17 June 2009: Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, 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 Calgary. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1768
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=55390
Discussion
All post-show discussion for this show at the forum thread: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55390
Fan Reviews
All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.
It was S-I-C-K. I'm hooked. It was the hottest, most fabulous concert I have ever been too. The band was genuine and gracious and full of energy. I did not stop jumping around. I was 3 rows back from Stage left catwalk and had a wicked view. Listening to the free live CD right now. I'll be on a Coldplay high for a least a week.
[Ang]
Chris Martin was adorable and energetic - I had no idea he was such an incredible entertainer. Vocals were right on.
I was sooo happy they sang Green Eyes! I didn't know they were going to.
Yup, best concert I've ever been to.
[meeshkapeesh]
it was indeed, "such a perfect day"! haha i loved it, i was waiting for last night for a good 5 years now and i couldn't have been more pleased with it all! it was incredible.
[jeX.and.whY]
It's been a few days since I went to the Coldplay concert so the ringing in my ears has stopped and the proverbial high that everyone gets after a concert has finally warn off. My dear friend Margaret joined me in our floor seats where we enjoyed an amazing concert with some great music. The show first started with the Howling Bells from Australia who were not bad, but Margaret and I both agreed that the lead singer had an amazingly sexy voice. Perhaps it was the accent. Anyways, the second opening act was Snow Patrol who I would be more than willing to shell out good money to see in their own concert. Some of the highlights from their set list included Chocolate, Hands Open, Open Your Eyes, and their stand out hit Chasing Cars, which we have all butchered during Sing Star.
Coldplay hit the stage at around 9pm with sparklers shooting and the band's shadow slowly emerging into view as they sang Violet Hill. Soon the backdrop revealed the painting from the Viva La Vida album with a woman with bare breast who shared a striking resemblance to Vivian Lo. Later on, the band performed Yellow where the audience was appropriately bathed in yellow lights and yellow balloons were bounced around like giant volley balls by the fans. Some standout performances included some of my favorite songs including Fix You and Lost! The band then ventured on to the side stage where they got extremely close to the audience and Chris Martin performed The Hardest Part alone on stage with just a piano. He soon joined the rest of the band again on the main stage to perform a lively rendition of Viva La Vida, which got the entire crowd buzzing from excitement and it was truly a spectacular experience to witness live.
The band then moved to the back of the Saddledome to transform some of the worst seats instantly into the best seats of the house. They performed Death Will Never Conquer and Chris even managed to name drop the Calgary Flames into the song, which made the fans go wild! They completed the set in the back stage with a cover of I'm A Believer, which the entire stadium gladly sang along.
Finally, Coldplay moved back to the front stage where they preformed songs such as Lovers In Japan, with Japanese images flashing on the screen and a sky of butterflies falling on the audience. It was amazing!!! Thankfully, before the concert ended, the band also performed The Scientist which is one of my absolute favorite songs and I was extremely worried that I would not be able to see. The song was definitely worth the wait and I'm so glad that they left it till almost the end. Finally, Coldplay finished the evening with The Escapist and the curtain fell to reveal Viva splashed across the screen. The concert was simply outstanding and the band didn't need to rely on over-the-top stunts to keep the crowd entertained. It was just wonderful music and the charm of four guys from the U.K. that had 15,000 people hanging on to every note.
http://thisiscoop.blogspot.com/2009/...-coldplay.html
I ALMOST TOUCHED CHRIS MARTIN FROM COLDPLAY
That’s the subject line that was screaming at me when I opened my email yesterday.
It didn’t happen to me but to my gal pal Patti (a.k.a. Miss P), which is pretty much the next best thing. Actually, probably better because her account of almost touching Chris Martin? It has panty soup written all over it. She is definitely a way bigger fan than me.
I thought her story would get all the lucky Vancouverites going to tomorrow’s concert all jazzed up so here it is. As for me, I’ll be cross-border shopping with Karolina for the thing that gets my knickers in a knot… new shoes. Woo-hoo!
Have a great weekend!
._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._ ._._._._._._._._.
Hello from Calgary to all of Kasia’s loyal readers! I’m thrilled to be a guest blogger for the very first time. My bestest, bossom friend is one amazing gal; she not only listened to my very extended and detailed account of having seen Coldplay live in Calgary this past Wed, June 17, but she then asked me to blog about the life altering experience. I couldn’t say no. Thanks Kasia! I hope some of you are lucky enough to have tickets to this weekend’s shows in Vancouver!
My weekend began so ridiculously amazingly, that I have to tell you all about it….
