18 June 2009: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Canada

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18 June 2009: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Canada
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18 June 2009: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Canada

Contents

Setlist

  1. Life In Technicolor
  2. Violet Hill
  3. Clocks
  4. In My Place
  5. Yellow
  6. Glass Of Water
  7. Cemeteries Of London
  8. 42
  9. Fix You
  10. Strawberry Swing
  11. God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (Partial Techno Remix)
  12. Talk (Partial Techno Remix)
  13. The Hardest Part (Chris Solo Piano)
  14. Postcards From Far Away (Chris Solo Piano)
  15. Viva La Vida
  16. Lost!
  17. Green Eyes (acoustic)
  18. Death Will Never Conquer (Acoustic, sung by Will)
  19. I'm A Believer (Neil Diamond Cover - Acoustic)
  20. Viva La Vida (Remix Interlude)
  21. Politik
  22. Lovers In Japan
  23. Death And All His Friends
    Encore
  24. The Scientist
  25. Life In Technicolor ii
  26. The Escapist (Outro)

Photos

Photos from this show can be found at Coldplaying.com in the Gallery thread for Edmonton. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1769

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=55391

Discussion

All post-show discussion for this show at the forum thread: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55391

Fan Reviews

All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.

Thursday was a good day. Got my rental vehicle from Enterprise and was on the road by 12:00 which is what I wanted. Drove up to Edmonton to see Coldplay. Got to E-town in about 4.5 hrs which was great time. Missed one turn off in town to get to Rexall Place but quickly recovered and pulled into the parking lot 30 minutes prior to the doors opening. Got my ticket from the Will Call booth with 10 min to the doors opening. Finally 6 PM rolls around and the doors are open. I make my way to the merchandise stand and get myself a shirt. Seeing as I didn't eat anything before I left, I grabbed some food at the concession stand and made my way to my seat. Found it and anxiously awaited the opening acts.

7:00 - 7:30 PM 1st band was a band from Australia called Howling Bells. A female vocalist fronted band, the had a very soothing, and a nice rich sound with echoing (<----- love that word !!) guitar riffs. For an opening act, I'd give it a solid 8.5 out of 10. A break until 8:00 PM for the 2nd band.

8:00 - 8:40 PM Snow Patrol came on and performed. I'm not a big fan of their music but they played well and thanked the crowd a lot. Overall I'd give them an 8 out of 10. They almost seemed to try too hard. But they, along with Howling Bells, knew that everyone was there for Coldplay. The transition from each opening act to the headliner was good though. Each bringing slightly more of that stadium sound.

Just before Coldplay cam on, the intermission music got really loud for 3 songs. Probably were checking the limits of the frequency ranges for when Coldplay was to play. 1st song was a U2 track off the new album, 2nd was Jay-Z - I'm a Hustler and 3rd was the Blue Danube waltz. 3 very different styles. At the playing of the last note of the waltz, the lights went out, and the crowd roared. Showtime !!

9:00 PM Coldplay did their intro song off the Viva La Vida album, Life in Technicolor, and came out waving sparklers and twirling fire batons or something of that nature. Then they kicked it into high gear playing 2 very recognizable songs, Clocks and Yellow right off the hop ! For Yellow, giant balloons came down and the lighting was all in yellow. Then the intermixed new tracks from their most recent album with others off their older ones. They performed a couple sort of acoustic tracks just off stage but the best was yet to come. Nearly 2/3 of the way through their night, they left the main stage, walked all the way to the back of the arena, and performed on a set stage IN the stands. Amazing ! Just enough room for the 4 of them, and a few guitars and such. 3 song acoustic jam. The last being a Monkees cover of I'm A Believer. Then when they finished, the audio tech, played a dance remix of Viva La Vida as the band made their way back to the main stage to finish off the night. The last song had the confetti machines blowing confetti, in the shape of butterflies, all over the place. Of course there was an encore of 2 songs which concluded a phenomenal evening. To wrap it all off they handed out a special 9 song Live EP of some of their favorites. Truly an honor to attend this show. I can't wait until the next one, where I will get a better seat. Got back in my vehicle and left Edmonton to drive all the way back to Lethbridge. At one point, I was tailing a guy, and was doing 160 KM/hr. Fastest I have ever driven. I did see 3 RCMP over the course of the drive home, but made sure to be cautious.

http://djfakir.blogspot.com/2009/06/...ek-for-me.html

Coldplay on Thursday night was amazing.

