deborahbr

Roadie #42 - Blog #23 August 31, 2008 7:02 pm #42 reports from last night's BBC show Like the school summer holidays, our three weeks at home went all too fast. In many ways, starting again at the BBC is perfectly consistent with the "back to school" analogy. The BBC has that wonderful institutional feel, a similar must and polish smell and a strict adherence to regulations that is at first mildly annoying, but eventually becomes quite endearing. We're at the BBC Radio Theatre today, in the West End, which I'd guess holds around 250 people. The stage is undoubtedly the smallest space we've tried to fit the gear into on this tour so far. There's a good deal of juggling and repositioning until it all begins to make sense.The soundcheck is a relaxed affair, with Chris dropping into Gravity (as per 24th June 2003 in the Timeline) at the piano for a brief moment. Chances of this making it into the set are well below slim I'd say, as Jonny didn't even recognise it and Chris couldn't remember half the chords. I've always loved that track myself though. Easily the best song they've never released! After the soundcheck, it's a quick run around the BBC buildings to do a couple of radio interviews. It truly is a one stop shop here at the BBC! First up is Dermot O Leary, possibly the most affably chipper man in broadcasting. Dermot goes onstage to warm up the crowd and introduce the band later this evening, so it's a nice way to hook up with him prior to the event. Then it's on to Steve Lamacq. Once described by Mr. Buckland as "like the Yoda of radio", Steve gave the guys their first huge step up on British radio (as per 25th Feb 1999 in the Timeline)with a live session before they even had a proper record deal. There's laughter aplenty, then a rather out of the blue announcement of future plans. Steve has Michael Stipe on the phone for an interview, so the fellas chat with him and talk about plans for an EP, asking him to choose a name for it. It's a multiple choice question, but he's emphatic in his view, so it looks as though he's settled the matter of what the next Coldplay release will be named (no doubt Anchorman will be making that official before very long). There was also time for Will and Jonny to check the football scores... There is really very little point in me describing how the gig went, as it went out live to radio. There was a particularly amusing roadie tale doing the rounds as stage-time approached this evening, though. Apparently, the lampies loaded in and started programming the previous night. Now, when pointing beams of light, it's much easier to see them if there's a bit of "fog". Apparently, Sparky (our lovely lighting man) dutifully checked that there would be no trouble with smoke detectors. After being assured that all was well, he pumped out a rather generous amount, ready to get to work. Somewhat inevitably, the BBC's smoke detectors had a major panic attack. This led to the whole building being evacuated. Apparently the BBC chaps were most apologetic to him and took the heat (probably not the best phrase under the circumstances, I agree...). They assured all concerned that their errant fire alarm system had been recalibrated and that all would be well. The fire chief was less than sure and insisted that before he leave, the smoke machines were fired up again. Needless to say, alarm bells and flashing lights ensued and all and sundry were out on the pavement once again. Apparently, the result of all this fun and games was that Radio 3 and Radio 4 ended up being off air for some time. Now if this man's smoke machine trigger-finger can bring down two national radio stations, empty an entire building and summon half the London Fire Brigade, you really do have to wonder what it was he did that earned him the nickname Sparky...

Roadie #42 - Blog #23 August 31, 2008 7:02 pm #42 reports from last night's BBC show Like the school summer holidays, our three weeks at home went all too fast. In many ways, starting again at the BBC is perfectly consistent with the "back to school" analogy. The BBC has that wonderful institutional feel, a similar must and polish smell and a strict adherence to regulations that is at first mildly annoying, but eventually becomes quite endearing. We're at the BBC Radio Theatre today, in the West End, which I'd guess holds around 250 people. The stage is undoubtedly the smallest space we've tried to fit the gear into on this tour so far. There's a good deal of juggling and repositioning until it all begins to make sense.The soundcheck is a relaxed affair, with Chris dropping into Gravity (as per 24th June 2003 in the Timeline) at the piano for a brief moment. Chances of this making it into the set are well below slim I'd say, as Jonny didn't even recognise it and Chris couldn't remember half the chords. I've always loved that track myself though. Easily the best song they've never released! After the soundcheck, it's a quick run around the BBC buildings to do a couple of radio interviews. It truly is a one stop shop here at the BBC! First up is Dermot O Leary, possibly the most affably chipper man in broadcasting. Dermot goes onstage to warm up the crowd and introduce the band later this evening, so it's a nice way to hook up with him prior to the event. Then it's on to Steve Lamacq. Once described by Mr. Buckland as "like the Yoda of radio", Steve gave the guys their first huge step up on British radio (as per 25th Feb 1999 in the Timeline)with a live session before they even had a proper record deal. There's laughter aplenty, then a rather out of the blue announcement of future plans. Steve has Michael Stipe on the phone for an interview, so the fellas chat with him and talk about plans for an EP, asking him to choose a name for it. It's a multiple choice question, but he's emphatic in his view, so it looks as though he's settled the matter of what the next Coldplay release will be named (no doubt Anchorman will be making that official before very long). There was also time for Will and Jonny to check the football scores... There is really very little point in me describing how the gig went, as it went out live to radio. There was a particularly amusing roadie tale doing the rounds as stage-time approached this evening, though. Apparently, the lampies loaded in and started programming the previous night. Now, when pointing beams of light, it's much easier to see them if there's a bit of "fog". Apparently, Sparky (our lovely lighting man) dutifully checked that there would be no trouble with smoke detectors. After being assured that all was well, he pumped out a rather generous amount, ready to get to work. Somewhat inevitably, the BBC's smoke detectors had a major panic attack. This led to the whole building being evacuated. Apparently the BBC chaps were most apologetic to him and took the heat (probably not the best phrase under the circumstances, I agree...). They assured all concerned that their errant fire alarm system had been recalibrated and that all would be well. The fire chief was less than sure and insisted that before he leave, the smoke machines were fired up again. Needless to say, alarm bells and flashing lights ensued and all and sundry were out on the pavement once again. Apparently, the result of all this fun and games was that Radio 3 and Radio 4 ended up being off air for some time. Now if this man's smoke machine trigger-finger can bring down two national radio stations, empty an entire building and summon half the London Fire Brigade, you really do have to wonder what it was he did that earned him the nickname Sparky...

