19 July 2008: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA

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MGM Grand

1 Setlist
2 Photos
3 Fan Reviews
4 Media Reviews
5 Videos

Setlist

Photos

Photos from this show can be found at Coldplaying.com in the Gallery thread for Las Vegas. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1508

Fan Reviews

All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.

There wasn't anything that incredibly different about this show from the previous ones. Chris made some Vegas references. Said Lost! wasn't supposed to be gambling advice. Sang Green Eyes better than the album, I thought. Wonderful performance that. Viva La Vida was way better live than I was lead to believe on television. Uhm, the Bill O'Reilly thing was funny. Guy was on the casino floor taking pictures during the day. No one really seems to notice him all that much. Chinese Sleep Chant was pretty cool with the lasers and stuff.

What I was most impressed with was that they were able to fire up a (mostly) Vegas crowd. Crowds here are usually pretty shit.

[solarboy]

It was packed to the brim, even during the opening act which was kind of a cool act. After Viva la Vida finished the crowd started singing the oh-oh-oh-ahhh's from the song. It was surprisingly on key which prompted Chris to sing "I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing, Roman calvary choirs are singing". I kind of agree with solarboy's statement on Vegas crowds being hard to impress but c'mon now, let's not make blanket statements. The crowd was into it because there were true fans. I've been to every CP show here since they played the Hard Rock and every show here is high energy. CP fans are appreciative.

Strawberry Swing was pretty cool. I was hoping the guitar would have some delay effects. Maybe that was an error, not sure.

Lost! was well executed. I dig CM's dance moves during it.

In My Place got everyone going. CM and JB had this back and forth on the left catwalk which was very telling of their relationship.

My sister and I knew about the two songs at the back of the arena (thanks to this website!!) so we hung outside the exit and got video of them all leaving to get back to the front. Personally I think it's really gutsy of them walking through the audience to get to the back. Somebody's going to maul CM one of these shows.

I forgot how much I like The Scientist. Simple but brilliant song.

The butterflies during Lovers in Japan were a good choice. That will be a solid single.

42 is such a tight song and it translated well in the live setting. People actually sang along with the opening lyrics. I thought it was one of their more obscure songs.

Fix You followed up with Death AAHF is an emotional overload. Two triumphant finales right in a row I'll admit brought a tear to my eye. I wasn't the only one either.

One cool thing about last night was the demographic of concert goers. I saw young and old alike and the far majority dressed well and well mannered. Upon walking out of the arena, it was wall to wall people. What helped was that there were no sloppy drunks or jerks pushing there way through. Just a ton of decent people waiting their turn with patience to get out. It was trying because at many times it was at a standstill and the temperature was rising.

[Makeli]

I went and I thought it was a great show! The only thing I would have loved to hear another slow song like Amsterdam but that isn't a complaint.

Chris also did seem very tired, both my husband and I thought so. I can see why though after the non-stop schedule. He forgot like a line to one of the songs (I honestly cannot remember which one right now) an he said "Wow, that was really embarrassing!"

I loved hearing Green Eyes and Death Will Never Conquer.....will has a spectacular voice, who would have thought....!

[Pommes]

I gave a 6.5/10. It was a good Coldplay concert, I am satisfied with my evening. Was it a great Coldplay concert? No, I can't say it was for me! But I have seen Coldplay headline Glastonbury and other memorable gigs in Australia, Italy, UK and US. So given past experience, this ranked as good. I mean everything was there, nice set-list, light show, stage, effects but it just felt like coldplay by numbers, the check list was ticked but inspiration lacked, though there was perspiration. I went to LA on Monday and thought that was a better performance.

