starfish42

To tide you over until 9/19, a sweet and personal acoustic performance in Sweden just 3 days ago: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wbGCrobg5g]YouTube - Coldplay live at Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden - UP CLOSE & FREAKING PERSONAL! Part 1(2)[/ame] This looked like a very good concert, but then they all are fantastic. :) I never thought I would be as addicted to anyone's music as I am to Coldplay's. I never get tired of it because it always seems fresh and new. It is the way Chris Martin delivers it that makes the difference. It's always pretty much the same show but he makes it seem new and fresh each time.

I wouldn't hint at anything if I were in your place. You want to be sure to arrive there early enough to be fresh the next day for the concert. Did you see the account of the young lady in Stockholm in the 8/22 concert forum? She and her friend had arrived at 9 AM to get in line for a stadium show. They opened the doors at 4 PM, and they were able to get in the 4th row in front of the stage. She had to use the bathroom, and when she returned, she could not get through the crowd to return to where she was. She spent an hour trying, but ended up on the far left side of the stage. Her story is in message #152 of the forum http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52642 I had the worst and also the best night of my life! We came to the stadium at 9am with my friend and had the line up numbers 359&360 and when we got in we were like 7-10 meters from the stage at 4pm when we got in and people sat on the ground, but then I HAD TO go to the toilet around 5pm and when I came back people were suddenly STANDING and I just couldn't get throught to where I used to be!! My friend who I came with from Finland to see the show was there alone and she had my bag which had my cell phone and all my stuff (except my camera) so I couldn't call her that I can't get through to her and I was trying for like an hour to get there from different parts of the field and just panicing and stuff and I just couldn't get there (I got like 5 meters from the end of the crowd and then just couldn't move anymore!) and so I went to the security people and they helped me a little so I finally (after calling for like 30 minutes) got hold of my friend and then I went into the crowd to get a place to watch and ended up being at the end of the long stage on the left..I'm so annoyed! why couldn't I just stay there and see the fucking concert from like the third row and now I'm at like almost half way of the field! SUCKS!!! but well the concert was still awesome (tho I couldn't see the guys on the stage almost at all) but chris came close to me a couple of times and stuff so I guess it was ok, but I was just so sad!! I'm so dissapointed on that side..but still I enjoyed the concert of course and the fireworks, confletties and balloons and stuff were awesome too!! My favourites were Deathandallhisfriends, strawberry swing (mostly because they did a small moment of Amsterdam there which is my second favourite CP song..) and the amazing LITii with the fireworks and all the singing that was like the happiest moment of my life! (that + singing 'No I don't want to battle from beginning to end I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge I don't want to follow death and all of his friends' as loud as I could ♥ sorry about some of the negativity on the message, but I'm sure you can understand why I'm so pissed off at myself..still loathing in selfpity.. well while waiting for Wembley (that better go smoothly, I've had such terrible coldplay karma) I think I'll go get some sleep because I feel like I'm getting sick with all the lining up in the rain during the day and being in the wet clothes and stuff.. But still thank you Coldplay for the concert and I'll be posting some videos later! Apparently people will start lining up much earlier in some parts of Europe, and I would guess it will be that way in London for Coldplay's homecoming concerts.

:laugh3: You're right, it was a 3 1/2 drive on the way to the concert with the traffic. We were going to get something to eat after Sacramento, but there was literally nothing, zilch between Sac and the Sleep Train Amphitheatre. So, my friend bought a veggie burger at the venue and shared his french fries with me. Going home, we flew back in 2 hours, which included the 20-minute wait to get out of the parking lot, since we had VIP parking. Most people are pleasantly numb after the concert and didn't even seem to mind the wait. My friend noticed as we were walking out that everyone seemed to be on cloud nine. I know you're being very modest about your Tampa experience. I bet that Coldplay would make it up to you if they could, though there may be too many people for them to compensate everyone.

