02 September 2008: SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany
From WikiColdplay
Contents |
Setlist
(the running order of this setlist may be incorrect as different people have different recollections)
- Life In Technicolor
- Violet Hill
- Clocks
- In My Place
- Cemeteries of London
- Yellow
- 42
- Speed Of Sound
- Chinese Sleep Chant
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
- Yes!
- Talk (partial piano)
- The Hardest Part (partial piano)
- Postcards From Far Away
- Lost!
- Viva La Vida
- The Scientist
- Death Will Never Conquer
First Encore - Talk (video remix)
- Politik
- Lovers In Japan
- Death And All His Friends
Second Encore - Fix You
- The Escapist
Photos
Photos from this show can be found at Coldplaying.com in the Gallery thread for Mannheim. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1521
Fan Reviews
All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.
I just got back from the coldplay concert in mannheim. four words: they. own. my. life.
well, what can i say since most of you have seen them in concert anyway? i love them to death.
the support band kinda sucked. they were not bad, i just didn't like the music. however, i was slightly pissed when that guy came up to us (my best friend and me) and said,"you're sitting on our seats." he was so rude and mean. well, we stood up and checked if those were their seats or ours. long story short, those idiots sat down after they chased us away, but they were the ones who couldn't read properly so we got our seats back. i was just mad because they made me feel those feeling at a coldplay concert, a band that's basically all about love. well.
when they finally came on stage after an hour and a half, i went completely bonkers. our seats were located right on the left handside of the stage, so guy faced us the entire time and we got to see them first when they came on stage!!! when they climbed the stairs i bursted into tears. i'm probably one of the few people in the world who manage to cry for "life in technicolour". that song does not even have words!
i loved the concert. i loved every moment. i loved how the crowd repeated the "viva la vida" theme over and over again. even when they already climed their spot in the crowd to perform an acoustic version of "the scientist" and "death will never conquer". we got both "fix you" and "cemeteries of london", but we didn't get "strawberry swing", one of my favourites off the album.
and i loved the part when chris played the piano all alone and singing a slow version of "talk". beautiful! and he was at our side of the stage!!! =) and he spoke quite a lot of german throughout the whole concert. he was sooo funny claiming we were "fucking" awesome singers.
i still need to check out the pictures i took and the crappy videos i recorded. there might be a few good ones among them.
i kept telling my best friend about the butterflies and that we're not gonna get any because we got seats. well, i asked that nice girl if she could give a few to us and she did. and we also found a few outside the venue. yes, we picked them up. yes, we did not feel too classy to do so.
when we first arrived at the venue and looked at the merchandise stands i did not intend to buy any shirts because they were just as expensive as i expected them to be. they had the same prices in america and traded the dollar sign for a euro sign! that's quite mean. 30$ are 20€, not 30€. well, the concert blew my mind away so i went to spend 30€ on a t-shirt...
it's almost 1:20 am and i have to get up for school in a few hours, but i thought i'd keep you updated first! so it's basically your fault when i look dead in maths class today.
