15 June 2009: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Canada
From WikiColdplay
Contents |
Setlist
- Life In Technicolor
- Violet Hill
- Clocks
- In My Place
- Yellow
- Glass Of Water
- Cemeteries Of London
- 42
- Fix You
- Strawberry Swing
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (Partial Techno Remix)
- Talk (Partial Techno Remix)
- The Hardest Part (Chris Solo Piano)
- Postcards From Far Away (Chris Solo Piano)
- Viva La Vida
- Lost!
- Green Eyes (acoustic)
- Death Will Never Conquer (Acoustic, sung by Will)
- I'm A Believer (Neil Diamond Cover - Acoustic)
- Viva La Vida (Remix Interlude)
- Politik
- Lovers In Japan
- Death And All His Friends
Encore - The Scientist
- Life In Technicolor ii
- The Escapist (Outro)
Photos
Photos from this show can be found at Coldplaying.com in the Gallery thread for Winnipeg. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1767
Videos
Videos from this show can be found in the first post of the Coldplaying forum live thread for this show at http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55389
Discussion
All post-show discussion for this show at the forum thread: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55389
Fan Reviews
All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.
Oh my god. Coldplay, in Winnipeg. It finally happened! Whoa. Awesome show, loved when they went to the back of the crowd and sang songs. The stage/set/fun stuff/confetti/ yellow balloons/ hanging globes/ and strobe lights - incredible. I loose my breathe thinking about the show - Chris Johnny Will Guy - all in Winnipeg - and I was there!
Also - did anyone catch that guy synchronizing cheers at the very beginning? Typical Winnipegger in a crowd of people. (It was after the break dancing stage hand, but before the show)
[lucky]
This review will have to do for now, my head is still buzzing.
The show was SO AWESOME. I thought Snow Patrol was really good until coldplay came out. They. are. amazing. I think I started crying when i saw them on the stage Chris was just like rolling around on the floor the whole time and he sang the first line of I Kissed A Girl. The C-stage turned out to be right way below us and everyone in our section started freaking out. I swear, if I could only go to one show in my life, it would have to be a Coldplay show. They do so much to make their shows great and nobody else even comes close
I didn't think I could love Chris Martin or Coldplay any more, but I do.
It was the best concert ever, and it was my first one
[Crests of Daylight]
Soooo..... concert #5 was as amazing as the first four!! Yesterday's show at the MTS center will have people talking about it for ages!
Got to the venue JUST before Coldplay came out, cutting it a little close! Seats were directly across from the stage in section 127, right behind the floor. The first few notes of "Life in Technicolor" sounded, and I just started BAWLING!! It's a totally different experience seeing your favorite band playing in your hometown! Cried throughout the entire uplifting first song!
All songs were performed so perfectly by all 4 guys, the energy was amazing! The crowd did not stop screaming, and Chris threw in MANY mentions about Winnipeg! My favorite was when he mentioned "Friendly Manitoba" (as per our unofficial logo)
BEST PART though, was when they walked into the back of the arena, RIGHT INTO MY SECTION. Literally, two rows away!!! I was mindblown, and thanking my lucky stars!!! Pictures I took were incredible, and I made eye contact with Johnny, about 10 seconds. They performed a cute little song pretty much all about Winnipeg with a reference to the Jets, I hope someone out there has a good version of that, I'd like to hear it again! I didn't stop smiling the entire time they were standing in front of me!! A dream come true!!
The rainbow butterfly confetti was beautiful, the yellow balloons were uplifting, the rock outs by the band during some of the songs were intense! I'm not going to share any of my videos though, out of sheer embarassment of me screaming throughout the entire video, or my singing along, sometimes off-key LOL!
I thought that playing Life in Technicolor II was an EXCELLENT option for the closing song! You just can't go wrong with playing such an uplifiting song to end the show!