This morning as I rushed out the door to work (late, of course), I was feeling amazingly alive and happy (not my natural state in the mornings), and I’m 100% convinced it’s a lingering feeling from Wednesday night’s concert. As I climbed into my Hyundai, turned the key and my stereo kicked in, I was instantly transported back to Wednesday night, when I saw Coldplay live at the Saddledome in Cowtown. For the entire 20 minute drive to work I shamelessly adjusted my bass a few notches higher, and blasted the live LeftRightLeftRightLeft live CD that each person at the concert got for FREE. Talk about paying it forward. Traffic was bad this morning; cars at a standstill, everyone with their dreary I-hate-this-rat-race-and-my-job faces, and then there was me. Windows rolled down, huge smile, rock-star sunglasses, bass thumping in my seat (and probably in everyone else’s buttocks too), proudly singing every memorized word as back-up to the riveting vocals of Chris Martin.
It was the best drive to work I’ve ever had. I mean EVER!! I think I might start doing this every morning.
Coldplay just has a way of writing the best damn singalong anthems, with the best darned lyrics, and heart-wrenching melodies. I cried several times at the concert (seriously), and this is not new for me- I cry when I hear their music. Songs like Fix You, Viva La Vida, and Yellow to name just a few, hit an emotional chord with me. Great music has the power to do that, and Coldplay is right up there with the classical music that also has the power to make me shed tears in public.
I sat by myself at the concert; my boyfriend and I couldn’t even get two tickets beside eachother because we slept 15 minutes past 10am when the tickets went on sale weeks ago. We decided it was worth it to go even if we had to sit separately. I’ve never made a better decision in my life. Although it would have been fantastic to live the moments with my Love wrapped around my waist, I made the experience worthwhile anyways. Not even the lame couple on my right, who sat and golf-clapped through 95% of the concert, dampened my spirits. Thankfully, the two girls to my left were just as bent on having the time of their lives as me. We bonded over the deafening screaming, clapping, waving, and singing. We jumped up and down when our band came on stage, we clapped our hands high in the air, we bumped the gigantic yellow balloons that floated down on us during Yellow, we swayed and sang every gut-wrenching word to Fix You, and we all died and went to heaven when we realized our unbelievable luck….
I was three seats away from the aisle in section 114, row 8, and in the same row across the aisle, there were a handful of covered seats, with what I believed to be an audio set up, something uuber-geeky technical that was part of the show. There was a 5’-0” tall security girl standing there as people took their seats, casually making sure nobody tried to climb over the covered area. The concert began and I was happy as a clam, when halfway through the starry night, a few of the tech crew began shuffling around by the covered area to my left. My instinct was that it was an audio issue they were trying to quickly fix and avoid an embarrassing disaster. I crossed my fingers it was going to be OK and I kept on singing and screaming. A few minutes later I looked over, and they had a platform out…. then a guitar stand on top of it…. then a guitar, then a bass, then… a microphone!!! I felt my heart jump into my throat, and I’m pretty sure my eyes bugged out of my head as I turned to the girl on my left and screamed like a 12 year old tweeny girl, “Oh my GAAAWD!!! Are they going to play RIGHT HERE?!?!?!” We almost hugged each other as we bounced up and down in sheer delight.
Then it happened… they finished a song on the stage (don’t ask me which one, because by now I was in another world), and the entire band put down their instruments and started walking to the edge of the stage… the spotlight followed them…. then they came down to the edge of the floor section…. and continued walking single file…. right towards us!!! They were just a few steps below us now, walking up, the spotlight on them, people in section 114 going absolutely crazy, a few steps higher… and CHRIS MARTIN WAS 2 FEET AWAY FROM ME!! We scrambled to reach our sweaty hands out, and I almost fell over when he HELD the hand of the blonde beside me! I have never been so envious in my entire life. Lucky bitch
So there I was, twitterpated beyond reason and heart racing, hardly believing my luck as Chris, Guy, Jon, and Will climbed onto the tiny satellite stage that had been kept such a great secret throughout the concert. The sipped some water, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and grinned as they looked around the fans surrounding them 360 degrees. Looking back at it, it was probably a really cool experience for them too- to be on a tiny makeshift stage, barely big enough for the four of them to stand on, right amidst the crowd. Then, they began to play Green Eyes (from Rush of Blood to the Head). Now, you have to know this because it’s absolutely no coincidence- MY eyes are green. Holy $&^! HE KNEW IT ALL ALONG! That was the best performance of Green Eyes ever, in the entire history of Coldplay’s existence. Now, brace yourself, because what I’m about to tell you is no made up fairytale, but pure fact; Chris sang the ballad (dedicated to me), as I listened and watched intently….. this was my moment… and then it happened…. our eyes met and we locked gazes for a few wonderful seconds…. Sigh. Double sigh. In case you’re wondering- his eyes are a sparkling, ocean blue.
