27 July 2009: SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY, 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)
Postponed show announcement from May
We're pleased to confirm that Coldplay's scheduled show at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York on May 27th -which was postponed because of illness - has now been rescheduled for July 27th. However, in order to reschedule the Saratoga Springs concert, the Jones Beach show announced earlier this week will unfortunately not now take place.
Tickets for the original Saratoga Performing Arts Center date on May 27th will be valid at the rescheduled date on July 27th, with refunds available from point of purchase. Some tickets for the Saratoga Springs show will also be available at www.livenation.com. Tickets for the Jones Beach show never went on sale. For anyone looking for another alternative show nearby, Coldplay are also playing at All Points West festival in New Jersey on August 2nd.
We're really sorry for any inconvenience this causes
Anchorman
Photos
Photos from this show can be found at Coldplaying.com in the Gallery thread for Saratoga Springs. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1754
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=54392
Discussion
All post-show discussion for this show at the forum thread: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55527
Fan Reviews
All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.
OK!
I just got back from the concert!!!!!!!!!! My first EVER COLDPLAY CONCERT! ONE I HAD TO WAIT MORE MONTHS THAN I WANTED TO FOR!
Needless to say, I wasn't let down! I really worried the crowd would be bad though. Just from looking at this thread you can see how few "true" coldplay fans are attending this concert. It took a long time for the inside part of the ampitheater to fill up. Elbow played to about 50 people and the lawn crowd.
Well by the time Magnificent and Jay-Z and I'm not sure what classical piece it is but it's one I love and am annoyed i don't know the name to, the band came in.
I didn't expect the light swingers (what I shall call them), but they had them and they were quite spectacular.
Really all one can say about this concert is it's design and aesthetic. The music was great with the minor hiccups to be expected. Chris swore and kept it light and funny admist all the earnestness of the music. I was just taken aback by how perfect this concert was planned. Lovers in Japan was by far the stand out. One many have grown to love in concert. I thought they hit everything out that they could. Chris was in a great mood and kept apologizing for missing the original date. But we wouldn't expect anything less.
All in all this was a wonderful experience. I'm sure someone else can give you some more insight, but I'll prefer to look back on this as a collective. It really was quite an amazingly blissful experience. Even though I was one of the only people there who could sing the words to every song, the crowd came through. And behind it was Chris, Jonny, Will and Guy. The did a great job.
Viva la Coldplay!
[footyfan10]
Was my first Coldplay show as well. Hopefully you weren't referring to me as one of the 'non-true Coldplay fans' because of my post count. But anyway...had an amazing time. Was lucky enough to get some awesome seats for the encore due to some awesome guy giving my friend and I his on the way out. Which was especially good because I could hardly see on the lawn towards the end.
The show was amazing and worth every penny and then some. Grabbed a piece of butterfly confetti on the way out for the ticket/scrap book. Glass of Water, Clocks, 42, Lovers in Japan and of course the encore when I was down front were the highlights. (That I can remember right now). Definitely have to see Coldplay again from somewhere where I can actually see the whole show. They do an amazing job in the video presentation. Also the light show is very well done. All in all a great time!
[The Bootleg Saint]
This was my first too! it was awesome! OMG i just got back.....i recorded them doing billy jean and death will never conquer.....they came near us and i was soo lucky! I was NOT let down @ all! I absloved it!!!!
[CSIHousefan]
OMG!!! This show put the Darien Center one to shame!!! It was simply awesome ... something not to be taken lightly, as I felt that the Darien Center show was the best show I've ever seen by ANYONE!!!
First of all ... I'm really sorry to all the fans who had to wait the two months to see this show, but the truth be told, it's the ONLY reason I got to see it!!! After the Darien Center show, I went home and saw the Saratoga Date and bought tickets right then and there!!! Had it not been postponed, I would have missed it all together.
As for the show itself ... The band, including Chris seemed tired ... Definitely understandable!!! I want to mention that just because they seemed tired does not mean there performance was lacking in anyway. I would have to say that perhaps it was for this very reason that they seemed to put forth extra effort to entertain us all.
There were definite positives and negatives when it came to this venue, but I think over all it was a great place to see the show. I think the balcony, which certainly hindered the view of the upper half of the stage area, ultimately ended up adding something ... by that I mean Chris and the band were aware of the issue and went out of their way to make the show enjoyable for EVERYONE!!!