Go back and re-read that first sentence because there is no amount of italicization I can use to express how good that show was. It surpassed all expectations I had and thoroughly impressed me. It was more than a concert, it was a truly passionate performance.

I always considered myself a Coldplay fan. I own all of their albums and enjoy what I hear. They are my 30 most popular artist (which surprised me, I thought they would be top 15) according to last.fm but after last night there is no denying how much I enjoy this band. If they ever return to Edmonton I will not hesitate to see them live, and you would be wise to do the same.

The energy, crowd interaction and stage presence were outstanding. This reminded me of how good a concert can be. Older songs were performed with new intensity, favorites had a twist of techno beats, new songs from the album sounded brilliant and subtle things like the addition of beach balls during “Yellow” helped separate this show from others.

I have nothing but accolades to give to these four guys from London. They seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves and the Edmonton crowd let the guys know how much their effort was appreciated.

There were many memorable moments, like the fierce and high energy batch of songs to start the show, a techno version of “God Put a Smile on Your Face”, a set list that feels like it was made for me or the climactic end with confetti. However the one that stands out, and will rival any other moment at a concert I have attended was the performance of “Green Eyes”.

This was our first dance song at our wedding, so hearing it live was a treat. The way it was delivered made the song amazing. The band walked off the stage, to the rear of the arena and was escorted right in front of us. Then they walked up the aisle about twenty feet and performed the song acoustically. The larger than life band had brushed right by us and performed our song. Something like that is tough to top.

While the night belonged to Coldplay, they had a great supporting team. Snow Patrol, who I saw headline several years ago, was perfect in their middle slot. They played many popular songs and got the crowd nice and warmed up. I was surprised at how little they played from their new album, instead they opted to play songs that most in attendance had heard and it worked. Both times I have seen this band live I have never been disappointed and would be pleased to see them again.

The first opening act, Howling Bells, was another pleasant surprise. I knew nothing of their catalog and found myself getting into a groove and enjoying their music. This is a band I will have to listen to more of because they definitely caught my attention.

When the lead singer, Juanita Stein, stated a few facts that she learned while researching Edmonton I thought that was a nice touch, certainly better than the “your city is the best we have played in” standard talk bands say. Something Juanita said in her facts of Edmonton was brought back up during Coldplay’s acoustic set when they performed an impromptu song and name dropped Michael J. Fox. Just like a good Arrested Development joke, you have to wait until the end to get the punchline.

The Coldplay website was updated with a blog post from Edmonton, and said that they suffered a bizarre incident involving a windshield. Seeing these thoughts of an outsider to our city on events like that or the show itself was interesting and I hope the band returns in the near future for another memorable performance.

http://blog.seangursky.com/2009/06/m...nd-his-friends

I felt kind of (okay, more than ‘kind of’) excited about this one, moreso than most of the concerts I’ve been to in the past, just because Coldplay is really special to me. I am going to seguay this review with a story (because it’s my blog and I can rant if I want to). In grade 11, my high school heads to Vancouver island for the cirriculum’s marine biology unit. On that trip, I ended up seeing wild orcas breaching about 75 feet away from our little motor boat. And we did all these interactive labs about seaweed, anemones and sea stars. It was a really fun trip and one of my life’s many highlights. Anyway, prior to that trip, I listened predominently to 90’s dance music, techno, remixes – you know, club stuff. I don’t even know why, really. But I was drawn to the music at that time mostly through the television show Queer as Folk and all the great thumping dance tracks featured. And another big influence on my childhood music tastes, Friday night’s Electric Circus on much music (they should bring it back… but I digress). When I went to Bamfield, I doscovered (well re-discovered, I guess) two discs that propelled me more into rock and even into indie music; one being Matchbox Twenty’s sophomore, ‘Mad Season’ and the other being ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ by Coldplay. The latter intimidated me for some reason prior to this trip. But someone had a mix CD that we listened to in our van and it included the then-latest single from the album, Clocks. It sort of became our totem song during the trip and because of that, one night, I decided to put the album on. And that was the moment I fell under its spell. Each song came alive and separated out, speaking a bunch of love notes and messages to me. I could see the lyrics spinning around like glistening, like moving constellations. It was one of those rare moments in which we discover a life-defining album, an object that becomes sacred to us as individuals because it seems created just for that moment of personal, individual discovery. Not any album can do that to anyone; the album chooses the person and the moment in which to come alive. And the moment must be exactly right for the discovery to ripen. But by the oceasn, under the sky, the air smelling like salt, kelp and cedar, me sitting on my top bunk alone, nestled in a cozy-lit room, this was my moment. And I never forgot it, never will.