Ok! I'm sorry again! :)

Lore, do you know why the links that I posted from the Maria's blog has gone? Did I infringe any rule? If I did, I'm sorry!

"From Monday you'll be able to watch video of Coldplay's performance and view photo galleries, here on the Radio 2 website." http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/coldplay/ Videos! YAY! :dance:

Hey, guys! I don't know why this happened, but the links from the review that I posted from the blog has gone. I don't know why. It wasn't me. I'm so sorry for that! :(

A.k.a when a shitty day turns into a fabulous one! I had to work today, which sucked loads. I was hoping to get the day off so I could get down to the BBC Radio Theatre in time to see Coldplay arriving, but alas due to work [and other bogus mishaps], I got there too late… When I did get there, there were a few autograph hunters - you know, the ones that sell their signed pictures on eBay [shock, horror!] and two other diehard Coldplay fans [Hey Jeff and Maria!]. So we were all hanging out without having tickets [sounds familiar....LOL!]. Apparently, it looks like nobody from the fansites/forums had won, which begged the question of who actually did win. Well, I’ll let you know a little later on… Anyways, I spotted Kelly, who is Coldplay’s security coodinator and I went over to say hello. He was shocked that anyone knew who he was and was giving me jokes. It was nice to meet him because I was wondering where he was at Coldplay’s Brixton show. I think he’s awesome and does a good job. I also spotted Chloe - Jonny Buckland’s other half, who had arrived with baby Violet in arms. I didn’t have a proper look at Violet. All I saw was a mass of blond hair and big blue/green eyes. Also saw Phil Harvey and I went over to say hi. Maria told him she was from Coldplaybootlegs.com. He feigned anger by saying ‘Bootlegs? Don’t like the sound of that!’ LOL! He’s very shy and didn’t want to have his photo taken. Apparently he knows all about the sudden interest in him, him being the ‘5th member’ of the band and all that. I don’t think he likes the attention, bless him. He’s just a mild-mannered dude, who doesn’t want the limelight. We were also talking with others in Coldplay’s crew, who were hanging out near the front door. We did mention that we didn’t have tickets and sure enough, not soon afterwards, 3 tickets were handed out. Result! Thanks so much!!! Maria and I needed the loo so we nipped to McDonald’s. By the time we got back, Coldplay had already left the building! Jeff got his guitar signed by Chris. It was the one that Chris broke at the Brixton gig and handed it to him. He said they passed by really fast [trying to avoid the eBay autohunters] and he just about got that…DAGNAMMIT! Other people started to arrive about 4.30/5pm. The crowd looked a little older than your normal Coldplay concert goers. We were thinking that maybe they were just the sort of folks that attend all the BBC functions - you know like The Antiques Roadshow and Bargain Hunt. It was bizzare. When we were let in an through security we were put in a holding room before being let into the theatre. The average age of that room must’ve been about 50, I ain’t kidding you. I could count the number of young people on my hands! We were waiting patiently/impatiently, hovering near the door. Doors were meant to open at 6pm, but things were running late. We didn’t get seated until about 6.20. As we were first, we could choose where we wanted to sit, so we plonked ourselves front and centre. Dermot O’Leary came out about 6.45 to let us know that he had had a good interview with Coldplay and was really excited to see them live and told us not to film/take photos and just enjoy the concert with our own eyes. He saw me in the front row and said ‘How did you get there?’. LOL!!! I didn’t even know he knew who I was. He also said I’m just pinching myself that I’m at a Coldplay gig. I went over and pinched his leg, yes he was that close! He also said we could stand up, which was a godsend. I can’t be dealing with seated gigs! I took a few photos of the stage setup. Jonny’s guitar effects span 3 levels! WOW! I forgot to take a pic of that. They also had a few more guitars, that I hadn’t seen before, all brightly painted. So, just after 7pm Coldplay hit the stage. They played the preceeding news report, which let you know we were live and direct from the BBC Radio Threatre. It was such a thrill to see the band come on stage. I got the shock of my life when I saw Chris’ hair. He’d shorn it all off! He came over to us and shook our hands before they launched into Life in Technicolor, which sounds great everytime I hear it. We sung all the ‘Ahs’ and I was air drumming, as I do… I could smell Chris’ aftershave after he came over to us. He smelt so goooood. Both he and Guy had their shirts opened a few buttons down and we could see their pectoralz a bit. I of course, nearly fainted. Mancandy ahoy! Next up was Violet Hill, which was great. The crowd were well into it, singing away. It had a more drawn out ending, which I liked. Chris kept singing the wrong words. He drives me nuts when he does that. Chris had his back to us during Clocks, because the piano was on the right hand side of the stage. He was rocking out and so was I. Guy came into the centre of the stage, where Chris stands. He was so close I could touch him. He was wearing the red grandad shirt this time. He was look fiiiiiine. During the song Chris started singing the lyrics of The Verve’s new song ‘Love is Noise’. You couldn’t really hear the ad-libbing that clearly. Chris started to chat to the crowd. He said thank you for coming and I said ‘Thank you!’. He noticed our t-shirts [i was wearing a Reading 2008 one and Jeff's was Pearl Jam] and Maria’s shorts and commented on that and said what an attractive audience we are. He also said that they’d just come back from America ‘after 12 years’. Everyone was clapping to Viva La Vida, which was a stormer. I couldn’t hear the string parts that well though. The ‘Oohs’ at the end were perfection because you could hear the vocals coming straight from Guy and Jonny, not just through the mics. Absolutely beautiful harmonies that left me tingling. Chris was all over the stage and was on the edge of it too, right in front of us, so he was really REALLY close. I could’ve caught him in my arms if I’d wanted. I wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but I daren’t. He also got very sweaty going on into the set. Having Chris Martin DNA flung about in front you isn’t a bad thing really… 42 was amazing. During the middle section Chris was doing his spasmodic dancing and then the band came together in front of Will and just went for it. Chris started to play The Hardest Part then stopped to say that he was hot and asked us if he could take his jacket off. He turned around and saw that the others had already taken their off ages ago and commented that they always take them off ‘before band protocol is allowed. What can I do about it? Nothing!’