2 March 2006: MCI Center, Washington, DC
From WikiColdplay
Setlist
- Square One
- Politik
- Yellow
- Speed Of Sound
- God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
- X&Y
- How You See The World
- Don't Panic
- White Shadows
- The Scientist
- Til Kingdom Come
- Ring Of Fire
- Trouble
- Clocks
- Talk
Encore - Swallowed In The Sea
- In My Place
- Fix You
Reviews
The view from Section 107, Row S wasn't too bad. Actually, for free tickets, it was great. What sitting at a slightly elevated fifty yards away from the stage where Coldplay's intoxicating light show inebriates fans affords a non-paying attendee is the opportunity to digest what Coldplay has become. Roughly six years ago, Coldplay was nothing but a skinny, rain soaked twenty-four year-old trekking down a gray-skied beach singing into a camera about how the stars are yellow. Now, ostensibly, they're one of the most popular arena-filling bands around. So ubiquitous, in fact, that it seems to have taken a toll on their originality and evaporated whatever remaining spontaneity a band of such notoriety can retain. Comparing last night's show in Washington, D.C. with that of those recently reviewed, what becomes clear is that concert goers could have merely turned on Coldplay's newest album, X & Y, and read a review while the CD spun (or the iPod did whatever it does) and saved themselves upwards of $80. In others words, simple research provides a one word description of Coldplay's current tour: scripted.
The obtrusive, on stage stop-watch that counted down the ten or so seconds until the band ripped into "Square One" like in Seattle? How about the Texas-sized yellow balloons filled with gold confetti descending upon the audience during the song "Yellow" like in Houston? And frontman Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland seeming to randomly lay prostrate on the stage towards the end of "X&Y", alluding to some homo-erotic connection between the two as they did in Denver? What about Martin demanding the crowd give a shout out to Buckland for his vocals on "Don't Panic", like in Oklahoma City? Check, check, check.and check (and don't forget the handwriting on the wall, literally). So much for changing things up a bit. It wouldn't come as too much of a surprise if Coldplay decided to take a post-tour hiatus as aresult of the side-effects of complacency.
What this type of show does is alienate the fans who have followed the once unknown band with its ambiguous name from its inception. And a repetitive set list combined with contrived stage antics and the same gimmicks falling from the rafters that were part of every concert thus far removes the chance of fans attaining any level of intimacy that is so often a goal of bands.
An easy counter-argument to this logic is that when a tour is embarked upon, much less an eighteen month behemoth that is the Coldplay tour, it is dramatically complicated to deviate from a set performance when jumping from one arena to another in barely forty-eight hours. Agreed, but that should play into the band's decision of what scale venues to play. If not for the fans, then for the sake of not burning out from playing the same eighteen tracks night in and night out, and not too mention to prevent the band's sanity from eroding.
However, what shouldn't be ignored by those with a disdainful view of Coldplay's arena rock is how good the band plays together and what high quality sound techs they've scouted out and drafted to join them on the Twisted Logic tour. The audio levels are set to accentuate Martin's constantly fluctuating voice while giving the rest of the band room to display their musical prowess. Each instrument blends with the others with an absence of rigidity and avoids hindering the articulacy of the lead and backing vocals. Whether a song's intro originates from Martin's piano, Buckland's guitars, Guy Berryman's bass, or Will Champion's drum kit, its accompaniment chimes in right on cue with unfettered grace- the most telling component of a band that's played together as many times as Coldplay. Pinpointing one song that transcended the rest in demonstrating the band's cohesion is about as effective as determining when Chris Martin stopped being a musician and became a consummate rock star (.it can't be done, though "The Scientist" came close).
Complimenting Coldplay's elastic love songs was Fiona Apple's 45-minute opening set. Comprised of three piano players- herself included- a drummer and a bassist, Apple's fruits were eclectic and she succeeded at exposing 10,000 simple rock fans to jazz and blues influenced rhythms that contained sections most non-musicians could tap their feet to. What falls on both acts' heads, although, is the decision to put a performer of Apple's style in such a large setting. Starting promptly at 7:59 before the majority of the crowd had arrived, much of Apple & Co.'s set was lost amid the hum of fans being ushered to their seats, more immersed in conversations about the exorbitant cost of domestic beers and $40 concert t-shirts than in the live music of a musician resuscitating her career. Apple's piano driven, power chord-less funk is too timid to be placed in the suffocating confines of a professional sports arena's unfriendly acoustics. Throw her in D.C.'s famed 9:30 Club or Philadelphia's TLA, where her distinctive sound and playing style can resonate with clarity, and Apple's true talents will be greater appreciated- her lyricism especially, which was a non-factor in last night's performance due to indiscernible audio. If anything, what her stint as Coldplay's opening act has done is given Apple a great opportunity to bring her fresh jams to those who otherwise might not have been interested, providing her with a vital starting point to launch her own, smaller scale headline tour.