From that moment on, I loved the band, though all of their albums have taken a while to grow on me (and I can’t really figure out why that is). There are very few bands whose entire body of work speaks to me, and since that moment in Bamfield, Coldplay is definitely one of them. And sometimes I forget really how much I love them, until I put on a song like ‘White Shadows’ or ‘Green Eyes’ and then I’m reminded again.

Well, last night I didn’t need a reminder. I needed a strait jacket, actually. Because the band hit the stage and I actually couldn’t calm down. I was screaming uncontrollably like the most massive tool on earth and I might have cared, except I couldn’t control myself. I was trying to calm myself down because my excitement was distracting me from watching and savouring the show. And the people around us were judging me. But I’m used to that.

Basically, the concert started with ‘Life in Technicolour I’ and then we just got more intense then there. The band pulled out all kinds of REALLY fun tricks (which I don’t really want to give away to those who are planning on seeing an upcoming ‘Viva La Vida’ tour show). And while watching, I thought, here’s the difference between a band who uses tricks to enhance what they do well, rather than using tricks to cover up what they can’t do (such as using backup dancers to distract from lip-synching), or using tricks needlessly and senselessly (example: Mariah Carey’s numerous costume changes at her show back in 2006). When you have about 10,000 people screaming for you and wanting to get closer and closer to you, you don’t need lasers and confetti and gritty black-and-white jumbotron images. But… it only enhances the Coldplay experience in that the music takes on a kind of electrified, magical, whimsical dynamic that makes it both look and feel truly alive.

What the band did really well though, was demonstrate top-quality showmanship, fan appreciation, humility and professionalism without being TOO professional and TOO polished. Example: I saw Bryan Adams at the beginning of 2006, which is admittedly lame anyways, but it was like he just slept through a two-hour set; it was identical to the set on the DVD included in the greatest hits package, and so any uniqueness was kind of lost and I ended up enjoying the opener, Daniel Powter, a lot more who chatted with the audience and faltered a little bit, despite his piano-playing skills and pandering to an audience who had NO idea who he was, or cared really. Coldplay played this gig like it was their first-ever big break. The band members seemed to share a strong friendship and brotherhood, no one seemed to have a bloated ego and there was no ‘tension’; they were just a group of friends who love playing music together, and that’s just what they did, and did VERY well. Christ.

The set was a kind of predictable but great collection of songs that lasted about two hours; while ‘Parachutes’ was largely ignored, the band played their best material from their later three albums and tossed in a few moments from their ‘Prospekt’s March’ EP (which by the way, includes some of their best-ever material). I would have liked to see a few more of my personal favourites, but with a stadium of thousands and thousands of people, a set should be about soaring crowd-pleasers.

The band did some really cool things though, including the ‘cell phone wave’ which is one of the coolest things you’ll ever see. As well, they walked through the audience (I high-fived them – totally epic conquest) and played a little acoustic set in the stands at the back of the stadium while throwing in a little ditty about Edmonton that was so cute and funny I, standing on my chair so I could see from the floor, almost fell over. They also played ‘Green Eyes’, one of my all-time favourite songs, and then a harmonica made an appearance and I screamed out loud, “THIS IS THE GREATEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!” and meant it. And it was. Really, it was.

There’s such a joy in seeing a favourite band live. But that joy is amplified when that live show is so incredibly good, it puts even some of the best shows you’ve seen in life to shame. I can’t talk today, and I feel like I have whip lash in my neck. But this show was worth the money and the pain.

I know that there are a lot of people who are cynical about the band and regard them as bad and repetitive and self-indulgent. I disagreed completely already anyways, but I REALLY believe that seeing the show that I saw last night would turn around ANY of those cynics. Some people go to shows and say that every one of them is amazing, but for me only a select few get to be shelved among the elite, special gigs that really are amazing, and this gets the number 1 place of honor.

http://newyorkfruitstand.wordpress.c...oncert-review/

Me and my girlfriend Honour were late getting there…

We ended up on what is Edmonton’s only scenic bus ride where we ended up going in every direction than what was intended, we finally gave up on the bus driver who apparently needed to stop 3 times to take a 10 minute shit? over a 40 minute ride. We called a cab who actually drove us right to the LRT. We were at Rexall in no time (I can’t wait until the Southern LRT expansion is complete with a direct park and ride bus to jump on).

