R#42 blog

It’s time for the B-stage. I heard a fan earlier talking about how ‘they do this techno bit on the catwalk’. He must have caught the show before.. but I wouldn’t describe this remix of ‘God Put a Smile’ as ‘techno techno..’ Each to their own.   New Jersey is a lucky place. Like LA, Chicago, Toronto, Paris, Stockholm, Rotterdam.. They all have one thing in common. Two chances to catch the Coldplay show, rather than one. For Oxfam, this gives us a chance for 40 lucky volunteers, rather than the no

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 the bootlegger   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]   Right then folks. Saturday Night Live was a very long day. Soundcheck, camera rehearsals, dress rehearsals and so it went on. Being on the tail end of jetlag as I am, a 1am finish required a hell of a lot of coffee. The one good thing about having all that time though, is that I got a chance to dig through my laptop and have a clearout. Here's a bit of audio I found from t

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: He's Mr Yahoo! 42   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks melanieau]   Just when it looked like we were going to be settled into a long run of arena shows, out of the left field somewhere comes a theatre show for an internet company! It's a Yahoo! session and we're at the Hammerstein Ballroom. It's a beautiful venue in Manhattan, literally around the corner from Madison Square Garden. It could easily have been a real nightmare trying to shift g

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which Roadie #42 is too modest to celebrate reaching Blog #42   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Pris]   One by one, the band bound onto the stage for soundcheck in Ottawa. I don't use the word bound just because it's easy to type. Ten days of rest has recharged, re-invigorated and positively rebuilt everybody here. Jonny, in particular bounces onto the stage like a boxer entering the ring to claim his title.   He's beaming widely and j

The new ‘Oxfam sign-ups on the Coldplay tour 2008 World Record’ holders are Oxfam Canada’s amazing group of volunteers in Ottawa. 2032 is the magic number of Coldplay fans who signed up.   It was an incredible night. What a way to start the new tour. The Coldplay set was awesome too. They nailed it last night, following opening act, a local band called ‘Stars’, with an awesome set. The atmosphere once again, was electric.   Thank you to Victoria Harnett, from Oxfam’s Toronto office, and all of o

Amazing stuff from the Oxfam campaigners tonight. 1847 signatures collected in just a couple of hours before the Coldplay set. We have a little more time after the set.. so there is a chance, that we could surpass the current ‘world record’ held since Montreal.. (which was 1889).   Just think.. all those fans stopping to think about providing people with good quality Health and Education For All. Then signing their name. For Oxfam to take off to the Canadian government, to show that support. All

Time to get back to work. I’m in a cold-looking corridor again. This one skirts around the bottom of the Scotiabank Center. A 13′000 seater hockey stadium, which usually plays host to the Ottawa Senators. Today’s runner, Eric, told me that they are pretty good.   It will be Canada’s last chance to watch Coldplay for a while tonight. Way back in summer, in Toronto, Pemberton and Montreal, the atmosphere was electric. I’m sure that it will be tonight too. The band have had a chance to rest, and i’

Here’s one I penned earlier (when I didn’t have access to the internet..)   It’s oh so quiet. I just got to the hotel. All I can hear is the slight ringing in my ears (still popping occasionally due to the air pressure changes). Coldplay and Oxfam have landed. I caught the same plane as the band today, back over the pond. We’re back on tour. North America (part 2). Now we find ourselves in Ottawa, Canada. Well, just outside, to be precise.   Silence is a rare thing on tour. You know.. when you c

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from an end-of-term TV show   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]   Will is laughing like a drain - and it's all because of Chris's socks. I've no idea when this T4 TV special will air, but I won't spoil the interview by telling you what's caused the hilarity. It's nice though, to see the fellas all together on the sofa (albeit one which keeps collapsing at Jonny's end) and all genuinely having a good laugh.   Doubtle

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 writes from the Later studio   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]   It's all quiet in Studio One at BBC Television Centre. Shortly, they'll be letting the audience in. In the meantime, there's just a few of the TV crew rehearsing camera movements. In an hour or so, we'll start taping a show that'll go out on telly this Friday. This series of Jools Holland is different from those before, in that there is also a show tonight -

Back in the office. Back at Oxfam HQ. Back in the UK. Back home..   Antwerp was the end of the road for the European tour. Coldplay, their Stage trucks, the Beat the Street tour buses, Roadies, Fans, and Oxfam, have all gone their separate ways.. for now. Coldplay closed out the tour with a fantastic show in front of 17,000 euphoric fans, a brand new song called ‘Glass of Water’ (acompanied by ”one of the coolest men in the world from 2 of the coolest bands in the world, The Strokes and Albert H

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: An afternoon update from #42   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]   So there we have it - Glass Of Water is now out in the wild. The footage on the site came from Andy Bramley, the tour's wonderful video director - the entire XL video department played a blinder, I think you'll agree. I'll spare you the details of the chaos that went into making it happen at our end, but I think it was worth it and now we have the ability to do thi

