the Front Of House enclosure to do as the majority of the rest of the crowd do at this point - i.e. take some photos...

We seem to be doing a lot of "second nights" in places on this tour. We're revisiting Atlanta today, for the second time in under a week. Today we're joined by old friends. Bryan Kiger was on the sound crew right back on Coldplay's first trip to the States. He was soon joined by John Kaylor and Dave Cheek and all three are truly wonderful people. Despite all the "glamour" and "excitement" that is associated with the job we do, the real thing that is of value that comes out of it is the friendships that you take away with you. Seeing these fellas again is a huge treat and only makes us miss them all the more. I've no doubt whatsoever though, that we'll catch up again further down the road.

It's been a while since the band have been in for soundcheck and today isn't just a soundcheck - it's a soundcheck party!

I've mused before that for the roadie, the phrase "soundcheck party" is something of an oxymoron. Soundcheck is what stands between them and either a break for dinner, or possibly the joy of a quick hour back in the bunk on the bus. This means that they are essentially a mild form of purgatory. To celebrate this in any way, seems utterly insane.

For the 100 lucky competition winners though, you can understand it is indeed a treat. Today, the fellas are working on some of the Prospekt's March songs - which means that the assembled folks are the first to ever hear two of the new songs performed live. Quite how they sounded in the boomy emptiness of the arena I'm not sure. Life In Technicolor II goes pretty well, Prospekt's March though, requires more work, it would seem. To round out the new tracks, they give Glass Of Water a thrashing before wandering down to say hello.

Atlanta also marks the return of Jon Hopkins to the fold. Tonight he is DJ-ing before the show, but from Kansas on, he's bringing the whole multimedia spectacular. Obviously, we're all pleased to see him. None more so than Guy, who now has somebody else to take photos of...

Roadie #42

I’m huddled in a corner behind one of the Oxfam pop-up banners by our table at the entrance to the arena. If I look up, I can see three of Oxfam’s volunteers enthusiastically passing out free badges and signing up Coldplay fans to the Oxfam America mailing list. Here come 5 more fans ready to sign on the sheets. It’s great to listen to some of the little things that happen at the stall..

“When I say ‘Cold’ .. you say ‘Play’ .. Cold - Play. Cold - Play!

When I say ‘Ox’ .. you say ‘Fam’. Ox - Fam! Ox - Fam!”

I haven’t heard that one before. But that’s the beauty of doing this in so many different places. In the background, I can hear ‘Sleepercar’ finishing up on-stage. There’s just 40 minutes until the main attraction hits the stage.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

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 are for showers and couches.

Ocassionally, like today. There is a crew office. Today, it sits at the back of Production. It’s a tiny little room, which randomly has mean-looking cartoon characters, wielding hockey sticks and perched on basketballs, painted on the walls. It’s a strange little place. The tour buses have a handy intermittent internet connection too. It does not cease to amaze me, that I can send an email to my friends back home in England, from a tour bus, moving along Atlanta streets to a venue.

We’re back in Atlanta’s Phillips Arena. De-ja-voo. We walked in saying “Good to see you you again” to the venue staff, as if we had worked with them for years. This is the second show of two in this building. Two shows in Florida were sandwiched in between. Last stop was Ft. Lauderdale. As a British guy used to rain and frost in November.. it was a strange experience to be outside in a t-shirt before the bus left Florida at 2am.. It turned out to be a long ride from there to Atlanta. 15 hours later, we rolled up at the hotel last night.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 joins Chris in the studio as he works on new songs...

Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Lore]

It would seem that the impending Prospekt's March EP release has sent the band (and Chris in particular) into that familiar Coldplay overdrive. It's a day off today, but the term seems to mean little to one Mr. Martin. I've tagged along as he meets up with Viva's co-producer Rik Simpson to "put some ideas down".

I remember talking to Rik ages ago about how some songs arrive right at the end of a project - and that sometimes they are the best ones. He was saying that he reckons it's down to the fact that the creative juices are still flowing but there is suddenly the joy of the pressure being off. So, with "Prospekts March" finished and on its way, here he is with the tap still running.