After it ended, I ran to the barricade between the first bowl and the floor, and asked the security guy to let me through so I could pick up some butterflies. He was going to, but another security guard stopped him and wouldn't let me through. Got into a little argument with her about how rude she was being, definately a mood spoiler! So just for everyone's info, good luck with trying to get your butterflies if not on the floor! Security might be a bitch and not allow you to pass!
Leaving the arena, someone started singing the beginning "oooo"s of "Viva La Vida", which prompted a crowd singalong from everone leaving. I love a great crowd that shows their happiness! Winnipeg rocks!
As for the free CD, there were volunteers at every exit handing them out, and the crowd wasn't a problem, everyone just waited for their turn to pass through, and were handed a CD. It didn't seem like they were running out anytime soon! So it was an easy process to get the CD!
Upset though that they didn't sing "Speed of Sound"!!! I wanted to surprise myself so I didn't read any of the setlists from previous shows, so that was a little bit sad for me! And I would just love love LOVE for them to sing "Yes" at one of the shows. I wish!!!!! On the other hand, I'm a teeny bit glad they didn't do "Chinese Sleep Chant" I'm sorry!!
I work at the airport, and although I didn't see them or know when they were coming in or out, I heard today from one of the airplane fuelers that they arrived in Winnipeg around 4pm yesterday, and left just after 11pm, right after the show through a smaller private building that isn't connected to the main airport. He heard that they were still sweaty from the concert, since they literally jumped into the car and drove straight to the airport as soon as the show ended. And apparently one of the guys had his shirt off while boarding the plane So the band stayed a little over 7 hours in my little city hahaha!
All in all, a terrific, TERRIFIC concert! The men of Coldplay pulled off an AMAZING show that everyone in the crowd, I'm sure, was throughly pleased with!I cannot wait to see them again in Toronto in July!! Will post a few of my better pictures right away!
[storm99x]
Freakin AWESOME show!
The best crowd I've seen (and heard) out of the shows I've been to so far!
I loved the part on C stage during I'm a Believer when Chris asked Will, Guy and Jonny "Are you in love?" and Jonny's resonse "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm".
I have extra butterflies for anyone who didn't manage to get any.
I'm now going threw Coldplay withdrawl and trying to figure out where I can see them next!
[jazzyjen11]
Kenton Larsen sez: "Get infoedutainmentificationalized!". ...
Ten things that crossed my mind during last night's Coldplay concert at MTS Centre:
1. I sure hope the Winnipeg Free Press doesn't use the headline, "Coldplay's performance is hot, hot, hot."
2. Not that I'm going to, but where would one buy a Che Guevara meets Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band meets Police-era Synchronicity outfit in Winnipeg?
3. Where are Gwyneth and Apple?
4. Confetti cannons, beach balls, and the wave never get old.
5. What was all yellow?
6. Coldplay sure sounds a lot like U2. And move around the stage like U2. And sing, "I'm a Believer," like U2 did at the PopMart Tour. Wait a sec - it is U2!
7. How does Caramilk get the caramel into the chocolate?
8. A concert attendee on the floor uses a cell phone to call a concert attendee in the nosebleed seats. They wave until they see each other. They get excited. They wave some more. This must be stopped.
9. Whatever happened to that giant, smiling, arena-sized portrait of the Queen?
10. When are they going to sing, "Livin' La Vida Loca?"
http://kentonsinfotainmentscan.blogspot.com
Upbeat openers the Howling Bells from New Zealand had some nice moments with their infectious indie-pop, including playing "Blessed Night," a catchy song that I did not realize was theirs, that I have heard when I randomly play music on one of my computers at the office. I'd lke to see headline a smaller venue, as the cavernous MTS Centre seemed too large for them to really connect with the audience, who were largely unfamiliar with their material.
Glasgow, Scottland's Snow Patrol sold out Winnipeg's Burton Cummings Theatre (capacity 1646) in April of 2007, without being a widely recognized band. Clearly, they have a larger following than I expected, based on the audience response to their romantic indie-pop songs, which are not too far removed from what Coldplay offer up. They really caught my attention with their urgent, anthemic, U2-esque sound. I can only see these guys getting bigger. Lead singer Gary Lightbody (1976) performed with confidence, sang beautifully, and won over new fans. The band are touring in support of their 2008 album, A Hundred Million Suns.