[Grace]
Okay, here is my review, I hope you get what I`m saying because I´m a just 15-year old German girl that can`t speak real English
I went to this concert with my cousin and we arrived at 7.00h in Mannheim. There were really many people standing outside, but the arena was quite empty as we took our seats. We had seats on the right side of the stage (the perfect seats for a Jonny fan <3) and a quite good view. The band playing before Coldplay was Albert Hammond Jr. (at least I think so, I`m not sure ). They were quite good but nothing special. After they left the stage, more people came in to the sold out arena and the crowd began to clap and scream and I was excited as hell
And then they came. Because I stood right to the stage I could see them even if they were standing behind the curtainJ. Unluckily the people next to me were boring, and so I was the only one standing and dancing the whole time. Life in Technicolor was great, the band was full of energy and they rocked instantly after they appeared on stage! The next song was Violet Hill. The huge album cover was displayed behind them and everything was lighted in blue when the curtain was lift up. Clocks was great as usual, at first with red light, later with green spotlights. The following song was In my place and Chris was jumping all over the stage. Jonny walked to the small stage on the left. Chris said something like: “ Everybody okay? Thank you for coming out to the Coldplay concert on Tuesday evening, this is my best friend Jonny Buckland” and he…well…touched Jonny Then he lay on the ground while Jonny was playing above him <3 The next song was Cemeteries of London. I really hoped they would play it, because it`s one of my favourite song of VLV. J They used the magic balls the first time ( the big one in the middle was shining like a mirror ball), and everything was lighted in blue. I don`t understand why they didn`t play the song at the beginning of the tour, it´s amazing in the live version. Yellow was following, and Chris was again jumping around. The big screen behind them showed Chris singing now and the end he asked the crowd:” Are you okay over there? Are you okay over there? Are okay down here?” again and again in every direction and said “Dankeschön” (Thank you). The next song was 42, my favourite song of the album <3. Now not only the big screen but also the magic balls showed Chris singing at the slow part of the song. Then the stage was lighted in red and the screen showed all four band members in turn. Speed of Sound followed and the whole crowed clapped. The magic balls shined in all colours and looked like they would spin. Chinese Sleep Chant is amazing live, too. The lights were all yellow and Chris stood near Guy while playing acoustic guitar (unfortunately I couldn`t see Chris kissing him, like some people said L ). The next song was God put a smile upon your face with a crazy but cool guitar riff from Jonny. I`ve never heard the song in this version, but it`s great! Yes followed, as good as I expected it to be. Then Chris went to the small stage on the left side of the main stage and played a wonderful acoustic version of Talk. I`d say it was better than the original version. He changed into Hardest Part, also acoustic and really beautiful. At the end he played a melody I´ve never heard before, it sounded like classical music and now I`ve got told that it was Postcards from far away (thanks to Lauve), but the song didn´t have lyrics Chris stood up and began to sing Lost! And ask the crowd to get up, clap, sing and dance with him. Viva la vida wasthe next song, amazing (with a dancing Chris) as usual. The crowd loved the song and everybody sang the chorus as loud as they could. And they didn´t stop to sing while the band went to the back of the arena to play an acoustic version of the Scientist ( the band had to wait until the crowd stopped singing). Unluckily I couldn`t see them anymore L. Death will never conquer followed and I have to admit that Will is a great singer, he has a lovely voice! The band came back to the main stage in the dark and we could hear an incredible version of Talk that sounded a bit like techno to me. Politik was the next song. The big magic ball in the middle looked like the earth while everything around was dark – beautiful. Lovers in Japan started in violet light and with this strange film on the screen behind the stage. Everyone went crazy when the butterflies came down the first time, the second kind of butterflies shone in the dark. The next song was Death an all his friends with a big“Viva”on the screen. Chris said:” Thank you for this Tuesday evening” and the rest can`t be described with words . The band took a bow, went behind the stage and came back with Fix you. Chris jumped and ran around like he was crazy and the crowd was blown away. At the end Chris said: ” Bis bald!” (See you soon). The escapist was the final song and while Chris was singing, the magic ball showed the Oxfam logo.
Everybody got out the arena quickly, some people where still singing Viva la Vida, and I went down to the floor to get me a few butterflies. Outside the arena many people stood in front of the merchandising shop (me too) and bought t-shirts. I got a Shirt for 30 € (everything was extremely expensive L), a poster and the wonderful Tourbook with amazing pictures J. When we got back to our car, the people were still singing!
[*Becky*]
Nun war es endlich soweit! Der 2. September ist gekommen und Coldplay sind zu Gast in der SAP Arena in Mannheim mit ihrer “Viva La Vida” Tour. In der ausverkauften SAP Arena, welche ca. 11.000 Besucher fasste, bot sich ein einzigartiges Bild. Die Show, die Coldplay hier ablieferte war grandios! Diese Band, bzw. deren Bild- und Tontechniker, versteht es wirklich Musik, Licht und Bühnenbild so zu kombinieren, wie ich es vorher noch nie gesehen habe. Das Konzert an sich war eine Zeitreise durch alle Coldplay-Alben, währen die Band ihre Hits von “Clocks” bis “Viva La Vida” spielte.