. That was funny. He also played the song solo at the piano because he said ‘Two of us like the song and two of us don’t.’ and ‘notice that none of the others are playing on it. It’s an ego trip!’. It’s a good song and Maria and I were singing every word, unlike most of the audience. It was very surprising to hear Chris start off singing the song in a lower register. It took a little getting use to. Was glad when he reverted to his normal falsetto pitch halfway through. And at the end of the song, how raspy his voice got was very emotive. Brought a lump to my throat. Also his pianowork was sublime. He’s such a great pianist. Chinese Sleep Chant was lush and I was able to hear/see what Chris was singing and sing along. I like the funky/techno version of God Put A Smile and it was great to hear that live - finally. Jeff and Maria weren’t so sold on it. Will’s drumming is ace - really fast. It was over in a flash. Chris starts chatting again and asked whether we were going to see R.E.M. after the show. I just said I didn’t have money and he dedicated Yellow to them. It’s one of Coldplay’s best songs, so obviously everyone was down with that one. At the end of the song I was singing really loudly and Chris looks at me and says ‘Hey, you’ve got a nice voice’. Whoa!!!! Then he holds the final note a really long time. I love it when he does that. Lost! was an absolute dream. The pounding drums, Chris’ dancing. He was dancing right in front of me at times and there was eye contact [*dies*]. We was appreciatin’ each others moves that’s for sure. I don’t think I will ever forget that…I DANCED WITH CHRIS MARTIN! I must say that Will’s vocals were top notch on this song and on every song. He really compliments Chris and is a great and solid support. They were meant to play What If, but Chris just went off on a tangent, much to the confusion off Jonny, Guy and Will, who had to scamble, swaping over guitars and remembering beats etc. I love it when Chris gets spontaneous. Trouble was introduced as ‘Our oldest song, written before most of you were even in your 40s’, referring to the fact that the audience was mainly middle aged people. Will was aboslutely shocked that Chris had said such a thing and was looking over at Jeff in disbelief. You can definitely hear my voice at the end of this :D. Then they played The Scientist and I think Will forgot how to play this because they’ve mainly been playing it acoustically so far this tour. Ah, those Chris Martin curveballs - dontcha just love ‘em? It was lovely to have a bit of a nostalgia trip. I wish they’d play more older songs, but alas no. Lovers in Japan was fabulous. We didn’t get tons of confetti falling over the place , which was good. You were able to appreciate the song that much more. The song was dedicated to Dermot O’Leary, which was nice. Chris teased us with ‘Should we play one more song? Should we stay, or should we go?’ Duh! Of course we want more!. I liked how he suddenly got all formal when he said ‘We will do one more and then we will leave you to go about your business. Good Evening!’ LOL! It was absolutely lovely to hear Death And All His Friends live for the first time. I’ve been so looking forward to it. The song was dedicated to Phil Harvey, who had just celebrated his birthday recently. Then the band left the stage. Well, that’s as far as the Radio 2 broadcast goes, but we were making so much noise that the band came back on stage and Chris was basically taking requests. I said that I wanted to hear ‘Yes’ and he said maybe we could do that. They opted to play Strawberry Swing [which some numpty has earlier yelled out as 'Strawberry Hill' LOL!]. It was fantasically sweet with everyone clapping along [at my behest]. Jonny was putting in some fine guitarwork, which he had been doing all evening. This man is truly a legend. He’s so calm and just does the business without fanfare. Then they left the stage again. I thought we’d get at least another song, but no - they were gone! I’m so honoured to have been witness to such a lovely, intimate gig, which I don’t think I’ll get to see the likes of again. It was even more special than the Koko gig I was at back in 2005. The only drawbacks were - they didn’t give us time to breath between songs, they came thick and fast, which was a bit of a pity. I’m guessing because it was an hour long show, they had to get as much in as possible, which figures. What also was a pity was this backing track thing. I dunno why they use it. It’s quite weird listening back to the live recording. The vocals on Chinese Sleep Chant have a bit of a delay to it and also the end of 42 was spoilt because of it. Whether things will be remedied is down to the powers that be. Oh yeah, what else can I say. Guy actually talked to me! After Chris was going on about R.E.M. I asked him whether he was going and he said no. He took his earpiece out so he could hear me, bless him. Also when they were leaving the second time he saw I was sad they didn’t play ‘Yes’ and was asking me what was wrong. One funny thing that happened during the show was, Guy’s mic was slipping down, so he was cocking his head to the side, trying to sing into it. A tech hops up and puts it upright, but he ajdusts it too high, so Guy had to go on tippy-toes just to sing down it. That was too funny… Outside there were quite a few hangers on. Those eBay people were back again too. Chris and Guy gave everyone the slip by leaving at the side entrance. We got Phil, Jonny and Will, who left via the front entrance. I persuaded Phil to sign my AROBTTH album cover. Will and Jonny also signed my setlist. We were interviewed by Radio 2 and BBC 4, so watch this space… Big love goes out to Debs Wild, Hoppy, Miller and Franksie - love you all. Thanks so much! All in all, it was fantastic night and well worth trekking for.