Agreed. It's comforting to share with others who understand our crazy and irrational love of Coldplay. I'm glad to know that there are many who are actually more enthusiastic than I am, or at least who are more willing to act on it by traveling long distances to see them! It makes my two-hour drive to Sacramento (to see them the second night in a row) seem pretty tame!

I would be patient. The Latin American tour might not be until next year or later. It would still be better than Coldplay's canceling the show. I'd hold onto your tix as long as you need to, but allow for a lot of time.

Roadie 42 described how the "dancing roadie" had to climb up on the railing above the stage to release the screen after it had become stuck: Big. A word whose purpose is to describe vastness, enormity and sheer-all-round-bloody-hugeness. You'd have thought they could have shelled out a few more than three letters on it. It certainly doesn't really do justice to the experience of walking into the back of the arena here in Toronto. ... Now, if that shot doesn't give you vertigo, then spare a thought for lampy Wayne Kwiat (known to many as "the dancing roadie"). The gauze that drops in front of the stage to get the show get off to its shadowy start got somewhat tangled tonight. The only solution was to lower in the wave truss and have Wayne hop on and be lifted up there to set it free. Imagine what the place looked like to him from up there, stood on a three inch metal tube... The whole arrangement of Coldplay's show reveals the band's creativity and genius. The opening and closing melody is The Escapist, which sounds to me like a song about love, intimacy, and death. Before LIT, we only hear the melody. During the outro, we hear a recording of Chris' voice, gently singing the lyrics: And in the end, we lie awake and we dream of making our escape... The X&Y tour also had a dramatic opening with the song Square One. It began with Chris Martin's singing in front of a huge LED clock ticking down, then, with a high energy performance with lots of running and a few yoga positions thrown in. Nothing, however compares to the current show which a critic whom I respect best describes as a spectacle, compared to Coldplay's earlier shows. Both Coldplay's and the audience's level of passion has reached a crescendo on the Viva La Vida tour, surpassing that of prior tours, even though they were emotionally charged as well. I wonder how Coldplay can top Viva La Vida, but I know they will because they are creative and open to others' opinions. In interviews, Chris describes how others' constructive criticisms have led them to the current show. He also tells several anecdotes, describing instances all through his career, from one of their earliest recording Shiver, Chris has had a positive attitude towards others' advice and criticism. He has a positive attitude in general that I believe has led to Coldplay's huge success. He is an inspiration for my own life, and my best example of a profoundly successful and self-realized person.

Wow, Diane, you were close to the stage! No wonder it was such a great show for you. In fact, it looks as if you must have been very close to the two kids from Colorado, who were also on Jonny's side of the stage. I see the sparklers have bent handles that allow them to spin them around easily, but at least until they burn down, they are so long that it looks as if they have to hold them far away to keep from hitting themselves!

A sweet video of the Coldplay concert experience A sweet video of the Coldplay concert experience, which brought tears to my eyes remembering my own. Something about the sound of the opening and closing melody of "The Escapitst" I find deeply moving. It also touches me that others are so deeply affected as to fly from far away to see them and then to make a video to share their Coldplay experience: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvRFI1aZPDs]YouTube - My Coldplay Experience[/ame]

Mr. Mann78, your gif of Coldplay's swinging around the sparklers is one of the most beautiful that I've seen. In it, you can clearly see who each band member is with a sparkler, which is a rare thing to capture because they have the lights turned off at that point, and they are standing behind the sheer black gauze curtain. Only a perfect side view from the pit could capture that! Have you posted any clips to Youtube, and if you have, what is your SID? Austingirl had some excellent clips from the Texas shows, some in HD.

