Jenjie

think you still have a bit of work to do :laugh3:

luvverly name change there!! :p :lol:

The Live Experience – The music vs the show Our intrepid reporter Mrs.Morrissey attended last nights Coldplay show at Hampden in Glasgow. We’re not carrying a review because it’s Coldplay and it doesn’t count. You know what Coldplay sound like and, in simplistic terms, you’ll know whether you would have enjoyed it or you wouldn’t have. They are Coldplay. They played all the Coldplay hits, and 50,000 people ohwoahwoahed to that one which sounds like ‘Walking on Broken Glass.’ Coldplay remain, like Snow Patrol, not as risible as Razorlight but still not worth actually listening to. What did seem interesting – yep, Coldplay gig notwithstanding – was a little set-piece they did. Encouraging singing, Chris Martin said ‘let’s win the X-Factor’ and the crowd sang along, only to be greeted by the visage of Simon Cowell on the big screen, lambasting them in parodic style. This was then repeated, only this time he was full of praise for the second attempt. This pre-recorded segment went down a treat with the audience. Later on there was ticker tape and flashing canons. All the fun of the fair, it seems. It’s about striking the balance. Coldplay were charging £60 a pop to watch, essentially, four fairly dull blokes batter out some tunes in a stadium. There was little chance of achieving the intensity a new band can generate in a packed, sweaty hall. So they decided to make it a bit more interesting. Who can argue with that? But yet….it IS a music show. Is there a line where the visuals surpass the sound? It was a huge source of contention between Jagger and Richards as the Stones got bigger, with Jagger up for ever more pageantry and Richards being all about the music, maaaaan. U2’s live shows are now gargantuan wanks, resembling more and more music theatre and less rock concert. Springsteen’s remain stripped down, all about the songs and how they are delivered. Frankly, many people would have been at both gigs and many would have enjoyed both gigs. You can’t blame a band for trying to at least justify the exorbitant ticket price by making it an experience. But who to say who is right? Well, you are….let us know….. http://extremelisteningmode.com/2009/09/17/the-live-experience-%E2%80%93-the-music-vs-the-show/

Coldplay came to town and I decided with 40,000 other Scots to go greet them. The venue was Hampden which I have covered in a previous post... http://glasgowtheday.blogspot.com/2009/07/o-flower-of-scotland.html but was good to go back and see it as a concert venue instead... Once again despite all the rain we have been having Hampden Park was gleaming in the sunshine. The stage was bathed in sunlight as the kit was set up for the support acts. First support act up was White Lies. And they were really good. Someone to watch out for in the future. As the sun began to set over the stadium and the crowd started to gather the second support act got going... Jay-Z. Now Hip hop not really my thing but he certainly got the crowd going. Night had fallen. The crowd had gathered. Time for the show... and was a light and sound spectacular as you may have expected... With big screen effects and laser shows Chris Martin and the gang had the crowd singing along to all the favourites like Clocks, Fix You, In My Place... And as they played Yellow giant yellow balloons were launched across the crowd. Somewhat reminiscent of the bubbles that would chase Patrick McGoohan in the Prisoner tv series from the 60's!! A one point the band did come off the main stage to a small stage in amongst the crowd to do some tracks like Trouble and also a cool cover version of Michael Jackson's Billy Jean!! And in Viva la Vida Coldplay now have a genuine crowd chant on their hands!! A chant the crowd would break into at any moment throughout the night!! As an encore, (after being brought back on stage by more Viva la Vida chanting) what else could it be but The Scientist. And finish it all off with a fantastic firework display from the roof of Hampden!! And with that it was all over. And with the crowd still chanting Viva la Vida all the way home. I had forgotten just how much fun stadium gigs could be. And Chris Martin mentioned a few times how amazing it was to have 40,000 Scots singing along. Also great fun to be one of those Scots!! :-) So thank you to Coldplay for coming to Glasgow and making a crowd happy at Hampden Park!! After the recent disappointment of not getting to the World Cup was good to have something to sing about!! :-) Be well, be happy!! http://glasgowtheday.blogspot.com/2009/09/and-it-was-all-yellow.html

the fact that he had a seat should say enough. only VIPs had seats for LCCC, there weren't any on general sale