Beim Intro, nachdem sich der Saal verdunkelt hatte und eine Art halbdurchlässiger Vorhang vor der Bühne hing, kam die Band auf die Bühne, wurde von hinten mit Scheinwerfern bestrahlt und man konnte nur ihre Silhouette sehen. Die perfekte Inszenierung wurde auch durch “Kugeln” unterstützt, auf die von innen verschiedene Videos projeziert wurden (”Bsp. Publikum, oder gar ganze Filme”). Der Höhepunkt jedoch war während des Liedes “Lovers in Japan”, bei dem auf das Publikum ein Regen aus tausenden Papierschmetterlingen nieder ging.
Coldplay hat gezeigt, dass diese Band mit Effekten spielt und so eine Vorstellung abgab, welche ich mir nicht besser hätte vorstellen können. Der hohe Eintrittspreis hat sich eindeutig gelohnt, und ich würde es auf jeden Fall immer wieder tun!
[translation by Larry]
Now it finally arrived! September the 2nd has come and Coldplay are guests in the SAP Arena in Mannheim with their "Viva La Vida" tour. The sold-out SAP Arena, which took more than 11,000 visitors, offered a unique image. The show which Coldplay performed here was terrific! This band, or their image and sound engineers, really understands how to combine music, lighting and stage design, as I’ve never seen before. The concert itself was a journey through all the Coldplay albums, while the band played their hits from "Clocks" to "Viva La Vida".
During the intro, after the hall was dimmed out and a kind of semi permeable curtain was hanging in front of the stage, the band came on stage, has been irradiated by headlamps from behind and you could only see their silhouette. The perfect staging was assisted by "balls", on which various videos were projected inside (e.g. the audience, or even entire movies). The highlight, however, was during the song "Lovers in Japan" in which a rain of thousands of paper butterflies went down to the audience.
Coldplay has shown that this band plays with effects and performed a show which I wouldn’t imagine any better. The high ticket price has clearly paid off, and I would always do it again!
Das, was Coldplay da in Mannheim auf die Bühne brachten, war das geilste, was ich je gehört/gesehen/gespürt/gefühlt/genossen und erlebt habe. Vom Anfang an ein Erlebnis für alle Sinne. Nach dem Schluss hatte man das Gefühl, an einem ganz speziellen, einem ganz anderen Ort gewesen zu sein. Aber nicht freiwillig, sondern dorthin entführt worden zu sein. Von einer vor Spaß, Freude, Positivität und Energie nur so protzenden Band, die nicht zu Unrecht als "Weltstars" bezeichnet wird. Ich war und bin immer noch hin und her gerissen, ob dieses Konzert der Grund sein kann, um nach mehr als 30 Jahren der Besuche ungezählter Konzerte, endlich zu sagen: Das war's - besser wird es nimmer!
Wie auch immer: Das, was ich in Mannheim erleben durfte, nimmt mir keiner mehr, niemals. Danke dafür!
[SteDie]
what coldplay delivered on stage in mannheim was the wickedest thing i've ever heard/seen/felt/enjoyed and experienced. it was an experience for all senses right from the beginning.
you felt as though you were at a completely different place after the end. not of one's own accord though but you were taken there by a band that's full of fun, joy, positivity and energy, which is justifiably labled as "world stars".
i was and still am torn if this concert could be reason to finally claim after 30 years of attending countless concerts: this was it. it can't get any better.
however, nobody could ever take away what i experience in mannheim. never. thank you for that!
[translation by Grace]
Media Reviews
Coldplay in Mannheim: „Unglaubli(s)ch!“
Die Arena in Mannheim war voll bis unters Dach – etwa 13.000 Fans sind gekommen, um Coldplay bei ihrem Auftakt zur Deutschlandtour mit dem neuen Album „Viva la Vida“ anzuschauen.
