Oxfam Tour Blog: 9 September 2009

From WikiColdplay

The ‘last days’ of summer..

Sitting in Goffertpark, Nijmegen. Surrounded by autumnal tinged green trees. It’s a beautiful late summer’s day in The Netherlands. To my right, I can see the big stage star-light VIVA balloons being hoisted up onto lighting towers. Speaker stacks being raised by the riggers. Fork lift trucks keep rumbling past me carrying fencing, cases, portaloos and various other loads, as Goffertpark prepares to host two days of the Coldplay festival.

By my feet are the keys to the little green Oxfam Novib caravan, which is parked in it’s spot for the next few days of campaigning on the ‘Big Promise’ Millenium Development Goals actions. Two volunteers hitch-hiked it this morning to the site from 100km away. It may be small, but tomorrow, it will be a hive of activity as volunteers give Coldplay fans here, the chance to take their action on poverty, and make a promise, to support Health and Education FOR ALL. They will be carrying post-box backpacks, for people to post their promises, and big green hands so they can wave at each other. I hope that all 122’000 people who come to the show the next couple of days, will see us, and thousands of you will take an action.

The red dome-shaped Coldplay stage, being assembled by their tireless crew, now sits proudly in this field - in prime spot to entertain the masses, once the speakers are cranked up. Oxfam’s caravan is also in the prime spot further across the field, to get lots of people talking, speaking out, and raise the volume in the ears of our world leaders, that it’s about time, every child had the chance to go to school.

Last night, Coldplay almost deafened me by walking off stage at the end of their set. The noise people made to cheer them back on stage for an encore was stunning. The football stadiums they are playing on this tour really hold in the sound like a cauldron of noise. It’s quite something. Oxfam France agir-ici volunteers came away from the show beaming. The evening obviously having left it’s mark. Before the concert, they had been busy with the pens and helped hundreds of fans to make their mark on Health and Education For All. When I counted up at the venue, over 1600 people had signed up, but as the last few sheets which came back, that number kept rolling up. Once again, Coldplay fans showed a willingness to be involved and to speak up on Oxfam’s campaigns. This was one of the best shows by far. I left Paris having really enjoyed my stay. It is a beautiful city, with passionate crowds, who cheer for more music, and stand up for change to overcome poverty. Looking forward now to the Netherlands, and Oxfam Novib’s volunteers having similar success here at Goffertpark.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/plusby/the-last-days-of-summer/