Coldplay quite literally lit-up Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium Wednesday night during a tour-wrapping show in which Chris Martin dropped big hints that his band won't be back for some time, writes Billboard in another featured review of Coldplay's show at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia (21st November). Catch up on the latest tweets, pictures, videos from this show at the Coldplay Live forum here onwards now. Thanks to everyone who has contributed with tweets, photos, reviews, videos and comments! Read on for the rest of the Billboard review article below...
This was a proper open-air event, complete with fireworks, giant inflatable balls, glowing hearts and butterflies, lasers and confetti, all framed within a sea of glowing light. And the British four piece -- Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion -- pulled off a joyful, exuberant set.
It's almost unimaginable the leap this band has made from the melancholy of their first album, 2000's "Parachutes", to the stadium-fillers they are today. They're surely the mainstream rock group of their generation, a group who can shut down parts of a city on the other side of the world like they did here, and count small children and grandparents among the fans...
In Brisbane, like on the earlier dates in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, they gave a workout to songs from across their canon. There's a big push for their new album "Mylo Xyloto," its title track the opening number of more than 20 tracks played. Early on, Martin thanked the crowd for coming, and promises "that we're going to play for you the best fucking show in our life."
The biggest rise accompanies the older stuff - "The Scientist," "In My Place," "Violet Hill," but there's a lot of love for the new. Rihanna appears dynastic across three big screens during "Princess of China." But there's a strangely muted initial response for "Yellow," the audience not tuned-in to the stripped-back piano reworking of the first verse. Normal service is resumed when the familiar guitars drop.
In an age when every band is desperately trying to harness technology to connect with a mass audience, it seems Coldplay have actually cracked it. On entry, ticket holders were given a wristband with a chunky element which, during the performances, activates into a pulsing light. The stadium becomes a sea of flashing color; everyone is part of the show and there's a neat memento to show your friends. In years past, bands used to asked audience members to wave a lighter in the air. Since the '90s, fans held their phones aloft. That's all so old-school.
Coldplay haven't shied away from taking the long haul to Australia. They played arenas - and the "Sound Relief" Sydney show -- on their 2009 tour. And they headlined Splendour in the Grass festival last year when it was still in Woodfordia, Queensland. Martin clearly has fun working this crowd, and working colloquial expressions into the songs.
"God put a smile upon your face," he sang. "50,000 Queenslanders in this place." Actually, it was 52,500. "Thank you for the greatest job on earth," Martin enthuses. "We're in the greatest place in the world." And during a pause in "Clocks," Martin drops the line, "We come from a land Down Under."
One of the biggest cheers came in "Miss You," which segued into "My Happiness," one of the indelible songs of Brisbane rockers Powderfinger, which broke up in 2010. The members of Powerfinger became friends with Coldplay when they supported the Brits on U.S. dates a decade ago. "We miss you Powderfinger," Martin tells the audience. The last leg of a tour is typically cause for a good celebration. Though on this night, Coldplay had more reason to party. "This is the last big show for three years or so," Martin told the stadium crowd. "I don't want to stop."
(Coldplay has three arena shows lined up for the end of December, but after that their schedule is cleared.) They also played a mini-set at the end of a catwalk and later at the far end of the venue. "You can't come to the other side of the world and not visit the back of the stadium," says Martin as he launches into "Us Against the World" on the acoustic guitar, as each member clamours on stage to growing applause.
The anthemic "Fix You" arrived during the encore, a song Marin dedicated "for all you boys taking part in Movember," a cancer fundraising initiative where all participants leave their upper lips to sprout hair during the month November. In the afterglow of this show, an online poll conducted by the local Courier Mail newspaper found almost 1,000 music fans rated this show as the city's best ever stadium performance. Bettering shows by AC/DC, Robbie Williams, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and other luminaries.
Coldplay now moves on to the U.S. for a trio of arena dates culminating in a New Year's Eve pairing with Jay-Z at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
New photos of Coldplay performing at the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia (21 November 2012):
Photos courtesy of Courier Mail (click for more!)