„Hello Mannheim, wie geht’s“ – Coldplay-Frontmann Chris Martin hat während der ganzen Show immer wieder mit den Fans gesprochen, und zwar auf deutsch. Und wenn alle mitgesungen haben, fand das Chris Martin einfach „unglaublisch“. Bestimmt hat er während der Show drei Kilo abgenommen, so wie er über die Bühne geturnt ist, wild getanzt hat und dabei auch noch jeden Meter ausgenutzt hat. „Life In Technicolor“ – damit fing es relativ ruhig an, da hat die Band noch hinter einem transparenten Vorhang gestanden, hinter ihnen riesengroß das Cover des „Viva la Vida“-Albums. Und dann ging’s richtig los: „Violet Hill“, „In My Place“, „Speed of Sound“ – Coldplay haben keine Sekunde Pause gemacht! Das Konzert war auch was fürs Auge: Licht-Effekte, Lasershow, leuchtende Riesenkugeln über der Bühne, auf denen die Show übertragen wurde. Die Jungs haben sich da richtig was einfallen lassen. Die Bühne hatte links und rechts zwei Rampen runter ins Publikum, und auf denen liefen Chris Martin und Lead-Gitarrist Jonny Buckland auch mitten rein in die Menge. Da konnten die Fans sie fast anfassen.
Bei „Viva la Vida“ tobt die Halle
Ein absolutes Highlight der Show: „Viva la Vida“ – da sind wirklich restlos alle von ihren Sitzen aufgesprungen, und man hat eigentlich nur noch Tausende klatschende, hochgestreckte Hände gesehen. Sehr abwechslungsreich war die Musikmischung: mit jeder Menge Extras von Lichteffekten und wechselndem Bühnenbild, über einen Konfettiregen aus Papierschmetterlingen bis zum Akustik-Part der Band mitten im Publikum. Coldplay haben da wirklich einen Knaller-Tourauftakt hingelegt.
Quelle: http://www.swr3.de/musik/Coldplay_20...nwt/index.html
ENGLISH: [translated by Larry]
Coldplay in Mannheim: "Unbelievable!“
The Arena in Mannheim was full up under the roof - about 13,000 fans have came to see Coldplay in their prelude to the German tour with the new album "Viva la Vida".
"Hello Mannheim, wie geht's" - throughout the show Coldplay front man Chris Martin repeatedly talked with the fans, in German. And if all people sang along, Chris Martin said it's "unglaubli(s)ch". During the show he has lost three kilos certainly, as he exercised across the stage, dancing wildly and has even exploited every metre. "Life in Technicolor" - It began relatively quietly, as the band was still behind a transparent curtain with an enormous cover of the "Viva la Vida" album behind them. And then it went off: "Violet Hill", "In My Place", "Speed of Sound" - Coldplay didn't stop a second! The concert was also pleasing to the eye: light effects, laser show, giant glowing balls above the stage on which the show has been transferred. The boys really came up with an idea. On the left and right the stage had two ramps down into the audience, on which Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland directly ran into the crowd. The fans were nearly able to touch them.
During "Viva la Vida" the hall became wildly enthusiastic
An absolute highlight of the show: "Viva la Vida" - completely everyone jumped up from their seats and the only thing you have seen were thousands of clapping and stretched out hands. The music mixture was very varied: with lots of extras, changing lighting effects, a changing stage design, a confetti of paper butterflies and an acoustic part of the band in the middle of the audience. Coldplay really kicked off an incredible prelude of their tour.
Source: http://www.swr3.de/musik/Coldplay_20...nwt/index.html
Coldplay with a sense for the dramatic
From Thorsten Keller, 03.09.08, 14:40 h, updated 03.09.08, 14:42 h
13 000 fans celebrated the British band Coldplay in the Mannheim SAP Arena. Right at the beginning the musicians penetrated with "Violet Hill" directly to the heart of the current CD "Viva la Vida" - vigorous, rhythmically complex and less introverted, than you knew the English band previously.
Before Coldplay start their tour in Germany in the Mannheim SAP Arena, a Viennese waltz is played for minutes, like in a bad "Sissi" movie. While 13 000 fans in the sold-out hall still reflect on what deeper meaning this break music could possibly have, the four Coldplay musicians come on the stage, but during the first number "Life in Technicolor" they only appear as a shadow behind a transparent curtain to be guessed at.
