2 August 2008: XL Center, Hartford, CT, USA
From WikiColdplay
Contents |
Setlist
- Life In Technicolor
- Violet Hill
- Clocks
- In My Place
- Viva La Vida
- Yes
- 42
- Fix You
- Strawberry Swing
- Chinese Sleep Chant (side stage)
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (side stage/techno version)
- Square One
- The Hardest Part (partial)
- Yellow
- Lost!
- The Scientist (SIde Stage - Acoustic)
- Death Will Never Conquer (Side Stage - Acoustic - Will)
Encore - Politik
- Lovers In Japan
- Death And All His Friends
- The Escapist
Photos
Photos from this show can be found at Coldplaying.com in the Gallery thread for Hartford. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1515
Fan Reviews
All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.
They started out with an opening act of some girl. She was sweet and did some good music that got me pumped and ready for Coldplay. Then a long delay, then some annoying rap-girl comes out and sings the most annoying hip-hip songs. She must have done 7 songs, and by the time she was finished I had a headache and was in a bad mood. Another 10 or 20 minutes. FINALLY Coldplay comes on stage. They play an awesome Violet Hill, Clocks, Fix You was unbelievable, and most of the normal setlist. The whole show was amazing, but I was behind a lot of tall people so couldnt really see anything. So they come to a point where they run through the crowd (one girl jumped out and kissed Chris) up to a side area. They play acoustic The Scientist and Will sings Death Will Never Conquer. They then leave the area while video clips play of a guy saying "Too bad Chris isn't man enough..." etc which everybody boos at. They then silence this guy with a smashingly good Politik. They go on and have Chris do a piano version of Hardest Part. He stops near the end and says "You know what, that song isn't a big enough hit. You're going to need big hits in Hartford on a Saturday night." So they do Yellow which was also amazing. Then onto Strawberry Swing, then Lovers in Japan (I caught about 80 pieces of butterfly confetti). So you expect them to leave and come back for an encore. Instead they go right into Death and All His Friends. Also amazing. They then leave to a huge applause while Escapist plays. They exit the stage. So we stand and cheer, and stand and cheer....still standing...still cheering. They never come back out. No encore, nada, nothing, see you later. So I personally feel insulted as they've done encores at every other show this tour. Plus they barely even said goodbye and thanks: "Thanks everybody and have a great weekend."
So overall it was a great show. Yet the facts that it cost me $110 per ticket, plus the horrid opening act, all added with NO ENCORE, leaves me feeling like they dont actually respect us fans or how much we spent to go see them. I am very mad at Coldplay right now and it's hard to enjoy a show you've waited for for 3 months when they dont have the kindness to throw us 1 lousy encore.
[2732 - posted 02-Aug-2008]
SONG BY SONG RECAP AND REVIEW
Wow, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday I was all pissed off over no encore and was saying it wasn't a good show. I was a fool. Looking back on it now I realize an encore isn't that important, and you should ignore a bad opening act. The show itself was absolutely amazing. Here's my song-by-song recap:
Life in Technicolor: Exactly sounding like the album version, the crowd went nuts when the lights went out and Chris went wild on his acoustic guitar.
Violet Hill: Breath-taking, it was a song that really told you this was going to be a great night. The whole crowd sang along and Jonny's guitar solo was just brilliant.
Clocks: As usual, a spectacular laser-light show made the song one I surely won't forget any time soon.
In My Place: One of my favorites from the show for obvious reasons. Chris let the crowd sing the chorus and during Jonny's solo Chris gave him a shout out ("My best friend, Jon Buckland ladies and gentlemen.").
Viva la Vida: Just as it has been played, amazing vocals, and the entire crowd singing "Whoooaaahh" while Chris raps up the last chorus.
Yes: The jumbo screen was now pulled down, and the song was just brilliant accompanied by quick flashing video clips of the band both from the studio and live from the stage.