Slightly off-topic - for Diane Diane, We drove past the Home Depot Center in Carson today during our tour of the company's service area. I was surprised that it looked more like a sports venue than an amphitheatre, though I only saw it from the road. I thought, how small the world is that just a month ago, Coldplay performed there, and here I was 500 miles from home. I only wish I could have been there to see the show... Palos Verdes is one sprawling community of multi-million dollar homes. It is another world entirely of its own... a very different place than anything I had ever seen before. I had never seen so much wealth concentrated in one community in my life. I'm not sure I could relate to that style of life. For that matter, Torrance is one of the most beautiful and elegant areas I've ever seen. The houses appear beautiful and very well kept. Elegant beauty is the best description of Torrance. The weather here has been perfect, cool and foggy in the morning, clearing to sunny and warm with steady, cooling ocean breezes. This is one of the highest income areas I've ever seen. An example of how people live here is that the Cheesecake Factory on the waterfront only had valet parking, yet there was a half hour wait for a table there. All of the parking lots of the restaurants along the waterfront were gated for paid parking. This is a scale of living that's entirely foreign to me, yet people around here don't seem to mind it at all. I'm impressed at how much industry there is scattered all around the south bay area. Huge fuel tanks dot the landscape, also huge industrial warehouses and factories. We saw several oil wells in the southeastern part of Dominguez. I think this area is one of the economic powerhouses of California. That helps to explain the affluence of this area. After seeing this area, I feel like a pauper with my little condo in San Francisco. I can imagine that people who grow up here have a very different view of the world than those from average or poorer neighorhoods. Tomorrow, we finish out field trip with a tour of the Hermosa-Redondo Beach area.

He looked pretty neat when I saw him, curly blond hair, but I think he looks neat with a crew cut as well. He's sharp looking in any disguise. Even in the Nappies video, when he is trying to be ugly, there is something sharp about him that comes across. In Carson, when he was singing Viva La Vida, he put his down mic down and let a young lady sing, "Long live the king!" I thought his curly hair looked particularly good in that clip. I can't believe how superficial that sounds. The truth is I love him no matter what his hair looks like, but he is especially good looking with short to medium curly hair, or a crew cut. Because he has curly hair, it can look unkempt when it gets too long... the price of beauty is high. Martin Fan, you are just a Wembley ticket tease. I don't think anyone could pry those tickets from your hand if you were on your death bed! :D

Thanks, Sam, that was very enjoyable. I'm glad to see Chris' health recovered enough to return to performing. BTW, I timed his holding of the note at the end of 42. He holds it for 12 seconds, but what makes it most amazing is the volume and strength he gives to the end of the song. If I had time, I'd spend it just following all the threads of the live performances. It allows me to relive the thrill of the concerts I attended. I could keep myself entertained for a long time just doing that.

Yes, I realize how close I am to the two Coldplay concerts now. Carson is almost within walking distance of where I am now in Torrance. This is a beautiful but expensive place. The restaurant on the beach only had valet parking, and all the other places there had paid parking only. Nice cool breeze though off the ocean. East LA wasn't like this! I wish I could have gone to more concerts while they were here. Interesting that they flew in helicopters. Some of that silly scene with the miniature helicopter at the end of the LIT2 doll video, was fact-based after all. My laptop is providing me my daily dose of Coldplay. I woke up thinking how Chris opens the show with Violet Hill, after the black gauze screen is lifted, and we see Chris standing there, playing the guitar, looking strong and singing his revolutionary song. "I don't want to be a soldier of some shipwrecked captain's ship that's stowed, far below," a reference to the futility of fighting our leaders' (some idiots'prescription) wars. At the end of it, he asks if everybody's ready to make a lot of noise. He charmed us all by ending Violet Hill with, "If you love me, take me to Sacramento!" I love Chris' improvs, and the one during Fix You, which includes Chris' sporadic dance performance. "If you never make any noise, then how can we know ... just what you're worth?" He's such a beautiful soul, possessing a strong core and sense of who he is.

