19 August 2009: Koengen, Bergen, Norway
From WikiColdplay
Contents |
Setlist
- Life In Technicolor
- Violet Hill
- Clocks
- In My Place
- Yellow
- Glass Of Water
- Speed Of Sound
- 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)
- Til Kingdom Come (Acoustic - sung by Chris)
- Billie Jean (Michael Jackson 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 Bergen. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1713
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=52641
Discussion
All post-show discussion for this show at the forum thread: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52641
Fan Reviews
All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.
Generally positive comments from some people attending the concert and submitting comments to the article from www.bt.no/kultur/koncert. In the following most of the comments (the highest rating possible is 6*):
This must be the perfect concert - hitparade deLux - the best concert ever at the Koengen venue (Martin).
A good concert, but nothing more than that. And several songs were performed in a careless manner (here only 2*, but all in all 4* - Tove). I am seldom so impressed and convinced by a band as tonight. It is difficult to reproduce the massive sound from the Coldplay records, but they managed to do just that to the full. And the "live" element makes it even better. And the crazy show! (Stephan Meidell).
Very good concert today. I have heard Coldplay two times before, and both concerts were not nearly as good as this one. A great concert with a great band (Torbjørn).
An extremely good concert - Coldplay delivered to the full! An incredibly good "live" band, a crazy stage show and an audience really being into it. Bergen city wants more concerts like that! (Eva). I think that this concert all in all deserves 5* - a lot of good lighting, effects (Marianne).
The other man: Concert 6*, but the police only deserves 1! You do not remove cars legally parked ... Bad planning? A fantastic feel good concert! One of the best concerts ever for me! Good sound, good stage show, good atmosphere. 6* (Dolo).
One of the greatest concerts I have ever been to. I have been to concerts with Stones, Kiss, Beck, Pink Floyd, Foo Fighters, The Cure, Metallica, Gasolin (a Danish band, popular throughout Scandinavia), Blur, Oasis, Springsteen, Eagles, the Who. Should have been to the Michael Jackson concert in London. The concert tonight was magical. Amazing! 6* from me (Oddikk).
Unimaginative - dull/boring concert. The band has 3 or 4 good songs - the rest is bad copies!! After 30 minutes just idle running! The sound quality was very poor! A band with a very uncritical audience that is not very interested in music!! (K Evjen).
Response from Mari: Unimaginative!? Standing where? The sound quality was fantastic!! And bad copies - of their own songs?? Response from Pinda: Unimaginative? Did you spend 700 Norwegian Kroner on a concert with a band with only 3 or 4 good songs? Why did you do that? Maybe so that you could write about it on BT (Bergen Tidende)?
The sound was as good as the sound at the Roger Waters concert, if not better.
FANTASTIC!!!! (Boobooo and Maria Thomassen - 6*).
Simple and fantastic (Benedicte).
Hoorah! Supershow from Coldplay tonight! The effects were quite fantastic - both confetti, lighting, sound and fireworks. But I missed "Trouble" and some other songs. But all in all a quite fantastic experience. I salute Coldplay! (no name stated)
This is clearly one of the best performed concerts ever in Bergen. Feelings of joy and community / solidarity between the audience tonight. Thank you, Coldplay and Bergen for having given me a most memorable Wednesday evening! (Kristoffer G).
Fix You deserves 6* and is clearly the best and most moving song played at this concert! (Frank).
The music yesterday was extremely good ... but the audience was dull ... I felt ashamed to be there (Anders).
Middle-aged former Bergen citizen: Holy Moses, BT - SO many articles about a group on tour in Bergen - a group that I have not even HEARD of before??!!!!!
Response from a very shocked Coldplay fan: WHAT!?! Not heard of the band that sells just as much as for instance Radiohead (over 30 mio. records) and recently having USA record in sales of fully digital records. This is impressive, indeed! Coldplay is 100 times more relevant today than old Bruce, but ends up with a little fraction of the press coverage. BT has done a magnificent job here !
