Jenjie

Late Entry : ImLovingGuyBerryman June 10, 2009. AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas. Best night of my life. This was the night of my first ever Coldplay concert, and it did not disappoint in any way. I had seats that were ok; they were 2 rows up from the floor level, in the middle section furthest to the left, right next to the aisle. I thought that the show would be great, but I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen to me and my friends. At some point during the gap between the great opening performers, the Howling Bells and Snow Patrol, I glimpsed Hoppy, one of Coldplay's famous (if you're a big fan) roadies walking up the stairs at the other end of my row. I got pretty excited, just shocked that I had seen him in the flesh. I felt lucky to have even seen him at all, and expected nothing more exceptional to happen besides a mind-blowing performance from Coldplay. The night progressed, with a wonderful Snow Patrol set, the playing of songs like U2's "Magnificent" and a song by Jay-Z, when a roadie did some fantastic and (in my opinion) hilarious break-dancing. Finally Coldplay came on and the show commenced. Now, since my friends and I were a the very front of our section, and right next to an aisle, we decided to stand at the end of the aisle at the railing separating us from the floor level. Not too long into Coldplay's set, I noticed that on the floor level a few feet below us and a few feet to our right, stood a man with a very nice camera, and he was taking pictures of us. I got my friends' attentions and we all started smiling for him. The man lowered the camera from his face to look at the pictures he was taking, and to my surprise it was none other than THE Phil Harvey! I started getting really excited and yelled his name, then explained to my friends who he was and that this was a big deal. Phil Harvey was taking pictures of us! No doubt it was because we were all wearing homemade Coldplay shirts, standing at the railing looking like and behaving like enthusiastic fans. I was and still am very thankful to Phil for giving us such a pleasant surprise! So, being a relatively learned Coldplay fan, I had informed my friends ahead of time on what the B and C stages were. We could only hope that we might be somewhat close to the C stage. At one point in the middle of Viva La Vida, a security guard informed us that we had to sit back down in our seats. We thought this odd, because plenty of guards had seen us standing at the rail during the show and had let us be. But now, we were made to sit back down. Confused and a little annoyed, we took our seats. Out of nowhere it seemed, security guards were all over our aisle. They began taping it off on both sides so that the people couldn't get into the aisle. They opened a gate in the railing right where we had been standing, and roadies started to carry equipment boxes past us and up the stairs. It didn't take long for us to figure out what was going on, so we started to freak out. After Viva La Vida, the boys performed Lost! Then they departed from the main stage, walking along the edge of the floor level, then up the little steps to our aisle and right past me and my friends. As they passed, my friends and I all reached out and were each able to touch at least one member of the band. I was so excited! This had officially turned into the best night of my life. The boys played on the C stage, which ended up being about 10 rows up from us, so we were pretty close! Then as they came back down, with a little push and shove from a security guard who decided to park himself between us and the aisle, we all touched the boys again. Not in an inappropriate way, mind you. Just a little bicep grabbing and back patting. Back up on the main stage, they carried out the rest of the concert with flying colors. And I mean it when I say that even if my friends and I hadn't had such incredible luck, the concert would still be considered the best of my life. Coldplay's live performance goes unmatched. We enjoyed the night immensely even when the especially exciting parts weren't happening. I couldn't believe that I had such great luck at my very first (and certainly not last) Coldplay concert. Coldplay definitely know how to put on a superb concert! Thanks for everything!

shan't be bowing to Ian :P will be wearing a butterflies shirt, unless something goes wrong not sure about customising it, that requires creativity, a steady hand, and the will to succeed :lol:

yep :) everyone votes for their favourite, and the 4 with the highest number of votes are our entries.

Thanks guys :D The entry part is now closed. Voting part will be up in the next few mins :D Please don't vote & run :) To qualify for the competition, the forum needs to discuss the entries, so it would be nice if you posted something in the voting thread. You don't have to tell us who you voted for if you don't want, but you could tell us which were your favourite reviews, and why.

11) Jizo Feb 28th 2009, Perth, Australia I sit here, behind a glowing computer screen in a dark room, wondering if there is one word that could encapsulate my experience. One word that could start off the divulgence of my amazement and awe of the worlds biggest band. After 20 minutes I have found no words, and that is simply because, there are no words that could possibly describe it. I look to my left and I see a ticket perched next to a lamp. It reads "COLDPLAY - Sat 28 Feb 2009 7:10pm. Gold - Standing Front". Funny how those 42 or so characters printed on that ticket changed my life... It was the second time seeing Coldplay in so many days. The previous night they had their opening concert of the Australian leg of their Viva La Vida world tour. The Burswood Dome in Perth, Western Australia isn't the most ideal of locations for concerts. The acoustics are terrible, the seating is crap, and the location is a nightmare. This plagues nearly every band who enters through the doors. Yet on this evening, all of that was insignificant. All of that was a million miles away in peoples minds. My excitement today was ten fold over the previous day. I was sitting up in the sky the night before. Today, I was on the floor. First in line with a good friend waiting to sprint our way to the barrier as soon as the doors opened. It was a long hot day, in searing 35ºC heat with no shade, and hardly any people. As the old saying goes, no pain, no gain. I ducked off for a while and left my friend to hold the fort. The fact she did so without a batter of an eyelid showed me how lucky I was to be a part of this band and have friendships with their fans. I met her through the Coldplaying website originally, a true testament to how band forums can play such a brilliant role in making gigs even better. By the time 5pm rolled around we entered the doors. Though entered may be too soft a word. Piled in with no regards for peoples safety is a more accurate description. The next 20 seconds were a blur. My feet propelled me as fast as they could towards the front. In enough time as it turns out. I was slap, bang on the barrier. Just in front of the main microphone. Perfection. The pre-acts were clearly there for one reason. To be so bad that Coldplay looked even better when they eventually came on stage. It was a lengthy 4 hour wait, but the time flew by as quickly as the atmosphere built around me. Once U2 passed on the sound system, Jay-Z had his spot, the Blue Danube came on, and I knew it was time. The lights went out. The crowd roared. Coldplay, were here. The moment Life in Technicolor started playing I was so nervous, it felt like I was reaching in for my first kiss. As soon as the boys came out though I realised this would be a lot better than my first kiss! Once Life in Technicolor ended the curtain dropped and my ear drums exploaded from the uproar behind me. Chris Martin pursed his lips to the microphone and the tender ressonance of Violet Hill bounced around the arena. Jonny Buckland's guitar crashed in with a mighty force, Guy Berryman's bass sunk in to everyones skin, and Will Champion's drumming seemed to hold the whole song together somehow. After the crowd classics In My Place and Clocks, and a few new tracks, came the first real highlight of the evening. Yellow. Being right there in front of the band as they played this true British classic made me realise what a brilliant band they are. Such a beautiful song, yet such an anthem as well. Yellow balloons made their way to the pit, and the energery was electric. The feeling after the song ended was one of pure jubilation. A few more tracks then came one of my favourites, Strawberry Swing. It wasn't the perfect execution of the song itself that made me have a heart attack, it is what happened at the end. Chris Martin took the pick he was holding, the one that had just plucked the strings of his hand painted guitar, and threw it towards me from the stage. It fell just short of me, which as you can imagine, did not leave me feeling so fantastic. A kind word to the security guard near me and within seconds I was holding Chris Martin's pick in my hand. The moment was surreal. I was holding something that had moments before been sitting in Chris Martin's sweaty palms. I quickly pocketed the pick so I could continue enjoying the concert. Yet the rest of my night my hand drifted down every so often for a quick pat, just to make sure it was still there. The band did a short set on the B stage, which included a techno remix of God Put a Smile Upon Your Face and Talk. It showed how Coldplay are able to keep up with emerging and popular music trends, yet keep their roots firmly in place also. The scene flipped 360º after this, and an acoustic rendition of The Hardest Part was played by Chris on piano. Soft, elegant, and charming, it made the hairs on my neck stand up on end and my eyes well up as the lyrics seemed to tug on every heart string I had. However there was no time to reflect. The energy rose once more when the band cranked up Lost! from their Viva La Vida album, and then launched in to the title track. This was a moment like no other. Hitting number one all over the world, everybody knew the lyrics, and everybody was ready to chant the chorus. My feet jumped off the ground by themselves, it was an experience like no other. When the crowd started singing the "woooaaaahs" the roof lifted off its supports for a good 3 seconds at least, it was that intense. It wasn't like a typical sing a long. This was something different altogether. Thinking about it now still sends shivers down my spine. The band moved up in to the crowds to do a short spell of acoustics songs, the show seemed so much more intimate now, and suddenly the fans up in the sky had the same feeling us down the front did. After an interlude they came back down to play the epic Politick, Death and All His Friends and sandwhiched inbetween those was my favourite Coldplay song of all time, Lovers in Japan. As the song got in to the swing of things, confetti butterfly reigned down, glowing under the stage lights. A party atmosphere was definitely flowing through the crowd. The boys took a short break then burst back on stage for the encore. The Scientist was an instant, mellow crowd pleaser, and then the band jumped up, donned new brightly coloured jackets, and belted out their latest single Life in Technicolor ii, a great high to leave the show on. The band were gone as quick as they came. As the multi coloured set faded away to black and the roadies came on to pack up, it seemed the engergy had been flicked off with a switch. I had blinked and the concert was over. Any feeling of sadness was instantly erased with pure ecstasy. I collected some butterflies, and headed out of the venue with my friend. She is a smart thinker, and detoured via the front of house in the middle of the arena. A perfect way to end a perfect evening was picking up a setlist for herself and I. We walked out as if we had been to heaven and back in 2 hours. My concert experience didn't include meeting the band, or having something truly extraordinary happen. But in all honesty, I didn't set out to try because there was no need. The sweet taste left in my mouth was from the music, the band, the feeling, the way I couldn't shut up for days and weeks afterwards. The fact that I got Chris Martins pick and a setlist was a bonus I would never have imagined. Being right there front row, was something I would never have dreamed of. And the lasting effect it had on my life, well, thats something I take with me in every second of my life. Some people may say it is stupid that a concert can change a persons life. But when music that is so powerful and personal is played mere metres in front of you, somehow it always remains at that distance, from the instance you leave the concert. From the moment you take a breath of fresh air. From the moment you walk to your car, and start echoing the Viva chant with the hundreds of other fans around you.