I thought the sound was off early in the set-Chris was trying to sort out the vocals with his tech. But the first two to three songs his vocals were off due to technical problems-which got fixed. But generally, I thought he sounded and looked tired-far less chatty than he usually is. It is a personal opinion but I think they should cut back on their touring/promoting schedules. They really do overload themselves and the effects of just one week of touring showed. I just got a general impression that this could be their last world tour for a long time! I can't explain it, but it was like watching 'the verve' before they split-up. There was some unexplainable strained tension to the performance. Maybe it is some cabin fever. Hopefully they can rest and relax!! But the highlights were the new material and some interesting mix-ups of older songs. It is nice how they actually use the arena and perform thru it. I can't really name a stand out moment song, I have 3 or 4! So all in all it was very good by most standards-just a good by coldplays much higher standards. Was it worth $100? Yeah, for front row seats next to the stage it was well worth it!

[tigermilk]

I am still getting over the high from last night. I swear I had butterflies in my stomach right before the concert started. You would think I was going to perform with my anxiety. We played some roulette right before the concert started and some of the crew were playing at the same table. Some of the guys were hott! Everyone around the casino was talking about the band and the casino played their music all night.

I didn't really care for the opening bands much. Right before Coldplay came out I saw Deryck from Sum 41 walking around the arena floor looking for where his seats were going to be. I didn't realize who he was until Coldplay came on and I saw him with Avril. Avril was trying to be incognito with a black hoodie on....they are both soooooo skinny and little. Avril looked bored during the gig but Deryck was into it a little while he wasn't on his phone. The entire venue was booked and the crowd around me were ok but didn't really know all the new songs.

Life In Technicolor (intro)-I think its a fabulous opener and really got the crowd going but to me their is nothing like politik as an opener.

Violet Hill-This song isn't one of my faves from the album and their are soooo many lyrics but I still loved it live.

Clocks-Amazing In My Place-Chris was singing this right in front of us and this girl on the arena floor wasn't looking at him so he reached down and touched her hair. Viva La Vida-I honestly think Chris has never sounded better on this track. I had goosebumps from the opening lyrics. The crowd was really into and continued to sing even after it was over. Yes-My fav song off the album and it sounded amazing live. 42-My other fav off the album. The Scientist-This song was amazing and everyone sang along. Strawberry Swing-A lot of people didn't know this one but it sounded soooo great live and Chris was really into it and I can tell he loves this song. Chinese Sleep Chant-It was great to hear Guy! God Put A Smile Upon Your Face-At first I didn't know what song it was but when I realized it I was stunned. This song has always been amazing to me and it sounds like a totally different song no. Speed Of Sound-great Yellow-Chris always reminds us that this song made them famous. Lost!-loved it Green Eyes-Chris sang it with such a beautiful softness and it was funny because when they were trying to all get together and play this old lady was right next to them and it looked she didn't want to move. Death Will Never Conquer-Chris said will had a voice like an angel and talked about the Killers being so great. Politik-Chris was banging the hell out of the piano and his voice was amazing. He incorporated Avrils name and Derycks into the lyrics. Lovers In Japan-loved every minute of it Fix You-This song has sentimental value for me and always makes me cry like a baby. Death And All His Friends-amazing The Escapist (outro)-amazing

This being the ninth time I have seem them live I am always shocked with how much they always surprise me. The first time I saw them back in 2000 or 2001 doesn't even compare to where they are now. I love the band and where they are taking their music but I think that the setlist should be longer and they need to play more b-sides. Chris dances around a lot and sometimes I think he looks insane. Something was wrong with the beginnings of th first three or four songs I think. They only played one song from the first album? and one song from x and y? Of course I want to hear the new songs but really I feel that the fans want to hear a lot of the old ones. I would love to hear Shiver, Spies, Life is for living, Amsterdam, What if, White Shadows, Warning sign, We Never change, and all the b-sides. I loved the butterflies during the gig and I look forward to seeing them again in November in Dallas!