Diane, thank you for your sweet invitation to meet you! Today we're touring East LA, so last night we stayed in a town called Commerce, just southeast of downtown. Wow, and this is only Tuesday. We'll be down here all week, returning Friday evening. We will move to Torrance later today and will stay there for the rest of the week, which I think is a nicer area. I remember seeing Palos Verdes from Hermosa Beach many years ago. It was unforgettably beautiful. I recall a steep, wooded hillside with huge houses overlooking the ocean. We're also going to tour facilities in the Rancho Dominguez area. I usually don't care for traveling, but it is a good way to keep things fresh, and to see and learn about other parts of the state. It's especially nice when one's employer is paying all the travel expenses. Thank you for your friendliness. The furthest south we are going on this trip is Palos Verdes. If I ever achieve true explorer status, I'll get a passport and plan to see Coldplay abroad. One of the most spirited shows I've seen clips of were in Bercy (Paris) France. I think the French are particularly excited by Viva La Vida, given the French influences on the band's costumes, artwork, and VLV's references to what many believe apply to Napolean and King Louis the 18th. But any show in UK proper would also be very spirited and unforgettable, I think. We're flying back out of LAX. We flew into Burbank, which is much more managable because we started in the northen area around Thousand Oaks. The Hampton Inn there was excellent. The Double Tree here in Commerce is several steps inferior to that. No free breakfast, a $10 charge to use the Internet connection in the room, though one can use the free Wi-Fi in the lobby. Many things don't work in my room; even the bath tub stopper was non-functional. It's not a very good value for $123/night. Tracy, please call me Reggie.

Converting other to Coldplay OK, now I'm jealous, because I don't see I could ever make it to the show in Wembley, but, as my co-worker reminded me yesterday, "Never say 'Never.'" During our 4-hour wait until our next flight, we had a great conversation. The time just flew by. I shared with him my fervor for Coldplay. I've already turned another of my co-workers into a "Coldplay convert," after he shared the concert experience with me, so I feel that doing good in this world. :clap: It turns out I was very close to Thousand Oaks, to where I have actually travelled for work many years ago. There were many multi-million dollar homes in the area. Now we're fifty miles further south, in Los Angeles, just south of downtown. This is a dirty, industrial area, but the hotel we checked into is very nice, a Double Tree. We're touring local operations of a company we are auditing. We'll visit some nice areas, too, like Hermosa-Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes this week, as well as the less nice places. This is a smoggy, dirty armpit part of the city! We're staying at a different hotel every night, a good way to shake off the dust! :happy:

Yeah, one of my co-workers was put on the plane because he had reserved a seat. This was United. Smoggy... I thought it was just foggy! But this is LA, after all!:laugh3:

That makes 3 of us. I enjoyed the second Coldplay show I attended more than the first, the day before. I was afraid Chris Martin would be tired the second day, but I was pleasantly surprised that Chris actually seemed more energetic, perkier than the day before, and his voice sounded strong and sure. Like Diane, I also had much better seats the second night, too. Chris asked us if we were feeling energetic, perky and ready to have a good time. He's the most amazing person I've ever known of, for his effect on others. People say it's his charisma, but I think it is a profound sense of knowing himself and of realizing his potential. He's very self-realized, in short, he's a genius. I'm in Agoura Hills, near LA today. I and my co-worker got free airline tickets yesterday for volunteering to give up our seats and to take a later flight. Now Tampa is a possibility if they ever announce the new date, though I have other responsibilities that might take priority. :dance: I feel that there is something in play from above in my Coldplay ventures.

Not to criticize the person who originally postulated this theory, but I agree with you Tracey, that Coldplay is not so shallow as to cancel a gig because they wanted to see U2. Frankly, that theory is shallow and ridiculous! Coldplay is perhaps the greatest band on Earth. If not, they are on their way to becoming the greatest. They could not have cared less that U2 was playing. Besides, some people have commented that U2 has been on the decline for many years now, while Coldplay has moved far ahead, excelling what U2 ever did.

