24 July 2009: Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Maryland Heights, MO, USA
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)
- 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 Maryland Heights. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1705
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=54391
Discussion
All post-show discussion for this show at the forum thread: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54391
Fan Reviews
All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.
OMG! That was amazing. The best on yet (for me anyway!!) My throat is raw from singing but I managed to do a few things I wasn't able to do the first two times. 1. I caught two butterflies from the air with my net. I BARELY got my net through this time. The woman said I could take someone's eye out with the end. And I made a sad face and I told her about the butterflies and she got all and then let me through. Good thing, too because without the net I would have gone home with none except what I could scrape up off the ground! The first one I grabbed just as another guy jumped to grab it. He looked at me and smiled and gave me a "you can have it " gesture. It was sweet. 2. I touched one of the Yellow balloons. 3. I was only about 20 feet away from the guys as they ran to the 2nd C stage!! (which was behind a pole, oh well)... And I got a shirt (thanks Jimmy!) and I am so glad I didn't bring my camera in because I was waaay too preocupied with it in Indy. This time I just absorbed the experience. Unfortunately I think I got about half a joint's worth of 2nd hand smoke though (). It's amazing to me how they're able to make every concert feel special. They just amaze me. I'm just... AMAZED.
[Novah]
Just got back to the hotel. The show. was. brilliant! Sooooooooooooo much to say, but I'm about to pass out, so I'll just leave you with one of the more interesting details of the night: I shook hands with Phil Harvey for about 2.5 seconds, which is a moderately long shake if you think about it. BTW: I managed to get to front row pit. Phil was sitting in front of me, just beyond the barricade for the majority of the show. During the b-stage set, I yelled, "Phil," stuck out my hand, and voila: he smiled and shook for a good while and then sat back down to take pictures. I'm actually in the Comfort Inn, and just returned from a well-working ice machine.
I got to the venue about an hour before the gates opened, and I was probably the fifteenth person in line. I felt good about my chances of snagging front row in the pit. Then the "Jump the Line" line for Verizon customers grew and grew, and my hopes shrank. Somehow, though, those 200 or so people that got in before me must've all been in the lawn because by the time I finally got in, only about ten people were in line to get wristbands for the pit. I ended up front row, just to the left of center, on the Jonny side of Chris.
The couple of hours before Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis were passed making small talk with people around me regarding Coldplay and the St. Louis Cardinals. (Couldn't really ask for much better conversation than my two favorite things in the world. ) I sort of felt bad, though, busting everyone's bubble around me by informing them that, no, they wouldn't be hearing Spies or White Shadows or A Warning Sign, etc.
The crowd was surprisingly loud for the openers, which were really quite cool. I highly recommend a KD&L show. Their music is a blast and all three of the siblings are amazingly talented. Amadou et Mariam were pretty damn awesome, too. And even though I got the feeling that I was one of the only fans there that actually listened to the duo's music regularly, everybody around me seemed to enjoy it--especially the ten minute jam that closed the set with a sick drum solo and tribal dancing. Both openers felt more like festival performers than concert appetizers.
The dancing roadie and The Blue Danube followed, of course, and the looks on the security guards' faces as they watched the crowd sway to a classic waltz was fucking hilarious. Somehow I doubt they see many teasers like that.
Chills kicked in as soon as Jon Hopkins's intro to LiT hit, and honestly the next few songs were a blur. The crowd was pleasingly loud, singing along to just about every word until GoW started, which I guess means a lot of people failed to pick up Prospekt's March. Jonny's guitar work on that one was really brilliant, though--it seemed to have a grungier kick to it, at times totally drowning out Chris's chorus. The crowd came back around on 42 and Fix You, though, honestly getting louder than ever on the latter.
During the b-stage set, Phil came right in front of the pit barrier to snap pictures, and I yelled out for him and shook his hand. It looked like several other people in the front row did the same, while the rest of the folks kinda looked at us like, "Who the hell is that?"
The Viva oooh's were spectacular, carrying on without prompting by Chris at several points in the night. And Lost! might've been the performance highlight of the night. All four guys seemed seriously into that one.
By the time the acoustic set started, the pit people were so into the show that everyone around me sang every word to all three songs, even though you practically had to squint to see the band.
Politik/LiJ/DAAHF slayed, of course. And then The Scientist brought several people to tears. Will threw his drumsticks to the kids right next to me, well within reach of my outstretched arms. (Today, I'm feeling a little less happy about letting them have them. )
I only heard positive comments after the show, even from a few people who had just sat out in their cars and listened outside! And getting LRLRL was an easy process.
There were some classic Chris moments, of course, like being disturbed during THP by a "muscular 32 year-old man" shouting, "I love you;" going on about mispronouncing St. Louis; screwing up the beginning of DAAHF; having a bizarre cackle just before The Scientist; and giving Phil a smirk and a middle finger as he took his picture... Although, at times it did feel a bit like the band was on auto-pilot--especially after seeing the jamming of the opening acts.