42: “Those who are dead...” As soon as the first line rang out the energy in the arena rose to another level. The many layered solos had the crowd jumping and head-banging all the way until Chris finished the song off nice and quietly with his “oooohhhh”.
Fix You: By far, my favorite song of the night. Chris’s vocals were just perfect and the crowd was singing right on during the entire song, especially bursting out during the chorus. The bridge part with Jonny’s riff was so uplifting it made me want to leap into the air and sing. The song was just perfect.
Strawberry Swing: Somewhat unexpected, Strawberry Swing featured many beautiful colored designs on the big screen. Chris mixed up the lyrics a little bit at parts for variety, but it was an amazing and sweet break from all the head-banging.
Chinese Sleep Chant: This was the one song I expected to be somewhat dull, as the crowd couldn’t really sing along. But a stunning laser show put Clocks to shame and made the song a visual masterpiece.
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face: Beginning with Jonny having some fun with his whammy bar, the song was extremely techno-sounding and it was an interesting new take on an old classic.
Square One: Visually this was the one song that didn’t lift you off your feet, but it was executed to perfection and Chris ended it with an nice piano outro as he sang, “Is there anybody out there who...”.
The Hardest Part: Chris sat at his piano and played a very pleasant and melodic version of the song. It was going well until the part where he sings, “Everything I know is wrong” where he suddenly stopped playing. I thought he had made a mistake but instead he says, “This isn’t a big enough hit. If you’re going to play Hartford on a Saturday night you need big hits up your sleeve...”.
Yellow: So a big hit it was as the entire crowd was dancing and jumping like mad as the full version was rocking the arena. Yellow lights shone on all of us, and it was like being in a dream as everyone knew every word, and Chris let us all sing the both verses. It ended with Chris lying on the ground on the side stage singing the final lines.
Lost!: Will was really hammering into the drums for the entire song. During the chorus the entire crowd sang, and it competed with In My Place for best crowd song. It was just a rock out song and I loved (as usual) the “big fish small pond” verse.
The Scientist: At this point the band left the main stage, ran through the crowd (one girl did jump out and kiss Chris), and up near the entrance to the arena. There they set up and played The Scientist beautifully, with Chris singing the “oooohhh” in low notes reminiscent of Yes.
Death Will Never Conquer: Chris started by saying, “We all wish we could have the voice of Justin Timberlake and of course his body,” (to which every girl screamed) “But we’ll just have to accept being in the greatest band in the world.” The crowd went nuts and Will took a guitar and played and sang Death Will Never Conquer, with Chris giving a short harmonica solo. As soon as it was over, the band waved and ran out of the arena and into the hallway.
Interlude: Many people ran into the hallway to see the band, the rest of us sat down as the giant orbs showed that man’s comments on Chris being not a man and cowardly. The crowd booed viciously. After that we all got to see the Dancing Politicians video. Then the band quietly got back on stage to silence those remarks about Chris.
Politik: This song was loud and thrashing and maybe the second best of the night. Chris’s vocals were right on as they beat out on their instruments. The lights flashed with each beat and the whole crowd was head-banging the whole way through. The song ended with Chris giving a short piano solo.
Lovers in Japan: The song began with Jonny’s tremolo shaking the ground. Pictures rolled on the big screen of scenes of flowers and fields and soldiers, matching with the lyrics of course. About halfway through, the butterfly confetti was released. There must have been a million pieces, I myself pocketed about 50. It was a beautiful song that let you know the show was winding down.
Death and All His Friends: Many people were exhausted by now, and sat as Chris began the soft piano part of the song. He sang it so beautifully and it was clear this would be the closing song. As the guitar came in people began to stand. By the time the drums kicked in the whole crowd was on its feet, jumping on fist-pumping along with the “bang bang bang bang bang” of Will’s drums. We all were dancing as the tempo pickled up. Once the guitar came in (sounding exactly the same as the studio version) no one was moving much. It took a second for the shock of how amazing the song was to wear off. Then it was one giant Coldplay-fest as the whole crowd sang with the band “No I don’t want to battle from beginning to end...”. The song ended pretty abruptly to a monstrous roar of applause.