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is a busy bee   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]   Friends, it's been a stupidly busy day or two here at 42 Towers. I won't bore you with the details, because frankly, nobody likes a whiner. But whilst the train wreck of several last minute rush-jobs piles up around me, I really don't want to neglect my duty to all of you.   To that end, here's a few photos from the other day that I took of Albert Hammond's band. We'll be s

Talking of roads, the buses and trucks are all literally parked beneath one, as this venue is right next to the motorway. We drove past it on the way from Milan to Rotterdam. It’s a big green building, feels like it’s seen a few sights over the years..   The crowds are already patiently waiting outside. Inflatable pillows for comfort and their backs against the glass doors, claiming thier spot at the front of the queue. That metal bar at the front of the stage must be the most sought after piece

Don’t worry. I’ve not been hurt (although I did take a tumble in Band v Crew football earlier..), and I have not gone mad after almost 5 weeks of touring and diminishing sleep levels.   The Oxfam Novib volunteers are busy hugging their way through the Coldplay crowd in the Rotterdam Ahoy arena. A few of them are having a coffee next to me, so I presume the tiredness means that it’s been going very well! Exhausted from hugging.. It must be a rare condition.   They have been a great group to work

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the jolly green beer man   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]   The "intro tape" on this run has been a double whammy of Jay-Z followed by the Blue Danube. Quite an odd pairing, I'm sure you'll agree, but it works wonderfully well. Tonight in Rotterdam, keyboard tech Neill Lambert drags me over to stage right as the hip hop track kicks in. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for until I get there. There is a road

I’m sitting here stage-left, backstage, outside the production office, with Steve from support band Albert Hammond Jr. They had another great set earlier. It’s Coldplay’s turn now.. Just on the way back for the encore.. Steve says “I’ve made it now! i’m pleased to be in the blog. i’m pleased to know Pete from Oxfam”. Awesome.   Hoppy and Rick just went past with the guitars from the balcony. The band have launched into the encore now. I’m sure our Oxfam Novib volunteers are out there, having a g

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is your Italian stallion   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]   As we arrive at the airport in Zurich, ready to head for Bologna, we see that there are some fans gathered at the entrance. Not so unusual, except that they are the very same fans that were waiting outside the hotel when we just left. Not only do they know our movements, but they've done the same journey as us and beaten us here.   It gets even more strange when

Here we are at the first of two nights at the Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands. From what I hear, these shows sold out in minutes. Tickets snapped up in eager anticipation, of the Viva La Vida tour. The band have been wowing crowds right across Europe. It’s been a busy 4 weeks.   Oxfam Novib, the Oxfam group here in the Netherlands, will today and tomorrow, be bringing a different kind of campaigning to the show. Dressed as nurses, they will ask the fans to ‘hug a nurse’. Yes, you heard me right! Ox

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is on a Swiss roll   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]   Today marks the first day of the tour where I genuinely don't know where we are. We get into the van at the airport and I catch myself asking what country we're in before I realise how utterly rubbish that sounds. Turns out we're in Switzerland. Zurich, to be precise. The first time I ever visited Zurich it was snowing, I was hungover and it was my mum's birthday. For som

This one looks a bit like a giant turtle shell from the outside. Unlike many of the arenas we are doing on this tour, this was mostly standing, in one big oval hall, like a cake tin, with a few seats icing the edges. The standing masses gave a totally different edge to the atmosphere. More like a huge tent at a festival..   The waiting crowds always burst in and run to the front, as soon as they open, but here, the running kept going until the arena was half full. The fans are so passionate, and

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

The first of two dates in Italy. The tour has come through the Alps, and stopped in Bologna. I have been told that the atmosphere will be incredible here. I hope so.   I’m working with UCODEP and Oxfam International in Italy today. Ucodep is an Italian NGO that since 1976 has worked in Italy and abroad to build a better world through activities aimed at fighting poverty, supporting health and education rights, promoting the values of diversity and solidarity, and assisting people in humanitarian

I am peering out through the darkened windows of the tour bus into the Zurich night. Just tapping away a few lines, whilst perched in my ‘favourite seat’ at the front of the bus. I like this seat. You can see where we are going.. Even if it’s often just a dark motorway, with flashing cat’s-eyes sinking beneath the wheels. You can also recline quite well here, and even fall asleep, if my bunk seems too far to move. There’s a plug socket by my ankle too, which is handy for my laptop for midnight b

Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Munchen bunchen   Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Jenjie]   We arrive in Munich not entirely sure what we'll find. The crew have had a day off here in the midst of "Oktoberfest". Now I couldn't tell you exactly what Oktoberfest is, or indeed why it begins at the end of September. What I do know, though, is that it is all about the drinking. Somewhat predictably, much of the crew are looking rather tired today. I expect the fac