…anyways we got there. We missed the opening acts, would’ve liked to see Snow Patrol but we were happy that we didn’t miss the show entirely and walked into Coldplay’s Yellow. Being late we didn’t bother finding our crappy level 200 seat and headed down to low 100’s to find some standing room (by this time I seriously regret wearing flip flops). The show was great, we tried out 5 different area’s from which to watch the show (some places we were removed from by over zealous, over the hill, fancy flashlight toting women; While others we could not bare to stay. This was the case for our actual seats in the sauna, otherwise known as the 200 level seats). We settled on stage left 100 level, 2nd row which was about 20-30 feet from the stage. Thanks to the guy and girl we were standing with for letting us slide in when the events staff came by complaining about fire hazards, blocked walkways and other non-sense.

The show was great, picked up some t-shirts (more running than expected) and a bib for my girlfriends soon to be nephew Liam, got some free live Coldplay CDs and headed out the door to the very crowed LRT. Finished the night off with a pita from the pit and a long walk which turned into a cab ride when Honour started to also regret her choice in footwear.

http://www.davemacneil.com

I had the privilege to spend my Thursday evening with Chris, Guy, Jonny, and Will….and boy, was it an incredible night! The minute the lights went out and “Life in Technicolour” started up, chills ran up and down my spine, and I was filled with the excitement of a 12 year old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. It’s amazing that, even after playing hundreds of shows around the world, Coldplay is STILL able to maintain the energy and enthusiasm of a band that’s playing a major gig for the very first time. Even the people on the balconies standing for the entire show!

[*To the couple to the left of us who were sitting the whole show while everyone around you was singing/clapping/dancing/cheering: Did you think you were at a Josh Groban concert or something?...]

What I loved about their performance was their effort to genuinely connect with the audience. Their acoustic set at the very back of the arena (where Chris sang a cute impromptu number about Edmonton) was a great surprise – it kinda made me feel like I was watching a bunch of buddies playing tunes around the living room while friends gathered around and watched. It was intimate. It was charming. It was fun. It was Coldplay. Without question, seeing Coldplay perform live was the best $100 I have ever spent. I loved seeing the bouncing yellow balloons for Yellow and seeing Chris jump around the stage at the end of Fix You…. But my favourite song of the night goes to….*drumroll, please*…..Lovers in Japan – complete with butterfly confetti!! To top it off, each fan received a free copy of LeftRightLeftRightLeft! THANK YOU, COLDPLAY for a fantastic evening!! Can’t wait to do it again soon!

http://mlem1.wordpress.com/

Media Reviews

Viva La Coldplay! Long live Chris Martin and all his friends! For almost two hours, the British rockers ruled the world — or at least 15,500 fans — on Thursday night at Rexall Place. Armed with military jackets, lasers, butterfly-shaped confetti, and unbridled happiness, Martin and his bandmates let their joyous tunes — including Clocks, Viva La Vida, Politik and The Scientist — soar through the sold-out arena.

Theirs was one of those rare sets to fully savour — to toss aside your cell phone, BlackBerry or notebook, close your eyes, tilt your head back and let yourself be carried away by Martin’s falsetto, Jonny Buckland’s chiming guitars and Will Champion’s booming drums. They started off with a bang, complete with sparklers and five of their biggest hits — an abridged (and instrumental) version of Life In Technicolour, Violet Hill, Clocks, In My Place and their 2000 breakthrough, Yellow.

In the hands of a lesser band, stacking the first 30 minutes of a set often leads to a lull of lesser tunes, but Coldplay was never at any risk of losing the crowd’s attention. Their songs, particularly those from their latest album, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, are big, lush and explosive — perfect for filling vast spaces. Standouts included: 42, a Lennonesque piano ballad which morphed into an electro-rock freak-out; and Viva La Vida, which featured Champion pounding on a kettle drum and bell.

The rockers also tossed in a few surprises — for those who don’t scour the Internet for setlists — such as playing techno versions of God Put A Smile On Your Face, featuring agitated guitar sproings, and Talk. (The foursome, including bassist Guy Berryman, inspired more than a few smiles by performing those tracks on the front of a stage ramp surrounded by fans.)