Don't forget to check out your tour discussion thread if you are getting Coldplay tickets or just getting excited for the European & North American 2012 shows and other forthcoming appearances:
FEBRUARY 2012
8 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia (iHeartRadio) [discussion]
9 Los Angeles, CA @ Jimmy Kimmel Live [discussion]
10 Los Angeles, CA @ GRAMMY Week MusiCares Person of the Year tribute [discussion]
12 Los Angeles, CA @ 54th Grammy Awards, Staples Center [discussion]
16 Sydney, Australia @ 2DayFM, Mobile Live Set (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
17 Sydney, Australia @ Sunrise (intimate show) [discussion] [CANCELLED]
21 London @ Brit Awards 2012, O2 Arena [discussion]
MARCH 2012
2 New York, NY @ Good Morning America [discussion]
4 New York, NY @ The Secret Policeman's Ball, Radio City Music Hall (Amnesty International) [discussion]
APRIL 2012
17 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place [discussion]
18 Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome [discussion]
20 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
21 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena [discussion]
24 Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena [discussion]
25 Seattle, WA @ KeyArena [discussion]
27 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
28 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion At San Jose [discussion]
MAY 2012
1 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
2 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
3 Los Angeles, CA @ American Idol show [discussion]
4 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl [discussion]
5 Los Angeles, CA @ KROQ's Weenie Roast y Fiesta [discussion]
18 Porto, Portugal @ Dragao Stadium [discussion]
20 Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Vicente Calderón [discussion]
22 Nice, France @ Stade Charles Herman / Nikaia [discussion]
24 Turin, Italy @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
26 Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund [discussion]
29 Coventry, UK @ Ricoh Stadium [discussion]
JUNE 2012
1 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
2 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
4 London, UK @ the Emirates Stadium [discussion]
7 Sunderland, UK @ the Stadium of Light [discussion]
9 London, UK @ Wembley Stadium (Capital FM's Summertime Ball 2012) [discussion]
9 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
10 Manchester, UK @ the Etihad Stadium [discussion]
22 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
23 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center [discussion]
25 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
26 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center [discussion]
28 Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum [discussion]
29 Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena [discussion]
JULY 2012
2 Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena [discussion]
3 Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena [discussion]
5 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
6 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [discussion]
8 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
9 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center [discussion]
23 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
24 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre [discussion]
26 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
27 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre [discussion]
29 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
30 Boston, MA @ TD Garden [discussion]
AUGUST 2012
1 Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills [discussion]
3 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
4 East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center [discussion]
7 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
8 Chicago, IL @ United Center [discussion]
10 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center [discussion]
11 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center [discussion]
28 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Parken Stadium [discussion]
30 Stockholm, Sweden @ Olympic Stadium [discussion]
SEPTEMBER 2012
2 Paris, France @ Stade de France [discussion]
4 Cologne, Germany @ Rheinenergie Stadium [discussion]
6 The Hague, Netherlands @ Malieveld [discussion]
7 Los Angeles, US @ Shrine Auditorium (Stand Up To Cancer) [discussion]
9 London, UK @ Paralympics Closing Ceremony [discussion]
12 Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion [discussion]
14 Leipzig, Germany @ Red Bull Stadium [discussion]
16 Prague, Czech Republic @ Slavia Eden Stadium [discussion]
19 Warsaw, Poland @ National Stadium [discussion]
22 Hannover, Germany @ AWD Arena [discussion]
NOVEMBER 2012
10 Auckland, New Zealand @ Mt Smart Stadium [discussion]
12 Sydney, Australia @ MAX TV intimate show [discussion] [NEW!]
13 Melbourne, Australia @ Etihad Stadium [discussion]
17 Sydney, Australia @ Allianz Stadium [discussion]
18 Sydney, Australia @ Allianz Stadium [discussion]
21 Brisbane, Australia @ Suncorp Stadium [discussion]
DECEMBER 2012:
29 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena [discussion] [NEW!]
30 New York, NY @ Barclays Center [discussion] [NEW!]
31 New York, NY @ Barclays Center (with Jay-Z) [discussion] [NEW!]
Read also: European Stadium Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the Europe tour)
Read also: North America Tour announced! (general discussion thread for the US/Canada tour)
Read also: 2012: Live Appearances - Easy Thread Finder (last updated - 12th January 2012)
Read also: 2012 tour date rumours (please post dates for ALL countries in here)
Kit yourself up for the forthcoming MX tour and get spotted with Coldplaying's new range of merchandise! [click on the items for the full shop]
The new range of Coldplaying merchanise (unofficial of course to the official shop) has hit our stores, with our biggest range of goods so far. Prices are as low as they can be for a Cafepress shop so more people will be able to afford them. We don't take any profits for the sale of the merchandise as a result. Take a browse in one of the online stores nearest to you: UK | US | Canada | Australia | European (shipping is worldwide, but you can choose what currency to pay in) - simply alter the country dropdown menu at the top of the shop page. [thanks to TracieMorgan and zzz]
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