After this timid prologue the curtain goes up and with "Violet Hill" Coldplay penetrate directly to the heart of the current CD "Viva la Vida" - vigorous, rhythmically complex and less introverted, than you knew the English band previously. Singer Chris Martin and guitarist Johnny Buckland also visually tie in with "Viva la Vida" due to their stylised circus uniforms - the outfit one knows from the advertising photos for the current album.
Solid soft rock According to a survey of tourist website Travelodge, Coldplay is the band people in Great Britain prefer to listen to in the evening before closing the eyes, music to fall asleep with in a narrower literal sense. One might think about this survey in Mannheim, when Chris Martin sits down at his piano (or rather lays down as his nose almost touched the keys) and alludes the new song "42". Solid soft rock, Coldplay old-school - that's the first impression. But after just two minutes the number tilts, followed by an intermediate game with wild technoid convulsions, then it goes back to the starting point. The pepped up sound doesn’t stop over older repertoire as well: With "God Put a Smile on Your Face" the band dismantles a hit from 2002, as if it were a remix by Brian Eno, with pounding bass and glaring, cheeping special effects.
Of course Coldplay also establish those solemn, ponderous stadium rock (prototype: "In My Place") on the current tour, with whom they conquered an audience of millions, even on the hard to break through U.S. market which is difficult for British bands. Thereby, however, the band proves fine sense of drama. During the first hit-single "Yellow" the whole arena is flooded with yellow spots, a light mood like on a Belgian motorway. The big video wall behind the musicians shows a shot of the brightly lit interior - an extremely effective mirror trick, which just doubled the audience.
Close contact with the fans In contrast to the open-air shows of the year 2005, when Coldplay only rattled off their programme distantly and tired, there are two blocks integrated in the current production, in which the band move closer to the fans. The ballad "Hardest Part" is played solo by Chris Martin on a mini-stage, like an island stands out from the interior, in this moment he doesn’t appear as a hard-boiled rock star, but more as a sad pianist in a dubious hotel bar.
Viewers in block 211 in the lower tier of the arena have booked the best places to have this evening in Mannheim. There Coldplay turn out on another temporary stage for a short acoustic set, only with guitars, mandolin and harmonica. Besides, they blow some steam from the bulky song "The Scientist", less (or none) keyboards is clearly more in this case.
Of course it wouldn’t be Coldplay if there were no ideological social programme. Between taps for "Eichbaum-Pils", sausage shops and the well-assorted stand with fan merchandise there are also tables in the foyer with full information about the British organization Oxfam, who stands up for development assistance and fair world trade. Despite of pithy slogans and direct speech ("It's time for justice", "You've got power") the crowds remains modest at these stalls - Saving the world in a pop and entertainment context is just a laborious business.
The Coldplay Concert in Cologne's Lanxess Arena is sold-out.
[translated by Larry]
Coldplay mit Gespür für Dramaturgie
Von Thorsten Keller, 03.09.08, 14:40h, aktualisiert 03.09.08, 14:42h
13 000 Fans feierten die britische Band "Coldplay" in der Mannheimer SAP-Arena. Gleich zu Beginn dringen die Musiker mit "Violet Hill" direkt zum Kern der aktuellen CD „Viva la Vida“ vor - energischer, rhythmisch komplexer und weniger introvertiert, als man die englische Band bisher kannte.
Ehe Coldplay ihre Deutschland-Tour in der Mannheimer SAP-Arena starten, läuft minutenlang Wiener Walzer vom Band, wie in einem schlechten „Sissi“-Film. Als die 13 000 Fans in der ausverkauften Halle noch darüber nachdenken, welcher tiefere Sinn in dieser Pausenmusik liegen könnte, kommen die vier Coldplay-Musiker selbst auf die Bühne, sind aber während der ersten Nummer „Life in Technicolor“ nur als Schattenrisse hinter einem transparenten Vorhang zu erahnen. Nach diesem etwas verhuschten Prolog geht der Vorhang hoch, und mit „Violet Hill“ dringen Coldplay direkt zum Kern der aktuellen CD „Viva la Vida“ vor - energischer, rhythmisch komplexer und weniger introvertiert, als man die englische Band bisher kannte. Auch visuell knüpfen Sänger Chris Martin und Gitarrist Johnny Buckland mit ihren stilisierten Zirkusuniformen an „Viva la Vida“ an - das Outfit kennt von den Werbefotos zum aktuellen Album.