Ultimately, these two promising acts proved to be unimpressive for a host of reasons just as they are to be applauded for others (i.e.- unimaginative stage show, but songs played flawlessly). What may have begun as Coldplay's expression of originality has gone by the way of monotony because they failed to mix it up- falling balloons and steadfast set lists can quickly loose their panache when being offered to as many fans that have accepted it. Fiona Apple has a blatant soulful side and her brand of peculiar pop music makes for easy consumption by those who tend to steer clear of the musical trends defined by the mainstream. Coldplay and Fiona Apple are worth listening to and are easily appreciated, even if they're not worth the price of admission. What really happened at MCI Center last night was that some good music was served under-cooked and over-priced to a willfully paying, less than critical audience.
[Thanks Jeff DiNunzio]
My wife and I attended the Coldplay concert here in Washington DC at the MCI Center last night, March 2nd (Chris Martin's Birthday). The set and set up were the same as has been remarked elsewhere of this tour.
We noticed a few things in particular. First, we guessed that although 95% of the audience was caucasian, it included people from age 10 to 70 - an incredibly diverse age group. Saying that, I think most of us would have preferred that the volume to have been a bit lower. The vocals, for example, were amplified so loudly that you could not understand the words. Maybe that sells to teens, but not to 30 plus-somethings. Also, Chris himself admitted that he sounded crappy because he had been out the night before drinking tequila! Thanks, Chris!
By the time they got to Clocks, he had warmed up enough to sound pretty good the second half of the concert. The bass also needed to be toned down a notch. Overall, the sound mixing was the only real weakness of the show and we had a great time.
[Thanks Ted]
Here’s the story behind the “Happy Birthday Chris” signs...
WOW WOW! Well my little plan worked and boy did it! I am so excited that it turned out great! I was worried that I wouldn’t be let in to the MCI Center with my 600 signs. But security didn’t even flinch when they saw the 600 signs in my purse.. So, we get there as Fiona was into her set so I didn’t have the chance to pass out the signs beforehand but knew I could pass them out in between acts. So “looney” Fiona finishes and Me and my friend Julie jump up and say “ok, let’s roll”. So I walk to the front of section 1 and found Lauren (thanks so much lauren!!) and her signs to pass out in the front of secton 1. Me and Julie split up (me with my 600 and Julie with her 400 signs). Amazingly manage to get most of the floor (first 3 sections plus the first few rows of the other 3 sections behind those). It was fun to pass out the signs.. lots of people came up to me as I was passing them out asking for some. Most people didn’t know it was Chris’s bday (barely casual fans I guess). But everyone was excited about it and asked who’s idea this was and I said: “well, umm me”. Lot’s of people thought I was with the band (hahaha). Some people were saying who is chris?…joking around of course which gave me a good laugh! The people were very enthusiastic about the signs and that made me feel good. So, ok I have few left so I walk toward the front to the section off the stage (121 or 119) and as I am walking I see what maybe a stage manager or somebody like that (he had is badge around his neck) and I say here, have a sign… and he was yeah, I see you folks passing out signs (he had a big smile on his face).. Ok, all signs passed out just in time..phew!
Great show! The guys were having fun up there.
A couple of people held up the signs early on in the show and Chris acknowledged the sign by saying”I appreciate the sign man” something to that effect. Fast forward to the encore (this is where I told people to hold up the signs), everyone started to hold up the signs just right before they came on and into the song, Swallowed in the Sea. And it was dark!…rut roh Chris is not going to be able to see the signs! But people continued to hold up the signs throughout the song and into the next which was mindblowing. Next song was In my Place so the lights came on and everyone (I mean EVERYONE) held up their signs….it was jawdropping! Within a few seconds Chris saw them and bowed to the audience at least 3 or 4 times! He was quite moved I think. At some point in the song he changed a verse to something to the effect: “I turned 29 today…” I can’t remember the whole thing. So if anyone who was there remembers can you post! But what was so cool was when the camera shot toward the audience and it was displayed on the big video screen backdrop behind the stage you could see tons of people holding up the signs! I was just jumping up and down screaming.. It was the coolest thing ever! I was so worried it wasn’t going to work out but it SURE DID!!! People continued to hold up the signs through the end, including during Fix You. Next the band was waving goodbye to the audience…so the video screen in the back was displaying it.. next thing I know the camera does a close up of Will (I am positive on this…Will it wasn’t Jonny holding up the sign cuz he had Chris’ hand and was holding it up) and HE IS HOLDING ONE OF MY SIGNS!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!! He just took the sign from someone I guess and held it right up to the camera lens! I THEN SCREAMED AGAIN!! High fiveing my friend Julie!