The Escapist: Chris gave his usual goodbye and said, “Drive safe and have a good weekend.” Like how could we not after that show? The Escapist music began playing as the guys waved to the crowd and came up front for a bow. The crowd was on their feet as Chris sang the final words, and just like that the band disappeared off-stage, leaving us all dazed on a Coldplay-high.
Now I know there are some people who were angry about not having an encore, but we got 21 songs that were as good as can be, and I personally am now satisfied with that. It was a night I will always remember, and I surely will be seeing them again.
[2732 - posted 03-aug-2008]
The energy of the crowd, the band, everything was in sync, like it all fit perfectly. I felt like I was in a dream. Cheesy I know. It was the first time I have seen them live, so it all just felt surreal. It was so weird to be looking at the gorgeousness of Coldplay in person. I was alone, BUT I am actually glad I experienced it alone. I danced, jammed, sang, just had a good time with the whole stadium. I did not feel alone at all. I wish it could have gone on and on and on. Perfect night, no doubt. Thank you Coldplay. I love you.
[ailene90]
the show was amazing. idk i wasn't really insulted by the lack of a second encore. the show was fucking incredible and it didnt need another encore to make it any better. (i agree santogold sucked too but i expect opening bands to suck so i didn't really mind. get there later if you don't want to sit through some obnoxious music!). The highlight for me was chris on piano doing the hardest part. it really was BEAUTIFUL! but no one in the crowd fucking knew it so he stopped before finishing and took a shot at the citizens of hartford saying 'it's not a big enough hit for a saturday night in hartford'. i was REALLY upset at everyone there because i was enjoying it SO MUCH. i really wanted to like go on stage and tell chris 'no i appreciate this so much please don't stop!' hahaha but he actually made fun of the connecticut/hartford fans a lot which i thought was really funny since i'm from boston. he said something like 'it's great to see you all support the biggest FRENCH band in the world'. He was refferring to themselves but probably thought half the people in the crowd didn't really know where they were from. anyway...aside from chris being his usual funny self... the rest of the music was great. i fucking FLIPPED when square one started. such a nice surprise! the end of it with chris and piano was bone chilling. oh and i was on the end of my aisle on floor so when they ran by to go into the stands for the acoustic section i touched ALL FOUR of them! a nice pat on chris's sweaty back was probably the highlight for me! hahahaha... politik was incredible. so much energy and so much emotion in the closing piano solo. the confetti on lovers in japan was even better than i imagined. i was disappointed because at first none was near me at all and i was in the middle of the floor and then after the second refrain just GALLONS of it started pouring out and i got a ton of it! it looked beautiful in the lights and it like glowed in the dark! life in techinicolor was a pretty good opener. not as good as politik and sqaure one but i was so excited that i did get a little teary eyed during it. the only points where there seemed to be low energy were yes and chinese sleep chant. at the end of yes they had a little jam sesh which pretty much saved the song and pumped everyone up before 42. crowd was great on in my place and fix you. but not too many knew the new songs. strawberry swing really took me by surprise. I haven't been listening to it at all lately and i wasn't particularly looking forward to it but it ended up being one of my favs. death and all his friends was an AMAZING closer!!! seriously it was so good. chris's piano part is one of the best on ANY song theyve ever had live and when the song picks up and the big VIVA is revealed in the back there is so much energy!! haha i know this 'review' is really out of order and crazy but i'm SO TIRED and im just talking about things as i think about them. i'm PSYCHED to see them again monday in boston and i'm expecting it to be even better!
