starfish42

I'm surprised Tampa hasn't sold out yet, with only 1 week left until the show, and I'm even more surprised that 1/3 of the pit is still available (as of a couple days ago, anyway.) It could reflect the economic times. Shoreline, near San Francisco sold out completely, including the lawn, but Wheatland, which is 2 hours from SF, still had quite a few seats available in the upper section, and Live Nation ended up giving many promotions to sell tickets for that show. By the date of the show, the amphitheatre looked at least 90% full, and there was even quite a large crowd on the lawn, which looked at least half full. First, they added two lower cost reserved seat ticket levels at $40 and $50 (prior there had only been $97 and $79 tickets, not including $27 worth of fees.) Second, they began offering various 2-for-1 sales and family bundles, which helped me afford the tickets. LiveNation graciously split the the "fees" on these 2-1 tix. So, you could essentially get an upper level reserved seat for a total price of only $37. The weekend 10 days before the 7/14/09 show, they offered an unrestricted 2-for-1 sale the whole weekend, and they still had quite a few pit and fantastic seats in the 100s. I essentially got seats whose views were equivalent to front and center box seats at a total cost of $62 each ($124 total, fees included!) Plus I got a free upgrade to VIP parking for filling out an online survey. I looked at other bands' shows and Coldplay's tickets are among the highest priced, of course because the demand supports it. Coldplay's $97 and $79 tix are expensive compared with other acts' lower priced tickets: Depeche Mode @ Shoreline Amphitheatre: $93 and $73 (among the closest to Coldplay's price, still $4 less!) Jonas Bros. @ San Jose HP Pavilion and Sacramento Arco Arena: $86, $66 and $47 The Killers @ Shoreline Amphitheatre: $81, $56, and $41; Dave Mathews @ Ford Amphitheatre (Tampa): $75 and $67, Greenday's highest priced tix @ San Jose HP Pavilion and Sacramento Arco Arena: $46.5 and $23.50. Of course, it depends on the venue as well. When I invited a co-worker to the Wheatland concert, he angrily responded that he thought that "Coldplay must be pretty full of themselves to charge the prices that they do for concert tickets." I reminded him that they had completely sold out the Shoreline, and that they deserved whatever price people were willing to pay. The fact is that Coldplay now has a very rich repertoire of music that makes their concerts richer than most (4 official albums and many EPs like Prospekt's March.) Coldpaly has now won 7 Grammy awards. Depeche Mode is a close second (in my opinion, though they generally have a "dark" sound, while Coldplay's music is light.) I then told my co-worker about the 2-for-1 sale at the Wheatland show, inviting him to accompany me and another co-worker who were already going. He foolishly shut himself off from experiencing what turned out to be a magical evening, because of his prejudiced view of Coldplay. What I learned from my first concert-going experience is that it doesn't pay to have one's "finger on the mouse" the day the tickets first go on sale. For Wheatland, it paid off handsomely to wait as LiveNation didn't even open up the lower level seats to the public until May, which was 2 months before the concert, and 3 months after the tix first went on sale. I wish I had known of these forums beforehand, and probably would have not wasted $124 on the lousy seats I had at the Shoreline 7/13 show. LiveNation opened up many 100s section seats in the in the first week of May for that show as well. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

I love the caption on the bag from the cover of the Rolling Stone: Conquering the World Very Gently: Coldplay. It's so true! Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

The Angie, this is for you! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L22aIH4qgY&NR=1]YouTube - Jonny Buckland of Coldplay "42" on 11-03-08, Detroit[/ame] I thought of you when I saw this!

Flights to Tampa The cheapest flight to Tampa costs $400 RT, so I won't be going. :cry: :angry: I should have bought a ticket 2-3 weeks ago at a supersaver rate, but I'll keep looking. I'll go if I can find $200 tix. :inquisitive: Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

I was surprised that I didn't feel like crying at all when I saw them. I only felt excited and wanted to dance and "high-five" during the exciting parts of the songs like "Yeahhh, how long must you wait for it..." for "In My Place" and "Open up your eyes...," in Politik with the flashing bright white lights. Watching the clips of the show, though, I have felt the tears well up for some of the songs. I found out in another forum that it's part of the post-Coldplay-concert depression, as many others attest to feeling the same a few days after the show. That's why I felt sad that Coldplay will leave the U.S. in just a few days, not to be play any more concerts for 2-3 years. They will probably return to the studio to work on the next album. On another unrelated topic, I estimate that each member gets about $100,000 per show (the band's fee split equally five ways, including Phil) at a venue with about 20,000, not counting additional revenues from sales of T-shirts, etc. But, on the other hand, I know nothing about how much they make and it probably varies by show. Somehow, $100k doesn't seem like enough compensation for Chris Martin, who appears to work at least twice as much as the others, with his lead vocals, running, dancing and yoga postures. But I guess it adds up quickly with the number of shows they have done. It seems to be very well-deserved and hard-earned money. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Duran, I particularly liked Chris' performance of this song as well. At the Shoreline, I could barely see anything in the back of the upper seats, but I specifically remember the feeling that Chris communicated through this song. I felt as if he put his soul, his personality, into singing Glass of Water. It sounds as if he wrote this for his son, Moses, and that might explain the profound feeling of love that Chris brings to it. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Dianne, I'm in San Francisco. I saw your post about the meet and greet. I understand that you felt shortchanged because it didn't deliver what it had promised, cocktails, but at least you got to meet them up close, and get your pic taken with them. I think I'd be tongue-tied if I ever had a chance to really socialize with them because I could never express in words how much their music has meant to me. Congratulations for getting a great consolation prize, Coldplay's schedule. How lucky that you knew someone who found it and was thoughtful enough to send you schedule. That makes up for the short meeting you had with them. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