Songs at this point are sketches, they are mere collections of chord progressions, riffs and melodies. From these seeds though, all the good stuff will happen. It's partly about getting things down at this stage - so that the flood of ideas doesn't end up slipping away forgotten. It's also about being able to hear things back and evaluate them, not necessarily now, but further down the line when work proper on the next record begins.

One part of the recording studio experience that I always forget is that of utter silence. Studio control rooms have large amounts of money spent on correct acoustic treatment, to ensure that the recording engineer can hear every detail of the work at hand. For the roadie, this brings the opportunity to realise just how bad one's tinnitus is. The ringing in my ears is usually just a dull roar, covered by the sounds of air conditioning, traffic or other background noises. Here though, there's no getting away from it. Thankfully the strength of the coffee leaves the grinding of my teeth vibrating through my head enough to help.

For a moment, I'm reminded that for a very short time, Rik joined the Coldplay roadcrew. It was back on the Rush Of Blood tour. I remember him having a grand old time and being proud as punch that he had achieved full roadie status the day he bought a torch (flashlight) with a leather belt holster. Once they get into recording a particularly dramatic and atmospheric piece, the lights get dimmed to a point where I bet he's wishing he had it with him once again. He's fumbling around checking cables in the almost pitch black of the control room. Dan Green, the band's live soundman is here and fades up the lights. The dimmer makes a tiny but piercing squeal that merges in with the string part that Chris is playing at the synth. "Brilliant!" he shouts, as if it had been deliberate, before finding the note and incorporating it into the piece. Meanwhile, Rik is holding his iPhone out to light the back of the machine he's fixing. Good to see that making it up as you go along isn't just something that happens at gigs...

Revisiting another conversation from times past, I have to recall Chris talking at the end of the X&Y tour about "becoming a big band". "We've just got the job" was his quote. He repeated this emphatically and claimed that they had to do something with it, that they had a responsibility to become great if it was to continue. (I may be misquoting that bit, but you get the idea). Well, it seems that they're not just taking the job seriously, but they're putting in the overtime, too....

Roadie #42

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 reaches his half-century

Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks deydey]

Chris bounds up to me on the journey into Orlando with a new setlst. It's been quite a while since we've played Setlist Twister. The start of this tour often felt like trying to ride a malfunctioning mechanical bull and then, all of a sudden, seemingly out of completely nowhere, things settled into a definitive form.

The current setlist is pretty much engraved into everyone on the crew's brains. The endings to songs trigger mental flags that it's time to carry out the necessary steps to be ready for the next one. As I've said before though, familiarity and repetition can become a little tiring. The show has got stronger and stronger night upon night in terms of the band's performance, but you can't beat a nice shake-up to keep everyone interested.

The new setlist relies on some elements that we don't have here yet, which means that we won't be descending into chaos tonight. In fact, potential for chaos is nicely deflated as the band call a production meeting on stage at the end of soundcheck. It only becomes apparent how much is involved in the gig now when the crowd of people affected by the changes begins to assemble on stage.

This is also only the 'immediate crew' and the department heads, but questions fly thick and fast: "If that song is going to follow this one, the balls are going to be in this position - what do you want on them in the change?", "Which mic are you going to sing at if you're finishing that song on guitar and then going straight to the piano?", "Do you want the longer intro version of that song to give you time to get from here to there, or are we going to go back to the old version?", "Is the piano going to stay out between this song and this one, or do you want it out of the way?" and so it goes on.

It's all minute tiny details, but they're exactly the kind of thing that could trip everyone up if they're not addressed in advance. The informal "round table" approach with the band and crew began in the studio - before rehearsals even began for this tour. Full and open communication between band and crew has been invaluable in getting a lot done quickly and that's what we're trying to do here. I won't spoil the surprise and tell you what the new setlist involves, but I think you'll like it and rest assured, when things finally fall into place, you'll be hearing about it here!