It was pretty obvious that Coldplay were going to incorporate some backing music to flesh out the exotic sound of some of their material, such as the opening number "Life In Technicolor," from last year's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Released in May, 2008, Coldplay's fourth studio album was the number one selling album in the US (over 2 million) and internationally (7.8 million) and it debuted at number one in 36 countries. It's also the most paid-for downloaded album of all time, with over 700,000 downloads to date and counting (statistics courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Early in the show, the burst into Yellow, one of their first hits from their debut album, Parachutes (2000, 4 million sold.) As the first few notes rang out, members of the road crew walked into the floor area, bearing large yellow balloons, some much larger than beach balls. The fans proceeded to knock them around the floor and stage, but nothing made it into most of the stands. Occasionally, a balloon would burst, spraying yellow confetti. By the time the next song rolled around, only a couple of the yellow orbs were left. The 2005 album X&Y sold over 8 million copies, but was seen as their weakest effort. Still, it was heart-warming to hear so many sing along to the ballad "Fix Me," the only track performed from this recording.
Coldplay could have played it safe, but despite having a bevy of commercial pop songs, they served up songs that were quite quirky in nature and not exactly hit single material, like the moody "Cemeteries of London," the tabla-accented "Lost!," and the atmospheric "Death And All His Friends.". They played every track from the new album, save for "Yes." Of course, it was all eagerly consumed by the crowd who went nuts for all their antics. Lead singer Chris Martin ran around the stage and sang at the same time, without huffing and puffing. At one point, he ran down one of the two ramps that jutted out either side of the stage and lept to the very edge, seemingly defying the law of physics as his momentum should have sent him sailing into the audience on the floor. I couldn't help but turn to my friend and crack a big smile.
The end of the ramp near me served as a mini-stage from which all four members huddled onto the illuminated tiles and played a few tunes, to the absolute shock and delight of the fans who crowded around. There was more. Well into the show, each member briskly walked off the left side of the stage and made a bee line for the back of the floor. From there, they walked up a few rows at the very back of the 100 section and proceeded to play a few unplugged songs. It was all captured for everyone to see on the huge video screens, which were suspended over center ice, roughly. Why at that location and not just over the first few rows near the front of the stage like most bands do? More on that later. The screens showed everyone just how giddy with delight the surrounding fans were, who had purchased some of the less desirable seats in the house, but not with Coldplay just inches away. From this unlikely spot, they performed the Monkees' classic "I'm A Believer," before some more audience participation. Chris Martin asked everyone to turn on and hold up their cell phone. When the audience complied, it was looking into a galaxy of stars. He then asked everyone to hold them to their sides, to hide their lights, and then asked that one section begin to hold theirs up and put them down again, causing the first "Mexican wave" at the MTS Centre. For several minutes, fans played along and the result was an unusual but spectacular.
I really wanted to hear their other night song from Parachutes, "Shiver," which I have recorded onto many mixed CDs for friends, to introduce them what I considered to be great but lesser-known indie pop songs. They may have had indie pop roots, but for a few years now, Coldplay are clearly part of the mainstream, with their fourth album probably outselling even the latest U2 offering. Martin referred to Winnipeg and Manitoba in some songs and rantings, like acknowledging that they were supposed to play here about a year ago, and mentioning the Jets (who became the Phoenix Coyotes) to great applause. Even the lead singer of Howling Bells referred to a few things that makes Winnipeg renown, such as being the Slurpee capital of the world and being the home of the Crash Test Dummies (interesting Neil Young and the Guess Who weren't mentioned.)