Even so, this was without a doubt my best concert ever (although I will admit that Radiohead's tube-lighting show was a better spectacle), and I'm currently fighting concert withdrawal. It was just such a surreal experience, being literally ten feet away from the band... I'm not even sure I was fully able to appreciate it. Listening to LRLRL today, I wished so badly that I could do it all again.
[MasoKnight]
OMG, last night was awesome!! It was my first Coldplay concert and everything was perfect! The section I was in was full of real fans and we all sang and jumped around and danced! I got some butterflies on the way out!
I TRIED to take pics with my daughter's camer, but am apparantly challenged in that department. They are all crap.
Oh well, it was sooooo worth the 5 hour drive up here and the 5 hours back today. I hope this isn't my one and only Coldplay concert!
[emmbeedee]
That was the greatest show I've ever seen. Considering I've seen NIN and Tool, that's a big deal.
They were amazing!
[exist2inspire]
just thought i would share some of my top moments from friday's show:
1. Meeting Phil Harvey! during the hardest part, my friend nudged me and said, "look behind you." i turned around and there was phil! i gave him a salute and he saluted back. then my friend turned around and shook his hand, and i did the same. he said to us "how do i know you?" and my friend jokingly said "i think we're friends on myspace!" phil got a good laugh out of that one, and then we told him that we didn't "know" him, but were just die hard fans who knew who he was. he was in the front of the pit taking pictures for a good amount of the show.
2. I also loved it during Politik, when Phil was taking pictures of Chris at the piano. Chris saw him, started making faces, and then gave him the finger! hahaha
3. After Coldplay came back on stage for the encore, Chris leaned over the railing and handed a girl what looked like a folded piece of paper. The girl had a sign at the show that said "i'm broke, but i came to see coldplay." so what the folded piece of paper really was was CASH! i don't know the amount, but it was enough to almost bring the girl to tears! just another reason why coldplay is the best band out there, they truly care about their fans.
[Jdeuceiswild]
Oh, that show was amazing! My husband and I were on row N....right between the main stage and the B stage. The seats were WAY closer than we thought! My husband, who is 6'4, managed to get some awesome pictures of Chris as he came out onto the wing and I'll post them later. We just got home from vacation (the Coldplay show was part of it). I even snapped a picture of Phil while the roadies were setting up after M&A.
I sang to every song and danced like a madwoman! The left kinda got "left" out on the balloon action, but Chris came over and threw glowsticks at us and we manged to snag some. We also got showered with butterflies and managed to catch quite a few! I was still a little disappointed with the people around me. They just stood there bobbing their heads and not singing. There was a dude 2 rows in front of me who jumped, sang, and generally spazzed out and I wished I were standing next to him so I didn't look so out of place....cause I was doing the same.
It took us 1 HOUR to get out of the parking lot, though! The fact that two roads running beside the venue are 1 way only is epic FAIL. We were parked back in G3 and witnessed a wreck and then saw a girl jump out and start cussing out the drivers and passengers....fun stuff. So, not only did we get to see Coldplay, we saw a nice parking lot show!
[neonhorn22]
Media Reviews
Last night at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Coldplay delivered exactly the type of set you would want from it - and then some. That's not snark, either: For nearly two hours, the British quartet unleashed hit after hit after hit with little self-indulgence and plenty of spectacle.
In fact, the entire show was geared toward its fans. A tan, fit Chris Martin made sure to spend some time singing on the wings of the stage, making the cougars ladies in those sections squeal. The band set up on a satellite platform in the pavilion for fantastic, raved-up, electro-grooved versions of "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" and "Talk" - think INXS and New Order, respectively -- and a solo-piano version of "The Hardest Part."
Just a few songs later, the band jogged to the lawn and did a quick, low-key acoustic set for fans there, highlighted by a cover Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." And as every person left the venue, they received a free CD copy of the Left Right Left Right Left EP. I'm pretty sure that if I asked Chris Martin to come over and do some gardening for me, he'd be over in a heartbeat, wearing a crooked grin and bringing his own lawn equipment.
But this hospitality didn't feel like pandering, mainly because the band doesn't seem above its adoring fans. Coldplay frequently draws comparisons to U2 - and that band's "Magnificent" was one of the last tunes played before the show started - but the Irish quartet revels being in the stratosphere. Even its unscripted moments feel epic and important. Coldplay, however, seemed to thrive on being down-to-earth: The members of the quartet cracked each other up, grinned while busking on the lawn (and amused by Martin busting out a harmonica) and generally seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Martin especially came off like a lighthearted goofball...
(Read the rest of the review -- and see photos -- at the link below. Review from the Riverfront Times in St. Louis.)