10) Chavi October 3rd and 4th, 2008, Rotterdam and Antwerp. This is how a friendship is born thanks to Coldplaying.com ! This was really a last minute trip... I met this amazing friend, Carla, on the Coldplay forum Coldplaying.com last summer, and we always wanted to go to a concert together. We knew it would not be easy. She lives in The Netherlands, and I live in France. But we would do anything to make it happen. It was already late September, and the possibility for me to find tickets to the show she was attending in Rotterdam was inexistant. But she still posted a request on the forum asking if anyone had spare tickets for Rotterdam or Antwerp. Then on Tuesday, Sept, 30th, another member from Coldplaying.com, Frysk Famke, posted a link to that Extra video in which Chris Martin said the line "maybe I can help". Here, this is what we call Coldplay Karma! Frysk Famke said she had two tickets for Antwerp and that she would be more than happy to let us have them. Things went so fast. The show was in 4 days... What was I supposed to do ? As soon as Carla found out, she texted me, said she could also have a spare ticket for Rotterdam and we discussed about it. It was really hard to decide. I'm a student at university, would I be able to afford it, would it be okay to miss classes for a Coldplay concert ? Long hesitation, I couldn't think properly... but two hours later, my train tickets were booked ! It was so unexpected, the next thing I knew is that on Friday morning (Oct. 3rd) I was on my way to Holland. Friday, October 3rd.. early in the morning, I got a phone call from my sister's fiancé. She was in labor, and about to give birth. I was crying my eyes out and it was only the beginning of what was going to be one hell of a weekend ! 3:36pm I’m in Rotterdam ! Gotta find the subway to go the concert venue.. People are SO nice and helpful. Thanks to two very nice men I managed to get there safely. I can see Carla waving at me from far away. So we met for the first time and I felt like very close already ! I’m waiting in the line a little behind her, about 20 people between us. Later, I got a call from my sister who wanted to tell me to enjoy as much as possible and that she understood that I had to go and couldn’t be there with her ! Btw, it’s a girl (I know it’s not really Coldplay related but it made my day even better, so it’s important for me that this part’s included in the story !) I almost cried.. Still waiting, I met that group of women, they were crazy but in a nice way. I talked a lot to one of them and told her about the previous concerts I attended, and she recognized herself being the same way with her favorite band, I think it was Metalica. She nicely told me and kept repeating that she would definitely let me take her spot if she ended up being in front of me. HOW NICE ! Thanks Sally. 6:35pm they finally opened the doors. No security to stop me, no one checked my bag so I ran and tried to find Carla calling my name. At first, that lady between us wouldn’t let me go with her. But later, she understood that we had to be together and let me go in front of her. So I was second row, just behind Carla ! I cant remember the time, but then Albert Hammond Jr came on stage. Oh it was still pretty good after seeing them 4 times supporting for Coldplay already! But I couldn’t wait to see Coldplay for the 5th time in 33 days ! And then COLDPLAY were on ! Always as intense as the first time you see them. You’re excited, scared, happy, thrilled, worried but overall overwhelmed with joy ! And it’s even better because you share the same feeling with 10 000 people at the same time ! Highlights of the show : -Life in Technicolor : the crowd go nuts ! and you’re full of energy, even after a long trip by train, or very long hours of waiting outside the venue ! -Clocks : awesome live, I’m sure you’ll all agree ! -Speed of sound : The cameraman wants to film my banner ‘Nothing matters except life and the music Coldplay make’ and put it on the screens at each side of venue ! THANKS A LOT FOR DOING THAT ! -Chinese Sleep Chant : I can't get over this song, especially live ! -B-stage part, always nice! And it’s the right to time to just lean on the fences or someone and just breathe, because you know you’re gonna need ALL your energy for Viva which is coming next ! -Guy and Jonny having a laugh on the main stage while Chris is doing his thing on the B-stage. It's always nice to see the non rockstar side of a band. -Viva la vida and Lost! How can they not be highlights !?! -Politik : time to give everything you have left ! it really really is one of the best thing live ! -Lovers in Japan : OF COURSE ! the butterflies are simply fantastic. Even if you don't like Coldplay, I swear you'd still walked out thinking "damn that was pretty amazing, wasn'it?" -Yellow : all four of them laughing at something, they always crack up ! it’s priceless to see ! -The cameraman coming right to us and giving his setlist to Carla. Carla’s brother in law getting Will’s drumstick. AND Matt giving me Jonny’s setlist. Again, AMAZING CONCERT ! The band’s always GREAT and really into it even though they’re extremely exhausted ! They’re giving us so much when on stage. You have to love them for that ! After the show, we (Carla, Lauren, another member from Coldplaying and myself) went to the backstage entrance and waited a LONG TIME ! People were coming in and out and a lot wondered what the heck we were waiting for... Most of them were really nice and answered when we said Good evening and everything. And then, Pete from Oxfam showed up. I HAD TO say something, so I came up with a casual ‘Hey thanks for the blogs, they’re great!’ .. smooth, right ? He was soooo surprised and wondered if we were really talking to him. Carla said his name and he felt even more embarrassed ! That was cute. He really is a nice guy and kind enough to take some of his time (it was pretty late) to stop and chat with us. Take a photo as well ! So, we talked about a lot of things and we said we would see him the day after in Antwerp. Afterwards, we met Reno Bo (Albert Hammond Jr’s bass player), and he was very kind too. We took a picture, we talked and later he came back to see us to give us some setlists and the sheet of their schedule, and he signed them ! It was lovely ! I was really really impressed by how people had been SO amazing to us all day long ! It was that security guard’s turn to be helpful and kind. He kept looking at me through the window. I thought he wanted us to leave but he was smiling. And then he came out and told us Chris was still there ! I cant believe he just told us OMG ! and gave us updates about when Chris was supposed to leave and everything ! AND AND AND, IT HAPPENED !!!! CHRIS MARTIN was coming right to us ! OMG OMG OMG ! I cant described how it feels, really cant ! it’s just so impressive, you’ve been dreaming about that day for sooo long and you imagined that scene in all the different scenarios possible BUT you never think it’d be that perfect ! Chris seemed so shy, I mean after all these successful years and all the great things that happened to him, he’s still amazed when he sees three desperate girls waiting in the rain after a concert for him to just sign something. I bet it’s like part of his everyday life but still, he’s not used to it ! He was so sweet and kind, and he just took his time and was in no rush even though people were waiting for him to get inside that car. It didn’t last long but more than I would’ve ever expected ! and then after we took a pic and talked a bit, we told him we would see him in Antwerp to which he replied : ‘okay see you tomorrow!’. And then when he was inside the car, as we were waving at him to say bye and just knocked a few times on the tinted windows as a reply to our waving ! Was it like the best night ever ? HELL YEAH DEFINITELY !!! what could make it even better ? maybe, if he’d recognized us the next day… oh wait, HE DID! October 4th : Didnt get much sleep.. but it’ll be alright ! it’s gonna be the 6th time I see Coldplay live in 34 days for the Viva la vida Tour ! we’re on a OMG-we-met-Chris-Martin-last-night high, and nothing can bring us down ! We’re leaving for Antwerp early in the morning, because WE NEED our front row spots again ! Carla and I are the 4th and 5th person to be at the venue. The doors are wide open, the roadies are setting up the stage, we can see it from outside.. So we’re sitting here against the glass windows making new banners for the band and Reno Bo. Fryske Famke joins us and gives us our tickets. We have a pizza for lunch which was a very nice idea I must say as it probably was the only real meal we had for two days. They open the door at 6:35pm, the security is being ANNOYING but eventually we get through, and so we run ! We struggled through security who was telling us to slow down but GOT OUR FRONT ROW RESERVED SPOTS ! Highlights : - Reno Bo from Albert Hammond Jr's band saw us from the stage and laughed. We got two setlists of the band which were directly given to us by a roadie ! SWEET ! and also one of the guitar picks Reno threw in our direction ! -LIFE IN TECHNICOLOR : I keep repeating myself in each review, but the beginning is always AMAZING! That’s when the fun starts and you cant get tired of it ! Never ever ! -Violet hill : Chris said HEY TO US ! He saw and recognized the ‘you make me shiver’ banner he signed me the night before in Rotterdam ! -In my place : the yeahs were pretty awesome ! so much energy and that’s when the guys gather. AWESOME ! and the drums always kick ass in that song ! -Just before Cemeteries of London : ‘We hope you have a great time, Please sing with us, THANKS TO PEOPLE WHO’VE BEEN TO OTHER SHOWS BEFORE THIS ONE!’ WAIT, is he talking about us and pointing in OUR direction at the same time ? OH YEAH HE IS ! -Chinese sleep chant : I love it ! I love it ! I love it ! oh and I love it ! -Fix you : Tears almost streamed down my face ! -Viva la vida and Lost! Such a great combination ! it rocks live ! -Politik !! I was dead tired after that one ! it was so great and powerful ! -Lovers in Japan, again the tears.. I enjoyed as much as I could because it was the last show I was supposed to see in a while ! -Chris waving back at us when he goes off stage before the last encore ! -GLASS OF WATER ! The song rocks live, I cant wait to hear the studio version. It really is something to discover a song for the first time when it’s played live. You just enjoy and you cannot not fall for it ! I thought it’d be more a slow song, but I was gladly surprised ! -They took their time to say bye to Europe.. that was nice and emotional. And that was it ! -Got a setlist from the other cameraman who came to us, although he was far and could’ve given it to someone closer .. THANK YOU! We knew, or had the feeling that the band left already but we still went to the back entrance. But no German vans this time.. bummer! We met the famous ping pong table, after sneaking in backstage when we saw a door open ! we went upstairs, went into the lounge bar, but no Coldplay.. so we left. And we went back home.. that was the end .. of this tour leg I mean ! Now, I saw them ten times live, and will see them again soon... I don't think I would be such a great fan if it wasn't for Coldplaying, and the good friends I met there. Seeing Coldplay live is a way of life !