My Coldplay Story Here's my Coldplay story. Please share yours. My Coldplay story is a little more involved as it spans over many years. I used to feel an indescribable curiosity about Chris Martin whenever I would see him on TV. I used to stare at him, wondering what he was about. There was something intangible about him, something about him that I could not put my finger on, or figure out. It is ironic to think that Chris Martin used to seem a little boring to me, because back then, he was mostly shown sitting and singing at the piano, but sometimes I felt that I couldn't stop watching him. For one thing, I noticed that he rocked back and forth enthusiastically on the piano bench. Something about him captivated me. Sometimes, when he was standing and singing, he would put his hand over his heart, patting it. [in the 2008 kick off of the Viva tour, at Coldplay's free show at the BBC, the hostess referred to Coldplay as the "Masters of Self-Flagellation."] That fascinated me, because it looked as if he was purposely focusing on his heart energy - love - as he was singing, and projecting love out from his heart, with a profound sense of sincerity. He did this in a way that I had never seen any performer pull off before. He seemed so sincere, that, with his frequent falsettos, I almost felt sorry for his showing as much vulnerability as he did. But, I used to be able to pull myself away from staring at him and walk away. In 2006, when I saw Coldplay in the music video of "The Hardest Part," (from X&Y) I watched it once but I did not want to watch it again. That's the video in which Coldplay was blue screened into a 1986 clip of a show called "Attitudes Across America," in which an elderly woman is dancing with a young man, the latter almost throwing her around at times. The couple was not even dancing to Coldplay's music, but the editors made it look close enough to fit. In the video, no one recognizes or acknowledges the presence of Coldplay, and because of that, everyone seems distant and indifferent to Coldplay's presence, which I found painful to watch. Later, I saw them on a PBS fundraiser, in which they were giving away their album for a membership drive. I remember the woman announcer's saying that the band had taken on a somewhat edgier sound in their recent album, X&Y. I remember Chris' heavy English accent, which one doesn't hear as much in his singing. I found myself being too drawn to Chris Martin and, still able to walk away, I didn't finish watching the show. I remember feeling almost resentful of the power I felt he might have over me if I let him. I think this is the same fear that resides in the hearts of the many people who are aptly called "Coldplay haters" and I encounter a surprising number of them in my own experience. Everything changed when I saw Coldplay perform Viva La Vida on Saturday Night Live, SNL just three weeks before the 2008 election. I was excited at the prospsect that Obama might be president and hoped for an end to the horrible wars that Bush had gotten us into. VLV seemed to capture a sense of joy about the change that was about to happen. On the same SNL show, at the end of the song Yellow, Chris Martin looked right into the camera and simply said, "Barrack Obama." It was dramatic, and I remember that he was criticized heavily by some Coldplay haters for it afterwards. I began watching videos of Coldplay on Youtube, and reading about them on wiki. There is a lot of information from interviews Chris had given over the years, and he has shared many interesting facts about them and how their songs came to be. What impresses me is that everything Chris Martin does seems to be intentional and intelligently planned. I made a playlist of 200 interviews on Youtube and have been fascinated at how open and honest Chris Martin is. My Coldplay channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/beigecamouflage. From that point, there was no turning back, no ability to walk away from Coldplay. I finally surrendered, but I didn't mind because I concluded that Coldplay was good and trustworthy. I think much of Chris Martin's efforts have been put into assuring people of their credibility. Except for Chris' liberal use of the "F" word in concerts, the band has a squeeky clean image. They are all free of drugs and other vices. It is one of the band's two rules, the other is that they equally split the profits among the 5 of them (including the "invisible fifth band member" Phil Harvey, their manager.) More than that, on a spiritual level, I'm totally fascinated by Chris Martin's level of self-realization. He is very focused and sure about what he wants in life, able to achieve more than anyone I know of. I feel completely mesmerized by who he is, his creativity, and his energy from seeing what he is able to do in concerts. He seems to be a kind of self-sacrificing divo with a purpose. I see this especially in his performance of Viva La Vida, during the sing along part. He is patting his heart as the crowd sings along "Ohhhhh" and he seems to be in ecstacy. I think he and the rest of Coldplay are able to do what they do because they have 100% of their hearts in it. No matter how much Chris strives to share the spotlight with the rest of Coldplay, everyone senses that he is the impulse, drive, and creativity behind the magic that is Coldplay. Chris Martin professes strong principles, like not allowing Coldplay's songs to be used for commercial purposes, and he lives by his principles. He has transcended the physical. He's on another plane entirely. That's how he is able to perform at the top form that he does at concerts, with boundless energy and strength. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Thanks, it's gracious of you to allow me to share your story with others. I just read it again, it is such a lovely story. I like how it shows how ironic life can be. It is also moving to read how Coldplay touched you and re-invigorated your passion for music. I feel that they are my muse as well. Coldplay's creativity mystifies me, like, "How do they come up with such wonderful music?" Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Thinline: We should find a flight and head out to Tampa. I have a cousin there, and about 1/3 of the pit seats are still available. I know, it's far away, expensive to fly, and $124 is a lot to pay for a ticket (the 3rd Coldplay concert for me since 7/13/09.) Here's my Coldplay story, which is a little more involved as it spans over many years. I used to feel an indescribable curiosity about Chris Martin whenever I would see him on TV. I used to stare at him, wondering what he was about. There was something intangible about him, something about him that I could not put my finger on, or figure out. It is ironic to think that Chris Martin used to seem a little boring to me, because back then, he was mostly shown sitting and singing at the piano, but sometimes I felt that I couldn't stop watching him. For one thing, I noticed that he rocked back and forth enthusiastically on the piano bench. Something about him captivated me. Sometimes, when he was standing and singing, he would put his hand over his heart, patting it. [in the 2008 kick off of the Viva tour, at Coldplay's free show at the BBC, the hostess referred to Coldplay as the "Masters of Self-Flagellation."] Example of heart patting at the end of "Speed of Sound": [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwY_fDMU8j0&feature=PlayList&p=C2768B33BB47EC6A&index=0]YouTube - Speed of Sound - Coldplay Live TOTP[/ame] That fascinated me, because it looked as if he was purposely focusing on his heart energy - love - as he was singing, and projecting love out from his heart, with a profound sense of sincerity. He did this in a way that I had never seen any performer pull off before. He seemed so sincere, that, with his frequent falsettos, I almost felt sorry for his showing as much vulnerability as he did. But, I used to be able to pull myself away from staring at him and walk away. In 2006, when I saw Coldplay in the music video of "The Hardest Part," (from X&Y) I watched it once but I did not want to watch it again. That's the video in which Coldplay was blue screened into a 1986 clip of a show called "Attitudes Across America," in which an elderly woman is dancing with a young man, the latter almost throwing her around at times. The couple was not even dancing to Coldplay's music, but the editors made it look close enough to fit. In the video, no one recognizes or acknowledges the presence of Coldplay, and because of that, everyone seems distant and indifferent to Coldplay's presence, which I found painful to watch. Later, I saw them on a PBS fundraiser, in which they were giving away their album for a membership drive. I remember the woman announcer's saying that the band had taken on a somewhat edgier sound in their recent album, X&Y. I remember Chris' heavy English accent, which one doesn't hear as much in his singing. I found myself being too drawn to Chris Martin and, still able to walk away, I didn't finish watching the show. I remember feeling almost resentful of the power I felt he might have over me if I let him. I think this is the same fear that resides in the hearts of the many people who are aptly called "Coldplay haters" and I encounter a surprising number of them in my own experience. Everything changed when I saw Coldplay perform Viva La Vida on Saturday Night Live, SNL just three weeks before the 2008 election. I was excited at the prospsect that Obama might be president and hoped for an end to the horrible wars that Bush had gotten us into. VLV seemed to capture a sense of joy about the change that was about to happen. On the same SNL show, at the end of the song Yellow, Chris Martin looked right into the camera and simply said, "Barrack Obama." It was dramatic, and I remember that he was criticized heavily by some Coldplay haters for it afterwards. I began watching videos of Coldplay on Youtube, and reading about them on wiki. There is a lot of information from interviews Chris had given over the years, and he has shared many interesting facts about them and how their songs came to be. What impresses me is that everything Chris Martin does seems to be intentional and intelligently planned. I made a playlist of 200 interviews on Youtube and have been fascinated at how open and honest Chris Martin is. My Coldplay channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/beigecamouflage. From that point, there was no turning back, no ability to walk away from Coldplay. I finally surrendered, but I didn't mind because I concluded that Coldplay was good and trustworthy. I think much of Chris Martin's efforts have been put into assuring people of their credibility. Except for Chris' liberal use of the "F" word in concerts, the band has a squeeky clean image. They are all free of drugs and other vices. It is one of the band's two rules, the other is that they equally split the profits among the 5 of them (including the "invisible fifth band member" Phil Harvey, their manager.) More than that, on a spiritual level, I'm totally fascinated by Chris Martin's level of self-realization. He is very focused and sure about what he wants in life, able to achieve more than anyone I know of. I feel completely mesmerized by who he is, his creativity, and his energy from seeing what he is able to do in concerts. He seems to be a kind of self-sacrificing divo with a purpose. I see this especially in his performance of Viva La Vida, during the sing along part. He is literally pounding his heart as the crowd sings along "Ohhhhh" and he seems to be in ecstacy. Then, at the end of the song, he lies down as if he dies. I think he and the rest of Coldplay are able to do what they do because they have 100% of their hearts in it. No matter how much Chris strives to share the spotlight with the rest of Coldplay, everyone senses that he is the impulse, drive, and creativity behind the magic that is Coldplay. Chris Martin professes strong principles, like not allowing Coldplay's songs to be used for commercial purposes, and he lives by his principles. He has transcended the physical. He's on another plane entirely. That's how he is able to perform at the top form that he does at concerts, with boundless energy and strength. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Congratulations, Angie! I just checked and both London shows at Wembley are completely sold out :cry: I see Jay-Zee is the opening act, that probably helps explain why, apart from those being the last two chances to see Coldplay in their Viva La Vida tour. Jay-Zee will probably sing Lost+ with Coldplay. But the other two shows, in Old Trafford and Glasgow have tickets. The prices there for STANDING & LEVEL 1 UNRESERVED are much less expensive than here, about $80. For seating, at about 53.83 pounds, it would be like $97 here (with the 5.40 "service charge" apparently every country has that), but the reserved seats are more costly. The pound is worth about $1.64 now. Still, I don't know how I'd get there as I've never even been to Europe before, and I don't know where would I stay? :thinking: The gigsandtours.com website doesn't seem as user friendly as LiveNation, no seating charts or other useful tools, unless I just haven't learned how to use it or where to look. :rolleyes: I just checked, and http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk has a seating chart of the stadium, but as in the U.S., ticketmaster doesn't give the "Clink 'n Pick" option that LiveNation does. Sucks. Wow, Wembley is a huge stadium! and it's all sold out. Oh well, I don't think I could handle seeing Coldplay in a stadium anyway. You are adventurous to go there! I admire and envy you at the same time! Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Feel free to follow me to the Tampa thread All Coldplay die-hard fans, please join me in following the Tampa concert thread, Coldplay's last show in the U.S. for the Viva La Vida tour. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54397 Starfish 42 Coldplay = Love