Thank you Anders! You hit the nail on the head! Coldplay did a really good job, but no matter how hard Chris Martin tried to get the audience into it - trying to bring about a unique and great experience, in most cases it all ended up in nothing! The enthusiasm among a large part of the audience was almost non-existent which made me sad and quite ashamed / embarrassed! (Oppgitt)
6*, and I wasn't even there... !! (Vidar).
BT's reviewer, quote: "It was not the same ecstacy as during some previous huge concerts". What is this?? Nonsense! There has never been a better atmosphere during a concert in Bergen than last night. The atmosphere was electrical, and Coldplay delivered to the full! 6* (Gwyneth!!).
Thank you so much! Fantastic sound! Fantastic video show! Very good lighting -, laser - and pyro effects (fireworks)! Chris Martin is really fit for fight. Hitparade! Moving tribute to Michael Jackson! All this combined was MAGIC and without a doubt one of the best performed quality concerts in Bergen ever. PS: I was not even a Coldplay fan, but I think that I became a Coldplay fan yesterday. (Trond).
I can inform you that Coldplay arrived travelling in U2's "360 airjet", that transported U2 round in Europe on their tour. U2 didn't need the plane now, because U2 is now touring Great Britain. Just a funny fact< (Svein).
It was a scandalous concert! I was not there, but I do read newspapers?!? ?!?! (BergenskGuru)
The concert was fine, and there were many fine moments, but at the same time there were many dull songs - something that I think that everyone with a little objectivity left agree to. (!!!). I have always liked Coldplay and had not great expectations to this mediocre band...but this was all in all a fine concert - the band has, however, delivered much better performances in other concerts I have been to. And thinking of Coldplay having ambitions of being larger than U2, one might expect more from them than this?? Rating: 4* = more than enough imo .. some of the performances / songs deserve 6*, but other performances only deserve 2 or 3*. (Lars Erik).
I have never been to a better concert. The atmosphere in front near the stage was very good. The sound and the stage show were impeccable, the same applies to the selection of songs. 6*. (Helga).
Source: http://www.bt.no/kultur/konsert/anme...n--911330.html / Translation by Nancy Boysen
[nancyk58]
Hey guys, I AM BACK FROM BERGEN!! I came home last night, and I had school today so I could come online! But I have alots of pics and videos for you guys !
The trip started with a 7 hour train trip from Oslo to Bergen the 18th! We woke the next day, ate and went right down to the arena. Me and my to other friends were the first ones in line, and we got interviewed three times because of that, haha! We waited for 6 hours and in that time we heard the band rehearse!
So we had been waiting for 6 hours before the gates opened, and another 3 hours for Coldplay.. White Lies and Datarock were okay.
FINALLY, the big earth comes on the bigscreen and start searching for Norway, then, Bergen, then the audience! Chris, Guy, Jonny and Will comes in with some kind of fireworks, and it was adorable ! Life in Technicolor was ofcourse amazing!! Then the curtain comes down and BAM! Violet Hill ! It was great in Oslo and it was awesome now ! I loved the energy Chris had under the whole concert! Clocks was fantastic, I LOVE the part when Chris played on the piano like when he playes on the live album, you know which part I mean . In My Place - AAH, CHRIS WAS SOOOOO CLOSE! I stood on the right wing and he came running past us and jumping around ! AWESOME! Slowly Chris played the guitar and I knew it was yellow! And the yellow balloons came on, and wow, it was great. Speed of sound - GREAT EFFECTS, it was soooo beautiful!!! Loved it. And then they played Cemeteries of London, which they did last time too, and it was even better this time, I love the purple light and the lalalays! 42!!!! Ah, I LOVE IT! I don't what to say, it's just an amazing song.. The crowd went wild on this one! Fix You - I think that was the audience favorite, besides Viva, but it was.. ah goosebumps all over! I squueeeld when I heard Strawberry Swing, it's such a nice and lovely song, specially live! So cute.