9) Zeya I have always believed that if you want something bad enough, you will one day get it. And I was right. This is a story of my most precious three days of my entire life. It all started on the 11th March 2009, the day of my first Coldplay concert. I arrived at the venue at nearly 9am which is quite early, yet there were already 9 others lining up in front of me and my friends. After we have secured our place, I have decided to take a walk around, wanting to find out the possible door that the boys will come in through. Then I saw an area filled with trucks and cars. An army guy approached me, asking if I was waiting for Coldplay, and of course I said yes. He told me they were not coming until it was around 2pm. So I went back to that place later at 2pm. I waited until it was 3.30 pm, but still, no sign of the boys. I approached the security lady and asked if the boys are coming through that place after all, to which she replied “yes, they are coming through this door, but you did not hear it from me!” After the very long wait, I decided that I will just wait until 4pm, then I’ll go back to line up with the rest. And boy did I make the right decision. At approximately 3.45pm, a white mpv came in through the door, and I could see from the front Jonny and Guy, seating while smiling in the mpv. With my excitement, tears came out of my eyes a little. I decided that I will come back to that place after the show, just to try my luck again. I went back to my line, chatted with the ones in front of me, until it was time to go in. It was like a war, everyone was running to go inside. Being the slow runner that I am, I was far behind from the rest. We were led to a room, where everyone should gather in first before going to the GA floor. After about an hour, we were given the cue to stand up, which means that it’s time to go…I was frustrated not to be able to be a bit more to the front. However, just when I thought we’ll never make it to the front, the guy who lined up in front of me since morning took my hand and pulled me to the front! I could not thank him enough. Then, as soon as we were allowed to go to the floor, the war began all over again. Everyone was running so fast while the securities tried to slow us down. In my head I was thinking that I will never get to the front row. While I was running, I saw someone at the front gate waving at me. It was my friend! She had secured a place for all of us, AT THE FRONT ROW! When I reached there, I hugged her and cried. It was a cry of joy of course! Have you ever had the moment when you have worked hard for something but felt that you have lost you hope, and suddenly it is there in front of you? That was mine. The next one and a half hour was filled by Decoder Ring and Mercury Rev, and also some greeting to the roadies (Roadie Maynard in particular whom was shocked that I knew his name). Then Jay Z came on, and The Blue Danube, then it was time for…….COLDPLAY. As soon as the boys came on stage behind the sheer curtain, a roar came to air. I was completely stunt for a few second, not believing what I see before my eyes. The melody and the guitar riffs of Life in Technicolor filled the whole arena. Audiences were jumping, letting out all the energy that they have built and kept long enough with them, and I was not an exception. Listening to the music that I have loved so much all these years live in front of me was the most beautiful experience. Starting from here, for the next two hours, all those 20,000 people who were united by these four brilliant men stood before them were all swayed by the magical music played. Songs after songs were played, yet the crowd still could not get enough. I wish I could pick a highlight of the show, but everything was perfect. From the yellowish atmosphere with yellow balloons flying around during Yellow, those amazing butterfly confettis during Lovers In Japan that filled the air beautifully, the Viva La Vida craze and chants, and the perfect harmonious sing along (as Chris called it) of Fix You, I was blown away by how hard these four friends have worked to bring happiness to every single person present in that space. I forgot to mention my banner which I brought and made myself. On one side, it was written ‘COLDPLAY RULE AUSTRALIA’ while on the other side ‘HAPPY BELATED B’DAY CHRIS’. I wanted to wish him that, as I missed the actual birthday. While they were taking their bow after playing Death and All His Friends, I decided that it was now or never. So my friends and I screamed it there and then, and we got Chris’ attention. He saw my banner, said thank you while putting his hand on his chest. He then pointed at me, and then to his sleeves. I realized that he was pointing at my sleeve, as I was wearing the colour stripes similar to his military jacket. To get Chris to say thank you to me and noticing my sleeve while he was on stage, it is only natural that I died for five seconds. After that of course the boys came in for the encore, and finished that night’s show. While I was still in the seventh heaven, I realized that I still had few missions to accomplish, one being to get a setlist. I saw Matt on stage and I immediately screamed ‘Matt can I have a setlist??? I want a setlist pleaseeeeeee!!!!!!!’ Matt tore the setlist from Johnny’s side and Guy’s side, handed it to the security. Everyone seems to want it after that, but the security guy said to them ‘no, this is for her!’ and handed me the setlist, and to another guy. Later that night I found out that he gave it to the guy who pulled me to the front. Now if that is not karma speaking to us, I don’t know what is. So the night could not be any better right? Wrong. I went to the place where I waited for the boys during the day, where my friend I met Min (but a dream) for the first time. Not long after that, Will came out with Franksy, trying to drive through us unnoticed. Now that of course is impossible. Few other fans asked them to stop, and right in front of me is the lovely Mr Will Champion. Will, just like his voice, is like an angel. He made sure everyone got good pictures, asking to take them again if it did not turn out well. Just before he went off, I asked him if the others are coming out. He told me that Guy and Jonny has gone back, but Chris will come out shortly. So we waited. While waiting, there was a guy behind tinted van waving at us. Some of the fans thought it was Chris, but I did not think so. I went to the security lady again and asked her. She said it WAS him, and I was broken hearted. I called my friend who were there to pick me up. Just when I was stepping into his van, the security lady shouted at me “Hey young lady, Chris is coming out soon!!”. I went off the van and ran to the door again. I waited with my friend, and soon enough, the same white mpv that I saw earlier during the day came towards us. It stopped right in front of me. I hold my banner tight, while telling myself ‘yes, this is it!’. Kelly came out from the front seat first. I greeted him ‘hi Kelly!’. He looked at me with a shocked expression, then said hi back (yes, Kelly is friendly at heart!). He opened another door, then with my very own eyes, I saw CHRIS COMING OUT OF THE VAN. My mind stopped working for one second, then I said with quite a loud voice “OH MY GOD!!!” along with others who were just shouting. Kelly told us to keep quiet, and Chris continued “yes everyone keep it low…We have neighbours!”. After saying hello and thanking us for coming to the show, the first thing he turned me and said, “I really like your banner, and I noticed your arm too..”. I said thank you in the most controlled voice, afraid that I might embarrass myself. Then I immediately continued “we should take picture together with it.” He smiled and agreed, but said that he will give out his signature to everyone first. He signed my cd, signed others’ and faced me again. He did that for two times, and I did not have anything else to hand to him for him to sign. Subconsciously, I gave him my cd again. He looked at me with his weird look and said, “I’ve signed that one.” “Oh right, I forgot!” I answered him. Then he smiled and said back to me, “Oh you want me to sign it with your silver pen don’t you? I’ll sign it with your silver pen..” Then he laughed. He took my pen and signed it again. Then the conversation carried on for another five minutes, I talked to him about his height (which I said was 6 feet 2 but he corrected me with 6 feet 1), among other things. Then he went off. And that was the end of the first day. The second day’s setlist (which was on Saturday, 14th March) was very similar to the first one. Everyone was enjoying themselves, especially because it was Saturday night. Eventhough this time I bought a seating ticket, I never sat down. Not caring what the people around me might say, I jumped and danced and sang my heart out, more than I did on the first night. After the show had finished, I was hoping to repeat the joy I had on the first night. I was praying that I will meet the boys again, with the addition of Mr Buckland and Mr Berryman. However I was not having high hope as I’ve got all the good luck in the world on the first night. Luck does not always come your way was what I told myself over and over again while waiting to meet them. But I was wrong. Sometimes, good luck keeps on happening to us, and when that happens, we just have to be thankful. I met Mr Chris Martin again that night and had my friend to record the event with my video camera. This time it was even better than the first night. Chris Martin saw and recognized me, greeted me, and offered to sign my banner. I even got a hug from him, and we exchanged wristband. It never crossed my mind at that time that he will keep on wearing my wristband for a very long time, but he did, and still is. And he put a smile upon my face every time I see a new picture of him wearing it. However, sometimes there was a limit to one’s good luck. I discovered later on that Mr Champion, Mr Buckland and Mr Berryman has gone back. But I was thankful enough with what I have gained so far. Then came, Sunday March the 15th, 2009 which was the last day. The adrenaline rush was the same for me every time, even though it was not my first show. With the other two Coldplayers and few more others, I lined up since morning again, went through the same war of getting to the front line and succeeded to get to the centre of the first line. Few securities and other fans recognized me and my banner. When Coldplay came on stage again that night, I embraced the last night of my happiest life to the fullest, and got Guy Berryman to smile and laugh at me few times along the way. When the show ended, I was having mixed feeling. At one side, I had all the satisfaction I had waited for a long time, but on the other I was really sad that it was over. I was not planning to stay to meet the boys again, but a friend of mine whom I met during the first show insisted that I did. He offered me a ride home, so I decided to stay. For the third time, I met Chris but not the rest of the band. He thanked me for coming to three of his shows and expressed how thankful he is that there are fans who are willing to go to extra length for them. I did not talk much with him that night as I figured that I’ve had my share, so I should let others to grab theirs. However, it broke my heart to finally see him walk away into his mpv, and soon enough, it disappeared before our eyes. I sat down for a while after that, swallowing every bit of the memory one by one. Everything went so well, I felt like the doors were opened for me one by one. I will not say that it was all pure luck as I have worked hard to be there at the first place, but once I was there, it all paid off, and more. So next time when someone says that dreams do not come true, I would beg to differ.

