19 September 2002: Jones Beach Theater, New York, USA
From WikiColdplay
Setlist
- Politik
- Shiver
- Spies
- Daylight
- Trouble
- One I Love
- Don’t Panic
- Everything’s Not Lost (with Hot In Here cover
- Green Eyes
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
- Yellow
- The Scientist
- A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Encore - Clocks
- In My Place
- Life Is For Living
Reviews
From the small, intimate venues of New York City to playing in amphitheaters holding 14,000 people. Coldplay has sure made their mark on the United States.
This was the first time for us as it was for many to see Coldplay at this caliber, playing a much bigger venue. I was quite skeptical of the whole thing because I love the intimacy of small venues. There is something special about the whole experience.
My sisters and I got to the venue around 5:00pm. I have two other sisters and the younger of the two has never seen Coldplay before, so this was quite a treat for her. We went into the venue around 6:30pm and found our seats. Ash came on at 8:00pm; I never knew a lot about Ash before. I heard their new song “Burn Baby Burn” and liked it a lot. This band I must say sure knows how to rock! My sisters and I loved them. I have to admit Coldplay always picks good opening bands.
Anyway on with the show…. Coldplay came on stage about 9:30pm. The stage was set up quite different than the club tours. They have screens in the background and on each side of the stage and the lighting for the show is just spectacular.
Politik started the show, which always gets the crowd going and wanting more. They played a mixture of new songs and old songs. It was a treat to see “Green Eyes” performed because that is one of my favorite songs off the new album. Jonny sits down on a bench while playing the electric guitar and Chris stands beside him singing and playing the acoustic. Chris mentioned that this will be Jonny and him one day when they are old playing on a cruise ship.
Throughout the show Chris makes fun of N'Sync and even starts singing “Bye, Bye, Bye”. Another great treat was when Chris started to sing “Hot in Here”. I don't know too many bands that cover rap songs but Coldplay pulled it off wonderfully.
For the encores they come out playing “Clocks”, “In My Place”, and “Life is for Living”. Each time I see Coldplay I always say this is the best concert yet. So I will say it again Coldplay's performance blew me away as well as my sisters once again. They put everything they have into their performance and it really shows. My youngest sister absolutely loved it stating “That this was the best concert she has ever been to!”
SET LIST:
POLITIK SHIVER SPIES DAYLIGHT TROUBLE ONE I LOVE DON'T PANIC EVERYTHING'S NOT LOST GREEN EYES GOD PUT A SMILE UPON YOUR FACE YELLOW THE SCIENTIST A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD
ENCORE
CLOCKS IN MY PLACE LIFE IS FOR LIVING
- COVERS - “HOT IN HERE”- NELLY ,”SLAVE FOR YOU”- BRITNEY SPEARS , “BYE, BYE, BYE” - N'SYNC
~Christi Shingara
Following this review featured in the nypost.com we invited people who went to the gig to voice their opinions over this poor review of this special Coldplay night. Read the following review first, then read the replies from the people who actually enjoyed the show...
NYPost review...
"AFTER winning all kinds of kudos for its new album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head," Britain's Coldplay came ashore at the Jones Beach Theater on Thursday to do it live.
But a hit doesn't always justify its hype.
The performance was straightforward enough, bouncing between the band's old songs with the highly praised new stuff. But the delivery was mediocre - a steamroller effect that pounded the tunes flat, giving it all a sonic sameness. The gig began auspiciously enough with "Politik," where singer Chris Martin placidly demanded, "Give me real, don't give me fake" as he gently pressed piano keys, and in the next instant screamed, "Open up your eyes" as the band crushed the mix in guitar noise and percussion thunder.
That song sure got your attention on the new disc, and it worked live.
But from there, the group moped along like a weird melancholy cross between Radiohead and Pink Floyd.
It sounded good, but was never really engaging. You didn't want to stand and move to the music, although you stood anyway because the folks in the rows in front of you were on their feet.
Martin is chatty and personable on stage, but he has a smug elitism that leaks into his banter. He made fun of boy band *NSYNC for its brand of pop, then offered his twist on the same form. It was like a guy with a dirty magazine saying how terrible it was, all the while slowly flipping the pages.
Granted, Martin made a lot of people smile when he paid homage to Nelly, inserting the "let's take off all our clothes" lines from "Hot in Here" into a Coldplay number.
This is a band that has the material, but has yet to find its delivery in concert."
Coldplayer Reviews....
I couldn't disagree more with the NYPost review. This was my first time seeing them perform in a big venue...and I thought that Chris totally owned the stage with his gusto.
I had seen them last year at Irving..and he... being the joking bloke that he is...made a slight witticism about Justin Timberlake but did it in good fun..and yet he still immediately appoligized…so hearing him sing adaptations from Britney, N'SYNC, and Nelly at Jones Beach..i understood his whimsical intentions to just get the crowd going...but I guess the "journalist" from the Post wouldn't actually have that sort of insight into his character.