I'm in CA and saw them near San Francisco and Wheatland. I am toying with the idea of going to this, their last Viva show in Tampa. I know, I'm crazy but I'm not as devoted as some of you who follow them everywhere. One day, maybe I will be able to, though. My dream would be to have any job working for them, no matter how menial or low-paying. I checked and it looks as if about 1/3 of the pit is still available, but no other seats in the 100s. After sitting right the behind the pit in Wheatland, I don't think I can return to the stratosphere, or "up on the lawn, 700 meters away!" as Chris said at our show. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Austingirl's Review - Sad to see Coldplay leaving US Austingirl, I hope you don't mind my re-posting your review here. It is too good for anyone to miss! I looked on LiveNation today. It is sad that Coldplay's tour is winding down now, with the last show Sunday 08/09/09 at 7:00 PM, at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL. That's only 11 days from today! How time flies! Then Coldplay will tour Europe for a few weeks, with the last show of the Viva La Vida tour at Wembley Stadium, England in September. I wonder how one gets tickets to that show? I know that TheAngie, a true die-hard Coldplay fan, is going to that last show. I'm posting a copy of Austingirlmusicguide's review of the Texas shows here because it is too good to be missed. I hope it is as interesting -- fascinating is a better word -- to all of the true Coldplay fans of this forum as it was to me. For the original review and for links to her Coldplay videos, her blog is found at: http://austingirlmusicguide.wordpres...uston-721-722/ CONCERT REVIEW: COLDPLAY (DALLAS/HOUSTON 7/21-7/22) July 25, 2009, 4:42 pm The very first time I listened to Coldplay was in December 2005 and coincidentally enough, it was at a simulcast of their taping of Austin City Limits. At the time, my husband became privy to the knowledge that Michael Stipe was going to be making a guest appearance during Coldplay’s set and worked quickly to secure us two tickets to the spare seating that had been set up in a nearby auditorium on the UT campus (the demand for tickets was so high, they filled up the ACL studio and the entire auditorium). It’s funny to think about now, but I couldn’t have cared in the least that Coldplay was going to perform; I literally only wanted to see Michael Stipe. I owned no Coldplay albums and was really only familiar with “Clocks” from the radio and “Speed of Sound” from its video. I vividly remembered reading an interview with Chris Martin from years earlier before the release of A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), where he claimed that he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to write anything as good as “Yellow” ever again. That being during my grunge rock phase, I thought it was one of the most ridiculous things I’d ever heard. How much things can change… My husband and I got set up with the free beers they use to lubricate the audience for ACL and waited for the show to begin. Coldplay started their set and pretty much immediately, we were both won over. What they show on television now is only a fraction of what they played that night; they played a full concert, nearly two hours of music, hitting a variety of songs from their three albums that had been released up to that point. I remember Chris being very charming; he was talkative, funny, and smart, and engaging with the small studio audience, wandering off the stage to high-five mayor Will Wynn much to the chagrin of the cameramen attempting to follow him. Of course, the highlight for me was when Michael Stipe came out and they played “In The Sun” and “Nightswimming”, but I specifically remember Coldplay’s performances of “Clocks” and “Talk” as well. After the final encore, Chris came back out and played “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” solo on the piano and that sealed the deal. I was thoroughly impressed. I had seen Coldplay twice since then, once during the X&Y tour in early 2006, and once last year in November at the onset of the Viva tour. While both of those concerts were great, I was in no way prepared for how far they have come as a band in concert in the past eight months, and was blown away by the sheer spectacle of the show in both Dallas and Houston last week. It was a rare treat to see a huge band in a relatively small outdoor arena, and Coldplay goes to extremes to make sure all of the audience feels included. The main stage itself is impressive with the “magic balls” that project light and distorted images, their amazing laser light shows, and intricate backdrops, but the band also makes two trips off stage. First they play some techno-d up and highly danceable versions of “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” and “Talk”, followed by Chris on piano playing “Trouble” in Dallas during an impromptu setlist change, and then “The Hardest Part” in Houston. During their second trip into the audience, even closer to the lawn this time, they play a fun and jaunty acoustic set that includes drummer Will Champion singing on “Death Will Never Conquer” while Chris and guitarist Jonny Buckland dance merrily, and a crack version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” where Chris hits some killer falsetto notes and Jonny and Will provide excellent guitar riffs. In Dallas, we were lucky enough to be at the front of the pit, so we really got to see some of the inner workings of the show and it’s clear that Coldplay works very hard at their jobs. From the very second the concert starts, with the dancing roadie and “Blue Danube” intro, the show is dramatic, finding the band coming out in silhoutte behind a screen waving sparklers before starting the first number, the instrumental version of “Life in Technicolor”. The set is two hours long, and it’s nearly non-stop, with only two short breaks, and the setlist itself is full of their most interesting tracks, enormous crowd-pleasers and rock numbers alike. Every member of the band is a key to the puzzle; we got to witness the knowing eye contacts and silent cues they’d give each other and it’s totally gratifying to see that they’re in synch like clockwork. Will drums like a machine, literally carrying the beat and turning out unbelievable performances during “Viva la Vida” and “Politik”, bassist Guy Berryman is steady and self-assured on his instrument, and Jonny completely rocks out during songs like “42″ and makes guitar lines like the one in “Strawberry Swing” look effortless and easy. As a frontman, Chris is confident and affable; he comes across as down-to-earth and genuinely absorbed in entertaining the audience. His voice for both shows was in top form, transitioning between high and low notes smoothly. His musical skills are also highly admirable, especially his piano playing, which has become more classically influenced over the years with lovely numbers like “Postcards From Far Away”. He switches back and forth between piano, guitar, and manning the mic throughout the show, and does it all with boundless energy; running, jumping, and dancing, and whether it’s goofy or inspired, it’s always captivating. Despite sitting in the back of the left side of the arena in Houston, I actually thought the Houston show was marginally better than the Dallas one. The crowd seemed to be a lot more lively in Houston, and the band responded well to that. All told, there isn’t much the band could do to improve; they’re performing at their absolute best each night, and that combined with all the other fantastic elements of their show – witty stage banter, falling neon butterflies, confetti filled yellow balloons, and silly fun like the orchestrated cell phone wave – make Coldplay’s concerts immensely exhilarating. My long anecdote at the intro is the beginning of the story of how Coldplay became one of my all-time favorite bands. But that night was also sort of an important turning point for me musically. I was stuck in this weird in-between stage of musical taste; I’d been all Bob Marley’d out during college, and yet, I hadn’t discovered any new music for years because I hated the radio. I rarely ever listened to music at all. Seeing Coldplay live the first time reinvigorated my interest and passion for music; they’re are a huge part of the reason why I’ve gone so far as to have a music blog. Seeing them in Dallas and Houston during this tour was just icing on the cake. Enjoy some more of my Dallas pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/austingirl.mg/ColdplayDallas721?feat=embedwebsite# Coldplay – Dallas (7/21) More to come later and hopefully, video too. *************************************************************** Austingirl, I could not agree with you more. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Sad that Coldplay is winding down its U.S. tour - missing them already I looked on LiveNation today. It is sad that Coldplay's tour is winding down now, with the last show Sunday 08/09/09 at 7:00 PM, at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL. That's only 11 days from today! How time flies! Then Coldplay will tour Europe for a few weeks, with the last show of the Viva La Vida tour at Wembley Stadium, England in September. I wonder how one gets tickets to that show? I know that TheAngie, a true die-hard Coldplay fan, is going to that last show. I'm posting a copy of Austingirlmusicguide's review of the Texas shows here because it is too good to be missed. I hope it is as interesting -- fascinating is a better word -- to all of the true Coldplay fans of this forum as it was to me. For the original review and for links to her Coldplay videos, her blog is found at: http://austingirlmusicguide.wordpres...uston-721-722/ CONCERT REVIEW: COLDPLAY (DALLAS/HOUSTON 7/21-7/22) July 25, 2009, 4:42 pm The very first time I listened to Coldplay was in December 2005 and coincidentally enough, it was at a simulcast of their taping of Austin City Limits. At the time, my husband became privy to the knowledge that Michael Stipe was going to be making a guest appearance during Coldplay’s set and worked quickly to secure us two tickets to the spare seating that had been set up in a nearby auditorium on the UT campus (the demand for tickets was so high, they filled up the ACL studio and the entire auditorium). It’s funny to think about now, but I couldn’t have cared in the least that Coldplay was going to perform; I literally only wanted to see Michael Stipe. I owned no Coldplay albums and was really only familiar with “Clocks” from the radio and “Speed of Sound” from its video. I vividly remembered reading an interview with Chris Martin from years earlier before the release of A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), where he claimed that he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to write anything as good as “Yellow” ever again. That being during my grunge rock phase, I thought it was one of the most ridiculous things I’d ever heard. How much things can change… My husband and I got set up with the free beers they use to lubricate the audience for ACL and waited for the show to begin. Coldplay started their set and pretty much immediately, we were both won over. What they show on television now is only a fraction of what they played that night; they played a full concert, nearly two hours of music, hitting a variety of songs from their three albums that had been released up to that point. I remember Chris being very charming; he was talkative, funny, and smart, and engaging with the small studio audience, wandering off the stage to high-five mayor Will Wynn much to the chagrin of the cameramen attempting to follow him. Of course, the highlight for me was when Michael Stipe came out and they played “In The Sun” and “Nightswimming”, but I specifically remember Coldplay’s performances of “Clocks” and “Talk” as well. After the final encore, Chris came back out and played “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” solo on the piano and that sealed the deal. I was thoroughly impressed. I had seen Coldplay twice since then, once during the X&Y tour in early 2006, and once last year in November at the onset of the Viva tour. While both of those concerts were great, I was in no way prepared for how far they have come as a band in concert in the past eight months, and was blown away by the sheer spectacle of the show in both Dallas and Houston last week. It was a rare treat to see a huge band in a relatively small outdoor arena, and Coldplay goes to extremes to make sure all of the audience feels included. The main stage itself is impressive with the “magic balls” that project light and distorted images, their amazing laser light shows, and intricate backdrops, but the band also makes two trips off stage. First they play some techno-d up and highly danceable versions of “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” and “Talk”, followed by Chris on piano playing “Trouble” in Dallas during an impromptu setlist change, and then “The Hardest Part” in Houston. During their second trip into the audience, even closer to the lawn this time, they play a fun and jaunty acoustic set that includes drummer Will Champion singing on “Death Will Never Conquer” while Chris and guitarist Jonny Buckland dance merrily, and a crack version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” where Chris hits some killer falsetto notes and Jonny and Will provide excellent guitar riffs. In Dallas, we were lucky enough to be at the front of the pit, so we really got to see some of the inner workings of the show and it’s clear that Coldplay works very hard at their jobs. From the very second the concert starts, with the dancing roadie and “Blue Danube” intro, the show is dramatic, finding the band coming out in silhoutte behind a screen waving sparklers before starting the first number, the instrumental version of “Life in Technicolor”. The set is two hours long, and it’s nearly non-stop, with only two short breaks, and the setlist itself is full of their most interesting tracks, enormous crowd-pleasers and rock numbers alike. Every member of the band is a key to the puzzle; we got to witness the knowing eye contacts and silent cues they’d give each other and it’s totally gratifying to see that they’re in synch like clockwork. Will drums like a machine, literally carrying the beat and turning out unbelievable performances during “Viva la Vida” and “Politik”, bassist Guy Berryman is steady and self-assured on his instrument, and Jonny completely rocks out during songs like “42″ and makes guitar lines like the one in “Strawberry Swing” look effortless and easy. As a frontman, Chris is confident and affable; he comes across as down-to-earth and genuinely absorbed in entertaining the audience. His voice for both shows was in top form, transitioning between high and low notes smoothly. His musical skills are also highly admirable, especially his piano playing, which has become more classically influenced over the years with lovely numbers like “Postcards From Far Away”. He switches back and forth between piano, guitar, and manning the mic throughout the show, and does it all with boundless energy; running, jumping, and dancing, and whether it’s goofy or inspired, it’s always captivating. Despite sitting in the back of the left side of the arena in Houston, I actually thought the Houston show was marginally better than the Dallas one. The crowd seemed to be a lot more lively in Houston, and the band responded well to that. All told, there isn’t much the band could do to improve; they’re performing at their absolute best each night, and that combined with all the other fantastic elements of their show – witty stage banter, falling neon butterflies, confetti filled yellow balloons, and silly fun like the orchestrated cell phone wave – make Coldplay’s concerts immensely exhilarating. My long anecdote at the intro is the beginning of the story of how Coldplay became one of my all-time favorite bands. But that night was also sort of an important turning point for me musically. I was stuck in this weird in-between stage of musical taste; I’d been all Bob Marley’d out during college, and yet, I hadn’t discovered any new music for years because I hated the radio. I rarely ever listened to music at all. Seeing Coldplay live the first time reinvigorated my interest and passion for music; they’re are a huge part of the reason why I’ve gone so far as to have a music blog. Seeing them in Dallas and Houston during this tour was just icing on the cake. Enjoy some more of my Dallas pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/austingirl.mg/ColdplayDallas721?feat=embedwebsite# Coldplay – Dallas (7/21) More to come later and hopefully, video too. *************************************************************** Austingirl, I could not agree with you more. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