Coldplay, Phoenix Park 2009, a pleasant evening of hygienic rock Let me first freely admit that I’m not a huge Coldplay fan. I enjoyed A Rush of Blood to the Head when it was released in 2002 but never really continued listening after that. However a friend of mine was kind enough to offer me a free ticket to their Dublin concert, so along with a few folks, I headed off to the Phoenix park last Monday night. The weather was perfect and the 30,000+ crowd were obviously in great form as the night got started, you could feel the energy in the air while Elbow provided warm up. Elbows’ music quite frankly bores me to tears, constantly swelling but going nowhere (seriously lads would it kill you to add a riff or melody?) but the band were so likeable and eager to entertain the crowd, that it’s hard to be critical of their performance. And so on to Coldplay. Around 9 they hit the stage and from the offset it was obvious we were about to be bombarded by some serious soft rock. The lights dipped and the band skipped and frolicked on to stage, each member twirling a fizzing sparkler… I suddenly wondered if the term “fluffy rock” might be more appropriate. From the jaunty keyboard riffs to the just-adorable matching cavalry outfits, the impression was akin to watching an ageing but determined boyband take to stage. But perhaps I’m being overly harsh. I have to admit the crowd went absolutely bananas during the opening five songs and Chris Martin’s energy in particular was mightily impressive, serving to remind me just how many old timers I’ve been going to see in concert recently. Coldplay put a serious amount of energy into their performance and the crowd reacted accordingly. But the thing is, what stuck me the most about the band was their unbearably intense cleanliness. I wanted to run onto the stage and fling some mud at them, rip their clothes or get them blind stinking drunk, just to see some sort of grit or depth (I think they went to a more gutsy place when they wrote The Scientist but sadly decided once was enough). They are just so darned shiny, sweet and all round nice, that it’s an injustice to tag them as in any way, rock and roll. Let me give you some contrast: Back in 2003 Ryan Adams released his album Rock n Roll and played the Olympia to promote it. I bought my ticket and went along expecting the usual new material and back catalogue selection. Ryan and the band played for 58 minutes, ripping through the Rock N Roll album like hell the musical, playing only one song that wasn’t from the album. Ryan sank a bottle of wine during the performance, argued with an eejit from the audience and fell about ripping chords from his guitar in a drug fuelled display of pure frustration, anger and belligerence. I left the concert furious that I’d spent my hard earned cash on 58 minutes of a concert but I have to admit, I absolutely buzzed with adrenaline from the pure anarchic rock and roll passion of it all. That was true rock. Of course it would be unreasonable to expect every musician to destroy themselves for their art but come on… sparklers?! I would be doing Coldplay an injustice if I left this review at that though. Their dedication to entertaining their audience was nothing short of spectacular. We had dozens of massive bouncing balloons dropped on us, two explosions of fake autumn coloured leaves scattered across the crowd, impressive stage props, a free CD and a fireworks display – I’ve never seen a band put that much effort into entertaining a crowd, pretty impressive for a €76 ticket. Every person I looked at was enthralled, entertained and excited by the whole spectacle, so I will freely admit my less impressed response was in the minority. To sum up: An impressive evening of pop music, but next time I’ll pass the ticket on to a more deserving fan. http://www.culch.ie/2009/09/17/coldplay-phoenix-park-2009-a-pleasant-evening-of-hygienic-rock/

COLDPLAY: Just like you, I thought they were boring. Then I saw them live. On Monday I started a new job. Twelve of us are doing a two week induction. When one of the guys mentioned that he’d be tired on Tuesday morning because he was going to the Coldplay concert that night, the trainer told him not to worry, as he would be able to get plenty of sleep during the concert! The guy meekly replied, “They’re not that bad.” He’d probably spent around 70 Euros for the ticket, but that was the best reply he could give. Despite being one of the biggest bands in the world and the lead singer married to a Hollywood star, people think Coldplay are dull. No one shouts about being a Coldplay fan, but someone must have bought the albums, otherwise the band just wouldn’t be so big. Coldplay have no street cred. To admit to being a Coldplay fan is open yourself up to the possibility of being perceived as being boring. Anyway, when I got home from work on Monday, my housemate offered my girlfriend and I, two tickets to see Coldplay in concert at Phoenix Park! His mother had won them in a radio competition. He’d arranged to go with a friend but had been let down at the last moment. I’d never got into Coldplay’s music, never been to Phoenix Park and the prospect of standing out in the open on a Monday night for a couple of hours, with the possibility of rain, wasn’t particularly appealing, but I was curious. What were they like in concert? The answer is they were absolutely brilliant. Chris Martin, the lead singer, worked hard to build a rapport with the audience, thanking us for coming out on a Monday night and spending money to see Coldplay during a recession! The band’s boundless energy, humour and willingness to try and connect with audience was impressive, as to were the songs, musicianship, sound, stage and screens. Big yellow balloons, confetti and fireworks at the end, made it a great evening. If Coldplay are boring, then every other band in the world is going to have to try much harder, because this band is fantastic where it matters – LIVE in concert. http://dublinbabu.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/coldplay-just-like-you-i-thought-they-were-boring-then-i-saw-them-live/