[BostonSportsTD]
From the point at which we parked our Blue and White VW Bus outside the stadium until the next day, it was a flurry of meeting great people, hearing outstanding music and feeling great all over! The day was grey and ugly early on but as coldplay would have it, the sky opened up right around pre-concert party time. The vibe was very cool and laid back and as a CT native, I was proud of the crowd. The band was amazing, it was a ride, I NEVER sat down the entire evening and I was happy to look behind me and see the place rockin. I can't even mention a best part or a point when the guys were on fire, it continued all night - completely amazing! Songs from Viva were jammin, they ventured into the crowd (very brave) and went back to the basics as 4 guys playing music. Yes, I like the other fans would have loved another oreo cookie, meaning if I really knew it was the last song I would have enjoyed it more - we were all hoping for another! But, I couldn't walk away any happier at all from the night.....only to find a fun surprise...before the concert we wrote in masking tape on our bus "Viva La VW", come to find a fan took some great time to rearrange the tape to read "Coldplay!" It was just fun to communicate with strangers like that. I am in withdrawl now so until next time....
[Coddy4]
quick story-
I went down from our seats in the 1st section (106) to try to get the setlist/confetti, and the security guards were being major assholes and told me that "there's no way in hell" I could get a setlist. As I was going back to my seat, a roadie handed me his setlist as a consolation prize...nowhere near as good as the real thing, but better than nothing (still confettiless, though!)...here's the roadie's setlist:
[calvin1663]
My brief review - an excellent show, Coldplay really brings the goods. Not too tech'd out, I thought the screen and the balls were just right. Chris and the boys are amazing, music was great. I thought the Viva songs are better live than on CD, part of what makes them better is that the songs aren't as familar as the hits off the past albums. I wish the crowd wouldn't be so loud and sing along to each song, I'm sure like any great artist, Chris would want to evolve and find greater depth; reveal a different side or add more texture to a given song, but the crowd's participation doesn't seem to allow for that. I'm sure Yellow is beat to death in Chris' mind, certainly Scientist or Clocks could be modified to be better than the recording, but the crowd won't allow it to happen. I mean, it was a great terrific show, despite the lack of an encore, I do think if the crowd backed off a little, it could be even better.
[midlandNJ]
I took my shots from Section 104 Rows D & E, which were the best seats I've had so far for a Coldplay concert. The left stage was right in front of us. I would have taken more nice shots if there weren't a bunch of kids high on E acting nuts in front of me and if I put the camera on a more appropriate setting. Like they need to make a "concert" mode for the camera.
I thought the concert was comparable to other Coldplay concerts I've been to, Hartford is my sixth time. Though I did enjoy the last concert tour a lot more. Hard to pick my favorite song of the night, I did pretty much freak out when Chris and Will came over towards my side. Too bad the other band members didn't come over, they do the right side a lot more. It was all good. Chris sounded sick during "Hardest Part," don't know if I'm the only one who thought that. The techno version of "GPASUYF" was unexpected and pretty cool. I thought that whole Bill O'Reilly thing was stupid and unnecessary, though I hate his guts too.
Santogold was fine, her dancers ruined the whole set. Everyone just knocked on them. I think I saw Santogold outside her bus after the show, but no one even walked up to her.