Sad that Coldplay is winding down its U.S. tour - I'm missing them already I looked on LiveNation today. It is sad that Coldplay's tour is winding down now, with the last show Sunday 08/09/09 at 7:00 PM, at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL. That's only 11 days from today! How time flies! Then Coldplay will tour Europe for a few weeks, with the last show of the Viva La Vida tour at Wembley Stadium, England in September. I wonder how one gets tickets to that show? I know that TheAngie, a true die-hard Coldplay fan, is going to that last show. I'm posting a copy of Austingirlmusicguide's review of the Texas shows here because it is too good to be missed. I hope it is as interesting -- fascinating is a better word -- to all of the true Coldplay fans of this forum as it was to me. For the original review and for links to her Coldplay videos, her blog is found at: http://austingirlmusicguide.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/concert-review-coldplay-dallashouston-721-722/ CONCERT REVIEW: COLDPLAY (DALLAS/HOUSTON 7/21-7/22) July 25, 2009, 4:42 pm The very first time I listened to Coldplay was in December 2005 and coincidentally enough, it was at a simulcast of their taping of Austin City Limits. At the time, my husband became privy to the knowledge that Michael Stipe was going to be making a guest appearance during Coldplay’s set and worked quickly to secure us two tickets to the spare seating that had been set up in a nearby auditorium on the UT campus (the demand for tickets was so high, they filled up the ACL studio and the entire auditorium). It’s funny to think about now, but I couldn’t have cared in the least that Coldplay was going to perform; I literally only wanted to see Michael Stipe. I owned no Coldplay albums and was really only familiar with “Clocks” from the radio and “Speed of Sound” from its video. I vividly remembered reading an interview with Chris Martin from years earlier before the release of A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), where he claimed that he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to write anything as good as “Yellow” ever again. That being during my grunge rock phase, I thought it was one of the most ridiculous things I’d ever heard. How much things can change… My husband and I got set up with the free beers they use to lubricate the audience for ACL and waited for the show to begin. Coldplay started their set and pretty much immediately, we were both won over. What they show on television now is only a fraction of what they played that night; they played a full concert, nearly two hours of music, hitting a variety of songs from their three albums that had been released up to that point. I remember Chris being very charming; he was talkative, funny, and smart, and engaging with the small studio audience, wandering off the stage to high-five mayor Will Wynn much to the chagrin of the cameramen attempting to follow him. Of course, the highlight for me was when Michael Stipe came out and they played “In The Sun” and “Nightswimming”, but I specifically remember Coldplay’s performances of “Clocks” and “Talk” as well. After the final encore, Chris came back out and played “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” solo on the piano and that sealed the deal. I was thoroughly impressed. I had seen Coldplay twice since then, once during the X&Y tour in early 2006, and once last year in November at the onset of the Viva tour. While both of those concerts were great, I was in no way prepared for how far they have come as a band in concert in the past eight months, and was blown away by the sheer spectacle of the show in both Dallas and Houston last week. It was a rare treat to see a huge band in a relatively small outdoor arena, and Coldplay goes to extremes to make sure all of the audience feels included. The main stage itself is impressive with the “magic balls” that project light and distorted images, their amazing laser light shows, and intricate backdrops, but the band also makes two trips off stage. First they play some techno-d up and highly danceable versions of “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” and “Talk”, followed by Chris on piano playing “Trouble” in Dallas during an impromptu setlist change, and then “The Hardest Part” in Houston. During their second trip into the audience, even closer to the lawn this time, they play a fun and jaunty acoustic set that includes drummer Will Champion singing on “Death Will Never Conquer” while Chris and guitarist Jonny Buckland dance merrily, and a crack version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” where Chris hits some killer falsetto notes and Jonny and Will provide excellent guitar riffs. In Dallas, we were lucky enough to be at the front of the pit, so we really got to see some of the inner workings of the show and it’s clear that Coldplay works very hard at their jobs. From the very second the concert starts, with the dancing roadie and “Blue Danube” intro, the show is dramatic, finding the band coming out in silhoutte behind a screen waving sparklers before starting the first number, the instrumental version of “Life in Technicolor”. The set is two hours long, and it’s nearly non-stop, with only two short breaks, and the setlist itself is full of their most interesting tracks, enormous crowd-pleasers and rock numbers alike. Every member of the band is a key to the puzzle; we got to witness the knowing eye contacts and silent cues they’d give each other and it’s totally gratifying to see that they’re in synch like clockwork. Will drums like a machine, literally carrying the beat and turning out unbelievable performances during “Viva la Vida” and “Politik”, bassist Guy Berryman is steady and self-assured on his instrument, and Jonny completely rocks out during songs like “42″ and makes guitar lines like the one in “Strawberry Swing” look effortless and easy. As a frontman, Chris is confident and affable; he comes across as down-to-earth and genuinely absorbed in entertaining the audience. His voice for both shows was in top form, transitioning between high and low notes smoothly. His musical skills are also highly admirable, especially his piano playing, which has become more classically influenced over the years with lovely numbers like “Postcards From Far Away”. He switches back and forth between piano, guitar, and manning the mic throughout the show, and does it all with boundless energy; running, jumping, and dancing, and whether it’s goofy or inspired, it’s always captivating. Despite sitting in the back of the left side of the arena in Houston, I actually thought the Houston show was marginally better than the Dallas one. The crowd seemed to be a lot more lively in Houston, and the band responded well to that. All told, there isn’t much the band could do to improve; they’re performing at their absolute best each night, and that combined with all the other fantastic elements of their show – witty stage banter, falling neon butterflies, confetti filled yellow balloons, and silly fun like the orchestrated cell phone wave – make Coldplay’s concerts immensely exhilarating. My long anecdote at the intro is the beginning of the story of how Coldplay became one of my all-time favorite bands. But that night was also sort of an important turning point for me musically. I was stuck in this weird in-between stage of musical taste; I’d been all Bob Marley’d out during college, and yet, I hadn’t discovered any new music for years because I hated the radio. I rarely ever listened to music at all. Seeing Coldplay live the first time reinvigorated my interest and passion for music; they’re are a huge part of the reason why I’ve gone so far as to have a music blog. Seeing them in Dallas and Houston during this tour was just icing on the cake. Enjoy some more of my Dallas pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/austingirl.mg/ColdplayDallas721?feat=embedwebsite# Coldplay – Dallas (7/21) More to come later and hopefully, video too. ***************************************************************** Austingirl, I could not agree with you more. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

