Christa42

http://timeline.coldplay.com/nice-to-see-you/ Nice (to see you) Roadie #42 - Blog #187 rriving back after a break is always a chance to see things from a fresh perspective, but now even more so. I return to the tour in Nice after a short absence and something of a cabinet re-shuffle in terms of who-looks-after-what means that suddenly I’m able to get out front during the show. After 14 years living underneath the stage, this is pretty huge. It’s like spending every day sorting out paintbrushes and pigments, then one day stepping out to see the giant canvas and finally remembering what it’s really all about. And what it’s really all about, obviously – is you. The audience. Here are the folks in Nice who made up the ‘you’ on that particular night. After not really seeing much of the audience for many years, one thing becomes immediately apparent: They’ve *all* got cameras now! And wow – do they ever like to use them! Now – there’s already been volumes written about people filming gigs with their phones. To be honest, if folks are enjoying themselves, then I’m not going to question it. What I did decide though, was look for something that was a little more interesting to me. People lost in the moment. People who were experiencing it with every part of themselves, people who were sucking up every bit of the experience by throwing themselves into it. This was truly the canvas I was talking about earlier. All of the work, all the effort and the struggle is ultimately in the service of *how the show makes people feel*. Getting out there and getting amongst it – experiencing it from close range is incredibly energising. It’s not just good to be back – it’s invigorating! R42

Wow this is tomorrow? Excited for everyone :omgomg:

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thank you! I'm outta here

Arrggh boss is back don't know if I can keep doing set-list, sorry

They are on! 1. AHFOD

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21:25: Chris has been warming up for the show by playing some table tennis with his son…

21:19: Fans in Serbia and Slovakia have joined the live blog party by emailing [email protected]. That must be 50 countries now. (Iceland, where are you?) 21:15: Fifteen minutes until stage time. Barcelona is ready…! [MEDIA=twitter]736278351070023680[/MEDIA] Mobile Link: https://twitter.com/profesoralara/status/736278351070023680 [MEDIA=twitter]736277359955972096[/MEDIA] Mobile Link: https://twitter.com/Verownika/status/736277359955972096

Awesome!!

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21:12: The view from the side of the stage… 21:09: Just bumped into Coldplay’s super soaraway soundman / co-producer, Mr Dan Green. :dazzled:

20:49: Greetings to Gódor, our first Hungarian correspondent of the day, to [email protected]. Trying to think of a country we’ve not had anyone from yet. Iceland? 20:46: Here’s Jonny!* He’s reading a book called Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, which he tells us is definitely worth reading. Anyone who’s read any of our live blogs over the last decade or so will know that joke is obligatory.

20:40: Slightly struggling to keep up with all your emails to [email protected] (but it’s lovely to get them). Hello to Eija from Finland – pretty sure that’s our first Finn of the day, to add to that enormous list of countries, which you can read further down below… 20:36: Lianne La Havas is warming up the crowd in some style right now. Sounding *really* good.

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9:51: Apologies for the lengthy gap in service. This is down to two things: Going to take photos of opening act Alessia Cara – who is sounding superb. Being thrashed (properly *thrashed*) at table tennis by Will Champion. Let’s focus on #1 and try to forget about #2.

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Blog 19:14: “Why is there a flag from a Belgian football club backstage?” asks Kevin. We asked that too. Apparently one of the crew is a big fan. 19:09: Here’s Mr Will Champion, currently engaged in a nailbitingly close table tennis match with a friend. (It looks like he just about has the edge.) 19:03: Catering was – as it always is – absolutely delicious. Even just managing to cater for a huge number of crew in a different place every few days must be tough. But to do that and make the food as good – and varied – as you’d get in a great restaurant is just astonishing. 18:36: Right, with three hours until show time and the internet being a bit of a diva, now seems a good time to grab a bite to eat. Back soon, with tales from catering… 18:27: Here’s the band’s Head of Security Frostie outside the dressing room. He tells us that his T-shirt is for an up and coming young boxer named Jason Quigley (and Frostie seems like the kind of man who’d be able to spot someone who’s talented at being tough). 18:15: Shreya from India emailed to ask what those things are that are getting ventilation. They’re, um… well… you see… in actual fact… let’s just say they’ll be useful when this evening’s male guests have consumed some liquid. 18:14: Someone emailed [email protected] and asked for a photo taken in the dressing room. Someone else asked for a photo of some of the band’s shoes. Two birds, one stone (and three pairs of shoes). 18:06: Doors are open! 17:50: Well, at least they’re well ventilated… 17:42: Mariano has emailed to ask who painted Mags’ bike. The answer is Richard and Laura from the set design team. (Who are wonderful.) 17:39: This view (in catering at lunchtime) is more expected, given that we’re in the home of the 1992 Olympics. 17:36: Unexpected flag in the production area behind the stage… 17:25: Fans from even more countries have emailed [email protected]: Croatia, Israel, Slovenia, Dominican Republic, Belarus, Czech Republic, Lebanon and, of course, Spain. That’s 40 countries! Just incredible. Thanks everyone. Oh, and thanks to Brazilian fansite vivacoldplay.com who are apparently translating the blog into Portuguese. And ColdplayCorner.com who are translating into French. In other news, here’s a photo of the merch stand. (Lots of these available at the Coldplay Store.) 17:20: Big thanks to Tour Manager extraordinaire Marguerite for letting us share her office today. (She’s convinced we’ve caused the internet issues we’re still having…). Here’s a nice picture of Mags’ #AHFOD bike, which is very handy for getting around stadium venues, which are never short of a lonnnnng corridor or two. 17:17: A ping pong table on a warm-up running track. Tempting to try and hurdle it. Probably best not. 17:05: BREAKING! Today’s set times have just been updated: Doors 6pm Alessia Clara 7.30pm Lianne La Havas 8.15pm Coldplay 9.30pm 16:53: Balloons. Lots of big balloons. Could come in handy later.

The Staves - Outlaw

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