04 February 2003: Kansas City Memorial Hall, Kansas, USA
From WikiColdplay
Setlist
- Politik
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
- Spies
- One I Love
- Trouble
- Daylight
- Don’t Panic
- Moses
- Everything’s Not Lost
- Warning Sign
- Yellow
- The Scientist
Encore - Clocks
- Ladder To The Sun
- In My Place
Reviews
Memorial Hall has long been a steppingstone for bands destined for bigger venues and brighter stardom. Once upon a time, U2, R.E.M., the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and Kid Rock sold out shows at Memorial, then moved on to arenas, amphitheaters, even football stadiums.
Tuesday night the British rock band Coldplay, in town for the first time, packed the old place to its rafters, a notable feat for an act that charged $32 a ticket though it has only one bona-fide hit in its repertoire. Could have been a disappointment. It wasn't.
This was a luminous performance from a band that is impeccably crisp and surprisingly lean in concert: 15 songs in 90 minutes and never a dull moment.
No one has ever accused Coldplay of being brash or original when it comes to songwriting. Its music is a warm, lustrous, catchy blend of U2, '80s Brit-pop (Echo and the Bunnymen) and early Radiohead. (Listen real hard during the piano ballads and you'll hear some young Elton John in there, too.) Live, however, Coldplay sounds larger and more dynamic than it does on record. Its songs exhibit harder edges and slightly rougher textures -- traits that emphasize the band's propulsive guitar interplay and flatter its melancholic flavor.
Singer Chris Martin is the good-natured star of this four-piece band. Between songs, he was droll and charming in a scruffy way -- like someone out of a Guy Ritchie movie.
While he was performing, his mannerisms were more pronounced. During "One I Love" and "Yellow," the band's hit, he flounced around enthusiastically; near the end of "Trouble" he crouched over the piano and nearly laid his ear on the keyboard, as if it were a safe he was trying to crack open.
During "Everything's Not Lost," he showed his political side. First, the video screen zeroed in on his left hand, on which he'd written in black marker: "Make Trade Fair." Then he tossed in a lyrical swipe at President Bush -- a speculation about his re-election and everything being lost. It drew a huge roar. Like every good show, this one fed off the energy of the crowd, a mix of people, it appeared, from 12 to 50.
Martin joked about his band having only one hit to play, but these fans knew all the material, some of it word-for-word. Most indulged him heartily when he cued them for some vocal fellowship. The sing-along during "Warning Sign" was as loud and fervent as the coda to "Hey Jude."
The evening ended with the band's third encore: a chipper pop tune called "Ladder to the Sun." The notion of steep and lofty ascent was appropriate for this band, which seems bound for venues bigger than this one.
On that Tuesday night it was a beautiful world - for we all got to see greatness in its prime." -Eli Burrell
Americans are elitists, plain and simple. Fortunately for Coldplay (who played to a packed house of 3300 in Kansas City, Kansas on Tuesday night), they can spot something magical when it manifests itself in front of them.
Coldplay channeled the manic fervor of the crowd that evening, giving what could be declared an inspiring performance. Lead singer Chris Martin even stated in awe "This is the best reception we've ever gotten."
Although some doubted the band could fill the old venue with prices upwards of $35 a ticket, the place was wall to wall with people ages twelve to sixty swaying back and forth, jumping up and down and singing in unison every word from Chris Martin's mouth.
I suppose that's where I come back to Americans being elitists. The Average Joe probably assumed this concert would fail - after all, Coldplay only has one bona fide hit in the States with "Yellow" - a single that was originally released three years ago. The secret that every ticket holder (and those begging for tickets in the street outside) knew is that Coldplay is the real deal - an International Supergroup - perhaps the biggest export from Britain since contemporaries Oasis and Radiohead. You see, Coldplay is used to selling out shows at venues 3, 4, even 10 times the size of Memorial Hall in other parts of the world. So here I sat fifty feet from the stage loving every minute of it, relishing the intimate and quite personal show that unfolded.
Around 7:30 p..m. Ron Sexsmith and his band opened things up. To be honest I'd been somewhat disappointed when I'd heard he was the opening act, but I quickly learned what a talent he is. A young Canadian who was very pleasant and winning to the audience, he played about forty-five minutes, blending country rock and piano balladry to great effect. Highlights included a nod to George Harrison as he incorporated the note-for-note guitar solo from "Something" into one of his lovely songs. This brought the crowd to a roar - something that rarely happens for opening acts. He finished with a gorgeous piano driven tune called "There's Gold In Them Hills", another high point. He made me a believer and I recommend him very highly.