The ONLY part which was sad was that no butterflies made it out into the lawn area... I was hoping to "capture" some for a friend who's children had destroyed those she collected @ Darien Center back on June 1st. I suppose I could have fought the crowd after the show and moved up to get some, but when you are relying on someone else to drive you the 4 1/2 hours home, you tend to stay on their heels
In my opinion, an A+++ show! Can't wait to see another in the future!!!
[pitaboy1968]
craaaazy amazingness. soo good! i dont know about this heavy rain theyre talking about though cause it was a beautiful night and did not rain at all. we were right up front in the pit and even got a drumstick after lost! incredible show.
[intervention]
So that had to be the best concert I had ever been to BY FAR! My parents fooled me into thinking we had lawn but instead we actually had tickets to the pit! I swear I think I had a heart attack when I found out. We were near Jonny and the catwalk, and the two security guards near me were really nice. One gave me a glowstick that landed near the stage and a bunch of butterfly confetti (around 200 pieces). Chris probably ran across the stage and back about 15 times throughout the whole show. Aside from the 6 hour drive round trip, it was a really great concert.
[Coldplay Junior]
Got back from the concert this morning, and it was AMAZING. I worked for Oxfam, and they gave us PIT seats! It was the closest I've ever gotten to the band. Literally feet away from Jonny and Chris. I could have touched them if the security guards weren't glaring at me. Anyways, it was fantastic! More pictures later! :]
[xmonstermaggie]
when we checked into our hotel the girl working there was going tonight so we were talking to her a little about it, she was cool. And one time when we were walking through the lobby she points to some guy and says "they really like coldplay!" which made us happy.
So the venue was really pretty! I think it was in a national forest or something like that. It was really pretty. And it was also really small! I thought it was going to be big so I was a little shocked when we got there. When my friend Amy[i'llwaitforyou] and I saw how small it was we got so excited because that means we would have awesome seats even though we were kind of near the back. And we did, our view was awesome! Before the opening acts started we walked over to B stage just for fun and I took a picture of it on my phone and sent it into twitter. Then we planned to walk over there once strawberry swing started since we were on the right side. Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis were kind of weird. But Elbow was really good! And oh yeah, when we got there 14 people were in the pit! It was a quarter the way full! And it was a really small pit anyway. So we were like what the fuck why is no one there?! When all the Oxfam volunteers got there it was fuller.
When Magnificent came on we got SO excited because it meant 10 minutes til Coldplay and we put on our glow necklaces and bracelets we brought. Then when Blue Danube came on we stood up and started clapping and tried to get everyone around us to stand but no one would. I was like "uh, they're gonna come in 2 minutes just to let ya know..." then someone in the pit motioned for everyone to stand up so then everyone stood up and started swaying. It was funny.
Life in Technicolor and Violet Hill were AMAZING!!! SO good as always!!! At the end of Violet Hill Chris said something like "If you accept our apology for being 2 months late" and then he started talking about how it was "the ugly singer's fault and jonny, guy, and will had nothing to do with it" and he sung a couple other things about finally making it to Saratoga after that. Clocks and In My Place were both FANTASTIC!!!! But before Yellow started there was a really long pause for something. The stage was dark. At first I thought they were waiting for the balloons but then at the end Chris changed guitars before finishing the song so I think maybe that had something to do with it. Everyone got kind of quiet while waiting and Chris joked saying "it really sounds like you want us to continue" when yellow finally started it was awesome! Everyone in the band was kicking balloons the whole time and having so much fun with it! Chris alone popped at least like 10 balloons and Guy and Jonny popped a few too. Then at the end Chris changed guitars before singing and then popped a balloon and put it on his head and said "Not to sound ridiculous..." and then started laughing and shook the balloon the off his head. Glass of water rocked!! But NO ONE knew it!!! Especially around us!! We were the only ones singing ANY song on like the entire right side of the stage at least, except for viva la vida. The guys in front of us sat down after yellow and were being annoying. And the guy next to me was trying to get me to drink his beer at one point. I gave him a really annoyed look, shook my head, and rolled my eyes and I never stopped screaming the lyrics to the song that was playing. I was