On Saturday night I had the geat pleasure of spending an evening in the presence of the fabulous British rock troubadours Coldplay! No, they didn’t come ’round my gaff for a cuppa and a chat – rather me, my wife and about 55,000 other people crowded into Lancashire County Cricket Ground (Manchester, England) yesterday for a concert which has to rank as one of the best I can remember! While the main focus of the concert was Coldplay there were also two supporting acts who were each excellent in their own right. Kicking off the festivities were the excellent White Lies, who are currently enjoying a fair bit of playtime on BBC Radio 1. These guys look set for great things, and older music fans will notice elements in their tracks reminiscent of several great 80’s bands (most notably Duran Duran). Given the current popularity and resurgence of all things 80’s that can be no bad thing. They managed to warm up the crowd nicely and were good enough that I went out and bought their album yesterday! Second up (and probably unaccustomed to not headlining) was Jay Z! While he put on a good show it felt a little out of place sandwiched between the two indie acts. We were seated towards the rear of the stadium (my wife is pregnant and we didn’t want to risk the heaving of the crowd) but it looked like everybody down at the front enjoyed the set. From where I was sitting it all came across a bit muddled, but I’m sure there’s thousands of people who were there that would argue differently. Maybe I’m just getting old… Finally, after sunset, Coldplay took the stage. I’ve been an “appreciater” of their music for some time, but never would have dubbed myself a “fan” until last night. Even while I was there I was trying to think how I could describe the mixture of atmosphere, music and lightshow, and to be honest I don’t think I could ever do it justice. The set list was a mixture of new material from Coldplays latest album “Viva la Vida” and old favourites that had 55,000 people singing in unison. It’s been about five years since I last went to a large scale concert (it was actually The Cure at the same venue) but I was amazed at how much more sophisticated the accompanying visuals and lightshow were that anything I’ve ever seen before! Each song had it’s own visual theme and I couldn’t even attempt to describe the entire gig, but there are a couple of standout moments that are most vivid in my memory. The first of these are the confetti butterflys spewed forth from cannons into the crowd and over the stage during “Lovers in Japan” – for the duration of the song the air was filled with thousands upon thousands of multicoloured flutterings. Secondly, and perhaps my favourite, were the giant balloons that magically appeared throughout the crowd during a brief moment of darkness just before a moving rendition of “Yellow” during which all 55,000 people sang out the chorus! All in all it was a truly breathtaking experience and I will be awaiting Coldplays next tour in anticipation! http://www.mytraveldirectory.net/blog/viva-la-vida-viva-la-coldplay/

Jay-Z is probably one of the last remaining hip-hop pop stars, someone respected in hip hop circles and still able to make records that can crossover and be appreciated by pop music fans of all generations. Recently I caught his gig at the Old Trafford Cricket ground in Manchester – Well, I say his gig; he was actually supporting Coldplay!? This point highlights exactly what I’m saying about his crossover appeal. Jay’s performance went down well with all the middle aged mums and dads waiting to see Coldplay but something about him warming up for Coldplay got under my skin a little bit. I don’t care for all the Jay-Z and Chris Martin arse licking – probably stemming from my dislike for Coldplay’s music. Although I have to admit that Coldplay do put on a rather special live show. They don’t skimp on costs, it’s more of a specatacle than a music gig – the music seems to be secondary to the lighting, smoke, fireworks, confetti, balloons, stage changes, crowd roaming and other outlandish showman tactics. That’s all good, but I’m about the music so it was nice when Chris Martin declared it was the first time they had ever played after someone bigger than them. http://www.audiobounty.com/reviews/album-reviews/jay-z-the-blueprint-3

Jay-z Wrestles Martin During Coldplay Concert Rap superstar JAY-Z stunned his pal CHRIS MARTIN on Friday (18Sep09) when he joined the rocker and his band COLDPLAY onstage during their London concert and began wrestling him to the ground. The Run This Town hitmaker, real name Shawn Carter, has been entertaining fans as the support act on Coldplay’s current U.K. tour - but he had a surprise in store for Martin when the Violet Hill stars performed at Wembley Stadium. According to reports, Jay-Z appeared on stage as Martin was playing a song on the piano and embraced him in a bear hug before playfully tackling him to the floor. The friends rolled around on stage before Martin managed to climb to his feet and resume his set. A source tells OK.co.uk, “It was a strange moment, Everyone went wild when Jay-Z joined the boys on stage but seeing him grab Chris away from the piano and on to the floor was a bit weird to say the least.” But that wasn’t the audience’s only surprise - Star Trek actor Simon Pegg also joined Coldplay at their London gig and showed off his skills on the harmonica during the band’s rendition of Trouble. Jay-Z and Martin have been close friends since collaborating in the studio together in 2006 and the pair is regularly spotted out on dinner dates with their respective wives Beyonce and Gwyneth Paltrow. http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/09/22/jay-z-wrestles-martin-during-coldplay-concert-35897/

Please keep the download links in your confetti thread. thanks

every so often, the camera panned the front row and you could see loads of glow bracelets waving in the rows behind :D

yup because I put my entry in affiliated to coldplaying, but I said to Ian that if that's the case we pick one to vote for in the final, which should be yours :D

they could have confiscated the camera though if they'd seen it

I've had nothing official either

yup :) I had packets of anti-bacterial wipes with me

just so long as they quit marching your way when we're trying to watch films. :laugh3:

that's just because you're TheAngie

great minds think alike :P :D

i think ian protected himself with alcohol :laugh3: those germs didn't stand a chance :D

because we kept hugging each other I think. plus my excuse is my immune system is low at the moment, so was bound to catch germs from someone :laugh3:

they were supposed to announce them during the hometime show (was between 5pm & 7pm I think) but if they have a tie they may have to count the third place votes

I knew there was more to those vivacrew tweets than met the eye :laugh3: Chris' was just trying to divert attention away from his GA crush :D

still it looks like you came joint third :)

they've removed the voting options, and it looks like it finished 23%, 20% and the 2 at 7%