19 February 2001: The Metro, Chicago, IL, USA
From WikiColdplay
Sample Setlist
- Spies
- Trouble
- Shiver
- High Speed
- Don’t Panic
- Animals
- Sparks
- Yellow
- Everything’s Not Lost
Encore - In My Place
- You Only Live Twice/What The World Needs Now
Encore 2 - Warning Sign (acoustic)
Media Reviews
Relatively early on last night (Feb. 19) -- 8:25 p.m., to be precise -- young Brit rock quartet Coldplay began what was to be the defacto last show of its maiden North American tour in support of "Parachutes" (Parlophone/Nettwerk). The flu that has saddled frontman Chris Martin and bassist Guy Berryman allowed the band to play just two songs in New York on Friday, and Martin admitted that the Chicago show was "possibly the last gig we'll ever do because we're all gonna die."
Luckily, whatever malady Martin was fighting, it didn't affect his singing voice, as he nailed the near falsetto parts that are essential to Coldplay's tunes. Decked out in a denim jacket, he bobbed and strummed through four songs before pausing for water and a freshly tuned acoustic guitar. Throughout the euphoric set, Martin sometimes took off the acoustic and sat at a keyboard, adding girth to songs such as "Trouble."
Guitarist Jonny Buckland played high, melodic, effect-laden leads and cavernous rhythm guitar after E-bow-ing his way through "Spies," while "Sparks" was true to the lazy, "Valentine vibe" that Martin promised beforehand. Later, he charmed the crowd with mock suggestions that certain songs were nominated for "best R&B single" Grammys.
Midway into "Yellow," the band's calling card, the frontman gave up on his acoustic guitar and slung it to the stage. After a powerful chorus, he grabbed it back just in time to strum the last few chords of the song alone. The main set ended with "Everything's Not Lost," which possessed more cathartic soul than it should coming from a deceptively straightforward band.
Coldplay's youth cannot be overstated, especially when its sound is so contemporary as to be nearly an homage to the uncluttered, majestic Radiohead of "The Bends" and the late Jeff Buckley. The band is young and un-self conscious enough to emulate their predecessors without blushing or worse, lying about it, and the audience seemed willing to cut the group whatever slack it needed on this night.
Although burdened with illness, Coldplay confidently introduced a few new songs. The dark, drum machine backed "Animals" provided evidence that someone's been playing Radiohead's "Kid A" in the tour bus. "In My Place," which began with a ultra-heavy drum beat, then found Martin playing a keyboard emulating a string quartet as he sang "I'll wait for you" and "please come and sing to me."
As an encore, a rendition of the James Bond theme "You Only Live Twice" worked only as novelty and as a reminder that Coldplay don't have a way with the sinister. Martin, perhaps aware of the flatness of the cover, tapped the keys and sang Burt Bacharach as his band retired offstage briefly.
He returned alone with an acoustic guitar for "Warning Sign," which he promised was an unfinished, never-before-played number that might appear on the band's next album. The smitten crowd quickly clapped along as Martin repeatedly and intensely sang "I miss you and I'm tired."
To be sure, the foursome seemed to run out of songs long before the audience was sated. A one-hour set (including encore) definitely left the packed house wanting more of the band's earnest, anthemic, modern Brit-rock sound. But with "Yellow" in heavy rotation and more extensive touring on tap for this spring, this is hardly the last we'll see of Coldplay.
John Dugan
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews/live_review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=673272