Coldplay in top form at the Verizon
“We rehearsed for this concert 142 times in cities around the world,” said Chris Martin from the stage Friday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. The lead singer and keyboardist for one of the world’s most popular rock bands Coldplay was referring to the fact that its current tour has been extensive since the release just over a year ago of “Viva La Vida,” its fourth album.
The concert showed just how professional and controlled Coldplay has become with all that touring. Following the same basic structure to the show they’ve been doing for this tour, Coldplay delivered all the hits and many other audience favorites with a nicely developed ebb and flow to the energy level as the night went on.
Opening with “Life in Technicolor,” performed in part behind a huge backlit black curtain which revealed the general shapes and shadows of the band members, Coldplay began with a burst of excitement from the latest album before slowing down for one of its trademark ballads, “Clocks,” which is built on Martin’s near-minimalist piano chords. “In My Place” was more jubilant, as Martin bounded recklessly across the stage and out into sections jutting into the crowd on each side.
For “Yellow,” the song which kickstarted the band’s unstoppable climb on the pop charts back in 2000, hundreds of huge yellow balloons were released into the audience, creating a surreal fantasyland experience that would actually be topped before the evening was over.
Chris Martin’s vocals, which can share some of the bombast of U2’s Bono, but which frequently hit a lovely soulful tone to match his undeniable melodic gifts, were in great shape all night, whether he was seated at the piano, standing still playing guitar, or skipping around the stage with an abandon curiously reminiscent of a 5-year-old not convinced anybody is actually watching.
The rest of the band — lead guitarist Johnny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer/harmony vocalist Will Champion — weren’t showmen in Martin’s manner, but played with precision and intensity throughout the concert.
Other highlights included “42,” which alternated between a haunting piano balladry and a riveting and highly danceable techno break; the very earnest organ ballad of “Fix You,” the unstoppable exhilaration of the very simple yet incredibly powerful “Viva La Vida,” on which Champion pounded a kettle drum harder than such an instrument could ever have seen before; and the somber set closer, “Death and All His Friends.” For “Lovers in Japan,” the crowd was pelted with confetti of thousands of multi-colored paper butterflies, a beautiful sight indeed.
Twice, the band left the main stage to play on satellite stages set up within the crowd. As his bandmates huddled around a small piano, Coldplay put together a techno remix of “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face,” then left Martin to play a solo rendition of “The Hardest Part.”
Even better was the acoustic set they performed on a stage set up on the lawn in back. With Champion and Buckland on acoustic guitars, and Berryman on mandolin, they sang a spirited “Green Eyes,” and an incredibly touching cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” added to the show a few weeks ago after the pop legend passed away.
Before Coldplay, Amadou and Mariam, two blind musicians from Mali in West Africa, led an exhilarating band through a set of polyrhythmic pleasures which could easily have gone on for a couple more hours. Amadou’s guitar playing, in particular, was a delight, combining blues-inflected leads with stunning rhythm riffs.
The show was opened by Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, three very young (16 – 21) siblings from London who have fallen in love with rockabilly, ska, traditional jazz, and several other roots music forms which long predate their births. Each of the siblings played multiple instruments, and abetted by their parents on guitar and bass, this family group was highly entertaining.
Coldplay, Kitty Daisy and Lewis @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Maryland Heights, MO
My evening for this concert coverage started off rather bumpy for this concert as I was unfortunately not allowed in to photograph Kitty Daisy and Lewis who was the opening act for Coldplay. I was sadly stuck at the VIP entrance pleading my case with security or making frantic phone calls to their tour manager. Without the photo pass, I was stuck outside the venue for roughly two hours until Coldplay took the stage. Luckily, I was still able to hear the soulful sounds of Kitty Daisy and Lewis, which to my surprise features a band so young in age (16-19) and with such a strong sense of family as some of their parents were also in the band. I encourage everyone who is coming for Coldplay’s show to beat the foot traffic and show up early for Kitty Daisy and Lewis; you will not be disappointed.
After contemplating a trip to the casino to kill time, I consulted my bank account and realized sitting in the parking lot was more financially responsible. Upon being escorted into the set up for Coldplay, I found myself in an aisle amongst a sea of people just beyond the pit. As there was no photo pit for this tour, I primarily used my 70-200 f/2.8. I really didn’t know what to expect in regards to how their live show would be, but for all those Coldplay haters, see them live and then get back to me. The material from their new album in particular, Viva La Vida or Death And All his Friends, was particularly effective in a live sense, more so than recorded. As a special treat, the band for this tour has several mini stages set up around the venue so if you don’t want to get stuck out of your seat for awhile, be sure to get all your beer and nachos beforehand.
Before closing out the show that they’ve said they’ve rehearsed for 142 times around the world, the crowd was blanketed with glow in the dark butterflies as the band performed “Lovers in Japan.” As the show was coming to a close, Chris made sure to inform the audience that they were going to be treated to a free copy of their EP Left Right Left Right Left as we exited the amphitheater