When I recounted this story to Kasia, her response was ‘duh, of course he stared into your eyes…. you look like Gwyneth and then he realized she’d kick his ass if she was there, so he had to look away!” I love her for knowing just what to say. Now, I admit, the only time during the concert where I was utterly content to be standing alone without my wonderful boyfriend, was at that moment. I had the utmost joy in experiencing a pure, teenage-like trance of a girl in love with her rock star, and being so close to him that her eyes connected with his. It was the sweetest thing… I felt so happy, so young, so totally carefree and innocent. It made me remember the bliss and agony of being a teenager discovering the aching feeling of a crush, of a first love, of dreams that couldn’t be touched by any realists and cynics. I truly haven’t felt that emotionally elated and carefree since I let my guards down after many disappointments with the opposite sex, and fell in love with my boyfriend. Ahh, the sweet, pure emotion of true love and uninhibited, unedited happiness. It’s obvious: Coldplay is Love.
So if you have any doubts that a live concert can do that to you, grown women, doubt no more. Music has the power to change things, to inspire, to elate, and to make one discover passion and organic happiness all over again.
Going back to the concert recap: after my almost-famous moments during Green Eyes, they improvised and hammed it up with the audience as they played a humorous and lighthearted cover of I’m in Love. Wow, Chris Martin is such a talented musician and captivating performer! He really did blow me away. The entire band did.
For the rest of the concert I felt high as kite on endorphins and the stunning visual effects, the music, the Viva La Vida ‘ooow, ooooh, oooow, ooooh , owwwwhhhhhhhhh oh’ madness, the piano solos that morphed into classical pieces, the butterflies in the air, the energy and raw talent in front of me… it was so incredible, that I’m still reliving the moments, blasting the live CD, and clipping articles.
I’ll be honest with you- I want to put up posters all over my bedroom. I considered this, but decided that my man might not share my brilliant decorating ideas. I did, however, put up an 11 X 17 color copy of a photo and interview from the Calgary Sun above our tiny desk.
I call it research for my very first blog post
http://goodfinking.com/2009/06/19/i-...from-coldplay/
Media Reviews
Calgary preview: A Rush of Blood to the 'Dome (Buckland family interview)
Chris Martin may be Coldplay's most famous face, but for 25 local fans, guitarist Jonny Buckland is the star of the show.
Buckland has several relatives in Alberta, many of whom will be taking in the British rock group's sold-out Saddledome show tomorrow.
"We all can't wait to see him," says Jacky Joki, whose late father Ernest Buckland was a first cousin of the guitarist's grandfather.
"A bunch of us are travelling to Vancouver and Edmonton to see him as well."
Joki and her husband Roger first made contact with Buckland's family in 1978, when they visited his grandparents in England.
"I sent Christmas cards to them for 30 years and they would keep me abreast of what he was doing," she says.
"They told me about this little band he was in and how they were doing."
In 2000, that little band started to fill arenas, thanks to its breakthrough album Parachutes. Its platinum-selling follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head, spawned four chart-topping singles, including Clocks, which won Record-of-the-Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards.
Joki's mother, Lillian Buckland, says she didn't realize Coldplay was so successful until she saw a newspaper ad for the band's first Calgary concert in 2002.
"The name rang a bell in my head," recalls Buckland.
"I remember (Jacky) talking about this band and how (Jonny) was trying to get this band off the ground. I knew right away when they were coming to town that I had to get a hold of this guy for my husband."
Joki says because of her parents' persistence, Ernest was able to make contact with his famous distant relative.
In 2007, Joki and 14 others made the trip to Vancouver to see the band and were able to meet the 31-year-old guitar player at an after-show party thrown for the family.
"We gave them a few gifts of Alberta and B.C. and enjoyed some beers and company," she recalls. "He enjoyed having us there. I was very surprised he was so grounded."
The family hopes to meet Buckland during his stay in Alberta, but because the band's schedule is so tight it might be difficult. Buckland did supply a block of seats for his Canadian relatives at Coldplay's Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton shows.
"I think we'll be able to get some backstage passes," says Joki. "My nieces are teenagers so they're pretty excited.
Calgary Review: Coldplay at Saddledome "hot from the get-go"
What was that Bible passage, again? Something about the meek inheriting the Earth? Having seen Coldplay's sold-out show at Saddledome, I fully concede, at least for the moment, that they have, writes the Calgary Herald.