In only a years passing, he seemed much more sure of himself as a performer and I've never heard his voice hit those high notes with so much conviction.
Last year, they hadn't yet incorporated the electric guitar into their sound... if anything..that was much closer to seeming like a "weird melancholy Radiohead and Pink Floyd"...but I only say that as a brief rebuttal to prove my point that although they rock harder now… that doesn't mean they're suddenly Radiohead and Pink Floyd wannabe's...it's upsetting to constantly see them being compared to Radiohead...another great band yes...but what will it take for Coldplay to finally be seen as a band with their own identity?
By the way... MANY people DID move to the music...but this journalist was intent on conveying an image of congregated zombies in an arena or something...I mean seriously...it's not like this is hard rock or punk we're talking about...this is Coldplay..do you expect mosh pits and hardcore head banging? Geez...give me a break. I personally move in an entirely different way to their music...because it's just that special..it requires a unique kind of physical appreciation...I tend to sway and swoon...which is reminiscent to their beats and lyrics.
I honestly loved the way they began and ended each song...they came up with brilliant ways of representing themselves as a band that no longer "bedwets" (in reference to Alan McGee)…not that that was their objective… and not that they were bedwetters in the first place...Anyway, I enjoyed the show very much but I definitely think that they are a band that is better received in a smaller environment...because Chris likes to get personal with the audience and, often times, interacts with the crowd and his bandmates (Jonny especially).
He's a funny guy to just watch in wonderment about his next move. It was refreshing to see Coldplay's new sound be in tune with Chris's Euphoric stage presence (in reference to his hilarious white boy dance moves and boyish charm).
~Jacklyn
I was at the concert at Jones Beach on Thursday and the Post, as usual, has got it all wrong.
The band's energy as amazing and I don't know where the reviewer was sitting, but the crowd was certainly feeling it too. Perhaps he or she is accustomed to the mindless, screaming hysteria witnessed at *NSYNC and Britney Spears concerts and was too desensitized to sense the genuine, awed appreciation that the audience was feeling. As for "not wanting to stand and move to the music," I think we'd all agree that Coldplay is a few hundred notches above mosh-pit music.
The claim that the band wasn't really engaging is also unwarranted; even the two friends that were with me, whose previous exposure to Coldplay had amounted to hearing "Yellow" and "Trouble" on the radio, were riveted throughout the entire performance.
I always thought of Coldplay as the kind of band best listened to in the solitude of ones own room, but they filled the entire stadium with their sound and presence. And as an avid fan of both Radiohead and Pink Floyd, I can assure you that while Coldplay has certainly been influenced by the two, their sound was distinctly their own and not in the least "weird" or "melancholy."
And if making fun of *NSYNC is considered elitist, I think we're all guilty of that.
Perhaps the Post should stick to covering sports (which is the only thing that New Yorkers read it for anyway) and writing the tabloid-esque drivel that it calls "news."
~Lisa
Well, I read the review in the Post and I have to disagree. I have nothing to compare it to-it was my first time seeing them live but I thought they sounded great. I was surprised though, that the stadium wasn't sold out.
They played a good mix of stuff off the new album and off Parachutes. My only criticism was that it was over too fast. I am looking forward to seeing them again be it in NY or elsewhere. I am more sure now that Coldplay is my new favorite band.
~Lisa Horowitz
Once again the New York Post shows how little they know about music. The show was awesome. Everyone there thought so. We did move to the music and we all left feeling wonderful after listening to the band do their thing, their way. Critics are critics and will often write things simply to get a response. Inexcuseable yes, but this is what they often do. In this case, the critic who reviewd the Jones Beach show should be taken off concert reviews and placed in charge of reviewing garage sales. Maybe than he will have a clue what it is he is talking about.
I'm 42 and have been to over 200 concerts, so I feel I have a handle on what's good music and what's shit. The band and show were great and both myself and my friends are now loyal fans who will never miss a Cold Play show in an area we happen to be in again. Please keep doing what it is you do. Thanks for a great show. It's a pleasure to see quality music in a time where we get hit with nothing but garbage.
~Tony Fornabaio
Hands down, one of the best concerts I have ever seen. This, coming from a 35 year old who’s been going to concerts all his life including Pink Floyd several times as well as Radiohead (at Radio City Music Hall 3 years ago).
Chris Martin along with his band demonstrated talent, artistry and showmanship of a kind that is hardly ever seen among many of today’s performers. I had never seen Coldplay before and can guarantee to not miss any future returns of Coldplay to any of our local venues.
Obviously the staff at the New York Post should probably stick to covering acts of the likes of Britney Spears, NSYNC, Nelly or any other irrelevant pop garbage that our uncultured masses are being sold on mainstream radio.