Getting to sunny Florida in November is a treat for a bunch of British roadies accustomed to cold grey weather in the winter months. Today, Will's drumtech Bash tells me of a surfing trip on the day off yesterday. This is all down to Brook, who is the guy who fires all that wonderful butterfly confetti each night. When I first met Brook, I remarked to someone that he was the most Californian person I had ever met - ever. I was quickly informed though, that he hails from down here in Florida. Never was particularly good with geography...

Being as he's on home turf tonight, I figured now's a good time to talk about his butterflies. They are a huge high point on the show, obviously and it's quite possible that the band get the best view of them each night - being as they're looking down the room right into them. The most amazing thing about them is that they get into absolutely everything. Open any flightcase and there'll be at least one in there somewhere, they're in every drawer and every toolbox around the venue. If you leave anything open, they'll get in there before Lovers In Japan draws to a close.

Every night, the fans in the moving lights are blown through with a "leaf blower" to keep them clear for the next day. I'm reliably informed that at Front Of House (roadie glossary: the enclosure in the crowd where the sound, lighting and video desks are) there is usually a frenzy of "wafting" to keep the little critters out of the mixing desks. One of the sound crew apparently even used to blow across the desk to keep them away. Quite whether this was out of dogged determination or out of a desire to amuse himself, I'm not sure.

My personal favourite butterfly experience has to be coming home for some days off during the European tour and opening my paperback for some bedtime reading hundreds of miles away - only to have one of the luminous little buggers gently drop from between the pages. Given that I'm actually UNDERNEATH the stage while they're making their descent I still cannot work out how it got there. All good fun. And I have to say, I'm slightly envious of the fact that Brook gets to tell people he fires butterflies out of a canon for a living....

Here's the drumkit before the encore last night.

Roadie #42

22:45, 6th November 2008. Orlando, Amway Arena. The arena empties out. Orlando Magic 98 - 88 Philadelpiha 76ers. The court in the center is shiny. Smooth under all those squeeking sneakers. Giant figures leave the court. Sweatbands are off to be rung out. Cheerleaders bound off, with white toothed smiles across their faces. Scoreboard is flashing. Disco ball is rotating. Magic’s mascot is circulating. TV crew are out doing reviews of the game for the audience at home. Charles Barkley (NBA, Suns & Sixers legend, who also used to slam dunks on my Super Nintendo in his spare time), packs his papers court-side to leave (or at least I think it was him..).

10:45, 7th November 2008. Orlando, Amway Arena. Is this the same arena? Squeeking floor nowhere to be seen. No hoops. No mascot. No crowd to cheerlead. Instead - cases. Lots of cases. Cables hanging from points high in the arena. Catwalks *(under construction). Amp stacks waiting to be lifted. Forklifts beeping. Bags full of butterfly confetti. Roadies dressed in black (beards across their faces).

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the aura explorer

Discuss this blog entry here onwards.

Today marks the day when we decamp from our temporary home in NYC. We've been based here for two whole weeks now. I can't think of another establishment in the world where the staff have become friends in the same way. From the doormen, to the desk staff, the bar staff, the housekeepers all the way up to the management and the owners. Some of them have come along to the shows, many have shared a drink with us.

For obvious reasons, naming the place we stay when visiting NYC would be frowned upon, but for services above and beyond - and for pretty much defining "home from home" they deserve at least a mention. 'Til next time, many thanks from us all!

Of course, 14 days in the same room means packing becomes the ultimate nightmare. My stuff is everywhere and every day I've either bought something new, or brought something back from the gig to work on. I actually started packing 3 days ago and finished the the night before leaving - going to bed with my bags neatly by the door. Alarmingly organised!

Something I noted in Detroit on the ride in to the venue is also in effect here in Atlanta. The wide open spaces make the sky seem huge. Until we're right up to the city, there is an almost total lack of tall buildings. I'm a sucker for cliched imagery and I totally understand why power lines, telegraph poles and so on are used to romanticise the vast open spaces in the USA. I guess it's the contrast with Manhattan that makes it so striking. Touring is a strange and wonderful thing in the things you're privileged to see. The travel can be something to endure, but every now and again, you remember that it can actually be a joy. It's usually in a van somewhere when you least expect it that these little moments hit you, too...