Yes, chalk a big one up for the Coldplay-lovers of the world --legion that they are--based on the aural and visual extravaganza that is the Viva La Vida Tour, taken in by some 15,000 Wednesday night at the Saddledome.
All around it was the perfect display of arena rock pomp meets alternative rock preciousness. As for the Coldplay cynics out there (A group which, by the way, I have to count myself a part of)? Well, for hardened meanies like us, that was the taste of humble pie when the London band--which has become one of the biggest on the planet, hands down--performed so powerfully in Calgary.
Kicking off the set with the uplifting Violet Hill off their fourth disc (the Grammy Award winning Viva La Vida or Death and All Of His Friends), Coldplay was, despite the moniker, incredibly hot from the get-go. Squeaky-clean, yoga-practitioner Chris Martin, 32, the band's vocalist, demonstrated all the emotion and range Coldplay's sensitive, hyper-romantic power balladry demands, while his bandmates -- Jonny Buckland on guitar, Guy Berryman on bass and Will Champion on drums --played with impressive energy and torque.
The tunes, crowd faves like In My Place, Clocks, the epic Viva La Vida and Politik, with its riveting drive, were accentuated wonderfully by the dazzling stage show. A giant, bright blue orb, which appeared at turns to be either Earth or a massive Christmas ornament, hung from the 'Dome's ceiling, often flashing images of the band in the midst of their performance. All of this was further illuminated by a spectacular laser light show.
Adding to the grandiose vibe, the band, at one point, played in front of a massive mural of the Viva La Vida album cover, a classic painting depicting a scene from the French Revolution with a plump, bare-breasted woman clutching her flag in one hand and a bayonette in the other. During the song Yellow, bright yellow beach balls bounced through the crowd and the entire concert bowl lit up in a wash of, you guessed it, fluorescent yellow, while Martin serenaded the adoring fans.
Around the gig's halfway mark, the entire band walked through the crowd to a smaller stage perched among the rows in the back of the 'Dome. There they played the pretty Green Eyes and a laid-back, funny version of Neil Diamond's I'm A Believer. During this short acoustic set Martin even managed to name drop the Calgary Flames, to ecstatic cheers.
Wowed as I am, I stick by most of my Coldplay gripes over the years. If you love your rock with a bit of grit and spit in the mix --and many would argue that's a key ingredient of the genre --there's a good chance you have struggled with Coldplay. It truly is sensitivity incarnate, all heart-on-sleeve romance served up in big teary pools, and, at its worst, it drowns in its own soppy sentiments.
But as the Coldplay concert experience hits home perfectly, when the band is at its best it is able to channel all that emotion into a grand, epic sound. At those moments, they're masters of the heartfelt anthem and, undeniably, an excellent band.
Opening for Coldplay was Australia's Howling Bells and Snow Patrol, an earnest group of Scottish and Irish lads who have been sensations in their own right among alternative rock fans. Given their own bleedingly romantic brand of power pop, they really were an ideal warmup for Coldplay and, live, their songs took on an anthemic urgency this reviewer hasn't always felt on disc. Standouts of Snow Patrol's invigorating set included Shut Your Eyes, Crack The Shutters and, of course, the band's biggest hit, the memorably moving Chasing Cars.
Calgary Review 2: Coldplay lives up to reputation with sophisticated arena rock
CALGARY - When Coldplay released its debut album Parachutes in 2000, critics shrugged the band off as yet another poor man's U2. Even with the ridiculously huge sales of its 2002 follow-up A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay was derided by many as wussy pop music for girls, writes the Calgary Sun.
But almost a decade after its breakthrough, the British four-piece has proven itself as a credible U2 contemporary. In fact, with its fourth and latest release, Viva La Vida, the group inches even closer to snatching the biggest band in the world crown away from the Irish legends.
Last night at the Saddledome, Chris Martin and Co. proved they are worthy successors to that crown with a spectacular two-hour show. Coldplay has been blasted for being boring and pompous. But that certainly wasn't the impression the 14,000-strong audience got as the group tore through their biggest hits and more memorable album tracks. Confident? Yes. Pompous? Definitely not.
The live version of Coldplay isn't altogether different from the recorded one, but there is a distinctively muscular quality about the band in a concert setting that is often missing from its albums. Guitarist Jonny Buckland's already beefy hooks sounded absolutely massive and surprisingly aggressive while drummer Will Champion pounded the skins with rhythmic ferocity.