[~Melissa~]

In my opinion, Coldplay began touring its new album too early. Don't get me wrong, I respect the band's decision to perform so many songs from its new album. And I'm not necessarily expecting a "perfect" performance every outing. (In fact, Coldplay's humility is one trait that really draws me to the band.) But during so many points throughout the Las Vegas concert, vocals were completely drowned out by instruments, feedback distorted entire songs, lyrics were missed (how do you forget lyrics to Speed of Sound when you've performed it every night for the past week and throughout a previous tour). I'm not questioning the guys' passion or talent for one second, but the live performance didn't do Coldplay justice. I'm not sure whether this was the same crew that's been with the band on past tours, but the production side of the evening was reflective of a mid-level band. Don't get me wrong, the butterfly confetti during Lovers in Japan, singing two songs from the upper deck, the giant circular video screens- these were all nice touches. (And some of the new songs, especially Lovers in Japan and Death and All His Friends, are quickly becoming some of my all-time favorites.) But if Las Vegas' show was representative of the other four shows performed so far in the tour, then something's not quite right with this show, from an overall production standpoint. Does anyone on the website agree with me, or did I just completely miss it last night?

[gretchen1619]

I'm glad you noticed.... I remember hearing people in the audience at the end saying, "OMG, it was SO incredible/awesome/great, etc....And i was like

I went to their 2nd show at the Forum in LA and it was really really good... which is why I shelled out over $120 for a pretty good lower seat and drove all the way to Vegas. (and got into a little fender bender on the way and had to sit in the hot sun for over an hour waiting for the hwy patrol...... but I digress..)

All I could remember thinking throughout more than 1/2 of the concert was "Chris Martin is gonna pass out on stage out of either exhaustion or drunkedness" I wasn't sure... and it also looked as if he was losing his voice (but now I understand it might've been an audio problem). I know that there were more than 3 songs that Chris messed up the lyrics (Strawberry Swing, Speed of Sound...etc.. ) I was actually nervous that they would actually cancel the concert. I can't remember the song, but it was the one right before "The Scientist" where it looked like Chris didn't wanna sing the last part b/c he was SO exhausted and ran over to the piano while struggling to take off his jacket and slowed it down a bit.... it was kinda....awkward?.. This show was definitely not representative of their 2nd show in LA at least, b/c that was an outstanding performance. In the LA show, Chris was full of energy, was animated, his singing was top notch-he literally did not skip a beat...and the list goes on. But again, my only real conclusion was that the boys were in vegas and they got a little tipsy gambling. (hopefully...) Otherwise, if they're burnt out this early, it's not a good sign for the upcoming concerts.

My other rant was about the majority of the audience. Though there were some good points to the audience (VLV-Ooooh-ing), but overall, the audience sucked. I'm sorry to say, but most were just standing there. Two guys left before the encore and the girl behind me was drunk and annoying. Plus the people up in the very front were disappointing as well....I didn't see much craziness going on up there. It looked as if they were more excited to actually make it up there then they appeared during the concert! I really think the band feeds off the audience...which may explain a few things.

Oh well. I did enjoy my time there. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else but experiencing Coldplay that night. Whatever the problem was, I hope it's fixed, whether it's much needed rest, technical problems, whatever.... I'm confident as the tour progresses, things will only get better

[yay_me]

Media Reviews

CONCERT REVIEW: Coldplay rocks packed arena

He looked like a muscle spasm incarnate, a drunken ballerina, twitching, trembling, leaping, lunging, posing and pinwheeling about the stage, as if his flesh were a prison he was trying to escape from.

Through it all, he smiled like the cat who not only ate the canary, but devoured most of its kin as well.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is not prone to small gestures -- he's the kind of guy who favors bear hugs over handshakes, wet kisses over dry eyes -- and his band follows suit: their tunes spin on an axis of melodrama and emotional extravagance, with even their quietest moments tending to build toward something grand and deafening.

As such, they're an ideal arena rock band in an age where increasingly few contemporary acts sound at home in large halls.

But as they demonstrated at a packed MGM Grand Garden on Saturday night, this bunch is skilled at making big rooms feel small.

Part of it is logistics: The band's fond of hurling themselves at the crowd, and at times, they play within arms reach of their adoring fanbase.