kind of like excuse me I'm having the time of my life, leave me alone. For Cemeteries of London Chris sang "and the night over Saratoga lay" At the end of 42 Chris started playing something totally different and it sounded so cool!! Then he started singing the end lyrics still playing it differently but then he messed it up and went "fuck fuck fuck" and then sang "those are dead are not dead, i should have played this cord instead woah ohhh" and then he had everyone try and hold the end note for as long as possible which lasted awhile and during that time he laid back over his piano stool and I was like "OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!" Fix You was completely beautiful! But the crowd continued to piss me off. For the first chorus you couldn't hear the crowd singing it at all. I was so shocked!! I could only hear Amy and me screaming the lyrics. At the end when Chris pointed his mic toward the crowd then they sang it but it still wasn't that loud compared to the normality of crowds during that song. In Philly/Camden everyone sang every word so loud, it gave me chills. Here, nothing. It was a little disappointing actually. Then once Strawberry Swing started we grabbed our sign we made for b stage and walked over to b stage. We walked right up to the barriers and were front row. Then, someone told us we couldn't be in that aisle yet. So we were like ok we'll go over there and still get a good spot. We watched the end of Strawberry Swing there which was awesome. Then we tried going back over the barriers but they wouldn't let us!! I was SO pissed!! So the boys get to B stage and they STILL won't let us within 20 feet of the barriers. Which doesn't make any sense! I honestly have no fucking idea why they wouldn't let us at B stage. People are supposed to go there! It was so weird. And the guards blocking us kept moving so it was hard to take pictures and they were blocking our view. Amy and I were also the only ones singing over there, at least on our side anyway. Then during Talk Chris's piano was messed up and sounded really quiet. After it was over I saw/heard him say to Jonny "Go back to the stage? ok!" and then they all ran back to the main stage. I was so confused and sad about that!!! I kept saying "Amy what the fuck?! They play that here! What's going on?! Why is Chris going back there?!?! He's supposed to be here!!" Then we had to walk back to our seats. The reason Chris gave us for leaving B stage was that the people in the balcony couldn't see so the left. Which I'm pretty sure the could see anyway, and eitherway there's screens. They can't see C stage at all either. But I think he was just saying that cover up. I'm pretty positive something was wrong with the piano there. They had a lot of tech problem last night which was weird to see because they usually don't. So for the hardest part there wasn't any lighting really going on because no one knew what to do. They just had a small spotlight on Chris and Will. I was pretty bummed about it I guess because Amy told me I didn't sing during that song. But then Viva la Vida came on and I was happy again. This is the only song that everyone in the audience sung. And the woah oh ohs were the loudest part of the show, but compared to the Philly/Camden crowds it wasn't that loud. Lost! was great! And we tried to get over to the aisle they were going to run down to get to C stage but no one let us in any aisle at all. I didn't like the security here, they were so annoying. C stage was in the middle of the lawn instead of on the left. Green eyes was so great! And I didn't hear them say this but Amy told me the dumbass bitches sitting behind us said that Chris wrote green eyes about himself because he has "green purplish eyes" I REALLY wish I heard them say that because I want to tell those bitches off!!! Green purplish eyes?! That doesn't even make any fucking sense!!!!! And why would he write a song about himself?!?! He's the most unselfish and modest person in the world and his eyes the most gorgeous blue eyes in the world!! Clearly they knew nothing at all. Billie Jean was amazing! At first I was sad about I'm a Believer being gone especially the "Jonnyboy are you in love?" but Billie Jean was so good! And no one knew that either. I hope people on the lawn knew it because Amy and I and this old couple behind us were the only ones singing it. And oh my gosh! The cell phone wave. QUIETEST THING EVER!! It was awesome and worked but it was quiet. Again, Amy and I were like the only ones screaming. It was so weird!! And during the Viva interlude remix you couldn't really hear Chris singing during it, the vocal part of it was so quiet. I'm sure if that was another tech problem or I just remember it different or what. But before that was over Chris sat down at his piano and played the end of it on his piano which was really cool! Then Politik was incredible! LIJ was amazing!!! And Chris used a white umbrella this time. I know first it was red and then it was blue. It was a white one last night. The confetti rocked and we scored a