They came over to our wing to play GPASUYF/ Talk, but we were behind them, still awesome though, they were so clooose ! I love the techno songs, they are so catchy! Chris went "solo" and sang The Hardest Part which is just breathtaking, it's wonderful, Postcards From Far Away right after, and then .. OooooOOOOH! Viva, everbody went crazy!!! It was just awesommmmmeeee!! AH! Lost! Chris dancing and running like crazy as always during this song, amazing how he can sing and run like that!
Then the C-stage, weird though, every newspaper says they played Green Eyes, but they didnt! Chris sang 'Til Kingdom Come, and it was soo cute and everybody was so quiet and listened to him. Will sanf Death Will Never Conquer, he has an adorable voice! Billie Jean after wards. everybody was singing along, haha, I loved this version of the song. Then my favorite!! POLITIK!! I was just stunned by it, gaah, goosebumps all over, wow. BUTTERFLIES!!!! Ah, Lovers In Japan as always is one of the most beautiful and memorable moments of the concerts with all the butterflies around! Death and All His Friends - Concert almost over, soo sad.. I love the turn on this song, and its better live! Then they left and everbody shouted . WE want more, we want more!
And then they came back and Chris said he would play two more songs! The Scientist first, last time I saw them they played it acoustic, so this time I heard the original version and wow, it's just stunning and lovely.
And then the song I've been waiting for the whole day! LiT ii!!! OH MY GOD! I get goosebumps writing about it, it was sooooo amazing with all the fireworks and the song, and everybody! I love it live, its truely amazing! And then they left us, and it was over .
But I had an amazing experience, the concert got great critics from Bergen but some shitty ones from some other news paper, but then again the always criticize Coldplay. I don't care, I know they are good, and they were AMAZING in Bergen!
[CPRani]
I see that Rania allready wrote a review IT WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so close, but all the pics I took were extremely blurry and bad. I couldn´t stand still enough to take any good pictures, I didn´t stop dancing through the whole concert, no kidding And I sang my heart out, my voice is all FUNKOLA now And my legs and arms are so sore from the jumping,dancing, clapping, waving hands and pounding fists in the air Ugh, I am getting all teary eyed by just thinking of the concert!! I just can´t explain how amazing it was!! I´m not going to upload any pics, because they are so lame anyway THANK YOU COLDPLAY FOR THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!
[Coldplayer94]
Media Reviews
Here is the promised "song-by-song review" of the concert in Bergen, Norway on 19 August 2009 - a translation:
(source/link: http://www.bt.no/kultur/konsert/Slik...=1#kommentarer)
Megahits, sing-along and spectacular light show.
Our music reviewer, Stephan Meidell has rated each song: SONG TITLE and Rating OF THE SONG (highest possible is 6*)
Life in Technicolor/Violet Hill: Dreamy instrumental intro with the band behind a thin curtain which covers the entire stage. Excellent sound, and the audience is quite into it / prepared to sing-along. Seamless cross-over between the opening song and Violet Hill. Rating: 5* (out of 6 possible)
Clocks: Everyone recognizes this song taken from the 2002 album «A Rush of Blood to the Head». Enthusiasm and laser light. Chris Martin suffers when singing the high notes / when being in the high register Rating: 5*.
In My Place: Another hit track from the same record. Chris Martin does not need to sing the chorus - the crowd (attendance of 23.000 people) knows the chorus and is singing along. Rating: 5*.
Yellow: It had to be somewhere in the set, and it appears early in the set. Yellow light and yellow balloons everywhere. Here the crowd is singing along (to the lyrics as well as during the instrumental party?). A little early (for this song), but Chris' voice is now sufficiently warm. Rating: 4*.
Speed of Sound: Nice song - one of Coldplay's best songs, accompanied by an impressive cosmic video, which covers the the entire, huge stage. Grand and magnificent sound. Rating: 6*.
