25 March 2006: Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
From WikiColdplay
Setlist
- Square One
- Politik
- Yellow
- Speed Of Sound
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
- Don't Panic
- The Scientist
- Til Kingdom Come
- Ring Of Fire
- Trouble
- Clocks
- Talk
Encore - Swallowed In The Sea
- In My Place
- Fix You
Reviews
A sold-out crowd flocked to the Continental Airlines Arena Saturday in eager anticipation of a rock concert given by one of the most popular British musical groups of this era -- Coldplay. Known for its smooth melodies, poetic lyrics and cathartic feel, this group of four British boys has established an enormous fan base in America, owing in large part to the success of its three most well-known albums: "Parachutes"(2000), "A Rush of Blood to the Head" (2002) and, most recently, "X&Y" (2005).
The formidable masses at the concert consisted of tens of thousands of revelers ranging in age from 13 to 40 and assembling from all around the tri-state area. They came to East Rutherford with high hopes for a fun, engaging musical experience from a talented group of musicians.
The spectacular performance that Coldplay delivered surely satisfied, and then surpassed, all expectations.
"The energy of the crowd was really good. There was a ton of singing and dancing in the crowd," said Julie Crandell, a junior at Oak Knoll School who had prime seating at this event.
"Everyone would go nuts when (Chris Martin, the lead singer) would walk over. One time, when he ran on the floor to get to the piano, he ran right by my section, and the crowd went crazy," Crandell said. "I'd say they were one of the best bands I've seen, and I've seen a lot of concerts ranging from U2 to CSNY to Backstreet Boys to OAR. But Coldplay was definitely the best."
Such liveliness and fanfare were an integral part of the concert's atmosphere, which escalated exponentially as the night progressed.
The evening started out with a performance by fellow Briton Richard Ashcroft, the former lead singer of the '90s band The Verve. Playing at first to a sparsely populated arena, Ashcroft established a reasonable degree of excitement with his song selection.
"The opener was good,"said Aaron Trebing, a freshman at Madison High School, who aptly conveyed the lukewarm approval felt by many of the concert-goers:"Some songs were a bit repetitive, but they could have been worse."
As more of the crowd filtered in from parking lot, the energy swelled, infusing the spectators and the opening band members with a new sort of vivacity. Such became strikingly apparent when they played the 1997 hit "Bittersweet Symphony," one of the few commonly recognized songs. The crowd, which in the beginning gave only a moderately warm welcome to Ashcroft, roared with appreciation at this brilliant culmination of his act.
Coldplay made its grand entrance nearly 30 minutes after Ashcroft had exited the stage. With all band members clad in black shirts, black pants and white sneakers, they rushed into the throng of people, amid a fantastic lighting display from the ceiling and graphics display from the jumbo screen at the back of the stage.
They opened with the first track from their newest album, "Square One." Though this is not one of the most popular songs in the band's diverse repertoire, the musicians used the reasonable level of energy generated by this choice of opening as a strong foundation for the ever-mounting excitement that came later when crowd favorites were presented.
"The best part of the concert was when they played 'The Scientist.' It was just amazing," said Chloe Riley, a junior at Villa Walsh Academy, recalling the mood spawned by her personal favorite piece. "It's such a distinctive song -- really not like any others. I was overcome with emotion when I heard it begin. I remember people cheering and a rush of energy went through the crowd."
Similar responses were elicited when Coldplay gave flawless performances of "Clocks,""Speed of Sound" and "Yellow," just to name a few. The sheer musical talent exhibited by these artists would have been enough to please the cheering multitudes, but the total experience was significantly embellished by the special effects displays.
"The lighting and the big screen were really cool. The whole stage was just exciting to watch, and with each new song, new light displays would come up," Riley said. "Overall, Continental was a great venue; the songs would just flow through the space."
As the night progressed, each song that emanated from the state-of-the-art speaker system lifted the audience to a new plane of exhilaration. Martin furthered the dynamic mood with his crowd interaction and occasional commentary.
His inquiry of "Is everyone OK?" that came periodically between sets brought about an outrageous clamor from the high-spirited mass of Coldplay enthusiasts. When he sprinted into the audience for a portion of the encore, the fans in the floor section went mad with excitement, while the fans in the tiers went mad with jealousy and amusement.
The evening reached its zenith during the finale when the band played the earthy love song "Fix You."
"The strongest point of the concert was the end because the energy kept building throughout the concert up to that point," Crandell said. "I mean, the beginning was great, but as the concert kept going, it got better and better."
By the last repetition of the refrain, which sweetly utters, "Lights will guide you home/ And ignite your bones/ And I will try to fix you," every soul in the jam-packed arena was singing along in a united harmony. The lasts notes hung delicately in the air, and when Coldplay thanked all the fans for their support and sprightly jogged off the stage, this delicacy erupted into a tumult of applause and cheering.
The event ended at the pinnacle of the 8-year old group's performance, leaving their appreciative fans with very little more to desire.
Source: dailyrecord.com
I took my 10 year old daughter to see Coldplay as a consolation gift for NOT getting U2 tix at the Garden. I think we both got a better deal than either of us imagined.
Richard Ashcroft's opening set was a pleasant surprise. "I like his music" my daughter said, "but why does he have to use the "F" word so much in between the songs?" Ah, to explain the decadence of rock n' roll to a youngster (I told her only a good Englishman can pull that off so eloquently).
I am sure others here are tired (as I am) of Coldplay being compared to U2. Actually, it dawned on me both how much they owe to the Irish quartet -- and how far they have moved beyond their influence. The opening of the show, "Square One" with Chris Martin dancing in front of an illuminated ticking clock is as much a homage to "Zoo Station" from the Zoo TV tour as much as it is a reminder that we are somehow lifting off on an entirely new musical experience.
The highlights of the show for me were a moving performance of "What If" and the obligatory sing-alongs on "Yellow" and "In My Place." I found myself singing "Till Kingdom Come" for about 3 days after the show -- the live version somehow came off better than the CD. And I particularly liked the acoustic take on "Trouble."
Chris Martin is a terrific front man -- self effacing, serious about the music and not afraid to laugh at his own foibles. My daughter is delighting in telling her friends about how he came on for the dramatic opening of "Swallowed in the Sea" only to have a coughing fit at the mike! His response? "Ok, lets turn off the lights and do this again" and he walked to the corner of the stage in the darkness and came one again with a mock bow. This guy knows how to endear himself to a crowd.
All in all, a wonderful experience. Hope we don't have to wait 3 years to see them again!
[Thanks John Hicks]
My god, Coldplay was amazing last night. Every song was beautiful just as i expected they would be. Chris came out into the audience (although no where near me unfortunatley) and even sang itno someones cell phone (which wasn't mine either unfortuneately). Johnny sang an amazing solo in "Don't Panic" which the crowd went wild for. Me being 13, I was the youngest person I saw there. My only complaint is that they didn't play "X&Y" which was a song I was waiting all night for. Other than that everything was perfect. I can't wait to go to my next Colplay concert.
I <3 Chris&Guy&Johnny&Will
Chris's long hair is brilliant
[Thanks Bree]