shitload of it. But the crowd didn't really seem that into the confetti which pissed me off, but hey more for us I guess. Death and All His Friends was so awesome! For the encore Amy and I started the viva woah oh ohhh chant which was awesome. It took awhile to start but once it finally did it was so sweet! At that point we ended up right in front of the pit! Chris joked about LRLRL being bad and that's why it was free, we booed him and he laughed. I was hoping for the mad laugh but he didn't do it. The scientist was so beautiful and it was amazing because we were SO close at that point!! He kept looking in our direction during that song too which is an incredible feeling. Lit ii was awesome!! And then at the end a girl standing right in front of chris held up her sign and HE BLEW A KISS AT HER!!! It was so cute and amazing I really hope someone has it on video because I wanna see it again and get a GIF of it!! THEN, he saw our sign!!! He waved and smiled at us and kind of bowed a little bit. It was so fucking amazing!! We totally freaked out!! Then when they left and people started leaving we went into the pit. A roadie handed Amy a setlist! She got Rick's setilist! Then, a roadie gave me GUY'S SETLIST!!!! I FREAKING HAVE GUY'S SETLIST!! And then someone randomly walking by us put a setlist that was taped to the stage somewhere in Amy's hand so we got 3 setlists total! Oh yeah, we almost got a pick too!!! But then he gave it to a girl next to us we kept reaching for it. I really wanted it but I was just given Guy's setlist so I was happy. Then I saw a pick on stage still in a stand and it looked like Chris's because of where the stand was on the stage and I asked for it but no one was close enough to hear to me. Then we had to leave the pit. So we went and got more butterflies.
Completely amazing night!! But the crowd kind of sucked which was a bit of a let down because normally coldplay crowds are so energetic. We talked to so many before the show who said they drove a few hours to get there. You think with that many people from far away they would have been more into it. No one anywhere near us knew words to majority of the songs. It was shocking! And the girls who thought chris had green eyes were texting and talking to each other the whole time not even paying attention which pissed me off, then they made fun of us for dancing and screaming every word during the whole show. Whatever, they were lame.
The boys did a fucking incredible job!!!!! Chris was ON FIRE!!!!!! It was the best dancing I've ever seen him do!!! Especially during 42!! He was truly amazing!!! Best I've ever seen him!! All of the guys were really into it despite the crowd and they just did a truly incredible job!! And there was SOOOO much C&J love throughout the whole show!!! The first time Chris went over to Jonny and whispered something to him in the beginning of Violet Hill Amy screamed "LOVE!!!!" During every song there was so much love between them and it was SO cute and adorable! I love them!
There was a bunch of tech problems though. In one of the songs in the beginning I can't remember which one Jonny turned away from the audience and was by the speaker fxing something with his guitar which I guess is kind of normal but it seems more important with the other things going on. Chris's guitar was changed for every song, and he had to get a new one before he finished Yellow. And the main thing was the piano at B stage.
Despite those few things it was a fucking amazing night!!!!!!! Fuck the crowd, I had the time of my life with my best friend next to me also having the time of her life. I went to this concert as like a get well/ be happy thing because 3 weeks ago I had surgery on both of my legs. And the timing was perfect because my legs were feeling pretty good and I was so bummed about still not being able to play hockey. This made me so fucking incredibly ecstatic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it was the also the last time I'll see the boys until the next tour. So, this was such a good last show for the viva tour, at least for us because got so lucky!! We had some major coldplay karma with us especially at the end!! Truly awesome!
and oh yeah, we picked up the local paper this morning because chris was on the cover
[In a telescope lens]
Thanks Marisa for the full review! I was there too and reading your review reminded me of stuff I forgot!
I agree with you about the crowd. This was my first Coldplay concert so I had nothing to compare it to really, but I did notice that the crowd seemed lackluster at certain points. I felt like I was the only one singing around me as well. And I couldn't believe that it took two tries to get people to sing part of Yellow to Will, and even the second attempt wasn't so great. I mean, come on, I thought everyone knew that one! It was just so strange to me. I was also disappointed that people weren't more into Glass of Water or Cemeteries of London. Those are two of my favorite songs. Oh well, I was singing the crap out of them so to those who don't know them haha.