If the sound is distorted, are you watching them in HD? Sometimes I get choppy sounds because my connection speed can't keep up with speed of play; putting it on pause until it caches and then playing it solves the problem. Or, just play it in normal not HD. No, unfortunately, I don't have the time, energy or the will power to go to any more concerts in the near future, though I did look at the Depeche Mode concert coming to the Shoreline. But I love Coldplay and probably would follow them around at least for a few shows after I'm retired. Then, I'd have the time. That's at least 2.5 years off. Coldplay is doing their last U.S. show on Sun, 08/09/09 @ 07:00 p.m. at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL. I thought about trying to go to that one, as I have relatives there whom I could visit. I see one girl on other forums, TheAngie, who followed them through Texas, and plans to see them again in Wembley, England. She is devoted! She has a special love for Jonny. For most of us, our eyes are focused on Chris and his super-powered moves. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone who performs more energetically or more beautifully than Chris Martin. I wonder how he is able to tap such a deep well of energy, or to have the enduring strength that he has. He is a man of many mysteries and secrets, who gives me a profound sense of inspiration. I can't believe it, they've already finished Texas, have done the Missouri show, and were in East Troy, Wisc. last night (pop. 3,564.) They will be in Saratoga, NY tomorrow, then a couple of shows in Canada: Toronto and Montreal. I can't even keep up on reading the forums about their shows, and they are out there, actually doing them! It's incredible to think that they move the whole show from town to town. I think they must have two sets since they did shows only one day apart in this area at Shoreline and Wheatland. I saw the huge black van with a beautiful yellow design across it, parked in front of the Shoreline, which they apparently use to transport their set. Also, numerous buses, probably for the oxfam volunteers, staff and roadies. I was wondering who were in the numerous limousines parked in front. I guessed they were for the producers, family and friends, in addition to the band, or just very wealthy fans of Coldplay. Hmmm... I wonder if they need an accountant? What a dream! Did anyone notice if Gwenyth was at either of the shows? She might have been sitting in one of the box seats, but I didn't look. She didn't appear to be down in front of the stage as she is shown sometimes in the video clips, or at least no one said that they saw her. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