I pop into the dressing room before the gig to pick up some film for Guy's foot-operated gig-camera and I end up having a Polaroid taken of my aura. This is beyond bizarre. From God-knows-where in New York, he's picked up a contraption that looks like a big old bellows camera. Attached to it by cables are two paperback-book-sized panels which the subject places their hands on. When the Polaroid develops, there is a coloured cloud around the subject's head. Different colours mean different things. Guy points out that his interest is purely from photographic curiosity, rather than any kind of paranormal obsession. He's getting shots of not only the band, but also, members of the crew. Most of the results so far have just been clouds of murky red. This means little apparently. It's only when Pauline, one of the band's longest serving caterers steps in, that things get interesting. Her shot turns out bright bright white - a sign of powerful psychic energy, apparently. Mine, disappointingly, but somewhat inevitably is a dull red mush. My aura couldn't be poorer, it would seem.

Returning to an old theme for a moment, myself and Neill stand watching our video monitor as the C-stage is about to begin. Some folks know it's coming and are already excited. Others are completely unaware of what is about to happen. The lights have just come on and the band have disappeared, so two guys are wandering up the steps towards the exit. Presumably they're either going to put more beer inside them, or to let some out. They're completely unaware that about ten feet from their seats, the band will shortly appear for the acoustic section. i don't catch their return. I wonder whether they come back in the middle of it all, or if they miss it completely and their girlfriends are still trying to convince them that they're not joking, it really did happen....

Off to Miami now for a day off by the sea - it's hell, I tell ya.

Roadie #42

Extra show added due to phenomenal demand. That’s how this show came about. Without it, there would have been a lot of people who missed out. As it is, they didn’t have to. Another sold out show in another state in the US. Coldplay whipped up another storm. The set may have settled into a groove, but the crowds are jumping around wherever we go. One of the Oxfam volunteers summed up the crowd reaction.. ”that was magical.”

I’m sitting on Bus 5, waiting for Doyle (our driver), to hop on and take us on to Orlando, Florida. I’ve not been there before.. I hear it’s kinda hot. Slices of cold pizza and plastic cups filled with various beverages, is the order of the day (even if we are just an hour into it).

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and a new dawn

Discuss this blog entry here onwards.

I start the day today by filling out forms for my Japanese visa, in readiness for the February trip. Somewhat less glamorously (if indeed, filling out forms could ever be considered glamorous), I then move on to the launderette. We're a day or two from leaving New York, so it makes sense to walk around the corner and drop in my smalls for a fluff and fold.

My washbag is one of my favourite pieces of tour swag ever. (Roadie glossary: "Swag" - primarily refers to merchandise for sale at shows. Also, in this case, refers to promotional items distributed free to the crew). Free t-shirts, jackets and hats are a very handy perk of the job. A nice drawstring bag for your washing, though? Now that's something you can be grateful for every single day. Before the last tour, I just used to "borrow" laundry bags from nice hotels. The X&Y tour gave us our very first Coldplay laundry bags. They arrived at a "shed" show in the States. I note though, as I wander through the hotel's swanky lobby, that the old faithful has become somewhat worn and ragged.

Imagine my delight then, when we arrive in Detroit to find that we've been swagged up with brand new VIVA laundry bags!

Aside from this, Detroit's show is notable for a dedication of Lovers In Japan to Jonny's baby. The Detroit show falls on her first birthday. It's all rather lovely as Chris sings "Happy Birthday" as the last of the butterfly confetti falls.

The day off falls on election day. I flip the TV news on and watch the results come in from around 7pm. Slowly, it becomes apparent that I'm watching history. My windows are open and I start to hear cheers on the streets of Manhattan. Once the news is announced, I decide that really, I should take a wander up to Times Square to take in the scene. Firstly I figure, I should see who is downstairs in the bar watching on the big screen. I can catch Mr. Obama's speech in the company of friends. Yasmine, our tour accountant is here with a friend from her time touring with The Who. Guy is also here with his friend Mags.