I traveled 4 hrs by bus from NYC to see them. The bus actually broke down and we had to wait for a new one to rescue us. I was terrified I wasn't going to make it even though I'd left super-early in case of incident like this. I was almost crying at the possibility of not seeing them. When we got picked up by another bus I was so happy. There was no way I'd go to that concert and not enjoy the HELL out of myself by singing and jumping up and down. I'm glad there are other people willing to do the same. I enjoyed myself regardless of the crowd. And I love Kitty, Daisy and Lewis so I was happy they opened the show. I hadn't heard of Elbow before this but I thought they were great too! This is the first time I've gone to a show and enjoyed the opening acts so this was really an amazing experience for me all around.
[serenade-of-sound]
What a great show! I was Oxfam's team leader for Saratoga Springs and our team brought the HEAT! Getting pit seats was a fantastic surprise from the band/Oxfam!
That's my green hat
I touched that umbrella!
Such a great show, and the lawn crowd was very excited about signing Oxfam's petition and getting involved!
Thanks again fantastic volunteers!
[masterkraig]
I drove up from NYC on Sunday for the concert. That same day I went into SPAC and checked out where my cousin and I would be sitting, I brought my lil baby cousin to her first concert =D
The first act was Kitty, Daisy and Lewis(?) - IMO, Kitty should go solo.
I had never really listened to Elbow before hand, but after seeing their performance, I am definitely going to go pick up a CD. Their music was melodic, and everyone on stage, although their music doesn't entail rocking out, drew your attention. Their music flowed smoothly through you, evoking a calm and amazed reaction. I hope their studio albums provide the same feeling.
As for the lackluster crowd, I'm not sure if it's because of the area, or the fact that Coldplay in general attracts an older crowd here in the states. Most the people at the venue, within the seating area, seemed to be older couples, or older parents that brought their kids. I was sitting in section 12 in the aisle seats and I can tell everyone that the only people letting their hearts out were myself and these two guys that seemed to be around my age (18).
This is my fifth Coldplay concert, my 4th of the Viva La Vida Tour. Compared to the other shows, Chris's singing was has perfect as possible. However, besides the two different sections, the band-fan interaction was horrible. If you weren't a fan of coldplay, or didn't know some of the songs, I could see how it would be a bit hard for you to get into the concert. I was standing two people away from them while they played on Stage B, they acted like people weren't even surrounding them. Story telling is the only way Coldplay truly interacts with their fans. There is the singing during fix you and VLV, and also the clapping duriing VLV, but with such amazing songs and a charismatic singer, I hope as time progresses they will become even looser with their interaction and playing.
I also managed to obtain a setlists from the soundbooth for my cousin and I - so that made my night...besides my LRLR CD!! =D
[FluMTonks]
I went to the SPAC show on the 27th and it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I drove an hour & a half with my mom and two friends and all of us had such a great time. I had lawn seats and I have to say that the only way I could probably have an even better time was if I was sitting in the pit. I was right at the baracade for the lawn set, less that three feet away from the band! And I swear if there wasn't a macho security guard right there I would've been able to touch one of them, as weird as that sounds. Guy was right in front of me and he was just so gorgeous. They sang "Green Eyes", this little jingle Chris came up with about the concert, "Death Will Never Conquer" (Will was amazing...) & "Billie Jean" (one of my favorite parts of the concert) It was just so great. With lawn seats I saw the stage perfectly, was a couple feet from the band and 10 feet away from a giant screen. Couldn't have been better. They didn't play anything that I didn't like but out of everything "42", "Lovers in Japan" (the butterflies were spectacular), "Politik" and "Cemetries in London" stuck out in my brain, besides the obvious choices like "Viva La Vida", "Violet Hill". and "Yellow" which equally just as fantastic. Chris was so sweet and apologized so many times for it being postponed. My two friends had tickets next to their B-stage and they were saying that he felt really horrible that the balcony people weren't able to see them so they moved back to stage A, which I think really shows how much they care about their fans when they cancel a show and reschedule it and try to play to every part of the audience can see them, it shows how much they all really love their job. I loved how funny he was when he messed up in "42" he was like "Fuck. Those who are dead are not dead, I should've played those chords instead" Loved when he stuck the balloon on his head during "Yellow" too "Not to sound ridiculous"
Great show guys! Can't wait to see you many, many, many times in the future!
[xtickingxclocksx42]
Last night, Coldplay came to SPAC, two months late but still a great show. They are one of the bands that I enjoy and never have seen, so now I can cross them off my list, but they put on a really good show.