8) but a dream March 14 2009, Acer Arena, Sydney, Australia This was my fourth time watching Coldplay live in 2009 but only the second concert I managed to get pit tickets to, so I was determined to snag a front row position for myself. Armed with my ‘Jonny Is My Guitar Hero’ banner, which I had previously unveiled in Perth (eliciting laughs from Chris and Jonny), I took the earliest train to the Sydney Olympic Park where Acer Arena was situated. I was the third in line, and managed to pass the hours by chatting with the friendly people in the queue. Most were amazed to find out I flew in from Singapore to Australia to watch Coldplay and were tickled pink by my banner. When the doors into the venue were opened, my newfound friends and I were lucky enough to grab a standing spot at the barrier just left of centre. The camera man at the left side of the stage saw me with my banner and walked up to me. ‘Hey it's you again! I remember that banner!’ ‘Haha, yes, I was front row at Perth as well! I remember you too!’ I laughed. It was an amazing show, the energy emanating from the band onstage matched only by the overwhelming enthusiasm of the Sydney crowd. I was jumping non-stop and singing along to every song, and every time Chris came up to the front of the stage just two arms’ lengths away from us, we shrieked uncontrollably and tried to reach out to touch him. After Death And All His Friends, when the band started walking around the stage clapping and bowing, I knew they will be leaving the stage shortly for an encore. I whipped out my banner and held it high to catch Jonny’s attention. As he came to the front, a flicker of recognition crossed his face as he saw it. He looked me in the eye and smiled widely. Time stood still as he dug around in his pants pocket to find his guitar pick, bent down and threw it to me. He threw it a little short, though, as it ended up in the security area between the stage and the barrier. In an instant, everyone in the front row started screaming and asking the security guard in front to pick it up. A veritable tangle of extended arms was jostling for that one guitar pick Jonny had intended for me to have. Fortunately, the guard passed it to one of the people who spent time with me waiting in queue, who immediately turned to me, placed the guitar pick in my palm and grasped my hand close. ‘You deserve it, love.’ They were simple gestures from Jonny and my fellow concertgoer, but I was nearly choking back tears at that moment. March 23 2009, Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore Still hyped up from the five Australian concerts I just attended, I could not contain my excitement when Coldplay popped by my own country for a one-night-only show. With my trusty ‘Jonny Is My Guitar Hero’ banner again, I waited around the stadium to see if I can catch a glimpse of the boys as they arrived. One of the concert organisers was extremely irritated to see me, and said to the security guard, ‘Can you please get that fan away? I don’t want her to be around when the band arrives.’ I was extremely angry because he had no right to do so, but I held my tongue. The guard told me to move behind a barrier about 5 metres away from the entrance and I obliged because I did not want to get into a fight, and besides it was still close enough to catch the attention of the band. A while later, a lot of people started to move out of the stadium, being guided out by the concert organisers. The band is coming, I whispered to myself, and I got myself ready. Soon enough, a van pulled up, and out stepped Chris, Will, Guy and Jonny. I didn’t shout out to them but waved to them quietly from the barrier, while holding up my banner as well. Will and Guy nodded at me, and Jonny gave me a wave and a smile, and the three of them ducked into the stadium. Chris, however, started walking up to me with a smile spreading across his face. Much to my surprise, he gave me a small hug and said ‘Nice to see you again!’ I was in shock, but I managed to regain my composure quickly. We had a short conversation, and Chris asked me ‘So do you have tickets for tonight?’ I told him I did, but he still offered me a few tickets for my friends. I was stunned and couldn’t thank him enough before he had to leave for soundcheck. By this time, the concert organiser who previously snubbed me and the stadium staff were gawking. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, embarrassed at the stares, but my mind was racing at a million miles a minute as I was still in utter disbelief at what just happened. A couple of Coldplay roadies walked by and one of them smiled knowingly at me. 'I remember that banner!' Still in a dazed state, I could only giggle like a silly fool. When I went to collect my tickets at the box office, I told the attendant that I was on the guest list. ‘Are you with the promoters?’ She looked around the counter for the tickets. ‘Umm, well no. I’m with the band.’ She took a good hard look at me, a girl in jeans, a band t-shirt and a cap. Shaking her head, she asked me for my name, and I gave her my last name. She scanned through the band’s guest list and smirked, ‘I’m sorry I can’t find you on here.’ I craned my neck to look at the list and pointed out my first name near the bottom of the list, one of the two guests with tickets from Chris. Without saying anything more, she searched for the envelope with my tickets and passed it to me. My friends were ecstatic. The seats were along the catwalk with an unobstructed view of the B-stage. One of them told me she could see the blue of Chris’ eyes as he performed The Hardest Part on the piano. It was an all-seated concert, but I stood up the very moment I got the opportunity. My own ticket was for a seat third row centre on the floor. Chris caught sight of me in the middle of Lost! and he pointed at me and winked. I grinned back at him as I waved my hands wildly in the air. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Coldplay. Thank you, everyone who made it possible.

7) strawberryfields The Webster Dictionary defines euphoria as "a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being, sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania". Euphoria can be different for everyone. To some, euphoria is winning your final soccer match and making it to the national championships. Euphoria is getting your prized painting entered into a gallery contest; watching a loved one get married. Euphoria is falling in love or going to Paris. Euphoria is making your first TV appearance. Euphoria is having the time of your life at a concert put on by a band you love. I arrived at the Shoreline Amphitheatre at 6:16 PM, but the euphoria kicked in way before that. I decided to entertain myself during the opening acts by playing "I Spy" with the roadies- and I was able to discover 8 of them. At exactly 9 PM, after sitting through boiling hot sun and mosquitos for three hours, my heart began to flutter. I heard the opening notes of Strauss's "The Blue Danube", and I knew that four incredible people would be on the stage in front of me in just minutes, playing the chords and notes of "Life In Technicolor". From there, time moved way too quickly. After the incredible opening song ended with a bang and revealed a split second moment of silence, Chris Martin started up again, belting out the lyrics to "Violet Hill" and sounding like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. After "Violet Hill" came "Clocks", a classic that was set to fancy laser shows and bright red lights. The crowd knew every word, and things were seeming more spectacular by the minute. Euphoria was at it's highest (or so I thought) when Will Champion started banging on the drums for "In My Place". Chris, who seemed just about as euphoric as I was at this point, decided to show off his signature moves on the catwalk, and stumbled halfway into the crowd while doing so. I wasn't sure whether I should have laughed at his silly somersaults and backwards rolls, or screamed at the fact that he was so damn close to me. But before I could make up my mind, he collapsed in a heap on the stage (while simultaneously singing the opening words of "Glass of Water"). And then came "Yellow"! The band put on what seemed like an entire separate show for just that one song, complete with gigantic yellow balloons, singing lessons for the crowd, and multiple showers of yellow confetti. "42"'s magical repeating lyrics had an audience who had never heard the song before chanting along, and "Cemeteries of London" brought humor to the show when Chris decided to play around with the lyrics for the enjoyment of the audience. And then, finally, came one of the most cliche but beautiful moments of the show-- "Fix You". Chris started out on his own, until Jonny, Guy, and Will eventually joined in. As the song came to it's climax, Chris paused and let the crowd fill in the gaps he left in the lyrics. Even the people behind me, who had been sitting down for the whole concert, stood up and joined in. After "Fix You" was "Strawberry Swing", which was upbeat, beautiful, and felt perfect with the warm Californian air. "Strawberry Swing" was about halfway through, when I felt someone bump me and turned around to see that the security guards next to me were carefully stringing caution tape all along the aisle. My mind automatically jumped to the conclusion that someone had passed out or fainted nearby, until I put two and two together when I saw Hoppy, a roadie, run past me with a mic stand. It was just as "Strawberry Swing" was ending when I realized that Coldplay would be running up the aisle inches away from me on their way to play their intimate B-Stage set. And this is when the euphoria became mania. Every light on the stage went off, and I had just seconds to position myself next to the caution tape alongside me before Jonny, Will, and Guy came bounding past me. Even though they were there and gone in a split second, time seemed to be in slow-motion as I reached out and gave Jonny Buckland a hi-five, and as I reached out and did the same to Will Champion. And then, 3 slow seconds later came Chris Martin, bounding past me, microphone in hand. Time was still moving wonderfully slowly as I reached out for a third time and grabbed Chris's upper arm. And then it was over. When I looked up, the band was playing a beautiful, techno-esque remix of "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face", with Chris pounding away at the piano. After the song finished, Guy, Will, and Jonny disappeared from the stage, but Chris remained to play us "The Hardest Part". Quiet transitioned to loud and stirring when "Viva la Vida" started. Chris grabbed the microphone, hopped off the B-Stage, and ran right through the crowd (and right past me) to join the other three members of the band down on the regular stage, singing "I used to rule the world!" as happy fans reached out to touch him. "Viva la Vida" was rousing and exciting, and everyone sang as loudly as they could when we were directed to "oooh-ooh-oooh". After the last "oohs" faded away, Coldplay played one more song down on the regular stage ("Lost!"), before heading up to give their fans on the lawn a special treat. "Green Eyes" was chillingly beautiful, and afterward Chris handed the microphone to Will, and let him belt out the lyrics to "Death Will Never Conquer". Perhaps one of the best moments of the night was when Chris announced that they'd be playing a song that was better than anything they could ever write. I don't think anyone was really expecting a Michael Jackson song to be covered at a Coldplay concert, but the crowd was happily surprised when "Billie Jean" started up, and most people began dancing and singing as a tribute to the King of Pop. As soon as the spotlights on the lawn went off, the audience went crazy. Everyone was trying to locate Coldplay, and some people thought the show was over and began to trail out. After a good seven minutes, the band reappeared down on the regular stage, flashing strobe lights, banging drums, and milking "Politik" for all it was worth. And then came the moment that everyone who knew anything about Coldplay and their 2008/2009 Viva la Vida tour was waiting for. "Lovers in Japan" started up, and within minutes the entire amphitheatre was covered in little paper butterflies. And they just kept coming. The confetti rained down, Chris ran around waving a Japanese parasol, and every member of the audience had their hands to the sky, trying their hardest to catch hundreds of little phosphorescent strips of paper. As abruptly as "Lovers in Japan" started it finished, but the butterflies still rained down during "Death And All His Friends". Even though at this point the stage went dark and roadies started to appear, packing up all the instruments, the crowd was relentless and stayed seated. Soon a chant for Coldplay could be heard, and everyone who wasn't chanting was on their feet screaming. And, in no time, Chris appeared at his piano, saying a few words to the crowd and mentioning the live CD that could be picked up at the exit. Two more songs were played for the encore; "The Scientist", which had people swaying back and forth, eyes closed, and "Life in Technicolor ii", the sequel to the song that opened the show. Chris, Will, Guy, and Jonny put every part of their hearts into making "Life in Technicolor ii" as epic as they could. I watched Coldplay bow as they finished the song, and, filled with a feeling way beyond euphoria, I tried to think of a better way for such a magical night to end. And, quite simply, I couldn't.

