JillyBlue

In December 2010 I won at auction a ticket to the Crisis Hidden Gig in Liverpool. Was supposed to fly from New York to Amsterdam to Liverpool but the NY - Amsterdam flight was cancelled! I almost gave up on the whole trip when I managed to get the LAST seat on the LAST flight to London Heathrow before a snowstorm hit. They closed the airport the minute my plane landed. I grabbed a taxi to Euston Station and managed to get on a train to Liverpool! My luck then changed as the gig turned out to be right across the street from my hotel and I was able to meet Chris afterward! (And this was less than a month since I'd gone to the UK for the boat trip that turned into the "Christmas Lights" video shoot. Yes, I'll do a lot for my band!)

I am loving all the picspams but I must say that going suddenly from the utter perfection of POC Chris to the retro curly-haired perfection of Chris is a total shock to the system. Please be careful, girls, some of us are older and can't take that kind of stress. :P

Actually classic "I'm not sure of myself and kinda uncomfortable" CM body language - left hand clutching microphone, right arm shielding the body. Makes me want to hug him and tell him he's wonderful. Oh, wait, I want to do that all the time no matter what he's doing.

Seeing that huge smile on Will's face just did my heart good. Thanks for doing that!

When you use a toothpaste that has the word "LUMINOUS" on the tube so every time you brush your teeth you think "and wired."

I hope Phil sees this thread.

^:laugh3: I knew someone was going to do that.

Yes, Tash, you're awesome!

Wonder if Anchorman is caught up in the group hug? I'd sure like to be.

Hi, girls - This has been a wicked busy week so I haven't been onliine a lot. Took me a bit today to catch up on everything! I shall now post this picture: It meets some criteria that I read from the thread in past days. 1. Blue eyes 2. Chris in a hat 3. One of us meeting Chris - AnnaElisabeth (where did she go?) took this photo as we were meeting Chris outside the Hidden Gig in Liverpool in December 2010. If you look at my siggy, you'll see the photo that Wisna took as he was signing my ticket envelope. THAT WAS A GOOD NIGHT. And I am wondering -- I had some quick eye contact with him at the June 2 concert at Emirates. If not eye sex, could that qualify for maybe eye foreplay?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JONNY!

The camera LOVED Jonny during the closing ceremonies last night. Tracie, I kept thinking that you must have been in HEAVEN.

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIEL!!!! I must chime in and agree that Chris sitting on the floor to sing "Strawberry Swing" with the Para-Orchestra was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. I just kept going "AWWW...." And during POC I was saying through gritted teeth "Get your hands OFF him, Rihanna" which is kinda strange since I'm old enough to be his mother. But wasn't he on his game, girls? Weren't they all? SO proud of them.

That was marvelous. I'm another who is so proud to be a fan and proud of her boys.

Oh, man, now the tears come.

My feelings exactly. AWESOME.

Looks like another 40 mins or so. I have time to vacuum!

Working today but watching the clock and thinking of Tash, Row, Ellen, and our other Chrissygirls. Have a fab time and a wonderful concert, my friends!

Yay, Row! Chris (and I) say congratulations to YOU!

Happy birthday, Phil! Hope you have a truly FAB day.

CAN WE POUR SOME WATER ON?