I went with a friend of mine who really didn't know anything more than Coldplay's singles, and for not knowing more than the singles, Coldplay put on a "show." They entertained. They played their music, and played it well, but they also performed in a way that was quite entertaining.
For instance, during "Yellow," giant yellow balls bounced around the audience making their way from inside the venue to the lawn seats. During a later song, towards the end of the show, multicolored butterfly confetti shot out at the audience at every chorus. It looked incredible. And during the show, Coldplay kept moving from one spot to another.
For example, they played on the left side of the audience for one song, at the right side of the audience for one song, and then they came into the lawn seats to play three incredible songs: "Green Eyes," "Death Will Never Conquer," and "Billie Jean." Each band member (except for Chris) had an acoustic guitar and they were playing in really close quarters. It was really, really cool. It brought them closer to us, the cheapettes in the lawn section. Basically when they started playing there, everyone stormed to the stage. I watched comfortably from a close distance.
The night variated from their fast-paced songs to a lot of slower, piano songs. They mixed up singles and non-singles, which was nice. The concert started off with a lot of older singles back to back to back, which is fine, but it might be nicer if they were spread out. I thought they played A LOT of slower stuff, which is part of the band, but for this live show, I thought it was a bit too much. I would have preferred more faster-paced songs to liven up the crowd.
I was really impressed with the talent of the band members. I was really blown away by Will the drummer who is also an excellent singer. He played different kinds of drums, guitar, and vocals during the show. He's incredible! Chris danced around all the time, which was entertaining. He messed up a couple of times, which was kind of awkward, I found. One time, he messed up TWICE and then just asked the audience to make a lot of noise and they called the song a day. Kind of lame.
But Chris tried to work with the audience a lot. He had us finish "Yellow" with them in unison. He had us help him finish songs a few times. He incorporated Saratoga Springs into his lyrics a few times. He spoke to us a few times, apologizing at the end of "Violet Hill," the first song they played. "If you forgive me, won't you let me know..." (for cancelling the show). It was clever. I liked his audience involvement. He really cared about putting on a good show for the balcony and us out on the lawn--even those listening outside the grounds. It was impressive.
Coldplay's attire seems to be that of their Viva La Vida and Death and All His Friends look. They look kind of like Civil War apparell but they are multicolored. They all got into that look. I wonder how they came up with that idea? I think it's unqiue, to say the least.
I was a bit upset that they didn't play some of the songs I wanted to hear, not all necessarily singles. They focused a lot on playing their new CD, which is fine, but I hate when bands play the majority of their new album and ignore their other plethora of music that fans really connected with. They did play some older stuff too, but nowhere in comparison to the new stuff.
I missed them playing "Shiver," "Trouble," "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," "Warning Sign," "Whisper," "Square One," "Speed of Sound," and "A Message." But they played a lot of other good songs I like. These were just ones I wish they'd played!
I just enjoy their sound. It's different than a lot of other bands out there. And Chris is such a different lead singer. I just love their unique energy they bring to music. I really enjoyed myself last night, and it definitely has to do with their talent. Very well done, Coldplay.
So what did you think of Coldplay live?
http://musingforamusement.blogspot.com/2009/07/coldplay.html
Media Reviews
Coldplay wows them at SPAC
SARATOGA SPRINGS — How did Coldplay make up for being two months late for its performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center Monday night?
Well, for starters, the British adult pop band apologized profusely throughout the evening — it was the first thing frontman Chris Martin mentioned from the stage, shortly after burning through “Life in Technicolor.” But perhaps more to the point, the band simply rocked the packed audience into submission, with one of the more elaborate stage shows on the touring circuit today, no doubt.
Take, for example, “Yellow,” the band’s first big hit from their 2000 debut “Parachutes,” early on in the set, when giant yellow balloons filled with confetti fell from the ceiling in the amphitheater. Or towards the end of the set, during “Lovers in Japan,” when the first 10 to 20 rows were showered with paper butterflies throughout the song. Or the multiple stages the band used throughout its set, including one out towards the front of the lawn that the band used to great effect during a three-song acoustic set.
The show wasn’t all bells and whistles. Drummer Will Champion, guitarist Jonny Buckland and bassist Guy Berryman played tightly and crisply, proving their range from atmospheric numbers such as the hit “Clocks” into harder rockers such as “42” and “Politik,” with its slamming rhythms juxtaposing gentle crooned portions from Martin.