It was a four-hour event. During the prelude to the two-song encore, Chris Martin asked us to remember a few things, including to download the song "Nightingale" by Howling Bells and to pick up a free copy of their new 9-track live album on the way out of the MTS Centre, LeftRightLeftRightLeft,which is also available as a free download from the band's website. Why have the screens at centre ice, roughly? I believe it was so that the fans at the side and sitting behind the stage, could look up and see the show, even though the band had their backs to them most of the time. You could see the video feed on the screens from both front or behind the screens. Bravo Coldplay for caring about those fans. This was the fastest-selling concert in MTS Centre history (8 minutes), and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't able to score floor seats.
Media Reviews
Winnipeg Preview: Thanks for Coming to the show
Despite being the adored, much analyzed and fantasized about lead singer of one of the planet's biggest rock bands, Chris Martin of Coldplay is practical, even humble about his role. Sitting on the floor of a rented house in Los Angeles, enjoying the California sunshine and the taste of the strawberry he's just finished, Martin is deliberately and charmingly low-key, writes the Winnipeg Free Press. Full discussion on this show is at the Winnipeg thread here in the Coldplay Live forum.
"It just comes from pure gratitude at being given this job, particularly in a period of time when music is hard to be employed by," Martin says of the free CDs Coldplay is giving to concert-goers on their current tour, which kicked off last month in West Palm Beach, Fla.
"We wanted to give something to the people who have paid money to come see us or buy the album," he adds, referring to Viva la Vida, the best-selling album in the world in 2008. "It's like a reward system in a grocery store."
Material sustenance is not what most fans think of when it comes to Coldplay's music or its live shows, which are known for the passionate connection that Martin makes with audiences. The free CD, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, with nine live songs culled from the band's last tour, is partly an attempt to capture that link. "It is like a snapshot of where we're at at the moment as a band," Martin says. "Hopefully nine little morsels of where we are at the moment. It's supposed to give an overview of how we sound now and mostly how our audience is with that."
Audiences seem to like whatever the band does. The combination of Martin's charisma and emotionally introspective, obliquely poetic lyrics, and Coldplay's darkly anthemic, lushly melodic music has proven to be potent. The group has grown steadily in stature and sales since debuting in 2000 with Parachutes, quickly shooting from indie darlings to the top of the U.S. and global charts. Its third album, 2005's X&Y, sold eight million copies in the first year, while Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends sold 6.7 million physical and downloaded copies -- stellar figures in an age of free downloads and splintering audiences.
The press, however, has been divided on Coldplay and on Martin himself. The band's music has been criticized as indulgent and repetitive, while Martin, who is married to actor Gwyneth Paltrow (the couple have two children, Apple, 5, and Moses, 3) is sometimes faulted for being arrogant, a vegetarian, righteously well-behaved and generally avoiding the classically entertaining rock star behaviour of excessive drugs, drinking and screwing around. (Although he has been known to wrestle with paparazzi and appear in comedies like the movie Shaun of the Dead.)
Martin is, in fact, unabashedly middle-class. The oldest son of five children of an accountant father and a music-teacher mother, he met his Coldplay bandmates in 1996, while all were earning degrees at London University (they refused to tour or release their first record until they'd taken final exams, and vowed to kick out anyone who used hard drugs). He has campaigned on issues of fair trade and global poverty, and spoken out against the Iraq war. While social themes don't inspire Coldplay's songs, Martin says he feels a responsibility to try to affect the world in a positive way.
"It appeases the guilt I sometimes feel for being given such an incredible job," he says. "I think when you are contributing to or talking about something that you know is important on an activist level, it somehow feels better than if you're just sitting back taking coke." As well as assuaging his own anxieties. "I don't really like to stop and feel comfortable," Martin says. "So I guess social activism is part of that."
But he is realistic about how much effect he can have on the world, beyond making people feel better for the length of a song or a show. "If I'm a bit down and worried about something then if I listen to I'm On Fire by Bruce Springsteen I feel better," Martin says. "We can only influence our little world in our little bubble."
Coldplay songs are generally attributed to the whole band: Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman, plus close friend and former manager Phil Harvey, who's listed as a fifth member on Viva la Vida. Though Martin writes most of the lyrics and, as singer (and husband of a movie star), tends to be the centre of attention, he emphasizes that the music comes from all of them.