Watching the speech drives the stake of history into the ground. It's incredible after the past eight years to see a President who can not only string a sentence together, but can use words to inspire so greatly and give such optimism for the future. I stay for a drink and a chat before deciding to take to the streets to soak it up. Car horns mingle with whoops and cheers. Strangers are high fiving as they pass on the pavement. Now, I'm as cynical as the next fella, possibly more so. It's impossible though, not to feel like the world could really change for the better now. Folks over here have been fed a steady diet of fear for a dark few years now. The taste of hope is intoxicating. Don't let us down eh fella?

So the United States has a new President and I have a new bag for my dirty socks. That's the news - onto sports now.

Aside from the fella's love for footy, there is a fiercely fought table tennis league on the tour. This reached its peak on the European leg, when Albert Hammond's band and crew were also keen. Detroit though, saw Chris unusually beaten by Trainer Dan. In order to focus, he decides that a wager is required for his match against Kelly his personal security fella. I was not present for this match, but I am led to believe that the rarely beaten Mr. Martin had "his arse handed to him on a plate", leaving Kelly somewhat pleased with himself and rather better off than he had been minutes earlier.

I'm sure you'll join me in wishing Mr Samuels all the best in his future employment. Anyone requiring an experienced security chief should contact him via coldplay.com...

Roadie #42

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 all this beeping outside, I might not either..

Read other entries at the Oxfam Blog website here

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 they look up at all those peering faces for the first time. At least you can always rely on it being an overwhelmingly good reception when the curtain is raised during ‘Violet Hill’.

The hip-hop/classical entry music, the dimmed - then flashing - lights, mixed with ‘Life in Technicolour’ always gets the crowd raised to their feet and ready to make some noise for these British boys.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the wonders of technology

Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldpatrix & Pris]

Philly is close enough to drive from Manhattan. We're in the van bringing up the rear (oo-err missus, etc etc). For reasons best known to security folks (and quite possibly insurance companies), it's better for all the vehicles to travel "in convoy". Being in the back vehicle as we are today is occasionally a hair raising experience. A string of vehicles takes up as much space as a truck, but fellow road users don't always understand that you're going to move as one. It seems today's driver is somewhat unused to this role. This means that by the time we're almost at the gig most of the folks in our van have knuckles whiter than Hollywood teeth.

We get to the highway exit for the venue and we sail straight past. It would appear that our man at the wheel finds it easier to follow his sat nav than the back of the vehicle in front. Franksy asks what exactly is going on and is informed that it's ok, we're all going to the same place. Suitably reassured, we hold tight and hope for the best.Folks have been turning out in force with banners and signs on this tour and more than ever they've been getting organised about it, too. Harking back for a moment to a couple of blogs ago, to talk about the wonders of the information superhighway, it seems that folks are organising themselves to not only have the same sign, but they're co-ordinated enough that wherever they are in the arena, they all hold them up at the same time. This has been happening a lot on this tour (I'm looking in your direction Coldplaying.com) and it never fails to raise a smile.

It's another show in a venue we've done recently. We were here at the end of the first US arena run on this campaign. I wonder if anyone here saw both shows - and if they did, how different it felt. To me, things seem more assured and confident now. From where I was though, it seems like a grand time was had by all.

The fact that come the runner, our vanload has decreased to just three people completely fails to remind me of the journey here. In fact, it only clicks with me that we still have Satan's chauffeur up front when soundman Dan Green almost goes headfirst through the windscreen. He's standing upfront leaning over the cool box getting a beer when our captain slams the anchors on like he's just spotted a blind pregnant pensioner chasing a cute little kitten into the road. We lurch forwards alarmingly, then glide gracefully into the back of the SUV in front of us. I'm now faced with a dilemma. My beer bottle is three quarters full, but completely inverted and on the carpet. If I try to lift it, I lose the rest of my drink. If I leave it there, it will slowly drain away. I attempt a trick with a piece of card, but unsurprisingly, it's all over.