Speaking of Martin, the man was a live wire throughout the set, running, slipping, sliding and bouncing all over the stage when he wasn’t tinkling the keys of his piano on such standout numbers as “Fix You.” Even then, his energy could barely be contained — towards the end of “Clocks,” he fell back on his stool in melodramatic fashion; through other numbers such as the gentle “The Hardest Part,” he swayed and swooned passionately, eyes closed in a grimace. His energy and charm made the performance and perpetuated the unifying atmosphere the band was surely going for.
The openers Elbow, of Manchester, England, took the stage a little before 8 p.m. to a rapidly filling amphitheater. Dreamy atmospherics were the order of the day for most of this band’s set, with opener “Starlings” introducing the crowd to vocalist Guy Garvey’s powerful stage presence and even more powerful, dynamic vocal. The set pulled mostly from the band’s most recent album, 2008’s “The Seldom Seen Kid.”
But the band also knew how to rock, as evidenced by “Grounds for Divorce,” which was laden with fuzz tones from bassist Pete Turner and lead guitarist Mark Potter. Garvey, who led the audience through a sing-a-long of the song’s main melody before the performance, banged on a snare during the heavy parts, accentuating the driving rhythm.
North London’s Kitty, Daisy & Lewis opened everything up at 7 p.m. with a strong set of original material that sounded as if it were from an era older than the trio’s combined ages. The Durham siblings, backed by their father Graeme on acoustic guitar and mother Ingrid Weiss (interestingly enough, the former drummer of noise punkers The Raincoats), took turns on electric guitar, piano and drums, with the youngest Kitty in particular shining on harmonica.
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/jul/27/Coldplay_0727/
“Uhm, so we’re two months late,” Chirs Martin said last night. “Sorry we had to cancel before. We’re fuckers.”
It's okay Chris. I forgive you. Coldplay was supposed to play on May 27 in Saratoga but it got postponed due to a “band emergency.” I was heartbroken at the time, but after FINALLY seeing the show last night, it was worth the wait...and the $41 lawn ticket. Actually, it was so great that I regretted not spending the $80-$100 for an inside seat...but if I did that I would have missed Chris Martin singing “Billie Jean” on a stage ON THE LAWN A MERE INCHES FROM ME. In the words of Perez Hilton, it was “amazeballs.” Amazeballs times 100.
How can I even begin to explain the Coldplay concert? I feel like words would fail. I mean, Coldplay is by no means the greatest band when they record, but man are they fantastic live. The entire show was amazing. Their albums are good, "Viva La Vida" was pretty awesome, but if they just released live albums, they could be the next Zeppelin, well maybe not, but close. Chirs Martin, for being so media-shy and reserved in interviews has this stage presence that you wouldn’t expect. When he talks to magazines or online blogs the quirky white guy from England has about as much flavor as a rice cake, but when he’s on stage, he flails, jumps around, throws himself on the ground. He’s got personality out the ass and it’s entertaining to watch, to say the least. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, Chris Martin can hit those high notes (like in “Fix You” and “The Scientist”) in real life and outside of a recording studio.
The band played through all the hits and all of their newest album. The only song they played off “X&Y” was “Fix You” which made me cry, as per usual. There was butterfly confetti during “Lovers in Japan”, yellow balloons floating around during “Yellow,” and really awesome pink lights during “Strawberry Swing.” In fact, the lights were pretty awesome too. Coldplay didn’t hold back for this tour and it paid off. It was probably the best concert I’ve been to all summer...the best concert I’ve been to since Radiohead in Montreal last August (Sorry Bob Dylan, I love you, but your live show’s got nothing on these funky white boys from England.)
Show highlight: Chris’ “dancing” (Read: having a seizure with rhythm) to “Clocks.”
I’ve never seen so much energy from a crowd and from an entire band. Usually it’s just the frontman that dances around and gets people off, but Coldplay have this dynamic on stage. It’s not just the Chirs Martin show, it’s a real band. You go to see COLDPLAY, not the lead singer. Drummer Will Champion, guitarist Jonny Buckland and bassist Guy Berryman played tightly and crisply, proving their range from atmospheric numbers such as the hit “Clocks” into harder rockers such as “42” and “Politik,” with its slamming rhythms juxtaposing gentle crooned portions from Martin.