Cemeteries of London: Rhytms like the ones found in folk-music, and percussion for a short while. Fine, but the audience is not quite into this song. Rating: 4*.
42: The audience is not quite familiar with this song, and people begin to small-talk!! Maybe not quite the right time for such a song, although it is a fine song. Rating: 4*.
Fix You: "New" song in the sense that it is sung in a lower register, but the crowd at the Koengen venue is quite into it! It is taken from the «x&y» album, released 2005. The song ends with fireworks, and the crowd is singing along. Nice. Rating: 4*.
Strawberry Swing: Funny and catchy oriental country riff, and everybody is clapping along. Chris sings it loud, and the stage show is magnificent. Rating: 5*.
God Put a Smile on Your Face: The band members enter one of the ramps of the stage, arousing enthusiasm, and start the song in an electro/beat version. Fine in combination with acustic piano. The laser lights are dancing across the "Koengen" venue. Rating: 5*
The Hardest Part: Chris is still at his piano and sings this song alone, until Will joins him for the chorus - and then also the audience. Nice. Really good atmosphere in spite of the raindrops (drizzle). Rating: 5*.
Viva la Vida: Chris plays the «Postcards from far away» interlude before the crowd takes completely off hearing the start of the title track of the tour & album. The band plays extremely well, while Chris, full of enthusiasm, runs from one end of the stage to the other. The atmosphere is extremely good)! Rating: 5*.
Lost!: This song, too has rhytms similar to the rhytms in folk-music, but is much more catchy. Here Guy is percussionist, and the enormous/huge sound and the rhytm please the ears. Rating: 5*.
Til My Kingdom Come: The band members go to the second ramp and seem to disappear, before they appear on a new small island with acustic guitars, harmonica and shakers. They perform a fine version of the song, but many people within the audience cannot see the band and are therefore confused asking: «Where are they?!» Rating: 5*.
Billie Jean: We are kindly asked to light up the sky with our mobile phones, and it is like a new starry / starlit sky on the hill. The acustic version is worthy of a salute. Rating: 6*.
Politik: Change of scenery / stage with a remix of «Viva la Vida». Amazing light show when the «Politik» chorus sets in. Chris sings this song with nerve. All the time he includes Bergen and Norway in the lyrics. And the audience's response is a very enthusiastic «yeah!» Rating: 5*.
Lovers in Japan: Chris plays an instrumental intro on his piano to this mesmerizing song, and butterflies made of crêpe paper in all colours are blown across the Koengen venue. Beautiful! Rating: 6*.
Death and all his Friends: While the butterflies continue to fly around, there is another amazing light show. This is impressive, both visually and sonically. The moment the music ends, the audience starts singing along. (My qualified guess is: The ooh, oohs of Viva La Vida?). The band takes a bow and leaves the stage, but a sold-out "Koengen" venue insists on the band reappearing. Rating: 5*.
The Scientist: A humble Chris enters the stage again and he delivers the trademark of melancholy-feelgood. This song touches / hits everyone - fine, but not clichéd. Rating: 6*.
Life in Technicolor II: Perfect song to close the act accompanied by fire works. It is as professional as it can possibly get. Coldplay fully lived up to expectations. Rating: 6*.