I decide against kissing the ground Pope-style when we get out of the van outside the hotel, but I have to say that pavement has never been so welcome. I pass Franksy on the way in His driver has shut the van door on his leather jacket leaving a rather large and expensive tear. It would appear that Coldplay didn't get the A team from the car company today. I suspect there must have been someone famous in town.... ;-)

Roadie #42

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, and talking about Oxfam’s amazing work. Those that miss us, are heading in to see the Duffy show, which is in full swing. She has a couple songs left before the end of her last show on this tour. Those (notoriously hard to please) roadies, have often been heard talking about her presence on stage. This girl from Wales is only going to get more fans, the more shows she does. One of the biggest hits of the year.. alongside Coldplay of course.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Grateful Undead

Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks melanieau]

Soundcheck in Washington gets cancelled in the name of a little more time in NYC in the morning. Whilst this is a right result for all, it does mean that we land at Dulles just after 5pm. Of course, as we get on the road, it becomes clear that we're in for a slow trip. One of the reasons to run away and join a tour is to escape the 9 to 5 and here we are sat in rush hour traffic. I'll wager though, that we're the only ones here on our way IN to work...

I'm fairly sure that Coldplay have never done a show on Halloween in the US before. Certainly not whilst I've been with them. We've also got a higher percentage of Americans in the crew this time out, so we're celebrating in full this year. As you can see below, tonight saw a very rare stage invasion. Somehow, it would appear that keyboard tech Neil Lambert got possessed partway through the day. Despite several drumsticks through the heart, he still managed to make his way onstage to try to take out Mr. Martin. Somewhere in the blackout, Chris prevailed and we've put Neill away in one of the spare piano cases for now. I'm not sure what the international laws are about transportation of the undead across borders, but we'll let the freight company deal with that...

The ride home is notable for the fact that lovely Janice, our flight fairy and all of the cabin crew had decked out the plane with cobwebs, spiders and bats. Excellent work folks!

Driving back in to NYC in the wee hours of the morning always gives you a chance to see the more colourful characters on the streets. Tonight being Halloween however, means that it's somewhat tricky to determine who is a crackhead, who is a hooker and who is a party-goer on the way back home still in costume. This bookends our commute rather nicely. We started this afternoon sat in traffic with some of the country's most powerful and important folks in Washington DC and here we are amongst a freakshow the like of which I've never seen. No prizes for guessing where we're the most comfortable...

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the wonders of technology

Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Lore]

What on earth did roadies do before the laptop? Roadies and laptops are like kids with colouring books - give them a laptop and a wi-fi connection and they're quiet for hours. More seriously though, technology has genuinely changed the human experience of touring. There's no getting around the fact that a major tour means weeks at a time away from those that you love, which will never be anything but difficult.

I'm old enough, though, to remember the days when touring abroad was like being sent to the moon. No mobile phones, no texts, definitely no email or any of that. If you were organised, you'd get a calling card from a train station which bought you an hour or so of call time. You could use this on a day off from a payphone and just hope that you could juggle the time difference well enough to find that someone was in and awake when you called.

Getting the news from home meant trying to find a British newspaper, which would usually be a silly price and a couple of days out of date. Trying to watch foreign TV was usually amusing for all the wrong reasons and if the language barrier was too high, completely useless for finding out what was going on in the world.

These days, technology has shrunk the world to the point where although we are still physically absent, we needn't feel quite so far away. I tend to communicate with home via text message a lot. It's instant, so you can have a conversation of sorts wherever you are. The BBC website is truly a wonder of the modern age and I can see exactly what's going on at home, I can listen to Radio 4 whenever I like and (in theory) I can even watch the same TV shows that my other half is watching at home.

A brief wander about the venue after soundcheck sees a different example of all this at every turn. Some roadies are sat on flightcases emailing or Facebook-ing. Others are on Skype calling home to check in. On a good day, when the wind is in the right direction and the internet gods are smiling, some folks even get a video chat in. I remember a friend of mine some time ago coming into catering beaming with joy, because he'd just read his children a bedtime story over webcam.

Today there is football on in England and Dan P (the band's personal trainer) has got the match streaming onto his laptop in catering - attracting quite a crowd. Of course, there are those that would argue that a crew full of people sat behind laptop screens is a social nightmare - that people are spending less time on genuine interaction by disappearing into their own little worlds. This is all nonsense, of course.

