27 May 2003: B of A Centre, Boise, Idaho. USA
From WikiColdplay
Setlist
- Politik
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
- A Rush Of Blood To The Head
- Daylight
- Trouble
- One I Love
- Don’t Panic
- Moses
- Everything’s Not Lost
- Pour Me
- Yellow
- The Scientist
Encore - Clocks
- In My Place
Reviews
I have seen Coldplay three times in the last 9 months (trying to make up for not seeing them a couple years ago when they cancelled their Salt Lake show at the last minute). The first two shows (at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas and Saltair in Salt Lake City) were in smaller venues that were packed. The Boise show was held in a larger arena usually used for Hockey, which was great because there were a lot of people there. However, there was a definite lack of energy during the entire show. Not only was the crowd less energetic, they didn't seem to be that familiar with Coldplay. The Las Vegas and Salt Lake shows I went to were crazy; the crowds were loud, knew all the words the songs, and went absolutely bonkers during even some non-radio tracks like Politik, The Scientist, etc, not to mention how insane the places got during Yellow and In My Place. The Boise crowd seemed almost confused, nobody sang along, Chris had to beg people to stand when Yellow started, and people actually left before the encore! People hadn't heard Clocks and In My Place and they were leaving! It was shocking. I really admired Coldplay for playing a great show despite the lackluster crowd. The crowd sure didn't deserve to have a great band like Coldplay playing a great show of their already extensive work.
The show of course opened with Politik. The effect of the lights freaking out as Chris bangs his piano has not gotten old at all. God Put a Smile.....still gives Chris his best opportunity to dance around and strum the guitar at the same time. He put on a great show despite very little response from the fans at the front.
I was expecting Spies or Shiver next, but instead we got a treat and heard A Rush of Blood To The Head. They played this song in Las Vegas, but didn't in Salt Lake and I had missed it so it was great to hear it again. The chorus is even more powerful live than on record. Next was Daylight, which is a great song, but I prefer Warning Sign, so I would have liked to have heard that instead. They played Warning Sign at the Salt Lake show and it was awesome.
They started to play Trouble next. One positive of the lame crowd was that the slower paino-based songs like Trouble, The Scientist, Everything's Not Lost, etc. sounded clear and unobstructed by other noise.
The next song is one of my new favorites One I Love. This song is just so good, it is a shame they didn't make it an album track. As good as the song sounds on the In My Place single, it is amazing how much better it sounds live. This is also where they started using the screens in the background showing all four of the members doing their thing. I have seen them use the cameras and screens in the background for three shows now and it is just as cool every time. If they make a concert DVD, they should use that footage for it.
Dont' Panic is probably the song that has the most radical transition from album track to live song. They play it faster, it has a grittier feel live, and I love Johnny pulling out the harmonica for the last part.
They played Moses next. Chris introduced it as a new song and told the crowd that if they didn't like it, tough. I like this song a lot. They played it in Salt Lake in Jan or Feb and I think it will be a solid album track on the next album, if it isn't a single. Of course, by then maybe they will have written too many more great songs to even include it.
After Moses, they played my new live favorite, Everything's Not Lost. I always liked the song, but was absolutely blow away by how great the song sounded when I first heard it live in Las Vegas. At the first two shows I attended, Chris rewarded the crowd by inviting them to sing along with him. The Boise crowd didn't deserve that chance and probably couldn't have performed the task anyway and Chris smartly didn't waste his time.
After that, they started playing a new song with any intoduction whatsoever. I didn't know what it was, but I immediately like it and was terribly curious to find out. After a little research today on this site, I found out it is a song called Poor Me. The song is awesome and I am sure this has single potential.
We finally had made it to the climax of the show. It took the crowd forever to realize that they were playing Yellow. It was unbelievable! In LV and SLC, the crowd knew immediately after the first chord. Not even the yellow lights clued this crowd in. Tragic. Despite the lackluster reaction, Chris and the band still gave a great performance. As I mentioned earlier, Chris actually resorted to begging people to stand up "just for this one song." Can you beleive it?
The Scientist was moving as usual. Because it was so quiet and no one else was singing along, it was actually more enjoyable in a way. Like Coldplay was just playing for the true believers.
They came out for the encore and went into Clocks. The lights they use on the this song are really cool. If anyone has seen the video, it feels like you are there.
Finally, they played In My Place. In LV and SLC, words really can't describe how crazy the crowd got, how the entire venues pulsated, how even Coldplay were surprised at how bonkers everyone got, when they started into In My Place. It was almost anti-climactic here in Boise. But the song was awesome and it was a fitting end to a great show.
It would have felt hollow if they had come out to play Life is for Living or Amsterdam or something else, so I glad they didn't.
Overall, it was an awesome show. It was cool to hear a A Rush of Blood... and the new songs, especially Poor Me. It is always sweet to experience Everything's Not Lost, One I Love, Yellow, The Scientist, In My Place, and Politik.
It would have been cool to hear Warning Sign and Green Eyes. They played a sweet version of Green Eyes at the Las Vegas show and I have been sad they haven't played them since. Also, sad to see Shiver not in the set anymore.
And has anyone ever head Sparks at a Rush of Blood era show? Would have been cool to have Amsterdam as the second encore, but oh well.
The set list was:
Politik God Put A Smile A Rush of Blood Daylight Trouble One I Love Don't Panic Moses Everything's Not Lost Poor Me Yellow The Scientist Clocks In My Place
~Justin Allen