Gediegener Kuschelrock Einer Umfrage des touristischen Internet-Portals Travelodge zufolge ist Coldplay die Band, die man in Großbritannien am liebsten hört, ehe man abends die Augen schließt, also Musik zum Einschlafen im engeren Wortsinn. An diese Umfrage mag man in Mannheim denken, als sich Chris Martin ans Klavier setzt (beziehungsweise legt, seine Nase berührt dabei beinahe die Tasten) und den neuen Song „42“ anspielt. Gediegener Kuschelrock, alte Coldplay-Schule - das ist der erste Eindruck. Doch nach knapp zwei Minuten kippt die Nummer, es folgt ein Zwischenspiel mit wilden technoiden Zuckungen, dann geht es wieder zurück zum Ausgangspunkt. Der aufgemöbelte Sound macht auch vor dem älteren Repertoire nicht Halt: Mit „God Put a Smile on Your Face“ nimmt die Band einen Hit aus dem Jahr 2002 auseinander, als sei es ein Remix von Brian Eno, mit stampfenden Bässen und flirrenden, fiependen Spezialeffekten.
Natürlich stellen Coldplay auch auf der laufenden Tour jenen feierlichen, schwerblütigen Stadionrock (Prototyp: „In My Place“) her, mit dem sie ein Millionenpublikum erobert haben, sogar auf dem für britische Bands kaum zu knackenden US-Markt. Dabei beweist die Band allerdings ein feines Gespür für Dramaturgie. Während des ersten Single-Hits „Yellow“ wird die komplette Arena mit gelben Spots geflutet, eine Lichtstimmung wie auf einer belgischen Autobahn. Die große Videowand hinter den Musikern zeigt eine Totale des hell erleuchteten Innenraums - ein äußerst effektvoller Spiegeltrick, der das Publikum mal eben verdoppelt.
Tuchfühlung mit den Fans Im Gegensatz zu den Open-Air-Shows des Jahres 2005, als Coldplay nur distanziert und müde ihr Programm runterspulten, sind in die aktuelle Produktion zwei Blöcke integriert, in denen die Band auf freundliche Tuchfühlung mit den Fans geht. Die Ballade „Hardest Part“ spielt Chris Martin solo auf einer Mini-Bühne, die wie eine Insel aus dem Innenraum ragt, er wirkt in diesem Augenblick nicht wie ein abgebrühter Rockstar, sondern wie ein trauriger Pianist in einer zweifelhaften Hotelbar.
Die besten Plätze haben an diesem Abend in Mannheim die Zuschauer in Block 211 im Unterrang der Arena gebucht. Dort versammeln sich Coldplay auf einer weiteren Behelfsbühne für einen kurzen Akustik-Set, nur mit Gitarren, Mandoline und Mundharmonika. Nebenbei lassen sie hier aus dem bleischweren Song „The Scientist“ die Luft raus, weniger (beziehungsweise keine) Keyboards ist in diesem Fall eindeutig mehr.
Ganz ohne weltanschauliches Rahmenprogramm geht es natürlich nicht bei Coldplay. Zwischen Zapfsäulen für „Eichbaum-Pils“, Bratwurstbuden und dem gut sortierten Stand mit den Fanartikeln stehen im Foyer auch Info-Tische der britischen Organisation Oxfam, die sich für Entwicklungshilfe und fairen Welthandel einsetzt. Trotz griffiger Slogans und direkter Ansprache („It's time for justice“, „You've got power“) bleibt der Andrang an diesen Ständen bescheiden - die Weltrettung in einem Pop- und Entertainment-Kontext ist eben ein mühseliges Geschäft.
Das Coldplay-Konzert in der Kölner Lanxess-Arena am 12. September ist ausverkauft
http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1218660477213.shtml