Firstly, in addition to a proliferation of all the latest in communications technology on tour, there is also a ready supply of probably the oldest social lubricant known to man. I'm talking, of course, of booze. The days of permanently wasted roadies are long since over. Demands having gone up and shows having got immeasurably more complex. It's pretty fair to say though, that everyone enjoys a drink once the trucks are packed and this tends to keep the smiles and the laughter to the fore.

Secondly, you'd be hard pressed to find a job (outside of the armed forces) which involves being at such constant close quarters to your workmates. There's nothing like living on a bus together as well as working under pretty high pressure for learning everything there is to know about someone. This kind of high intensity living is like a kind of social arc-welding in many ways. Relationships form very, very quickly, but tend to be good solid lasting ones. It's one of the payoffs of the job, to be honest.

Talking of roadies, I have to mention a rather lovely "Roadies Rock" banner with the names of several of the longest serving crew on it. How on earth do these people know? The banner's creators shouted to me (by name) as I made my way under the stage for pre-show checks. I have to admit I'm far too shy to know what to do besides smile - but thanks!

So that's about it. I guess I should dig you out a photo. Here's another one of Mr Champion (I know, I know, the last one was him, too). This time during Strawberry Swing. Keep your "big balls" jokes to yourself, please...

Roadie #42

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 proper freaky.. I’m sure the mood won’t be too dark though. After all, one of the songs is called ‘Death will never conquer’..!

Coldplay and Oxfam are back in Washington D.C. This is one of three venues being repeated from the last stint out here in the States.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

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 far this tour. Boston was the last show before Japan, last time out in North America. Now we are back. Familiar surroundings. The band must have really enjoyed that show. If the atmosphere is anything similar to the basketball last night, it’s going to be another day for the earplugs later.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is watching you

Discuss this blog entry here onwards.

I've mused before on the section of the show when the guys head up into the back of the arena for the "acoustic" bit. Although I've talked about watching the audience response as they slowly realise what's going on, I don't think I've mentioned the range of reactions from the folks that are immediately around the band once they're on the "c-stage" way up in the back of the arena. My little video monitor under the stage shows a tight shot of the four fellas, but I can also see the folks around them and it's increasingly becoming a highlight of the show for me watching the fans' every night.

Obviously, the common reaction by folks is to raise their mobile phones and start filming it. Others though, realise that they are in the spotlight and start waving and holding their hands in the air so that everyone can see them and cheer (this is mostly the guys, I have to be honest). Another popular response is like the old "studio audience effect" from TV shows. you see folks looking out of the top of the frame to see if they're on the big screens and then they start nudging their neighbor and pointing upwards. One of my favourite responses was only a few nights ago when a woman behind the band stood motionless, mouthing the words "Oh. My. GOD." over and over throughout the duration of both songs.

Sometimes folks are so blown away by the fact that the band are within arms reach that they start trying to strike up a conversation with them - completely oblivious to the fact that they are trying to play a song to the other twenty thousand folks in the room. I saw a chap so into it one night that he pulled some heavy duty air guitar moves (complete with heavy metal pained facial expressions) - particularly inappropriate given that the fellas were playing an acoustic version of The Scientist!

Here's Chris from night number two in Jersey, with a comment that perhaps explains why the folks tucked away high at the back are sometimes so entertaining to watch... [listen]

Talking of entertaining to watch, I'm quite pleased with this shot of Mr. C up front and giving it some during Viva.

Roadie #42

We now find ourselves in Boston, otherwise known as ‘Beantown’. Apparently that is because back in the colonial days, a favourite Boston food, was beans, baked in molasses for several hours. So there you go. You live and learn.

There’s a yellow page in the itinerary book, meaning there is no concert tonight. It was a relatively short trip from New Jersey last night. There was a party kicking off on my bus. Felt like being on a bouncy-castle-boom-box.. another round of ipod wars in the back lounge. A chance to let off steam, for the guys involved with the TV recordings during last week. The night before a well earned day-off is always a late one.

Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here