"If any one of the five of us was to leave or die or be kidnapped, the rest of us would be useless," he says. "We're always trying to give credit to the chemistry more than the individual ability. That's what a band is, it's bigger than the sum of its parts. That's why people join bands -- because they're not good enough to be soloists."
He is reticent about where those lyrics come from. "I find often songs come from thinking of a title. The other morning I woke up and thought I'd like to do a song called Drunks and Guns. So I hung around the house all day waiting for it to come, and eventually it came to me."
It seems the only downside for Martin these days is being away from his family months at a time. Martin insists it's not a significant problem. "It's not the same as being a soldier being sent away for six months with no contact," he says. "It's pretty manageable at this point."
In fact, he jokes that separation can be a good thing. "I think their worst nightmare is having to be with me every day. You've only had 20 minutes."
Coldplay put a smile upon your face
Some bands leave you wanting more. Chris Martin and Coldplay definitely aren't one of them. At least, they weren't at MTS Centre on Monday night, when the Brit-rock foursome finally made their long-delayed local debut. What they were instead was a band that gave a sold-out crowd of 12,500 fervent fans everything they could possibly want — and then gave them more, writes the Winnipeg Sun.
You wanted hits? They had ’em: Nearly two dozen numbers, including most of their gazillion-selling 2008 album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, along with older crowdpleasers like Yellow, Politik, The Scientist and even a jangly acoustic cover of the Neil Diamond-penned Monkees classic I'm a Believer. If you weren't a believer before last night, that along might have changed your mind.
You wanted a rockin' band? You got one: While Coldplay's lushly melodic anthems and ballads can sometimes come off as lightweight and poppy on CD, there was no shortage of muscle in their live show.
Drummer Will Champion deserves most of the credit for that — he's way more a basher than you'd ever expect, hammering away at his kit on tunes like Glass of Water, Lost! and Politik. Guitarist Jonny Buckland and bassist Guy Berryman may fly beneath the radar much of the time, but they can also raise a hell of a decent racket (though they weren't louder than the crowd, whose screaming and unbidden singalongs often threatened to drown out the group). Even Martin can pound those keys as well as he can tickle the ivories.
You wanted an arena-sized spectacle? They brought one: A stage with runways at either side, half a dozen giant video-screen globes that descended from the rafters and gently floated up and down like massive high-tech Christmas bulbs, banks of lasers that shot out from the back floor of the stage and traced patterns on the ceiling at the opposite end of the hall, arced lighting rigs that sagged and swooped and swiveled gracefully above the band, dozens of huge yellow balloons heaved into the crowd (during Yellow, natch), confetti cannons that spewed forth wave after wave of fluorescent paper butterflies during Life in Japan, and all the usual VariLights and follow spots and backdrops and tasteful production and expertly edited live video footage. If they had tossed in some pyro, they could have passed for Nickelback (though Nickelback probably would have had skull-shaped butterflies).
You wanted some face time with the boys? They aimed to please: Not only did the band cram themselves onto the end of one runway for a couple of songs — later they trooped the length of MTS Centre to play a raucous acoustic mini-set at the very back of the stands, smack-dab in the middle of the cheap seats. Take that, rock stars!
Of course, you wanted a world-class frontman. And Martin is as good as they come: Eager, energetic, earnest and totally engaging. When he was playing guitar, he leaned into the mic like a sprinter in the starting blocks, bouncing on the balls of his feet and pumping his heels to the beat. When he sat down at an upright piano (that was wheeled forward and back by roadies as required), he hunched over the instrument with intense focus, his nose practically touching the keys. When he ditched them both to roam with a microphone, he was a mischievous dervish — spinning and prancing and skipping and leaping and dashing from one end of the stage to the other, teasing fans by rushing headlong to the lip of the runway and then halting at the last possible second. During Lovers in Japan he danced with a parasol amid those gently descending clouds of butterflies. In another number he stumbled about the stage, lurching as if being struck by Champion's thwacking snare shots. At the end of Viva la Vida he pretended to collapse onstage — though we wouldn't have been surprised if he was half-serious.