I ended up watching SNL and saw Coldplay's performances ... They sang three full songs: VLV, Lost and Yellow. They also sang "Lovers in Japan" during the closing credits. This was Coldplay's performance of Viva La Vida that grabbed me and from that point there was no turning back from becoming a full-fledged Coldplay fan. Chris' performance on TV is quite different from the live concert performances. He seems a little more subdued. In the concerts, he's completely in his own element, and he's like a king in his castle. There was no audience sing-along during Viva La Vida. Somehow, he seemed a little more tense, compared to the concerts. ... and he did say "Barrack Obama" at the end of "Yellow!" He kind of sang it after the last line: "And they were all yellow." :love: <= Chris Martin

Darn, I was just about to go to bed because I have a travel day tomorrow, and you inform me that Coldplay is on SNL tonight. I don't have my VCR connected, but I guess it would be worth it to record their performances. I believe I missed the original airing of this show, unless it's the one in which Chris dramatically looks at the camera after singing the song "Yellow" and simply says, "Barrack Obama." That was unforgettable. ... and how can one possibly overload on Coldplay? I live, sleep, and dream Coldplay.

Maybe you heard when you lived here about the time they had minor explosions at Shoreline? The whole place was built on top of trash hauled from San Francisco and dumped there as landfill. Mountain View earned enough money from San Francisco dump fees, which were matched with federal grants, to build the park. The place is literally a dump disguised as an amphitheatre. During one of the earliest concerts, someone dropped a cigarette and it ignited methane gas that was leaking through the ground from the decaying garbage underneath, causing a series of gas explosions throughout the amphitheatre! Shoreline had to subsequently dig up the grass on the lawn and install a cement cap over the whole lawn area and put in air ducts to divert the gas safely out of the amphitheatre. It has the advantage that the seats are covered in case of rain, which is not the case at the Sleep Train in Wheatland, although since that area is a virtual desert, there is almost no chance of rain during the summer season.

LiveNation's mailing of the survey on the Tampa concert is an example of the automation of our society: computers spitting out e-mails on a schedule, with no one remembering to cancel the mass mailing because the concert never happened! It really is funny now that I think of it again, and I can understand why it angers so many people! One can only hope that computers one day will not be pre-programmed as to when to "pull the plug" on our life support system, under some pre-determined timetable with no one around to check our current status! :surprised:

Well, thanks to living in a City for so many years, I have a partial hearing loss in my right ear. The blare of a pickup truck's horn hit my ear a certain way and knocked my hearing out in the right side, leaving it ringing. After about a week, my hearing partially returned, but I lost sensitivity to the higher frequencies and never regained it fully. I now have tinitus in that ear, hearing a high-pitched ocean-like noise. That is why I always err on the cautious side and prefer to wear ear plugs when exposed to high volumes. I could actually hear Coldplay better with the ear plugs in because they reduce it to a comfortable level, and I could hear them perfectly clearly. Without the ear plugs, I was afraid for my hearing and it hurt my ears to listen to the opening acts. Thank God the venue staff had extra packages of ear plugs. Did I mention, I love Chris Martin, too? :love::guitarist::wings:

No one seems interesting to me after becoming acquainted with Coldplay. Depeche Mode would interest me, but the lower sections are all sold out and I can't go back to the nosebleed bleachers after sitting right behind the pit at the Coldplay concert. Coldplay has ruined me for all other bands and the Wheatland concert ruined me for all other venues because of the great seats we had. ... thanks a lot, Chris! :love:

Haha, if you were canceled, they don't even want to hear from you because they know you will be angry! Cute. Everyone tends to blame LiveNation, but I don't think it is LiveNation's fault that the concert was postponed. It was "due to the illness of the artist." At both shows that I attended, the guest services were excellent. I don't know if that's to LiveNation's credit or the venues'. At Shoreline, a friend of mine had a sprained ankle and could hardly walk, even with crutches. They got her a wheelchair to carry her from the parking lot and gave her and her party upper level ramp seats even though they had lawn tix. At Sleep Train, they gave me earplugs because I had forgotten mine in the car. On the other hand, I didn't appreciate the big black lady who warned me about exceeding the bounds of the area in front of my seat. In that sense, they treat people like children. LiveNation is taking the heat as the one available to blame, but the show's being canceled was beyond its control. I know you don't want to blame Chris Martin because we love him, but it appears that he was the artist whose illness resulted in postponement.