6) justjess The weeks leading up to June 12th, 2009 were pretty un-eventful. A few friends and I had bought our tickets to the Coldplay concert at the beginning of March, and after we bought them I really didn’t think much of it. Well as the date got closer and closer I was having second thoughts about going. I had just seen the boys the November before, less than 6 months before…that is one more time then most people that I know can say that they have seen them. Sure I’m a huge fan of their work, Chris is literally one of my heroes, and I know their discography forwards and backwards. I just wasn’t really feeling it. I was strapped on cash and very seriously thought about selling my ticket, even though it was just a $35.00 ticket, that would be $35.00 more dollars that I didn’t have before. The four other girls that I had bought tickets with had begged me not to sell my ticket because they really wanted to share the “Coldplay” experience with me. I didn’t- and I thank my lucky stars. Well, that Friday, June 12th rolled around and I just was not in the mood for a concert. It had been a really long week and it was raining. Usually I love rain, but not that day. We were all cramped in a tiny Jetta for a 2 ½ hour drive to Des Moines, Iowa for the show. I didn’t talk much on the way there- but kept getting a little more excited the closer we got to Des Moines. We grabbed dinner and made our way to the venue. We walked through the rain to get inside and finally had our tickets scanned. Our tickets were the nosebleeds. Section 302 Row K. We walked up 3 flights of stairs to what we thought was Level 3. It wasn’t. We had to walk up another set of stairs to Level 3. We were all pretty bummed to see how high we were, and even more bummed out to see exactly where our seats were. It seemed like we went up so many stairs. I was leading the way, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I knew our seats were going to be crappy, but I never imagined this. We were on the side of the stage, it almost felt like behind the stage. We were in Section 302- 3 levels off the ground floor, in Row K… the VERY last row in the entire arena. We were all pretty sad. We settled in and one of my friends thought it would be a good idea to go down a level and see if we could find 5 seats together. We knew the show wasn’t sold out YET and it was worth a shot. By this point my blood was pumping and I was very excited to see Coldplay again and I couldn’t help wanting to be closer. We left the 3 younger girls up top and promised not to leave them there. My friend Ann and I went down a level and over 5 sections to 207. We snuck past security and sat down. I left 3 open seats to my right for the other girls. Howling Bells, the opening band, had just gotten over and the younger girls were still worried we were going to leave them. As Ann and I were sitting there, we were starting to get more nervous. We had never done anything like this before and we were hoping we weren’t in anyone’s seats. As more and more people began to fill in we decided it would be best to go back up top. As we were discussing our escape, we saw two ladies in all black walk up to security and start talking to them. Ann and I got really scared so we just sat there for a minute. The two ladies then walked down to the front of our section and asked two guys to follow them. Ann and I were really freaking out by this point. As they walked back up to the landing, I told myself not to make eye contact. Guess who made eye contact? I did. As soon as our eyes locked, the lady in all black asked me to follow her. Ann and I got up, legs shaking, and the fear of getting kicked out resounding in our heads. When we got to the landing, the two girls, we’ll call them #1 and #2, asked us if we like Coldplay. We both excitedly answered “YES!” in unison. They then told us we were going to play a little trivia game, to which we both just smiled. Ann then chimed in that she had been listening to Coldplay since she was in 8th grade and was now 21, and the two seemed very pleased and surprised. The two girls, whom we later found out, were roadies, asked us to name 2 Coldplay albums. We obliged. They then asked us to name 4 Coldplay songs. By this point we are both freaking out and things were starting to make sense to us, so we froze a little, but managed to come up with 4 song titles. I was not so frightened anymore because things start to click in my head. Two girls in all black, Viva La Vida shirts on, British accents. This has to be good. After we choke out the 4 song titles, the two asked us if we have anyone else with us. We respond yes, and ask if we should call the other three girls down here. The two look at each other and hesitantly say yes when they hear that there are three other girls. When the girls arrived, they were a little shook up because of my phone call. They had no idea what was going on. We told them that we don’t really know either and then the two roadies tell us it’s time to play a game of trust. We all look at each other. We were a little thrown off because we don’t know these two people, but being as we are Iowans, we trust just about anyone and said “Okay!”. The girls asked us to take our tickets out of our pockets and put them in our hands. I’m sure we all looked a little hesitant because one of the girls then said with a chuckle, “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to steal your tickets”. So we take them out and put them in our hands. They then tell us to close our eyes. We hesitantly do. Then we hear, “Okay, I’m going to pick up your tickets, don’t be alarmed, and replace them with slightly better seats”. By this time, we are all grinning and expecting to be in the 100 section- maybe closer to the floor or the side stage. Then roadie #1 says, “I’m going to count to 3. Then open your eyes and look at your ticket, but don’t cheat!”. “1—2---3! Open your eyes!”… We went from speechless to complete pandemonium in about 5 seconds. The two lovely roadies had replaced out tickets with Row 3 Center. One girl was crying her eyes out, one was yelling, one was just staring at the ticket, Ann was jumping up and down, and I was going in for the most thankful hug of my life. They then told us to hurry and get down to our seats and to enjoy the show. I gave each one another hug and thanked them about 100 times in 30 seconds and ran to catch up with my posse. After re-grouping in the bathroom quick and drying our eyes, we ran to the floor entrance. We kept getting stopped by security, but with tickets in hand, they gladly let us past. We ran up the aisle got to what we thought was Row 3 and started to sit down. The security guard right there asked us our seat numbers and we showed him the tickets and he pointed us up 3 more rows. We froze. Because of the way the stage is set up, Row 3 Center actually means Front Row Center. We couldn’t believe it. We were about to see Coldplay, the biggest and most brilliant band in the world from the front row! We got up front and just sat there stunned. We all called other friends who were at the show and called family members to tell them of our luck, and everyone else was as shocked as we were! Here we were, Front Row Center at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, waiting for Coldplay to go on and play their first show EVER in Iowa. Holy wow! As Snow Patrol took the stage, we all loosened up a bit and asked the security guard to take a photo of the 5 of us. We chatted with him a little and he shared the ropes with us and told us to have a good time. We stood up and enjoyed Snow Patrol, but the anticipation was killing us. As soon as Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol walked off the stage, we knew it was only a matter of time. We were all shaking and felt like we were going to die from waiting. The intro music began, the dancing roadie showed us his stuff, and then the beautiful orchestra piece began. We knew it was crunch time! “Life in Technicolor” began and we were just beside ourselves in excitement! Then we saw 4 tiny sparklers in the distance and knew the boys were coming on to the stage. As the sparklers went out and their instruments in hand, we were all screaming and squealing! They went right into “Violet Hill” and the crowd went wild. I still could not believe I was in the front row. By this time we were all standing right up at bar in front of security. I was dead center. Chris and his microphone were 5 feet in front of me and I could see Jonny, Will and Guy so clearly. It was truly a dream come true. A defining moment in the concert was during “Fix You”. It started off real quite and Chris forgot some of the words. We all had a good chuckle. Everyone was singing at the top of their lungs and I was bawling my eyes out. Then Jonny’s guitar riff began and Chris jumped up from behind his piano and I got very excited. Chris grabbed his microphone and walked to the center of the stage. Right. In. Front. Of. Me. He was leaning over one of the light boxes and was crouched over. I felt like it was just him and I- no one else existed. I was so close to him and he looked at me for a good 10 seconds during Jonny’s guitar build. I couldn’t believe it. I was looking right into Chris Martin’s bright blue eyes. It was lovely. I don’t care if I sound all “fan-girly” here, it was an amazing moment. Not everyone can say that Chris Martin looked at them. I’m so glad that they played so many songs and for so long! 26 songs! It was incredible. They played many of my favorites. “In My Place”, “Fix You”, “Clocks”, “Strawberry Swing”, “Lost!”, “Lovers In Japan”, and my all time favorite “Politik”. “Lovers in Japan “ was incredible because I had only dreamt of being so close to have butterflies fall on my head. Sure I had seen videos and photos of the beautiful confetti, but I was actually there, having it fall on my head, picking it off the security guards shoulder, and grabbing bunches of it and stashing it in my friend’s purse. It was just icing on the cake for them to play “Politik”, such an amazing message. Chris was all over the stage that night. High energy and giving it his all at every moment. Will’s singing on “Death Will Never Conquer” was beautiful. Jonny seemed extra dance-y that night and even Guy had a smile on his face. It is a night that I will never forget and am so incredibly thankful to be put in such an amazing situation. After the show we waited around for as long as we could until security told us to leave. Right before we turned to go- we saw Roadies #1 and #2. I slipped around security one more time in order to thank the girls. I had to yell to get their attention and they smiled, waved and said “You’re welcome”. They asked if we enjoyed the show and we all answered “Yes!” We felt on top of the world as we left and talked about every detail of the concert on the way home. It’s been over a month since the show, and we all still talk about it every time we see each other. Thank you Coldplay and wonderful Roadies, for an unforgettable night!!

