Are you (the person reading this review) colourblind? If so, you really should have been at Coldplay‘s epic opening show of their Australian tour in Melbourne, writes news website Music Feeds in our third featured review of Coldplay's show at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia (13th 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 Music Feeds review article below...
Why? Because the group, who have previously described themselves as ‘one of Britain’s premium soft rock bands’ and reluctant stadium fillers, put on a display that was bursting with so much colour, fireworks and bells and whistles that it probably would have cured you. In fact, anyone who wanted to see one of the world’s biggest bands cement themselves as bona-fide live superstars should have been there.
I walked into Etihad Stadium to the sounds of country-twanged New York sisters The Pierces. Their band was nice for about five minutes…then, it got a bit dreary. The girls were nice and interactive with the crowd; however, their tunes aren’t obviously built for stadiums yet. One of them mentioned that they were playing at the North-Coat (Northcote) Social Club on Thursday – any fans would probably be wise to see them there instead...
Constantly mentioning how good it was to be home, local boys The Temper Trap then flexed their muscles with a solid 50-minute set, which showed that they are slowly building a nice catalogue of arena-fillers. Cuts from their new self-titled album such as Rabbit Hole and Never Again slotted in nicely with early hits Fader and Love Lost, which were piled out early on. And naturally, leaving their biggest hit for last (Sweet Disposition) got everyone in a mighty good mood.
Making the move up to stadiums on this tour, I was worried Coldplay wouldn’t be able to put together a show that would be ideal and inclusive for a stadium-sized crowd. How wrong I was. Aside from the awesome flashing wristbands that turned the place into a giant galaxy of colours – Coldplay bombarded us with an immersive experience full of fireworks, lasers, bright coloured graphics and paper butterflies. And that was only in the first three songs (Mylo Xyloto, Hurts Like Heaven and In My Place). Check out the video below for a small snippet of that. Giant balloons and more confetti then made their way through the crowd for Lovers in Japan, and later in the night, stacks of giant glow-in-the-dark objects made their presence felt in the Etihad stands at the sides of the stage.
Yellow and a rowdy new version of God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (complete with guitar duelling and a guitar throw at the end of the song from Chris Martin) were as stadium-rock sounding as you could get. Later in the night, the flashing wristbands were fully utilised as the words “glowing in the dark” rang true during Charlie Brown, which was followed up by neon graphics en-masse in Paradise. And, to show the love to the punters a bit further back, there was not just one, but two visits to other parts of the venue for some stripped-down segments. The first – at the end of the catwalk – featured Princess of China (with Rhianna singing on the big screen), Up in Flames, and the choice inclusion of ballad Warning Sign from 2002′s A Rush of Blood to the Head.
The second visit saw them venture to the back GA section for Us Against the World and an acoustic version of Speed of Sound (with a false start 20 seconds in!). The band then returned to the main stage to pile out the anthems – Clocks, Fix You and finishing with Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, which soundtracked another multicoloured apocalypse. Chris Martin declared at the start of the night: “You’ve all made such a huge effort to come here, so we’re gonna repay you by trying to give you the best fucking concert you’ve ever seen”. I have no doubt quite a few thousand people walked out of Etihad Stadium last night feeling as though that promise was fulfilled. Bono and U2, be scared. Be very scared. Because every time I see Coldplay (the band who idolise you) live, they take another step towards snatching your crown as the biggest band in the world. Based on the magic they created last night, consider this a giant one.
New photos of Coldplay performing at the Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia (13 November 2012):
Photos courtesy of Zimbio (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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