Speaking of half-serious, if you wanted a few laughs, there were some of those to be had too. While Martin mostly kept the chitchat to a minimum, he did have a few quips up his military-uniform sleeve. "Sorry it took us just over a year to get here," he apologized, referring to a concert that was scheduled for last summer, then postponed by production snafus. "The way we think of it is that we needed to have 121 rehearsals before we could play a concert in Winnipeg." Later, he joked that "now you don't get to see us for another 12 years," which he changed to 15 and then 20 after the crowd started booing. Some of his other assorted tomfoolery: Holding a note on and on while looking at his watch and eventually running out of breath, needling guitarist Buckland during one song, getting the crowd to do the wave with their cellphones, and changing song lyrics to include plenty of pandering references to the Jets and how much f---ing noise Winnipeg crowds make. (Oh, and just for the record, I taught him that. No, not how to change his song lyrics or pander to the house — how to pronounce Winnipeg. During our one-on-one pre-show interview — which you can read in tomorrow's paper — he kept saying "Winneepeg" until I set him right. You're welcome, Chris.)
And finally, if their hit-filled, eye-popping, high-energy, entertainingly personable 110-minute show still wasn't enough for you, well, there was more: On your way out the door, ushers handed out free copies of the band's new live disc Left Right Left Right Left to all 12,500 attendees.
Seriously, what more could anybody possibly want?
http://www.winnipegsun.com/entertainment/music/2009/06/16/9809026.html
Coldplay's performance is hot, hot, hot
Coldplay may very well be the biggest rock band in the world right now, with the best-selling album of 2008 and a tour that’s criss-crossing the globe. At the same time, they may be the least "rock" rock band in the world, writes the Winnipeg Free Press.
You’d likely be hard-pressed to pick the unassuming members out of a crowd (unless singer Chris Martin had glamorous wife Gwyneth Paltrow on his arm) and even their recent stab at rock-star flamboyance — wearing colourful Seargent Pepper-style jackets — is a pale imitation of provocateurs past.
So some trepidation was attached to the London band’s first visit to Winnipeg. Charity donations, vegetarianism and all-around niceness are well and good, but a good concert experience demands a little excess. Sex and drugs might be passé, but a rock ‘n’ roll attitude is still a requirement.
It was clear any fears of a navel-gazing performance were misplaced. At 9:05 p.m, the band bounded onto the dark stage brandishing sparklers for opener Life in Technicolor, which was literally larger than life, as backlighting projected the band members’ giant shadows onto a scrim in front of the stage, which was lifted as they swang into a thunderous version of Violet Hill from their latest album, Viva La Vida.
Martin, sporting a curly mop of hair and what looked like a homemade Obama armband over the aformentioned motley military garb, skipped around the stage, playfully using its entire area, which included two arms that extended into the crowd.
And it wasn’t just the banks of lasers spraying the audience or cool orb-shaped videoscreens or super-clever video effects that had the requisite rock attitude. Coldplay is a band that’s often accused of being overly sensitive — an act that girls gush over, but men disdain — but you wouldn’t know it from Will Champion’s aggressive drumming or Guy Berryman’s relentless bass, which pumped the familiar chiming into to mega-hit Clocks into a thumping anthem.
Subtlety went out the window — quite happily — with the band’s first hit, Yellow, from debut Parachutes, as yellow lights bathed the audience and huge yellow balloons filled the arena, releasing sprays of confetti as they burst. Then came a rousing version of 42, with Martin switching to keyboards for the bookending sections. The band then achieved real intimacy on the pensive Fix You — so much so that it was almost disappointing when the inevitable kick-into-overdrive arrived (hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of sensitivity).