They all play off one another and just make fantastic music. After this tour I can’t wait for a new album, especially if they keep this vibe up. It was mind blowing the way they can translate their studio albums perfectly into live rock anthems. I had a dream last night that Chirs Martin and I went jet skiing. Now, I do not jet ski and I can’t imagine Chris on one either but, usually, when I have a dream about a band after a concert it’s because the show had a profound effect on me. Which this one did.
I went in really liking Coldplay and I left loving them. I went in expecting a mediocre show from a good band, I left with my head buzzing from a fantastic show by a great band. I was always reluctant to “LOVE” Coldplay because honestly, most of their fans are dicks. They scream about Coldplay as rock Gods and better than Radiohead, etc, etc... (Sorry Chris, you were awesome but no one beats a Thom Yorke performance)
This show converted me to the church of Coldplay. I even think that they may be highly underrated. If you don’t like Coldplay and you’re solely basing your opinion on the studio albums, I urge you to see them live. Not only will you have a great time, but it will change your mind about Coldplay all together. They are a legitimate force to be reckoned with. World, get ready: British invasion Part Deux.
http://caitlinkillingmyselftolive.blogspot.com
Well, it finally happened. Coldplay came to town. The popular British band had to postpone its original late May date at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center due to singer Chris Martin’s illness. Monday night at SPAC they made good on their absence with an impressive concert that had to fulfill any fan’s dreams. Martin certainly seemed in good health as he bounded about the stage, singing the band’s ethereal, but muscular songs. Martin and company often get compared to U2 because they share a certain anthemic quality as well as a commitment to both causes and their crowd. They could just as aptly be compared to classic bands like The Who and the Clash, because what separates them from the mass of average rock and roll bands is their distinctive swagger and rhythm. Lots of other bands sound a little like Coldplay, but nobody sounds just like them. That uniqueness was apparent on Monday on every tune. Jonny Buckland’s swirling guitar figure, for example, introduced and decorated “Strawberry Swing.” Will Champion’s thumping yet somehow understated drums defined but didn’t overpower “Politik.” And Guy Berryman’s simple but relentless bass kept a heartbeat in “Glass of Water” and “Cemeteries of London.” But Martin is more than just the face of the band. He is its soul, too. Whether playing piano, guitar or simply singing Martin was magnetic in a friendly yet heroic way. It’s beautiful how often he improvises within the context of such a heavily-produced show. After “Talk” for example, Martin had the band leave a small second stage because he was concerned that patrons in the balcony couldn’t see. He apologized for the same before leading the quartet out to a third satellite station for an acoustic mini-set topped with an in-tribute cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” At other points in the show giant yellow balloons floated overhead (during “Yellow,” natch), Martin threw out lightsticks (“Lost”) and confetti cannons exploded (“Lovers in Japan”). But few of these potential distractions really drew much attention away from Martin. He gave especially hard during the band’s hit “Viva La Vida,” which features a classic arena chorus, the fact of which was not lost on the very participatory crowd at SPAC. By the end of the song he was laying face down on the stage in one of those spent-but-ready-to-give-more poses that define true stars. Opening acts Kitty, Daisy & Lewis and Elbow did just what they were called upon to do, which was, in the words of Elbow frontman Guy Garvey, “warm you up for Coldplay.” Elbow’s hushed sound took Coldplay’s quiet dynamics even deeper into whisper territory, brightened with occasional flashes of horns and strings. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis went even further field, adding ukuleles and banjos to the mix. Coldplay, though, owned the night. “If at this point you’d accept our apology for being two months late,” Martin half-sang, half-teased during “Violet Hill.” Apology accepted.
Michael Eck
http://blog.timesunion.com/reviews/coldplay-spac-72709/1156/
Twitter Updates
- Onlyindreams387 They're not playing the hardest part at b stage
- Onlyindreams387 I'm so sad. Hardest part is at main stage and the guards wouldn't let us go to b stage
- Onlyindreams387 Coming back from coldplay. AMAZING! chris was on fire!!! It stunk about b stage though....
- Onlyindreams387 "Not to sound ridiculous....."quoting chris from tonight when he had a popped yellow balloon on his head <3