Part 2: So anyway, after Violet Hill Guy really took a good look at my sign and was smiling and nodding his head! hahah so he took a drink of water from his bottle and then gave me two thumbs up and I was crazy happy! The more me and Zoe freaked out and smiled and yelled he laughed more and ended up saying "Yeah" to us, ahhh in his Scotish accent....AMAZING! Throughout the whole show he loved the crazy attention he got from us in his lil corner What a tease that Mr. Berryman is! hahah Everytime we would yell he would do something else to get us wound up! Whether it was more smiles or laughs or eyebrow action (muhahaha some ppl know what im talking about! ). So after Clocks....In My Place is just the best live....Guy goes over to his ramp and Jonny walks over and they do their guitar thing, rocking out and all and then Chris always comes up behind them and on to the ramp. Well our faces were right where the ramp was! So Chris is about 1 and 2 feet away from us!! AHHH!! So Zoe is flippin' out and we almost touched Chris!! But all of the sudden I notice that Guy and Jonny were looking at my sign again!! WAHHA!! And I see Guy pointing my sign out to Jonny and Jonny is laughing and smiling and nodding his head and Guy looks proud that he had so much attention from my sign and from me!! AHHH and then I start screaming and they laughed and nodded their heads!!! And poor Zoe didn't see any of it cus she was still too mesmerized by Chris's butt bending over in our faces hhahaha! We're crazy! Next, was Yellow!! AAHHH !!! I had never seen Yellow played live in person with the yellow balloons yet!! WHOO! We loved it! One came right up to us and almost hit Guy and his bass haha! I wish I could have popped one...and taken it home! Chris always pops one with the end of his guitar at the end of the song and all the confetti falls out of it!! Glass of Water replaced Speed of Sound from the previous tour, I absolutely LOVE Speed of Sound...but I was happy to hear Glass of Water live too since I've never heard it live and it's a newer song from the EP. They sound great with that song live...i LOVED it! Cemetaries of London....ahhh one of those songs that deserves A LOT more attention than it gets on Viva La Vida....to me it should be a single. It's one of my favorite songs on Viva La Vida and I'm so happy that they play it live....It's a darker kind of song...but it really balances out the concert I think. 42 .....This song is BEYOND AMAZING live....Jonny's guitar solo is one of his best....he just rocks out on it! And the note that Chris sings right b4 it is so long...haha he was singing and he looked at his watch to see how long he can go hahah ...ah cocky. Fix You, of course this song will be played at each and every Coldplay concert forever! Chris running around like a 3 year old all over the stage and I love the end when we all sing it together....reminds me of the music video so much! Strawberry Swing is also another hidden masterpiece from Viva La Vida....the guitars seriously sound so awesome in this song and the clapping they all do. Evedently they are doing the next Coldplay music video on Strawberry Swing....cant wait for that! Now for GPASUYF and Talk the boys move out to B stage, which is right in the middle of the audiance...haha what a suprise for those ppl huh? They are just so nice like that, wanting everyone to have a great time even if your in the back of the stadium....if you cant come to them, then they will come to you. I really love the techno versions of both of these songs...!! I wish they were on LeftRightLeftRightLeft tho... After those 2 songs...Chris stays at the piano on B stage and Guy, Will, and Jonny come back to the stage and get ready for Viva La Vida. Now that they have started playing the Hardest Part just acoustically with the piano, I actually love it more than the original. Now since Chris was like a mile away singing for those in the back...lol we were just hanging out in the pit and we could see Guy and Will getting ready for Viva La Vida, even if it was dark on stage, I could still see what was going on. And uhoh! Not everything was smooth sailing....o no! Yikes- a - do! Something is wrong with Guy's bass. =( *cry* He picks it up and something is wrong and I see him talking to some of the roadies. But Chris is all the way out there....and after Postcards from Far Away, he starts Viva and starts running up toward the stage.....O no! Guy is pissed....o_O!!! There is lots of back and forth of Guy on and off the stage and lots of lip reading on my part lol haha! Quite some cussing coming from Mr. Berryman and the roadies trying to help him out. He is in the back and I see Hoppie hand him a ciggy and he takes a few puffs and hands it back to him =( ahhh I was sad...I don't want Guy to smoke he was suppose to be trying to stop, but I think he needed it in stressful times! lol O my ....Guy angry + cussing + ciggy in his mouth= badass! haha Meh...I felt bad for him but at the same time I kind of liked seeing pissed off Guy I am crazy... so he finally gets back on stage, they finally get him his different bass so he plays the end of Viva La Vida. And WIll hahah Will is on the drums for Viva of course and he looks over and starts laughing and cracking up at Guy. And Guy finally notices that he is laughing at him and he shoots him a death glance...uhoh! haha It was great to see WIll giving him some crap and how things are sometimes between them. Because they admit that they get mad at each other sometimes. How could you not when your touring all the time as a band and always with each other. Anyway, it was just cool to see that situation even if Guy was pissed. Next is Lost! with Guy on drums first and then he moves back over to his bass. So out of no where here comes Chris to our side of the stage and he puts on this huge Chinese dragon head! hahahhaha lol and is dancing around on our ramp with it on! hahah o only Chris.... It then falls off of him and it lands right at our feet! o_O omg! it was hilarious and amazing! Now the boys moved out to C stage which is WAY out in the lawn.....so we can barely see them for when they go out there! But they sing Green Eyes and I love this song so much. AROBTTH days....*sigh* Then Will sings Death WIll Never Conquer and I love this part! They cover Neil Diamond's "I'm A Believer" haha and at the end Chris hold's the microphone to Will and he asks him "Are you in Love?" and Will sings "oooooooooo" then to Guy "Are you in Love" "ooooooo" and to Jonny too! It was so cute! So they were done out in the lawn and then came the Viva La Vida Remix during a short intermission. Now Politik! I always love this song live.....and the bridge between the first part of the song and the second part of the song always makes me tear up....i know cliche! uhh but it does considering I think its one of the best songs ever written. The words, the chords, everything. And it being one of the first songs that got me into Coldplay. I'm never let down by this song. Its so beautiful. Lovers in Japan time!!AHH! So much happened during this song I don't know where to begin! First off Chris got in the zone and here he comes...Running by our ramp! O god...i know something is going to happen. He runs by and leans his head over ours and I swear I thought he was falling into the crowd and going to crowd surf! I think it was the angle we were at but scooped down and his face was only about 6 in. from our faces!! AHH!!! And so as he scooped down my sign was there too....the "USA <3 COLDPLAY" side and Chris looked at it and then looked at me and said "WWHHOAA!!" really loud and fast and then lunged backwards quickly and we thought he was going to fall! And it all happened so fast! According to Zoe I yelled, "Yeah Chrissy!" and she yelled "It's Chris! Its Chris!" over and over again haha when he did that. It was all insane, also all the butterflies were falling down at that time too! So just imagine all the chaos! *sigh* Now I knew the show was coming to some what of a close with Death and All of His Friends.... and I love the song but I know it means the end of show is coming =( Then they came out with their Grammy jackets which i love!! aww they were so cute and I realized being so close to Guy that the jackets were actually silky! He had his pink one on <3 and Chris had the blue one and of course Jonny wearing the green one and Will wearing the purple one....just like always. So Chris is at the piano and is talking to us about the new free live album they are handing out, LeftRightLeftRightLeft. Which is so nice of them to be handing out a free live album at their shows.....esp. since Chris had to talk to EMI in person to allow them to do this. They could be making millions of dollars off of this but instead they are giving it away for free. They just are not in it for the money, which I have always known, but that's my lil spill about lrlrl....haha Anyway, so Chris is talking at the piano and this guy right behind me yells, "I love you Chris!" but he is half way joking bc his girlfriend is with him. And looks at him and says, "O so you love me, man?" in the way he does. All smiling and joking and Chris looks at me too since I'm standing right there! So ahh! I scream that I love Chris too! It's just something you just say at concerts, its like the only thing you can say to express what your feeling all the sudden with the music and everything. And so Guy was looking at me then I realized and I felt bad for telling Chris that, when really I love Guy the most out of Coldplay haha so i yell that "I love Guy more tho! I love you!" and that got a big laugh and more smilies out of Guy that made us *swooon*!!!omg And then they sang the Scientist, the beautiful Scientist. That we were perfectly normal for once....no screaming or fangirl antics....just singing the Scientist bc how can you not fall in love with that song. Guy looked at me again, and the girls beside us said, "Aww He has looked at you the whole time, He keeps smiling at you! Its SO CUTE!" Which made me super dizzy and want to pass out..*swoon*!!! Now the last song, Life in Technicolor ii - which ended the night perfectly! Its one of those songs that gets everyone in a good mood and leaving the concert with great memories.And they all bowed at the end we all went crazy for them for one last time! And Guy was the first to come over to us and I held the sign up for him again, the "Berry-Girl & Apparat-chick" side and he clapped and nodded his head and smiled! And we both started screaming and that got him to laugh more....silly boy! And he said "thank you" he looked so happy which of course makes Lizzy happy! Chris then came over and he saw the "USA <3 COLDPLAY" side again and he looked at me and put his hand on his heart and said "OHH Thank you!" he was so nice and made a big deal out of it even tho it wasn't! Jonny saw my sign last! He laughed and clapped too! And Jonny has a gorgeous smile too, they all do really! Sadly I never made eye contact with Will, mostly since he is the drummer so he is in the back and doing his thing and not up and moving around like the rest of them are! But still it was great! So after the show we made off with loads of butterflies, Zoe got Chris's setlist and I got Guy's water bottle!!! haha And the girls behind us were so jealous haha! We saw our buddie Todd, at the end again and we were all talking so fast and freaking out about how WONDERFUL the show was! He was in the pit with us too but he was closer to center stage, where we had been right up next to Guy. He said he thought we had a better spot since Guy saw us the entire time and Chris came over to our side a lot too! We got in line to get our copy of LeftRightLeftRightLeft, and the lady opened the last box when I came through! So I'm so happy they didn't run out like I heard they did at a few shows before. So that was the whole experience, I have never been exited in my whole life. Even though 19,000 people were in that stadium, it felt like the most personal concert ever, like they were playing just for us! The whole show is about 2 hours but it goes by SO quick, but it is worth everything bc you are just having SO much fun! Words cannot describe how absolutely fantastic that whole show, before, during and after was for me! Our voices were so hoarse for a few days lol! But it was worth absolutely EVERYTHING! I always knew Chris, Guy, Will and Jonny were 4 AMAZING guys, and they truly are, being so close to them and seeing how kind and great they were to us in the front....they were just mindblowing! I could go on forever about how good they treated us and what a show they put on. Good Coldplay karma definately came to us that night, and we the luckiest girls there that night getting all of Guy's attention and Chris's looks! haeheh! It wasn't even a concert to me, it felt more like this soulful, passionate experience.And I cannot WAIT TO SEE THEM AGAIN!!! THANK YOU COLDPLAY FOREVER! <3