Chamberlain went nuts on the timpani drums for the gloriously grandiose Viva La Vida, and the audience joined him, swaying and singing along at the top of their lungs
Martin has a sort of genius for lyrics that sound portentous but skirt being really meaningful, which allows listeners to attach their own meaning to them — that facility was evident as the crowd practically raised the humidity level in the arena from tearing up as they mouthed the refrain to Lost!: "Just because I’m losing, doesn’t mean I’m lost."
And just when it seemed there wasn’t going to be another intimate moment, all four members were led through the crowd to a tiny stage set amid the riser seats, for an acoustic version of Green Eyes and a whimsical (if calculated) little off-the-cuff song making reference to Winnipeggers’ love of the Jets. Then the lights were turned down so Martin could orchestrate a cellphone-light "wave", which looked like a magically organized bunch of fireflies.
At one point early in the show, Martin apologized for cancelling a previously scheduled local show. "We need to have 121 rehearsals before we dare to play in Winnipeg," he joked. And by the end, their hearts seemed so much in it, we almost believed him.
Howling Bells, a moody rock quartet from Sydney, Australia led by powerhouse vocalist Juanita Stein, opened the show, followed by Scottish act Snow Patrol, longtime Coldplay kindred spirits who amped up their sweet indie rock to suit the arena setting. Gangly singer Gary Lightbody turned on the charm, his big, pure voice keeping up with the magnified guitars on tracks including Hands Open, Run and Chasing Cars.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Upbeat openers the Howling Bells from New Zealand had some nice moments with their infectious indie-pop, including playing "Blessed Night," a catchy song that I did not realize was theirs, that I have heard when I randomly play music on one of my computers at the office. I'd lke to see headline a smaller venue, as the cavernous MTS Centre seemed too large for them to really connect with the audience, who were largely unfamiliar with their material.
Glasgow, Scottland's Snow Patrol sold out Winnipeg's Burton Cummings Theatre (capacity 1646) in April of 2007, without being a widely recognized band. Clearly, they have a larger following than I expected, based on the audience response to their romantic indie-pop songs, which are not too far removed from what Coldplay offer up. They really caught my attention with their urgent, anthemic, U2-esque sound. I can only see these guys getting bigger. Lead singer Gary Lightbody (1976) performed with confidence, sang beautifully, and won over new fans. The band are touring in support of their 2008 album, A Hundred Million Suns.
It was pretty obvious that Coldplay were going to incorporate some backing music to flesh out the exotic sound of some of their material, such as the opening number "Life In Technicolor," from last year's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Released in May, 2008, Coldplay's fourth studio album was the number one selling album in the US (over 2 million) and internationally (7.8 million) and it debuted at number one in 36 countries. It's also the most paid-for downloaded album of all time, with over 700,000 downloads to date and counting (statistics courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Early in the show, the burst into Yellow, one of their first hits from their debut album, Parachutes (2000, 4 million sold.) As the first few notes rang out, members of the road crew walked into the floor area, bearing large yellow balloons, some much larger than beach balls. The fans proceeded to knock them around the floor and stage, but nothing made it into most of the stands. Occasionally, a balloon would burst, spraying yellow confetti. By the time the next song rolled around, only a couple of the yellow orbs were left. The 2005 album X&Y sold over 8 million copies, but was seen as their weakest effort. Still, it was heart-warming to hear so many sing along to the ballad "Fix Me," the only track performed from this recording.
Coldplay could have played it safe, but despite having a bevy of commercial pop songs, they served up songs that were quite quirky in nature and not exactly hit single material, like the moody "Cemeteries of London," the tabla-accented "Lost!," and the atmospheric "Death And All His Friends.". They played every track from the new album, save for "Yes." Of course, it was all eagerly consumed by the crowd who went nuts for all their antics. Lead singer Chris Martin ran around the stage and sang at the same time, without huffing and puffing. At one point, he ran down one of the two ramps that jutted out either side of the stage and lept to the very edge, seemingly defying the law of physics as his momentum should have sent him sailing into the audience on the floor. I couldn't help but turn to my friend and crack a big smile.