Bassist Guy Berryman kept the band grounded with his seamless bass playing and singer Martin lifted them up with his emotive melodies and towering falsetto. Coldplay's sonic intensity was matched by a playful demeanour. Martin can sometimes come across as pretentious and ill-humoured, particularly when confronted by unwanted media. But last night, the singer was charming, funny and genial.
The concert wouldn't have been nearly as good if Martin didn't put his entire body and soul into it. Clad in a sort of hand-made Les Mis revolutionary military jacket and black pants, Martin made his hard work look effortless, regularly switching from sensitive piano man to all-out strutting rock star.
There were several sublime moments during Coldplay's gig but an early highlight was the fiery Viva La Vida single Violet Hill, which kicked off the evening with a bang. Nothing beats a good sing-along chorus and Coldplay doesn't disappoint. When they weren't cheering, Coldplay's legion of fans piped up to join Martin during In My Place, Fix You and Yellow among many others.
The concert was a long time coming for local fans as Coldplay postponed its original Calgary date more than a year ago citing production problems. Whether that was the real reason behind rescheduling the concert, who knows. It doesn't matter now because the show's production quality was simply fantastic.
A huge coloured ball hung from the rafters near the back of the 'Dome, projecting images from the stage and a spectacular laser show was unleashed during the band's Grammy-winning song, Clocks. With all its artsy flourishes, passionate lyricism and subtle arrangements, Coldplay proves arena rock can be a sophisticated affair. The same attention Coldplay gives to its live performance is also given to its opening bands. You couldn't have asked for two better, or more fitting, support acts than Howling Bells and Snow Patrol.
Howling Bells were first up and even though the venue wasn't even half full yet, singer Juanita Stein worked the stage as if she was in front of 50,000 people. Her sweet vocals were reminiscent of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval if she had smoked and drank since the age of 15. The Australian group's hypnotic and atmospheric tunes brought back memories of English shoegazing bands such as Curve and to a lesser extent My Bloody Valentine.
Snow Patrol has also had a tough time gaining critical respect. Sure, the band has written its fair share of sappy rock ballads -- Chasing Cars and Run come to mind -- but last night the Belfast band showed it could give Coldplay a serious run for its money. Like Coldplay, Snow Patrol is louder and more dynamic on stage than on CD and they were in top form last night. In many ways Snow Patrol was just as entertaining as Coldplay. Nathan Connolly's soaring guitar riffs filled the venue while singer Gary Lightbody filled the stage with his flailing body parts and enormous charisma.
http://www.calgarysun.com/entertainment/music/2009/06/18/9842951.html
Twitter Updates
These Twitter updates have been taken from the search feature on Twitter:
- theSiqueira Coldplay in action http://mypict.me/4eop
- michaelkwan http://twitpic.com/7okao - Welcome to the Coldplay light show
- SarahMarlayne Holy crap. #Coldplay. http://mypict.me/4erm
- neilstephenson Guess which coldplay song. http://twitpic.com/7ol72
- SarahMarlayne Look how they shine for you..... #Coldplay http://mypict.me/4euc
- coldplay Bit of B-Stage action for y'all. R#42 http://twitpic.com/7onu2
- SarahMarlayne Chris martin collapses!!! #Coldplay http://mypict.me/4eKT
- SarahMarlayne Ok. Was kidding. This is how Perez does it! They are now rocking a song in the middle of seats at the back of the arena. cool!#Coldplay
- jackstreetpunks Sweating our butts off at COLDPLAY... Is it the over heated Saddledome or the overly hot Chris Martin?
- coldplay And here they are on the C-stage. R#42 http://twitpic.com/7oq0j
- chuckchiang3 that may have been the coolest wave i've ever seen. but its also draining my batteries. is it warm in here?
- yoga_kd Hot sweaty bodies, thousands of them. @coldplay #yyc
- jonforrest @Coldplay on stage now, in awe of the perfection that is their music.
- SarahMarlayne Band takes a bow all together. Not many do it. Very classy. Love. #Coldplay
- tjwiens Is at coldplay best concert ever
- _BethanyLauren Aaaaand coldplay just blew my mind.
- dossa Coldplay was good, but nothing beats the kanye concert
- scott_mcgregor Top 5 best shows ever. Thank you coldplay.
- jbristowe Just got back from the Coldplay concert in #YYC. One of the best concerts I've ever seen. Utterly fantastic.
- craftygirljen That was an amazing concert! I have never been to a calgary concert where everyone was so engaged! Yay coldplay!
- djwald Saw, then met @coldplay last night at the Calgary show. What a performance. Looking forward to when they return.
- djwald http://twitpic.com/7pg0w - Curran, Me, Meagan and Candice with Chris Martin of @coldplay. Thanks for the pic opp Chris!