5) guyluvsliz Part 1 of DC show: May 21, 09 I met up with Zoe (notlost) on here and her one friend Cecilia, we all arrived at Nissan Pavilion at about o ....10 till 4pm to line up for the pit! Started talking a mile a minute about Coldplay when we first met...already like we were old friends. And this was Cecilia's first concert ever, so WOOHoo! Concert Virgin and her first time will be seeing Coldplay, front row....lucky gal! We were the first girls there, the only other people around were a couple other guys that had been there since 12pm. We ended up taking a seat by the gates and we talked to one of the guys, Todd who ended up being a really cool guy. This was his 9th Coldplay concert ....ahh so jealous...its only my 2nd, I would see them so much if only I had the money. So he had been seeing them for a long time. Not as far back as Parachutes, but he had seen them during a Rush of Blood to the Head tour, which I'm very jealous about, it being my all-time favorite Coldplay era. I would have killed to see them back then. Btw. so we were outside waiting for about 2 and 1/2 hours and it was HOT! haha Zoe said it was so hot because Coldplay was in the house! haha I cannot disagree with that! We kept hearing someone soundchecking in the venue, but it wasn't Coldplay, it sounded like Howling Bells, one of their support acts that were opening for them tonight. But we freaked when we heard the opening to Don't Panic coming from the stadium! REALLY?! A Parachutes song besides Yellow?! I love it when they play their older stuff, because that's where the real Coldplay gold is at. But sadly I think it was just the Howling Bells warming up and covering Coldplay's Don't Panic. So now more ppl started showing up, but it didn't matter bc we were front row bound! We looked like some hard core fans too Zoe had her "Whatever It Takes" bag that Chris designed and I had my "Viva" bag from the last show. And Zoe had her Viva La Vida tour shirt on and I had my pink Guy Berryman shirt on! Along with my 2 sided poster with "USA <3 COLDPLAY" on one side and "Berry-Girl & Apparat-chick" on the other side for Guy. O! what a Coldplay - fest we were already having! No words can even describe our exitement! But we needed to decide where we wanted to stand in the pit once we were in there. We already knew we had to be in the front row. But Zoe wanted to stay on Jonny's side all the sudden bc she said Chris would be over there giving more love to Jonny on the ramp of love, instead of on Guy's side! lol Which is true....Jonny and Chris are pretty much a pair. But- I reminded her about In My Place and how all three of them always come over to Guy's side for that song. Also, I needed to represent mah boy! No way was I not going to stand as close to Guy as possible! Got to respect the bassist! So we agreed on Guy's side. Next, we think we heard Pete Yorn soundchecking and we kept seeing people who worked for the stadium, walk behind the gate with all access Viva passes....AHHH!!! I wanted to steal their all access backstage passes!....ahh if only! Also around this time, I met up with Catherine, another Apparat-chick! YAH! So we were all there to represent!! Alright so now was the countdown to when the gates were going open!!!AHHH CANT. WAIT. Now these stupid Best Buy reward card ppl got to go in first!!! AHH! so UNFAIR!! I didnt know anything about stupid effing rewards card! It had to be some crap Live Nation thing they had going on. We were pissed we were the first ppl in line and suddenly all those ppl got to go in first! But thank god this really nice woman came over and looked through our bags b4 so we could skip security. Once these gates opened it was a mad rush to get to the pit! We had to sprint 2 blocks around the venue and then the stairs until we were at the stage. Talk about a rush!! I took off once they opened those gates! And O! once I got in....heaven! the pit was RIGHT UP NEXT TO THE STAGE!!! I ran over to Guy's side, there were only a couple over ppl in there! So i had the best place in the venue muwahahahah!!! I was wedged in this lil corner, so there was no way anyone was going to be pushing me back in the pit either! Zoe and Cecilia came later and we were all there!! So now came the Howling Bells! What an awesome band from Australia! Check them out! They were great and really nice to us and humble. And it was'nt just some opening act that you want to get off the stage for the real show to begin, they were just great and original. And their bass player (o those bass players....) one of us asked him what his name was, one of the girls next to me and he talked to us and said his name was Joe. Lovely guy. Next was Pete Yorn. I'm so happy he was opening for Coldplay bc I doubt I would have ever seen him live if not. I love Pete's music but I just don't know if I would ever get the chance to see him live. Anyway, he was great and sang some songs from his new album coming out this summer. Also Pete was pretty nice on the eyes as well ladies o yes.... Me and Zoe ended up being buddies with the security guard in front of our rail. We talked to him and he was so nice and his name was Glenn. He told us about where they had been eating dinner backstage just a little bit ago!! aHHH! fangirl happiness from us! and we told him some about Coldplay cus he didnt know much about them, but once we said the lead singer Chris was married to Gwyneth Paltrow....o he was very interested then....! lLOL and asked us if we thought she was gonna be here tonight. We said yes bc so far she had been at every show on this US tour so far. And sure enough we found out Gywneth was at our show, but she was in the first row of the seated section so we didn't talk to her or anything. Now sometime in here, me and Zoe kept seeing all of Coldplay's roadies coming in and out of the stage and setting up and we were smiling at them and all. And its so bad that we are such super-fans that we know all of their roadies by name and recognize them hahah! And so we saw Miller like 7 or 8 times all together and even Chloe (not a roadie but she is Jonny's girlfriend) came out. She was behind a curtain peaking out from backstage. And I was watching that door like a hawk to see who was coming in and out. And I recognized her right away, and she really is pretty like ppl have said. We also Matt, Hoppie (guitar techie), Bash(Will's drum techie), and Franksie with his pimp hat! haah So anyway, Zoe nudges me and says "look! MIller!" and I looked and Miller was taking pics with his camera (Miller is Coldplay's speical roadie who writes Coldplay's blog on their website....aka...Roadie #42...but thats a secret! haha He doesn't know that we know who he is! ). So here we are and by this time Zoe has made a hasty "Everything's Not Lost" sign bc she is obsessed with that song and she would die if they ever sang it live one of these days! So we hold up our signs and b4 we know it he is taking pics of our signs!!AHHH!! Those signs could maybe end up in his blog on Coldplay.com one day! omg! Not just that, but I look back at Chloe and I see her taking pics of our signs too! AHH! So who knows she might show those pics to Jonny or the boys and they might see our signs that way too! Alright now Pete Yorn is off the stage....now we hear U2's Magnificent playing and the JayZ piece and then the Classical music so we know its only down to single minutes b4 the boys take the stage!! We see someone off to the side tuning up the bass and Zoe grabs me and says "IT'S GUY!!!!" ahhhh WHAT?!?! I try to see all I see is an arm......and a neck and I'm not sure if it's him or not but nontheless Im freaking out!! But why would he be tuning his own bass so close b4 the show and he should be in costume, not just a t shirt cus the show was about to start?? Plus this guy doesn't have an earring on his left year. So I decide it is NOT Guy....plus we found out later it was Hoppie....one of their roadies anyway. Alright now the intro music comes on and we are flippin' out with excitement! We start clapping and soon enough...BAM! The lights go out! And here opens the backstage door! All I see are 4 profiles in the dark running towards us with sparklers in their hands. And O! I recognize the first one right away....ahhhh My Scotish Death!!!!!! DEAD DEAD DEAD!!!! GUY!!!! AHHH!! Alright I'll just go and get this fangirlish-ness out of my system and then I will stop....but Guy in the flesh, only and 3 and 4 ft. away from me the entire show is SO much more Gorgeous than I ever thought, beats any kind of picture or video of him i've ever seen! Chris too in the flesh that close is beautiful too! They all looked so good! We were seriously the closest girls to him in the whole stadium! He was only about 3 and 4 ft. away from me and the entire show! Even tho some of my pics looked further away, my camera does that, like most camera's it shows it farther away, but really we were RIGHT THERE!! They ran around with their sparklers for a few sec. and then they picked up their instruments and started playing Life in Technicolor as the sheer curtain rises, but we could already see Guy since he was so close to us already! Life in Technicolor goes straight into Violet Hill which they always rock out on with Chris on the guitar dancing around the stage. And as soon as the lights turned on for Violet Hill, my poster was right in front of me and Guy saw it right away and smiled at me and you could tell he loved it! hhahh I loved being the closest person to him in the whole stadium of 19,000 people! muwhauauauauua!!hahha I was so spoiled! So anyway here was the setlist of songs they played: Life In Technicolor Violet Hill Clocks In My Place Yellow Glass of Water Cemeteries of London 42 Fix You Strawberry Swing ---------------------- * played on B stage in the audiance* God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (Techno) Talk (Techno) The Hardest Part (acoustic) - Chris piano Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)-Chris piano ------------------------ Viva La Vida Lost! ---------------- *played on C stage in the Lawn* Green Eyes Death Will Never Conquer (Will) I'm A Believer (Neil Diamond Cover - acoustic) ------------------------------------ Viva La Vida (remix interlude) ------ Politik Lovers In Japan Death and All His Friends ---------- The Scientist Life in Technicolor ii The Escapist (outro)

Just added the following to the first post:

done :D

you'll be fine! :D if you've got a heavy bag, its £7 to leave it at the station (platform 10), so you could always go shopping/exploring in the city centre until its time to check-in to your hotel http://www.left-baggage.co.uk/locations.php its the same company I left my suitcase with at London Euston when I went in April.

what's after Wembley? 3 month break to give us all a chance to recover! :lol: then we can also get through Christmas, and any other life type things that get in the way. New Year - Lore & South America get their tour. Meaning they've had time to save up their Christmas money to buy lots & lots of merchandise, and to ensure they have enough money to go to as many shows as they can. :D

any more reviews? you've only got about 27 hours to go

arrives in Manchester 08:28am????? or leave London then?

and? :thinking:

I can't remember which day Mich is going to London, but they still have £8 singles for the afternoon of Mon 14th Sept :stunned:

yup and my train ticket is from MANCHESTER :P

I must confess that I am really not that into Coldplay, but I have to admit that last night was one amazing and unforgettable show. The band gets extra points because of fan service: The set list consisted mainly of fan favorites and I can say that I had heard most of the songs, although I’ve read that it was basically the same set list from other shows in their continuing Viva La Vida Tour. For a moment, the band left the main stage and walked to a mini stage that was located in the middle right rows of the venue and played a couple of songs among the crowd. I thought that was very cool. But then, later on, they walked to ANOTHER mini stage in the Lawn Area way in the back of the venue (you know, the Mexican Section of the Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre) and it was right where we were standing!!! It was insane! They played 3 acoustic songs in that mini stage, including a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” and we were right there with the band! I had never experienced anything like that at any other concert I’ve been to. Other artists should take note of what this band does for their fans. There was a funny moment earlier in the show where lead singer Chris Martin fucked up in the first verse of “Yellow” and said that drummer Will Champion had given him an ugly look. He then had the audience sing along an “I am sorry Will” song for him. Before the show ended, Martin acknowledged the opening acts Amadou & Mariam, and Kitty Daisy & Lewis. He then said that the audience would receive a free single CD of their song “Left Right Left Right Left” (which you can also download from the official Coldplay website), and we did, when we left the venue. http://darthisma.blogspot.com/2009/07/coldplay-in-san-diego.html