About a half hour went by before the lights fell and Coldplay took the stage like conquering heroes. The crowd roared deafeningly and the band ripped right into track one from their newest album ("Politik" from A Rush Of Blood To The Head)
As the show continued, the band endeared themselves by reproducing with stunning skill their intricate style and 'sound' from their albums. Guy Berryman, Jon Buckland and Will Champion played with the adroit skill and confidence of a twenty year old band - but swaggering mightiest was lead singer Chris Martin who was in top form and complete control. Wonderful versions of "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" and "Spies" followed as Martin thrashed around wildly, jumped back and forth from guitar to piano (which at times he seemed to embrace, holding his head close to the keys as if searching for a heartbeat).
"Daylight" and "Trouble" followed - with Martin prompting the crowd to sing along (as if he had to prompt) to "Trouble". From there, the rollicking B-Side "One I Love" and then "Warning Sign" (my personal favorite from A Rush Of Blood To The Head) where Martin's falsetto reached pitch-perfect heights.
"Don't Panic", the first track from 1999's Parachutes had everyone dancing around - a great tune for that. The crowd sang to every line and lifted their voices up in unison with Martin as he sang "We live in a beautiful world / yes we do." Tuesday evening, 3300 of us did live in a beautiful world for a few hours.
Political ambivalence is something about the younger generation that irks me to no end. It seems if people in the 18-30 age group would grab the remote long enough to switch off "The Osbournes", "Adult Swim" and "American Idol" they could become informed on the issues and perhaps even (gasp!) vote. Unfortunately kids are merely getting their politics at concerts - with bands like U2, Radiohead and Pearl Jam (who realize there's more to life than three chords and getting laid). Add Coldplay to that list. Scrawled across the side of Martin's piano were the words "Make Trade Fair". The side of Martin's left hand (the one the camera kept zooming in on) said www.maketradefair.com. It's nice to see Coldplay backing this great effort - and if you go to the Coldplay website there are many more links to get information from.
On "Everything's Not Lost", one of the band's best songs, Martin sang sage advice about holding on - keeping our chins up. Then he improvised a line with a sideways smirk as he sang "If George Bush is re-elected / that'll be the end of the world". The crowd erupted with cheering - which makes me wonder how different our world could be if anyone actually gave a damn. More likely they were all like the girl who went from seat to seat begging for a cigarette - lost in the moment, and mindlessly following the rest of the herd.
From there, Martin said "Well before we get into the hits - oh, I mean HIT - we only have one, we'd like to play a new song." They played a new one called "Moses". If this one sticks - and I think it will - it'll make a great single for their forthcoming third album. A bit of keyboard noise segued into "Yellow" and the crowd jumped up and down and sang at the tops of their lungs. Martin then said "This will be our last tune" before the band played "The Scientist", then they waved, bowed politely and left the stage.
Folks, Coldplay are proper rock stars, having not one - but two encores. For the first encore they played their two latest singles "Clocks" and "In My Place". The latter was sung sans instrument as Martin thrashed about jogging around the small stage. Once again Coldplay left the stage and the crowd cheered for two or three minutes straight, pounding on their seat backs and stomping on the floor until the band returned and played one last new song to bring the set to a close.
"Ladder To The Sun" was a perfect show closer. It's all about reaching new heights and experiencing new things. When the song came to an emotional end, the stellar show had finished, and with bows and nods the band diappeared into the darkness.
On the way out, I overheard a girl sum up the performance perfectly: "Only one word describes tonight - experience." I couldn't say it better. You see, we all knew - we all realized - that Coldplay might just be the tightest, most talented band in the world right at the moment. The opportunity to see them so intimately is something none of us will ever forget. Sure, U2 and REM played Memorial Hall before they were famous - The Smashing Pumpkins kicked off their farewell tour there - but on that chilly Tuesday night it was a "beautiful world", for we all got to see greatness at its prime.
- eliburrell@upnyc.com
Set list
Politik Got Put A Smile Upon Your Face Spies Daylight Trouble One I Love Warning Sign Don't Panic Everything's Not Lost Moses Yellow The Scientist Clocks In My Place Ladder To The Sun
