Here's my full Coldplay review (I wrote it up for the contest on here), it's a little wordy, but very detailed :lol::
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.
Feel free to vote for me! http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59754 :nice: :P