RC34127

Dawned on me a few days ago that those of going to the SECC show will be going in "spoiler free" as to the setlist - we will be the first ones to be treated to the setlist for the December arena tour...

Didn't see the show tonight - won't bore you as to why - my take is that the current setlist will be "retired" after tomorrow's gig at UEA - then the band are free to have a month of rehearsals for the December shows, where SURELY, the setlist will be overhauled to include at least some of the following Don't Let It Break Your Heart (Hopefully) Princess of China Up With The Birds Up In Flames - I know it was included tonight some "new" oldies (instead of the same ol' same old)

Yes! Ryan Adams! Can't Coldplay bring him to the SECC, MEN and O2?

Um, yes - Later is a live performance show. Any act that mimed on this show would be laughed out of the studio.

Wow, a polarising track this one! Personally I love it, and I think I would really like to hear a Chris Martin solo album at some point in the future. My opinion is that Jonny, Will and Guy let Chris have one of his solo compositions appear on a 'Coldplay record'. For me PoC shares the same DNA with "Me and Tennessee", "All Good Things", "Lhuna", etc. - when he writes without the input of the rest of the band, he writes from a more poppy sensibility (which seems to be the bone of contention amongst so many of you).

I hear it too. My initial answer would be is that the leak was compressed to ****, whilst the CD is the best quality (other than a FLAC or lossless file) and therefore there is a ton more things going on and it sounds better. I actually eschewed my normal practice of downloading (from 7digital or ITunes) in favour of picking up a CD as the quality will (hope I am right in saying this) be better on CD than on a compressed MP3 file?

Wow, weird how I have only ever seen the boys in London or Glasgow! Guess it makes sense - lived just outside of London (Chertsey nr Staines) from 2001-2005, lived halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh 2006-present! Really excited to be taking my wife along to her first Coldplay show this time around, I think she will have lots of fun!

Why so little enthusiasm for this show (after all) one of only THREE UK shows on this leg of the MX Tour?

They better not do the above - I LOVE the transition between Violet Hill and GPASUYF. Seriously though (and I expect to get flamed for saying this) - the band has enough of a back catalogue now that they could drastically overhaul their setlist. I know that for a big production, they can't change the set list every night a la Bob Dylan but there is really no reason to keep playing the likes of In My Place Yellow Politik Fix You The Scientist You could (and should) replace these with other classic back catalogue tracks like High Speed A Rush Of Blood To The Head Warning Sign Amsterdam A Message Speed of Sound And the set list will be dominated by tracks from Mylo Xyloto (as it rightfully should be), that's what keeps touring fresh for a band. The band need to stop pandering to the casual (at best) fans who undoubtedly flock to their gigs and be more mindful of their true fans - some of my greatest thrills at live gigs have been to hear b sides or rarely played album tracks.

I was pretty surprised to see so many negative comments/reactions to Paradise. I bloody LOVE IT and think it is amazing. For what it's worth, I really hated ETIAW when it was released into the world, but now I love it - so for those who are maybe a little disappointed, don't despair. I honestly think - and I speak as someone who fell in love with the band when I heard "Trouble" on the television in 2000 - this album will perhaps stand as their 2nd best behind AROBTTH 1) AROBTTH 2) Mylo Xyloto 3) Parachutes 3) Viva La Vida 5) X & Y

Yes, but tracks like MX are only short instrumentals - I really think MX is the intro that leads into Hurts Like Heaven and therefore is only like 55-60 seconds long. Still. excited to hear Up In Flames, Up With The Birds, Princess of China, etc. Hopefully Major Minus will be in a version more akin to the live shows (with the EP version being a "demo version" or alternate mix).

Take it someone has already speculated that "Hurts Like Heaven" is actually called "Mylo Xyloto", hence many of the television performances labelling it as MX or MX / Hurts Like Heaven? Clearly the band wanted to keep Mylo Xyloto under wraps until the embargo was lifted at the weekend, so needed to abbreviate it / call it something else?

Not sure, but they have definitely changed it by dropping the beat for the part "I feel a little bit nervous" (and the rest of the band play more softly) - it is a really cool innovation and really helps the track.

Will do! Actually loving the soundmix tonight. Maybe cause I am listening through headphones but every element is coming through crystal clear in the mix. Love the bassline in Charlie Brown - haven't got to hear it in such clarity before! Sounds like Oxygen is worth checking out...

I will need to look that one up, thanks. Have only watched Rock Am Ring Glastonbury French gig in the square (can't remember the name) T In The Park i Tunes festival

Best version (playing and sound quality) of Us Against The World I've ever heard. Hope this track makes the album - or they keep it in the set list for the tour "proper"

After a slightly nervous start, they are CRUSHING IT! MTM sounds great live! They are really tight on this one, given that it probably hasn't been heavily rehearsed!

It is something I feverishly hope they keep in the tour "proper" - it is so evidently a contibution from VLVODAAHF and LP5 collaborator, Jon Hopkins - even if it is just one ambient pad, it is so bloody beautiful!

Yes, but that's my point. When they only play MX/Hurts Like Heaven Charlie Brown Us Against The World Major Minus Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall how can they "test the waters" - don't they need to play the other 10-15 tracks that could be whittled down to the final eleven or so? Problem is every night is beamed into millions of homes around the world, so they have no "privacy" to try other songs (as they don't want them leaking into the blogosphere)? I don't get it!

I think what I am driving at, is the shows aren't really promoting the new album (if most of the songs don't end up on the record, but rather as b-sides), plus the very nature of festivals is that the crowd cannot "choose" to buy tickets to come see the band. E.G. T In the Park was sold out way before Coldplay were announced. Sure, some of those with tickets were Coldplay fans, but it isn't unifomly the case that when Coldplay were announced, fans in those areas could buy tickets to specifically go see them. Will this tour burn them out so that they can't face touring the new record until 2012? I was hoping for a UK arena tour before Christmas, is this likely in everyone's opinion?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hatin' on the fact that the set list is the same for each of every one of these festival shows (more or less). What I am genuinely puzzled about, is what are the band getting out of playing 25 odd festival shows (all more or less broadcast in full on television - and therefore worldwide on the net) when the "new" songs may not even make it on the album. Surely they decided long ago based on the reaction from the early shows that Major Minus, Charlie Brown, MX/Hurts Like Heaven, Princess of China, etc. will or will not be on the record. With so much scrutiny (live tv, webfeeds, etc.) it's not as though they are getting to try different things each night. Is it a welcome break out of the studio? Is it for the money? Is it to try finish songs / write material on the road in soundchecks / in hotel rooms? Is it to retire a good portion of their set (which needs freshening up) - so the last time we'll hear Yellow, Clocks, Politik, In My Place, etc. for a while? Is it all of the above?

Fair enough. That's the beauty of art - appreciation of it is (and always should be) totally subjective. I haven't seen Gothenburg and Werchter (I confess I don't need to see every televised performance on this festival tour, nor am I passing judgement or looking down on anyone who has been watching all the streams) but I prefer tonight to Glastonbury - for one the sound mix has been vastly superior, in my opinion...

Won't there be links in the Multimedia section of this very forum? That's where I got my HQ Rock Am Ring rip from...

I totally respect your right to your opinion, but I cannot agree with you there, I'm afraid... This might be the best I have seen them perform since I was at Crystal Palace six years ago for the Twisted Logic tour...

THIS performance will be a keeper on my DVR for a while! Will also be seeking out the audio rips of the gig tomorrow to replace Rock Am Ring on my MP3 player, most definitely!