Way to go everyone who was involved in helping me with this little plan.. Thanks to Julie, Will, and Lauren!!!!!!!!!!!!! Couldn’t of done it without you!
[Thanks DreamOutLoud]
How long before I get in? Before it starts, before I begin? How long before you decide? Before I know what it feels like?
Coldplay. MCI Center. March 2. Yeah, I was there.
Incredible show last night. My buddy Andy and myself secured tickets months ago to see this rock band from the UK, and believe me when I say we were not disappointed.
The set began at 9:30 p.m. with an aggressive version of “Square One,” off their new album “X & Y.” The lighting folks had a numbered countdown scrolling in the background before and during the song, making it that much better. The band followed with “Politik,” from the previous album and a stalwart on past tours.
One of the more interesting songs was “Yellow,” one of the band’s early favorites. Huge yellow balloons fell from the rafters halfway through and when they were broken onstage by leadman Chris Martin, bright golden stars rained down. This, of course, was by design, as a line in the song reads, “Look at the stars, look how they shine for you.”
New single “Speed of Sound” was next, followed by a mix of old and new tunes. One of the best parts of the show was a three-song acoustic set of Johnny Cash pieces the boys performed toward the tail end of the main set. “Til Kingdom Come,” “Ring of Fire,” and “Trouble” definitely took this show to the next level.
The first set closed out with an insane version of “Clocks,” followed by “Talk.” After a five-minute encore break, Martin (rhythm guitar, piano, lead vocals), Johnny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bass), and Will Champion (drums) retook the stage and performed for another 20 minutes. The highlight of the second set came during “In my place” when Martin jumped off the stage, sprinted down the left aisle, and finished singing the song in the middle of screaming fans at the other end of the floor seating area. “Fix You,” a balad from the recent album, finished the show.
Martin’s brilliance on the piano was amazing, and his guitar playing was rhythmic and flowing. Berryman and Champion held the band together on the rhythm side, and Buckland added guitar riffs and fills that brought life to every song.
Having been to numerous (more than 15) Dave Matthews shows, I am used to seeing 2.5-3-hour concerts. Last night’s show was brief (95 minutes including encore break), but lacking excitement it was not. The intricate lighting added character to the band’s aggressive but melodic style, and Martin’s unpredictable onstage antics had audience members asking themselves, “What will he do next?”
This was my first Coldplay show and I assure you that it will not be my last one.
[thanks Jason]
So, 8 days later and I still get the chills every time I hear Chris Martin's voice.
I had amazing seats and could barely sit still through Fiona Apple's set. I am the biggest Coldplay fan. They are no doubt the greatest live performers I've ever heard. They played every song like it was their last. They had amazing special effects including lighting, laser beam things, huge yellow balloons filled with glitter, etc. Along with that, Chris spoke a lot during the show, and he is really funny. This was my first Coldplay concert and I enjoyed it so much, I just purchased 3rd row tickets for their show in Philly! GO SEE THEM, Pay no attention to any bad review. If it cost a million dollars to see them live again, I would spend every penny! AMAZING IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY!
[Thanks Jennifer]
This was my first COldplay concert. I was sitting in section 400 in the very top left side of the MCI Center. The people sitting around me were obviously not big fans. They never stood during the show and threw beer at me as I watched because I stood up. I did not let that dampen the evening though. It was by far the best concert I have ever attended. When Square One began I almost lost control. I have been trying to get to a Coldplay show for several years now and I have finally lost my Coldplay virginity. It was a great evening and the encore was amazing.
To the girl who made the signs, I saw Will Champion holding one of your signs as he walked off stage after Fix You. He was projected on the screen holding it.
[Thanks Adam]