Yeah! I finished reading a review on a blog and says the same thing. I'll post here!

Setlist:

Cris, eu ouvi. Só que não deu pra acompanhar ao vivo, apesar de já estar planejando há séculos. Esqueci de instalar a droga do Real Player. :angry: Foi um ótimo show! 42 me decepcionou um pouco pelo playback, mas acontece. rs The Hardest Part ficou linda só no piano. E Lost! melhora a cada performance. Sem contar na voz do Chris que também tá melhorando bastante. Era falta de prática. Hehehe! E essa agora de novo EP dia 26 de dezembro desse ano e um álbum novo em dezembro de 2009? Tô muito animada! :dance: Oi, Lívia! Prazer! :)

This is AWESOME! Thanks!

It's working for me now. Try to install RealPlayer, guys!

The link is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00d6nh3 But it's not working for me :(

Thanks! You're an angel!

Clocks + Love Is Noise? WOW!

Thanks! :)

Hi, guys! What was the setlist so far?

Shiny Toy Guns

10

Whitesnake

Great! The cover is BEAUTIFUL! :laugh3:

Coldinho, que fofo! Onnn! Hehehe! :bow: Paty, eu perversa? Hahahaha! Que nada! Sua foto também tá ótima! Bela homenagem ao Cold. Quanto a eles virem em março, tenho um palpite que eles vêm sim. Vai ser fogo, porque tão prometendo Oasis pro primeiro semestre também. Haja dinheiro! :laugh3:

A friend of mine is living in Paris. I'm gonna tell him about this contest. Thank you!

WTF? I didn't like it! :angry:

That would be awesome!!!! Let's start a campaign! :)