[halokiti]
well the show was amazing.. i was lucky enough to have the seats in the row in front of the lil stage where they do their acoustic set in the crowd...I got Chris's guitar pick n he droped his harmonica on the floor and the security guard at the xl center was me n told me to grab it n to quote her "keep it. it was his lost n ur find", but i felt bad about taking it so i gave it back to the roadies as they were packing up..the highlight was when i talked to chris after the scientist n ask him to play Amsterdam where he responded " i dont remember how to play it" then he said something to the crowd about it but it was muffled so i didn't catch it. this was the 3rd time ive seen them n without a doubt the best
[mrlucrative]
First off, i was disappointed that we didn't get a few more songs, but i don't think it's fair to say there was no encore. They way i look at it, everything after Scientist was an encore, we just didn't get a 2nd encore. I was fully prepared for that after reading the thread on the last Toronto show, so i can't complain. Also, i didn't interpret the early ending of Hardest Part and Chris' comments the way that some others seemed to. I just thought he got bored with it and/or didn't like the way it was going in his mind and moved on. I didn't take it as a slap at the crowd for being disinterested (and he apparently did the same thing in DC last night). I really love the way the new songs come off live, so i didn't mind not hearing some of their earlier hits in the slightest. I thought it was an amazing show and i keep thinking back to all of the great moments. Nothing quite like when a band and the crowd are connected and practically playing the song together (Viva, Yellow, etc.). The ticket said no cameras, but i knew we were close to the side stage so i brought in a crappy disposable in case the security was feeling obnoxious. At least i got a few fuzzy mementos for my g/f to remember her first Coldplay show by
[BuckleThis]
Media Reviews
Review: Coldplay in Hartford
Chris Martin grew up hearing a lot of hymns, and it's a musical influence that shows through particularly clearly when his band Coldplay performs in concert.
Like the church songs of Martin's devout upbringing, Coldplay's music is often stately and solemn, with an uplifting undercurrent meant to inspire. It's grown more pronounced with each of the band's four albums, and it was evident in the soaring sing-alongs throughout the English quartet's performance Saturday at XL Center in Hartford.
That's not all that was evident: Coldplay has evolved into a fully capable arena-rock band, in the very best sense. Songs that sound insipid or even pretentious on the band's albums became epic on stage: the stinging guitar riff that elevated "Fix You" into an anthem, for example, or the grinding organ underpinning "Lost!"
The four musicians have grown as performers, too, exchanging the slightly mopey, if intense, air that accompanied the band's early shows for an energetic, commanding stage presence.
Martin was constantly in motion, bouncing along to the beat and swinging his arms over his head when he wasn't strumming away on a battered acoustic guitar on "Violet Hill" or gliding through melodies on a small upright piano on "Clocks," both of which came early in the 90-minute set.
Later, Martin and his band mates clustered around a few microphones on a runway into the crowd at stage left, creating a pulsing wall of guitar on "Chinese Sleep Chant" as lasers wove patterns on the ceiling.
All it took was the opening notes of "In My Place" for cheers to nearly drown out the music, and Martin knew better than to vie with the crowd on "Yellow" -- he simply turned his microphone to the audience so the crowd could sing.
The band ended its main set by running to the back corner of the arena to perform a pair of acoustic songs among the crowd, which helped sing the first, "The Scientist." Drummer Will Champion sang the other, the hopeful, folky song "Death Will Never Conquer," while Martin played harmonica.
After a clip of Fox News commentator referring to Martin as a "pinhead," the band returned for an encore that started, appropriately enough, with pounding drums and glaring lights on "Politik." On the next song, the lilting "Lovers in Japan," butterfly-shaped confetti came pouring down from blowers up in the rafters.
New York singer, musician and producer Santogold played before Coldplay, and dreadful sound problems marred her 30-minute set: The guitarist and backing singers were inaudible for the first half, and the bass was occasionally overpowering.
Still, glimmers of the Wesleyan alumna's brilliance showed through on the bombastic electro-clash kiss-off "Shove It" and the laid-back new-wave inflection of "I'm a Lady." (She also brought the same backing singers/dancers she had with her at SXSW in Austin. Read about them here.)
Bethany singer Amanda Kaletsky opened the show.
http://blogs.courant.com/eric_danton...-hartford.html
Coldplay has hot night
HARTFORD - Whether playing center stage, playing on the two side ramps that stretched into the crowd or playing a mini-acoustic set way in the back of the arena, Coldplay lived up to all the hype it's been getting these days and totally conquered the capacity crowd Saturday night at the XL Center.
The band offered plenty of dazzling eye candy throughout its 90-minute performance, from laser lights and floating video globes to showers of confetti butterflies, which all added to the aura.