A few of the best live clips of Coldplay ever I have found some of THE best clips of a live concert that I've ever seen, some of which are in HD, no less. This is a link to her channel on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/austingirlmusicguide She has a blog of her Coldplay experience at http://austingirlmusicguide.wordpress.com/ Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

I have found some of THE best clips of a live concert that I've ever seen, some of which are in HD, no less. This is a link to her channel on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/austingirlmusicguide She has a blog of her Coldplay experience at http://austingirlmusicguide.wordpress.com/ Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

venuslovebug2 aka austingirl: Great review! I could relate to your account of how you more or less fell in love with Coldplay without even knowing much about who they were beforehand. How lucky of you! It's ironic that you went to see Michael Stipe, but after you saw Coldplay, Michael Stipe might have seemed a little less exciting! Maybe not, but that's how I would see it. I understand that all musical taste is personal. Also, thanks for uploading the videos, and in HD, no less! Great job! Here is a playlist of videos of the 7/14/09 concert in Wheatland, CA: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7278399C57085D21 from my channel http://www.youtube.com/user/beigecamouflage, which is devoted to Coldplay.

Yeah, I just couldn't limit it to 5, but looks as if you went over too! I just found another person who has posted four very good quality clips on Youtube. My playlist is at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7278399C57085D21 Here is one of her videos: In My Place [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-McHoUr_54]YouTube - Coldplay concert - in my place[/ame] Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

My top favorites and why: 1. Viva La Vida - Coldplay's "Magnum Opus" 2. Lost - Chris' dancing 3. Strawberry Swing - "It's such a perfect day!... Could be blue, I don't mind, Without you it's a waste of time." Easy to dance to and "now my feet won't touch the ground!" 4. Lovers in Japan - Butterflies! and Chris' expression 5. 42 - Chris' spastic dancing before "Well, you might be a ghost." 6. Glass of Water - Chris' expression and heartfelt "realness" 7. DAAHF - Jonny's sad but loving guitar riff, brings tears to my eyes 8. In My Place/Politik - the bright flashing lights during the high energy parts "Yeaahhhh, how long must you wait for it?" and "Open up your eyes." "Give me strength, reserve control Give me heart and give me soul Wounds that heal and cracks that fix Tell me your own politik But give me love over, love over, love over this!" 9. Talk - Techno version - because I love this song so much! 10. LIT 1 - dramatic opening when we finally "see" Coldplay as large shadow images and LIT2, a prophetic, thought-provoking close 11. Escapist pre-opening and outro - a peaceful, inter-dimensional song about love and death (Tears.) What a wonderful, magical night we shared with Coldplay on 7/14/09! "Don't make me choose, don't make me choose!" [sophie's Choice.] Starfis42 Coldplay = Love

Wow, when I entered the SYNC contest to win a meet and greet, I felt the same concern, that if I ever met them, I could not express what they have meant to me and I'd be tongue-tied and embarrassed! Many of us fans do feel and think the same things! I have many interview clips, songs and albums as well as concert clips. There are many duplicates of the songs themselves. I love the interviews because it gives Chris a chance to express his character, which I love. Starfish42 Coldplay = Love

I totally agree with you, I could feel the love and I can hear it in the recordings when the crowd cheers and sings along. I think that is why listening to them often makes my eyes water. I feel choked up with the feeling of love. I also can often hear love in Jonny's guitar riffs. I think Jonny is often expressing his love for Chris in his guitar playing. When the guitar kicks in during the second half of DAAHF, I feel an emotion in my heart and my eyes well up. It is a sad feeling of love. In LIT, I think Guy is expressing his love in his playing of the hammered dulcimer. It is recording during the concert, but the video clip from the EMI studio shows Guy playing it. The way it playfully dances in LIT is one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard and also brings tears because it is so beautiful. Tonight, I enqued all my songs in my Coldplay folder, 847 of them into Winamp and have them playing randomly, including some interviews. It is a Coldplay evening for my while I clean some 20 fish (sandabs) I bought today! It makes the unpleasant task seem enjoyable. Finally, seeing Coldplay perform Politik was an awesome, enlightening experience for me. I was exhilarated when the bright lights came on and flashed during the "Open up you eyes" refrain. I was so excited that I was jumping up as high as I could, throwing my fist into the air, and singing along like a total groupie! I loved how the song alternates between a soft, quiet prayer to an adamant, almost angry tone, telling people to wake up, be sincere, and to stop being phonies. I myself loathe phonies and Politiks! Starfish42 Coldplay = Love