Source: BT = Bergen Tidende (a Norwegian newspaper - "Tidende" means News) and translated by Nancy Boysen, coldplayer
Gigantic Mania at the Coldengen venue (Coldplay at the Koengen venue on 19 August 2009) (Source: www.bt.no/kultur/koncert)
The largest stage ever used in Bergen and a really perfect and consistent show guaranteed a very good atmosphere, when Coldplay performed in front of 23.000 fans at/in the Koengen venue Wednesday evening. It was not the same ecstacy as during some previous huge concerts. Although as the concert developed the audience was getting extremely into it. If anyone had told me that the band playing at the Garage venue one evening at the beginning of this century would attract an attendance of 23,000 people to the Koengen venue, I would have laughed right away. That evening it seemed just as likely as frosty weather in hell. Coldplay is a relatively anonymous band. It is true that lead singer Chris Martin is a celebrity by virtue of his marriage to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. But it is a question if anyone had noticed the three other members even if they had passed the queue / line waiting to get into the Koengen venue this afternoon. It is obvious that Coldplay must do something more than just stand up and perform the songs. The Koengen venue requires other effects than the basement of the Garage venue does, and the Viva La Vida Tour is making use of all of them. Because it is magnificent. From the introduction at 22.20 o'clock (local time) where the big screens take you on a journey through space. You guessed it - you end up at the Koengen venue and Bergenhus. Thanks to Google Earth. Then the intro with «Life In Technicolor» from the last album, and they four musicians ("the fab four") make their entry swinging their individual sparklers. The big curtain in front of the stage falls down, and the show is on. Then «Violet Hill» follows, and a piano is taken to the stage for «Clocks». Then ”In my place” which the audience responds to very well - with enthusiasm, while Chris Martin runs out on the ramps to please the audience there. He seems to have a minor problem with his voice, but it is not easy to jump around, perform a backwards somersault and still have some breath left. Because the sound is perfect tonight. Then it's time for the break-through track «Yellow». Complete with big, yellow balloons being scattered over the audience and the area in front of the stage in a flood of yellow light. It is getting dark and the special effects are increasingly showing to their best advantage. And there is certainly no lack of effects: Coloured lasers and big-screen effects. The three other musicians, solo guitarist Jonny Buckland, bass player Guy Berryman and the drummer Will Champion are walk-ons (playing second fiddles) compared to Mr. Martin, but they do their job. The sound elements of some songs are stored on harddisk which is what must be expected when trying to recreate the sound from the records. «Viva La Vida» really makes the audience sing along, and the Koengen venue continues to sing also between the songs. Suddenly the quartet ("the fab four") appear on a minor stage in the middle of the audience in acoustic format. It's is a nice break from all the laser effects. An acoustic version of Michael Jackson's «Billie Jean» is also popular. «Lovers In Japan» towards the end is a magnificent seance with impressive video effects. And a few truck loads of confetti are sprayed on the audience. Poor Bergen Live which has to clean up the venue afterwards. And the last song (encore) accompanied with fireworks on a large scale similar to the fireworks on 17 May (the Norwegian national day). Guess what some thousand people were singing when the concert was over and it was time to go home - the title track ”Viva La Vida”.
EINAR ENGELSTAD http://www.bt.no/kultur/konsert/anme...n--911330.html / Translation by Nancy Boysen
Twitter Updates
- malenekolnes http://twitpic.com/eiq96 - From the @coldplay concert in Bergen.thanks for an amazing concert!Behind words,couldn't have been any better ...
- stiank81 Just returned from an amazing #Coldplay concert..! http://bit.ly/xIGJT
- sanneholt Now I'm taking a good night sleep (after shouting, singing, clapping and jumping on the Coldplay conecert I'm pretty exhausted) GOOD NIGHT!
- kristine_ann I JUST SAW COLDPLAY LIVE IN BERGEN! AWESOME!!
- Karamouche Coldplay and White Lies were amazing!!!!
- sanneholt COLDPLAY WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! That was the best and craziest conesert ever! I THOUGT I LOVED THEM BEFORE, BUT NOW I REALLY LOVE THEM!!!!
- Susannen88 Ive had the best night EVER.. cuz of @Coldplay and their awesome concert.. I will never forget this.. i love you guys!!! thank you!
- Sukkerspinn Cried when I saw Coldplay tonight. It was incredibly romantic and wonderful. wish they would never leeaave!'
- dagbirkeland @coldplay That was for sure the best day of my life. LOVED YOU IN BERGEN! sick sick sick!
- SidneyClay Just saw @coldplay live in Bergen, Norway. What an amazing show! My soft spot for Coldplay just got softer.