I'm still sort of in shock of the whole thing. Like, did it really happen? I think it will continue to sink the rest of this week. Last night I made a purpose to write down what I could remember from what just happened and then filled in the blank with my sister and looking at all the backs of Coldplay albums. So this is like accurate as it could get. I'm 99.9999% sure this is all the songs. I was planning for a shirt, but the shirts were $40! So as much as I wanted a shirt, I realized I could probably get it for a little cheaper on their website (And I was right, I just looked at their website and it has the Life in Tech shirt I want for about $10 cheaper, so I’m gonna order a shirt ASAP) so I got instead the really big and beautifully awesome program they were selling for $20. I like it a lot, mucho pictures, something that you could only get at a concert, so that's my investment there :) Show Program, Free CD, stolen Butterfly confetti, my memories = Perfect. Oh, and if you want, you can download the Live CD "Left Right Left Right Left" for FREE on Coldplay's website! So that's way cool :) It's a great listen. Alrighty. Well like I said, the whole experience feels so surreal. Like it didn't even happen, but it did! I wanted to write this all down pretty much ASAP so I could get it all down and remember everything for the future. I did a giant write up similar to this when I went to see Flogging Molly two years ago and I'm so happy I did because I wouldn't remember otherwise anymore. So we got there really early and beat the traffic all together, though even so, we weren't the first people there. We checked out the merchandise, bought some Concert Programs and sat down. It was a giant outdoor stadium. We were in the "3rd" section, the stage, "pit" people, a walkway row where the cameras for the big screens and cannons for the butterfly confetti were standing then some rows and essentially us, and more rows in our section and a big grassy area with people just packed in. The two opening bands were both very Jamaican feeling, and had those Jamaican-British type accents (I hope that doesn't sound ignorant or anything, but I hope you know what I mean), the first one (called Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis) more skaish, the other more a reggae disco (I don't remember their name), both were really good. Then they set up the equipment and the anticipation mounted. Then a set of what I can only imagine to be songs that the band picked out to play before they went on stage: a U2 song, a rap song I didn't care for, though a roadie was break dancing to it and they shown a spotlight on him it was cute, and then Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube Waltz", swaying our arms and clapping to the "chorus" of the song (if you look up the song, you'll know what part I'm talking about). Then Coldplay came on! I'd say when Coldplay came out they were about an inch big to us, so we could see them and whatnot, though a lot of the times you were still watching the screen, unavoidable. So they were tiny but you could still see them. Chris dances around to what I can only explain as a wiggle crossed with a jig, throwing himself around like a rag doll. It's not necessarily violent, but boy does he move. In no way is Chris the leader of the band (I truly believe they are a tight quartet) but of course because of his marriage and the fact is he is the front man, no way to avoid that, he is the one in the most public eye. He was the Emcee of the night, the only one who actually talked to the crowd, jumped around, running all the way to the edge and flying through the air, it was really entertaining :) He kept asking how everyone was doing through out the night and added lyrics into songs about being here in Sacramento (though technically we were in Wheatland, but this is the “Sacramento” show on the Coldplay tour :) Everyone else was really good, they sounded so good live! I mean they better for being together for so long and being so successful. What struck me the most though was their pure sincerity. I guess because they’re such a worldwide successful band, I don’t know, I somehow expected something different. But it was genuinely like “Hi, we’re Coldplay, just four guys from England who’ve been given this opportunity to play for you guys, we’re doing the very best we can, we hope you enjoy”. Obviously they never outright said any of that, but the energy coming from them was just that. It made everything they did extraordinary, and as an audience, we took in and believed all of it. Even though there were easily thousands of people watching, it felt like a super intimate performance, a true connection between group and fans, no separation, we were just all people getting to enjoy music. Set List! Pretty Accurate I’d say. I'll add my tidbits I remember as I go along! Well first off, the stage stuff was really beautiful! Colorful and arty and a lot inspired from their CD artwork and what not, or a la Bo Rap multiplied images of them live on stage. They were 4 giant balls above them; they projected shapes and images and sometimes even what was on the big screen. They also had a big screen behind them as the backdrop which they used for the same purpose. It was a cool effect when they would start a slow song like "42" and their video would be up there in a grainy black and white, and then when it got to the rock, faster part, the video footage would pop into color, it was really effective. Life in Technicolor - The opening of course! Just the instrumental, anticipation grew even more because they had a sheer black sheet hung in front of the stage so you saw their silhouettes and whatnot. Violet Hill - This one was really great, their first song really, or the one with lyrics. The first was just an intro of sorts. Awesome solo by Jonny. Clocks - Yes, this one was good :) Just plain good. Cemeteries of London - My sister was really excited about this one. I don't remember much about it except it was good (duh). Yellow - There was a pause before this one, where everything went black and then bam! Everything was yellow and they released the giant yellow balloons that the crowd got to play with. At the end of the song, some balloons floated up on stage and Chris bat swung at one with the head of his guitar and popped it! I had noticed as they were flying around that they were translucent with confetti inside. It still made me laugh though. My first thought was like "Oh my gosh, he killed the balloon!" And then he popped another the same way. He told us to sing along, even though it was a Tuesday, like "Oooohhh!" and then sang a little bit of "Yellow" again with the crowd going "Oooohhh!” changing the lyrics to say how good Jonny looked. :) In My Place - Chris ran around like a crazy person on this one, it was funny. And was kind of like playfully tackling Jonny while playing and they both went over to the side of the stage and Chris fell over all dramatically onto his back at the end and kind of laid there with the mic and pitifully sang the end phrase, sort of in a "Oh I'm tired" kind of way. Glass of Water – A great song from their EP. They had yellow lights in the big balls and an aqua rippily light on the crowd like, you guessed it, water. I really love this song now. 42 - Now this was awesome. Said above, they had the live feed of them on the big screens B&W then in color when it went to the dancey rock part. Great energy. In this one at the end Chris went over to the piano to play the last part and started to sing the final phrase but was out of breath and flopped down on the piano while still playing the notes with his right hand, and then asked us the crowd if WE were okay. And then sang the last phrase, holding the last note for a LONG time, it was awesome. Random Girly Observation: By this time, he was really sweaty and his hair on his forehead began to curl, I thought it was kind of cute actually. I know, that's kind of weird. Right - Then they went off stage into the crowd. The spotlights would follow them so we could see they were going into the audience, then the lights would move around so we couldn't see where they were going until they got there. They were to our rights, closer this time, now a couple more inches big :) Will had a drum, Guy and Jonny guitars, and Chris had a whole piano up there. God Put a Smile Upon Your Face/Talk - It was a little medley of the two songs. The Hardest Part - The other three guys left and Chris sat down at the piano. He thanked us for coming on a Tuesday and missing out on stuff to come and see them like "homework". He said something along the lines of "There are many successful front man solo acts to come out a successful band and I am not one of them. So for the next 3 minutes, you'll see what an f*ing disaster that would be". This song was really awesome, and I realized how beautiful the lyrics are. Really honest, a great choice. With backing vocals by Will, who was on stage by this time. Postcards From Far Away - My sister was really excited about this one and kept poking me. It's a gorgeous little piano instrumental from their "Prospek's March" EP and he played it flawlessly. Viva La Vida - And then BAMB!, the rest of the group who had gone back onstage burst into Viva and Chris bounced back to the stage. It was a super cool contrast from "Postcards" to such a fun song. It was defiantly a show stopper, part une. Lost! - Their show stopper, part deux. These songs sort of felt really "joined", both had the same energy and vibrance. It felt long and awesome. Fix You - This was really emotionally charged. At the end when all four sing, it's the perfect sing along song. This was like the mini show stopper, part trois (oh yeah, French). They let the crowd sing the "Lights will guide you home/and ignite your bones" and Chris came in with "and I will try to Fix You". I loved singing it. Back/Lawn - The lights did the "where are they going to go?" thing again. Then they went back to the front of the lawn section, so see the people in the back, so now they were behind us, to our left. The people on the lawn were freaking out! (Rightfully so!) Green Eyes - Awesome acoustic. I noticed really beautiful lyrics to this one. It was super dark by this point and we were all just hanging out under the stars. :) Cell Phone Wave - Chris then told everyone to get their cell phones out and set hold our cell phone to our side and starting with the crowd facing the stage on the right to do the "wave" with our cell phones. He said he wanted the air force to look down and think "Oh that looks cool. Looks like fun down there" and not know what was going on. So we all did the wave, right to left, left to right, right to left, left to right. :) Death Will Never Conquer Me - Will's song! He has quite a different voice than Chris but awesome nonetheless. He’s an amazing singer! :) I downloaded this song off Coldplay's website like a year ago, as Chris said on the site so you "could learn it and sing along at our concert" with Will. It has a gospel spiritual kind of feel, very cool. Billie Jean - Oh yeah. They played Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. An acoustic version, Chris told us to give our best Michael when the little high parts came. Chris had a good voice for it, surprisingly, maybe not surprising though. Awesome awesome awesome! There was a little Viva La Vida Remix playing over the speakers and what looked like stars projected on the balls as the set up and got back on stage. Politik - This is a great song. Yeah I don't remember much about this one, te he. Strawberry Swing - A new favorite! This one is just cool, really fun song. Awesome! Love it! Lovers of Japan - This one was awesome! Super catchy piano riff that you just dance to. This is the one with the butterfly confetti! It was kind of cool when it was shot out of the cannons, in front of the stage and in front of our section, but it was really cool when it really began to float down on us, it looks like fruit loop snow :) It was awesome. I tried to catch some, but it was too dark. But it’s okay because I literally picked up a giant handful on the way out from the ground as we left; it's like the best confetti in the world. Also I remember somewhere around here Chris playing a little piano part that sounded like it could have been taken from the Amelie Soundtrack, I've never heard it before though. Maybe it was just something new he made up or a little improv, either way, it was lovely. Death and All of his Friends - The moment when I knew it was almost over! This one was a really great one. Chris started it off solo, then called out for Jonny to start and the rest of the band came in. After it ended, the band applauded us all a lot and then went to the front of the stage together and did a joined arm bow, it was cute :) Epic. And then clapped a little more and then left the stage. And people began to bang the seats, I didn't know what that noise was because we were on concrete so I'm like they can't be stomping the ground. After I found out what people were doing, I joined in and we chanted their name. Encore - Then Chris came back to the piano. He had the free CD "Left Right Left Right Left" in his hand and told us the title, saying "You can purchase this CD for zero dollars and zero cents. Don't waste your money!” He thanked us for coming, especially on a Tuesday, he told us to have a good week, and see you in a few years, and he had a look like “We hope”! The Scientist - Chris sang this solo on the piano, and the band came in midway through as it picks up tempo. Life in Technicolor II - This one was an awesome ending. They had all this artwork from their CD up on the middle screen. It was, in one word, inspiring, and as corny as that may sound, it was so true. Just amazing. They clapped for us again (even though we clapped harder!) and it ended on this gorgeous backdrop. All this really inspires me to paint :P And I'm just like it's over :( / :) Coldplay played from 9 until 11, but we didn't get home until 1:30 because of the traffic :O We did stop at In 'n Out though and got some food. Waters, I got a veggie burger and sis Steph got some fries. It took the rest of the night for it to really sink in. And this morning as I write this for my memories box of everness! http://lilbaileyfunkymonk.blogspot.com/2009/07/coldplay-concert-71409.html

Coldplay Concert Success! Many thanks to the amazing volunteers who gave their time Monday night and joined the movement to end hunger, poverty and injustice with thousands of other Coldplay fans around the world! The outreach effort was a huge success, as we surpassed our goal and collected almost 900 petition signatures and E-Action Alert sign ups! All this while having fun and hearing great music!!! What you should consider doing... *Click HERE to follow Oxfam America's Soha Yassine as she goes on tour with Coldplay. *Interested in volunteering at a concert? Email [email protected] and let us know! *Want to make sure you don't miss any urgent climate change campaign actions? Join the Climate Change Action Team! http://www.sfoxfamactioncorps.org/2009/07/coldplay-concert-success.html

On Saturday July 11, 2009 I made the trek over to the Gorge Amphitheatre in Eastern Washington for the Coldplay concert. I bought tickets months ago for Andrew and myself. Those who made the journey over the mountains were myself, Sophia, Hillary, Andrew, TJ and Jordan. The concert started at 7 as it is always so difficult to pick a time when a band is going to be on stage. With no idea when doors opened or if the opening bands started at 7 we decided to get there early. We drove over and stopped in Ellensburg for some dinner. Campus U Tote Em is one of the best burger and milkshake spots in town. To say it was warm that afternoon was an understatement. While driving we all watched the thermometer gauge crawling up as it was about 95 when we arrived at the Gorge. It was the first time to the Gorge for everyone except Sophia and myself. It was a beautiful evening. We arrived just in time to get a nice stretch of lawn on the upper part of the lawn. As the sun was setting everyone waited patiently for Coldplay to come out. It was a fabulous show! The band set up 2 mini stages on the left and right sections of the reserved seating area. Some of the highlights of the show was when the band sang Yellow and they had giant yellow balls flying throughout the crowd. They also did a cover of Billie Jean in tribute to Michael Jackson. One of the coolest parts of the show was the stage and the use of these 4 giant balls. They would be spinning above the band and have writing on them, then they would change the effects and have them project pictures and even just change random colors. Coldplay as on stage for about 2 hours and played a good range of old music and new! We had a great time and I definitely recommend seeing Coldplay live! http://tysongamblin.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/coldplay-concert/