Oxfam America Tour Blog: 13 November 2008

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Inspiration.

Destination Kansas City. We rolled up at the Sprint Center, Kansas City today. Some of these arenas have quite grand and strange designs. This one struck me that if you shone some flashlights on it, it would become a crystal ball. At the moment though, it just looks a bit like a glittering fruit bowl you might find in a certain Swedish megastore..

It was another mammoth drive yesterday. I sympathise for the truck and bus drivers when we do long-hauls like that. It’s an incredible country to tour. You drive for as long as it would take to cross the whole of some large countries, just to get to the next city. Weird when you start to see 7 or 8 hours as a ’short drive’.

Today we are on the first of 2 in a row. We have 9 more shows out here before we tread back across the pond. Strange to think that Coldplay have only done one show so far in their home country.. When we have done over 50 already this year.

Back in Atlanta, we had a great night with Oxfam. The volunteer group really stuck together and worked as a team. All of them seeming over the moon to be helping Oxfam and eagerly anticipating their free Coldplay show. They all got the chance to see Chris Martin perform ‘Green Eyes’ for the first time in the whole tour. A good treat for their efforts. I think there is a chance of some more set changes soon with the release of ‘Prospekts March’.

So what inspires us to get involved? Coldplay have certainly inspired thousands, possibly millions of people to get involved with Oxfam’s work to overcome poverty. I wonder how many more bars of Fairtrade chocolate have been eaten, since the start of the Make Trade Fair Campaign. How many people have switched to Fairtrade coffee. How many people have helped train a teacher through an Oxfam Unwrapped gift.

I have been inspired by all sorts of things. Seeing people come together to call for change. Listening to Eddie Izzard narrate a recycling advert. Adding my face to the Control Arms ‘Million Faces’ petition. Seeing over 101’000 people at UK festivals in 2007, sign up to an Oxfam campaign to combat Climate Change. Running marathons surrounded by people raising money for charity by running 26.2 miles. Listening to family and friends debating presidential candidates. Working in rural Madagascar, to help build school benches and collecting drinking water from rivers. Whatever inspires us, whether it be a symbol on a piano on a Coldplay stage, seeing an advert on TV, talking to a relative, joining a petition online, speaking to an Oxfam campaigner.. Small actions change lives. Be moved. Be involved. Because you’ve got power, and it’s time for justice.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=104