The end of the ramp near me served as a mini-stage from which all four members huddled onto the illuminated tiles and played a few tunes, to the absolute shock and delight of the fans who crowded around. There was more. Well into the show, each member briskly walked off the left side of the stage and made a bee line for the back of the floor. From there, they walked up a few rows at the very back of the 100 section and proceeded to play a few unplugged songs. It was all captured for everyone to see on the huge video screens, which were suspended over center ice, roughly. Why at that location and not just over the first few rows near the front of the stage like most bands do? More on that later. The screens showed everyone just how giddy with delight the surrounding fans were, who had purchased some of the less desirable seats in the house, but not with Coldplay just inches away. From this unlikely spot, they performed the Monkees' classic "I'm A Believer," before some more audience participation. Chris Martin asked everyone to turn on and hold up their cell phone. When the audience complied, it was looking into a galaxy of stars. He then asked everyone to hold them to their sides, to hide their lights, and then asked that one section begin to hold theirs up and put them down again, causing the first "Mexican wave" at the MTS Centre. For several minutes, fans played along and the result was an unusual but spectacular.
I really wanted to hear their other night song from Parachutes, "Shiver," which I have recorded onto many mixed CDs for friends, to introduce them what I considered to be great but lesser-known indie pop songs. They may have had indie pop roots, but for a few years now, Coldplay are clearly part of the mainstream, with their fourth album probably outselling even the latest U2 offering. Martin referred to Winnipeg and Manitoba in some songs and rantings, like acknowledging that they were supposed to play here about a year ago, and mentioning the Jets (who became the Phoenix Coyotes) to great applause. Even the lead singer of Howling Bells referred to a few things that makes Winnipeg renown, such as being the Slurpee capital of the world and being the home of the Crash Test Dummies (interesting Neil Young and the Guess Who weren't mentioned.)
It was a four-hour event. During the prelude to the two-song encore, Chris Martin asked us to remember a few things, including to download the song "Nightingale" by Howling Bells and to pick up a free copy of their new 9-track live album on the way out of the MTS Centre, LeftRightLeftRightLeft,which is also available as a free download from the band's website. Why have the screens at centre ice, roughly? I believe it was so that the fans at the side and sitting behind the stage, could look up and see the show, even though the band had their backs to them most of the time. You could see the video feed on the screens from both front or behind the screens. Bravo Coldplay for caring about those fans. This was the fastest-selling concert in MTS Centre history (8 minutes), and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't able to score floor seats.
Twitter Updates
These Twitter updates have been taken from the search feature on Twitter:
- ssoroka Coldplay live. Kicking ass. http://yfrog.com/18o87j
- MissLisaSquire Coldplay singin with yellow balloons all over the place
- ssoroka Coldplay doing Yellow http://yfrog.com/12conij
- dougmcarthur Coldplay isawesome so far. God Put A Smile On Your Face/Talk is on now, some weird electronica medley of X&Y!
- Danelle2 Coldplay is f*cking mind-blowing... So awesome!
- ronnieboy204 Cellphone wave @ #coldplay concert #winnipeg! Fak yea!
- dougmcarthur Coldplay just finished playing I'm A Believer while the crowd did the mexican cell phone wave.
- KirstenNeil @coldplay this is @breatheyoga that was the best f*cking show of my life! Love you guy !!!
- Harmzie Coldplay=awesome. End of review.
- ikcotol holy crap Coldplay. excellent show. and thanks for the CD! left right left right left
- drewbrownmusic Holy wow. Coldplay just turned an arena show into a great intimate club show. Perfection.
- chromatically I am now deaf until the cilia in my ears heal. But 'twas worth it! Coldplay was awesome!
- jolenetara Had a wicked time at Coldplay tonight.
- YaelKate Coldplay just threw off the BEST concert EVER! I'm so glad i went!!!!!
- jiggajayd Ears are still ringing from the best concert ever!! Thanks, Coldplay!
- SpicyLaura Amazing Coldplay concert. Just amazing.