Ultimately, though, it was the music that proved most captivating and which could have held up on its own even without all the glitz and effects.
Charismatic lead singer Chris Martin, guitarist Johnny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion are on the road, riding the wave of their chart-topping album "Viva La Vida," which sold in excess of 720,000 copies in the first week after its release in June. It debuted at No. 1 in 36 countries.
Those numbers alone provide ample evidence as to why The British quartet is arguably the biggest band in the world at the moment.
But popularity is typically accompanied by intense scrutiny, haters and cynics, and Coldplay has endured its share of detractors during the past several years. But it's safe to say that few were in attendance Saturday as the band went overboard in reaching out to its devoted fans.
Dressed in militaristic garb, the group opened with the march-like instrumental "Life in Technicolor," before a dynamic "Violet Hill," and then the propulsive "Clocks," which rode on Martin's irresistible piano riff.
The singer split his time between guitar and piano throughout the night, turning in a passionate vocal on "In My Place," while the crowd sang along. The intensity built with a roaring rendition of "Viva La Vida," which featured Champion on timpani, but the pacing proved briefly problematic as one of the night's few disappointments followed in Martin's lower octave Eastern-tinged "Yes."
Intricate and lyrically intriguing, "42," featured the sweat-drenched Martin at his best, singing with passion, before the beautifully melodic "Fix You," which also showcased some outstanding work from guitarist Buckland.
After "Strawberry Swing," the four hurried to the end of the ramp on the right side of the stage for two songs, drawing shrieks from the crowd, especially during "God Put a Smile Upon our Face."
Back on the main stage, Martin showed his unpredictable side when he stopped the relatively obscure "The Hardest Part," rather suddenly.
"I don't think that's a big enough hit to play on a Saturday night in Hartford," he said to laughter from the crowd, before leading the band into its breakthrough single "Yellow," which once again found the audience singing loudly against the surging rhythm.
After "Lost!" they retreated to play briefly in the far corner in the back of the XL Center, spinning through a strong take of "The Scientist," off of 2002's "A Rush of Blood to the Head," and the rarity "Death Will Never Conquer," which featured Champion on lead vocals.
A brief interlude followed and with Coldplay back center stage they turned up the energy and brought the concert to a powerful climax with highlights that included a drum-pounding "Politik," "Lovers in Japan," which featured the shower of confetti, and a rockin' finale "Death and All His Friends."
The night featured two opening acts, hip-hop, electronica soul collective Santogold and radio station contest winner Amanda Kaletsky. The latter was especially well received by the crowd during a five-song outing sparked by her finale "Please Forgive Me."
http://www.masslive.com/entertainmen...980.xml&coll=1
Dissatisfied Coldplay fans gripped by sense of entitlement
The issue of fan entitlement has come up before, but people crabbing about Coldplay's performance last weekend in Hartford suggests it's time for a refresher.
Some Coldplay adherent are unhappy with just about everything the band did -- or didn't do -- at XL Center last Saturday night: The group didn't play long enough, no one apologized for changing the date of the show from July to August, they didn't finish playing the last 18 seconds of "Hardest Part," they charged too much, they didn't play a proper encore by some standards.
There's an easy solution to all of that: Stay home.
At home, you have total control. You can create your perfect set list on iTunes and listen to it wherever you go on your mp3 player and not pay $8 for a beer.
If you buy a concert ticket, though, you have to be willing to surrender control. It's caveat emptor: You pays your money and you takes your chances. Fans who buy concert tickets are not entitled to live renditions of their favorite songs. They're not entitled to 120 minutes of non-stop music. They're not entitled to encores, which have become an empty gesture anyway.
If you pay your money and come away disappointed, well, you are entitled to that -- everyone has a different idea of what makes for a great show. But if you often find yourself disappointed after a concert, why do you keep going to concerts?
http://blogs.courant.com/eric_danton...-fans-gri.html