Their props, including the butterflies and a pack of balloons, were charming and interactive. So was Martin. He ran around like a little boy on Christmas day. He asked fans to help him with the high notes. He laughed (and cursed) when he messed up his piano part on The Hardest Part. He sang an off-the cuff ode to Edmonton ­ — praising its noisy fans, Wayne Gretzky and actor Michael J. Fox. In interviews, Martin comes off as a charming but regular Joe who can’t quite believe his luck. He’s always talking about trying to improve as a songwriter — even more so in light of guitarist Joe Satriani’s Viva La Vida lawsuit — and thanking fans for their support.

Martin and his bandmates were just as genuine in concert. They looked like they were having the time of their lives — even though they’re at the end of a year-long tour. (They were supposed to perform here last July but were forced to cancel due to “production issues” ­— I’m sure most fans are now thankful for the wait.)

They gave away copies of their live CD, LeftRightLeftRight. They even rewarded fans in faraway seats — by performing several acoustic tunes, including Green Eyes, Death Will Never Conquer, and Neil Diamond’s I’m A Believer, on a small stage in one of the sections at the back of the arena. We believe, Coldplay. We believe. At one point, Martin joked about sabotaging Coldplay’s opening acts lest they upstage his band. He doesn’t have to worry. Both Snow Patrol and Howling Bells, an up ‘n’ coming act from Australia, were decisive and solid ­— but lacked the joie de vivre and accessibility of their headliners.

With this tour, it’s safe to say Coldplay poses a serious threat to U2’s greatest-band-in-the-world crown. Not only did the Brits get the better out of producer Brian Eno — Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends easily trumps U2’s No Line on the Horizon — Martin and his bandmates didn’t need to resort to a 360-degree screen to dazzle their fans.

http://communities.canada.com

Twitter Updates

These Twitter updates have been taken from the search feature on Twitter:

  • RSalomons Watching coldplay play ping pong...
  • Waiting for Coldplay. Howling Bells were cool. Remind me of the '90s. Snow Patrol were suitably soaring. Ideal for hockey arenas.
  • BarleyBoy20 Why is Rexall playing a Jay Z song at the Coldplay concert???
  • KingRonSupreme Random dancing stage cleaner on stage. Coldplay on any second.
  • mossipblog Coldplay is on! They're soooooo good!!!!
  • leeleeme73 Coldplay rocks!!!! Watching listening enjoying in edmonton right now!
  • ninoroy God/Coldplay has put a smile upon my face! Crazy techno version! Epic!
  • adicakes Being with coldplay is putting a smile upon my face
  • rhettimus watching coldplay viva la vida is on. Pics later wow.
  • ninoroy Omg! Coldplay is playing up in the bleachers in front of some lucky unsuspecting audience members! Awesome!
  • EstebanIsSexy Coldplay is preforming in the audience.
  • haunguthrie First cell phone wave at Rexal place lead by Coldplay! #yeg awesome
  • EstebanIsSexy Coldplay covering Smash Mouth FTW.
  • martinrosskerr Wow. Coldplay are worth every penny.
  • bratss My first mexican wave! Thanks coldplay!
  • gerrylazer Coldplay Rocks!
  • chalms04 #coldplay encore
  • ninoroy and the crowd is going crazy for an encore @ the coldplay concert .... and here it comes; 2 more songs!
  • ninoroy here comes TROUBLE! #coldplay
  • tim_osborne That was one phenomenal concert! #coldplay #yeg
  • scadephoto Coldplay was a whole lot of WOW! #fb
  • Fitzse Coldplay was amazing no chance of sleep now
  • shaunguthrie #coldplay concert in #yeg was the best concert both Lindsay and I have ever seen. Lindsay said better than U2! Sooo awesome!
  • justeezy Coldplay was amaaaaaaziiiing!!!!!!!!!!!! Viva!!!! Best concert I've ever been to.. Stay tuned for more details on justeezy.com
  • dibegin #6 out of 9 things to in '09: Coldplay. Pretty good concert. Gave away a CD as we left. Haven't had a CD in years. #yeg
  • leeleeme73 Leaving coldplay concert!! I love them!!!! Best concert!! Did I say I love them...
  • ninoroy is livin la vida dolce! Coldplay was fracking awesome tonight. the night is just beginning
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