Marcelo G. Penas
Shame shame shame on the Post. Hey atleast theyre consistant, right? They have horrendous views on everything; politiKs, current events, music....the list goes on. I was at the show and when I got to my seat I was pretty dissapointed at the distance between myself and the stage. I had gone to see Coldplay last time they came around for a full out tour at Irving Plaza and was about 10 feet away from the stage. This time I was atleast 100 rows away from the stage. However, as soon as the concert began the music hit me just as hard.
Yes, I am a huge Coldplay fan and I did go there expecting nothing less than brilliance (and I did get my money's worth) so my review might be a bit overrating the concert, but for the Post to say "This is a band that has the material, but has yet to find its delivery in concert" shows how little they know about music. Had coldplay come out there and cranked up the volume and had Chris martin screamed and had Will banged the drums rapidly like Ash's drummer did, the concert would have in no way matched up with the music; but it might have baught a positive review in the Post.
I can't imagine being more satisfied with a concert, unless of course it took place in my backyard. Coldplay mixed energetic optimistic performances-- exhibiting Chris Martins un-human like amount of energy and on stage stamina (Shiver, Yellow, In My Place, and many more), with more relaxed, softer performances that were only a bit less quiet then when Chris performed an acoustic cover completely unplugged-no amp, mic, no earphones- on top of a speaker at Irving (Green Eyes, The Scientist, Everything's Not Lost, and a few more).
Chris literally hopped up and down kicking himself in the but with his heals every time he jumped for about 2/3's of Shiver. He ran around like a man possesed during In My Place and Yellow. And he moved around so much while playing piano on virtually all the piano songs that it looked like he was immitating Stevie Wonder playing the keys after taking a dose of Speed.
Will played the drums flawlessly the whole show, and sange his brilliant backing vocals (flawlessly as well). Guy, as usual, chilled out and relaxed, kept the groove going to all of their songs and looked so damn cool. And Jonny, who just made the biggest improvement since I last saw them, was just unbelievable. As my friend Ben pointed out, he played his guitars Nick McCabe-esque. Just getting the most beautiful sounds out of them. He even looked up frmo staring at his guitar noice or twice during the show.
So, my conclusion is that, we all know the Post's review is a complete missinterpretation of the fabulous Coldplay concert. Coldlay, from videos I've seen of bands live, and concerts I've been to, are one of the acts that impress and moce me the most. They are truely brilliant. They are geniouses.
-Nick Panken
I have never in my life emailed someone from one of these websites but thought I'd like to bite back on the criticism around Coldplays concert at Jones Beach, NY last week...Simply put, it was gorgeous.
The entire night was inspiring. I sat back with a smile on my face and knee deep in Chris Martin's voice. It was phenomenal to say the least. Mediocre just isn't a word in their dictionary.
Just my opinion from someone who was there, mind and body.
~Name & e-mail supplied
Nature did Coldplay a favor at Jones Beach on Thursday. The romantic light of a silvery moon served as a backdrop for the band while its glow shone off the waters bordering the theater, highlighting a night full of stars. Maybe the natural world simply couldn't help itself.
Everything about Coldplay aches for high romance, from the swooning reach of its ballads to the swooping falsetto of chiseled frontman Chris Martin. It's a sound made by young men unafraid to cry or plead — wimpy stuff to cynics, manna to the earnest. It seems that those besotted with the latter sensibility currently outnumber those of the former, because Coldplay is one of the few British bands of the last decade to sell in the millions.
The four-man band's 2000 debut, "Parachutes," went double-platinum in the U.S., led by the single "Yellow." Its followup CD, "Rush of Blood to the Head," has had a promising start, selling more than 300,000 copies in its first three weeks.
It hasn't hurt that Coldplay sounds a lot like Radiohead (before that group went arty, at the cost of their more mainstream fans). Regardless, Coldplay's sound has sparked a whole movement of one-named British neo-romantic groups, which includes Doves, Elbow, Starsailor and Haven.
The Jones Beach show was Coldplay's largest in the New York area to date, and the band seemed suitably giddy about it. Martin couldn't stop stating his surprise that anyone would drag himself out to see them. The crowd responded by standing for the entire length of the show, a gesture that had far more to do with reverence than reason, given Coldplay's draggy pace.
The band's music is made for swaying, not dancing. And Coldplay does suffer from a certain sameness — it hasn't progressed much from album one to two. But here, it was able to give most of its slow beats grace. In songs such as "Trouble" and "Spies," guitarist Jon Buckland displayed a fine and aching array of pings and flickers.
Yet it's Martin's vocals that give the band's sweetness its soul. He managed to make a cover of the rapper Nelly's ode to quick sex ("Hot in Herre") sound so chivalrous, it could have been delivered by Sir Lancelot. It was enough to make even suspicious types consider giving sincerity a chance.
~Source: Jim Farber (NYDailyNews)