A little long, but I enjoyed writing it as a story. MY DAY WITH COLDPLAY A flight of fancy by Jilly At precisely 8:30 a.m., two black SUVs with darkened windows roll to a stop in front of my house. My heart starts pounding. By some magical miracle I am going to spend a day with Coldplay and they have arrived. Chris, Jonny, Will, and Guy smile and greet me warmly as I invite them into my house. I’ve prepared tea and a light breakfast for us. We have food and fun planned for the entire day and we’re eager to get started. Soon I climb into one of the SUVs and find myself sitting next to Chris. I feel a little shy but soon he is peppering me with questions about myself and about what we are seeing as we make the drive to the nearby Finger Lakes region of New York State. This is one of the most beautiful areas of the state with much to see and do, which is why I chose it as the location for our day together. Soon we arrive at a nicely appointed lake cottage. It belongs to a friend of mine who agreed to allow me to use it for the day. He’s stocked the kitchen with plenty to eat and drink! The cottage is a bit isolated and I can see the boys relaxing as they look around. There are no paparazzi here, no one to bother them as they take a day off. Soon Will, Jonny, and Chris have changed into swim things and are enjoying the sun-warmed waters of the lake. I climb back into the SUV with Guy. It’s been agreed that, in addition to spending time with Coldplay all together, I can spend one hour individually with each of the members. It ‘s been fun thinking of what would appeal to their interests. Within a few minutes Guy and I arrive at my favorite antiques shop. Soon we are showing each other beautiful pieces of jewelry, furniture, and collectibles. He chooses a lovely china doll as a gift for his daughter, and buys a small Victorian picture frame which he presents to me. “We’ll find something to put in that frame later,” he promises. We go back to the cottage to find Will dried off and waiting. Again within a few minutes we find ourselves at a book store tucked far off a main road. This store specializes in first editions, collector’s items, and other hard to find books. Will is delighted and is soon browsing among the shelves. He finds a couple of books by a favorite author and also purchases an old map of the Finger Lakes region. “It will be a nice souvenir to remind me of the day,” he says. I know that I’ll need nothing to keep memories of today in my head! We pause at the cottage for some lunch, sampling the delicious sandwiches, salads, and other treats that my friend has arranged for us. Then I leave with Jonny. I have a special treat planned for him! The Finger Lakes is well known for its wonderful wines, so I take him to a local winery where I’ve arranged for a tour. He’s fascinated by the various types of grapes. We sample a couple of the wines and Jonny buys some of the local ice wine to take home with him. We enjoy ourselves on the way back talking about Wales, where Jonny grew up and where I lived for a year. And finally we are back at the cottage where I meet with Chris. Knowing that he is the most easily recognized member of the band, I’ve asked if it’s OK to just remain at the cottage and talk with him, and he agreed. We sit in two chairs in the shade of an old maple tree and I ask him about his creative process. For so long I have been curious about how he conceptualizes and develops his songs, and he willingly shares stories with me. His words are an inspiration and I resolve to try some songwriting myself in the near future. We watch the sun set over the lake, then it’s time to pile back into the vehicles – this time I’m seated next to Guy for the return trip – to go back to my house. At home I treat Coldplay to an old-fashioned American cookout with hamburgers (veggie burgers for Chris!), potato salad, cake (extra for Jonny), and some of the local wine. Then Will, Jonny, and Guy unpack their guitars and I have the thrill of seeing Chris sit at my ancient piano to play “Yellow” just for me. They play some of my other favorite songs – “In My Place,” “Amsterdam,” “Swallowed in the Sea” – and then Chris starts a tune that I don’t recognize. It turns out to be a song that Chris and Jonny wrote just for me, today, while I was out with Will and Guy! And the whole band likes it so much they tell me it will be on their next album. It is late, almost midnight, when the boys have to leave. By this time I feel like I am saying goodbye to members of my own family. There are hugs and kisses all around. Guy gives me a photo of the band that they have all signed, which will fit perfectly in the frame he bought earlier in the day. As Chris kisses my cheek he hands me a folded piece of paper. I open it to find a number written on it starting with “011” which I recognize as the calling code for the UK. “It’s the number for the Bakery,” Chris tells me. “Any time you’re in England give us a call. You’re always welcome.” I go outside and wave goodbye as their SUVs disappear down the street. Then, with happy memories of a happy day, I go upstairs and fall asleep with a smile on my face and love in my heart for Coldplay.

Caroline, you made me wonder if I've been mistaken for all this time! So I dug out the announcement about the boat trip that several of us were able to go on in 2010 and found this: As well as cruising along the Thames, you'll get to have Q&As with Coldplay's creative director and fifth member, Phil Harvey and with two of Coldplay's touring crew (Matthew Miller and Matt McGinn). Whew, I'm not losing my mind after all. At least not today.

This makes me just want to take that shirt off him and wash it and... just keep it.

His name is Matt Miller and he has been with the band almost since their beginnings. If you've been to any of the shows this tour you've seen him taking the panoramic photo about 10 minutes before the boys come on stage.