Midway through the show on Saturday, the group decamped to a small, illuminated platform on the arena floor, and, huddled together in one another's armpits, they deconstructed a pair of tunes with electronic drums and an enveloping, melodic drone.

Later on in the show, the foursome marched through the crowd to the rafters in the back of the venue, where they played spare, acoustic versions of "Green Eyes" and "Death Will Never Conquer," the latter sung by drummer Will Champion (how's that for a name?).

Proximity aside, the main reason Coldplay seems tailored for cavernous spaces is the songs themselves: they sound as if they were written with stadiums in mind, and indeed, they elicited some soccer-style chants from the raucous, rabid crowd throughout the show.

Plus, Coldplay puts the hammer down on the majority of its catalog live, hence a song like the band's breakout hit, the contemplative, understated ballad "Yellow," grows fangs on stage with the band turning it into a lusty sing-along complete with crashing drums and lots of fists in the air.

During its 90-minute set at the MGM Grand, Coldplay played almost all of its latest album, the dense, searching "Viva La Vida," and rightfully so: it's the band's trickiest, most hard-to-pin down effort, an album that veers from textured soundscapes to exultant art rock.

Moody, dark-hued rocker "Yes" blossomed like a black rose on stage, with Jonny Buckland's guitar ricocheting through the song in haunting arcs, "42" morphed from a porcelain-delicate ballad to a climactic rocker while an organ-fired "Lost!" got the crowd clapping along with hands over their heads.

The band matched its sonic ostentation visually, with a half-dozen large projection globes dangling from the rafters, pistoning up and down.

And during a triumphant-sounding "Lovers in Japan," an ocean of multicolored papier-mâché butterflies rained down from above, marking the crowd feel as if they were caught in the midst of a ticker tape parade.

And in a way they were.

The show felt like an extended victory lap for a band at the peak of its powers, a big, sweaty (and deserving) high-five to the ego.

"I'm just waitin' for the shine to wear off," Martin sang at one point, and if this night was any indication, he'll be waiting a little while longer.

Jason Bracelin

http://www.lvrj.com/news/25677599.html

Coldplay open world tour

Coldplay kicked-off their "Viva La Vida" world tour with a show in Los Angeles last night.

Chris Martin and co worked their way through a career-spanning, 20-song, 90-minute set at the Forum venue.

The band unveiled a series of innovative stage pyrotechnics for the US crowd, including floating video globes and flashing laser beams.

During the show, singer Martin told fans: "This is the first night of our tour since we became the new version of our band.

"We thought where better to kick it off than our home away from home, Los Angeles. It's where we started here in America, but we'll probably end in Vegas."

Coldplay's set was mainly drawn from new album, "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends", opening up with "Life In Technicolour" and into "Violet Hill".

They also mined their back catalogue on the likes of "Clocks", "In My Place", "The Scientist", "Trouble" and "Yellow".

The band's set-list was as follows:

"Life In Technicolor" "Violet Hill" "Clocks" "In My Place" "Viva La Vida" "42" "Yes" "The Scientist" "Chinese Sleep Chant" "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" "Square One" "Speed of Sound" "Trouble" "Lost!" "Strawberry Swing" "Yellow" "Death Will Never Conquer" "Fix You" "Lovers In Japan" "Death and All His Friends" "The Escapist"

Coldplay are due to play the second of two sold-out shows at the venue tonight.

http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna/article.html?a=/080716/340/i3a28.html&e=l_news_dm

Coldplay Las Vegas Concert a Success

The crowds are singing, the lights are dimmed, guitar riffs can be heard from miles away... That is how I would describe Coldplay's July 19 concert at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

The concert started out with a local hip-hop new age artist performing some drum beats with an accompanying animation. Overall, the crowd enjoyed it, but were patiently awaiting Coldplay. Next, ten minutes later, a band came out with a vocalist, guitar, bass violin, piano, and tambourine. I believe they introduced themselves as "Shoewater". They travel with Coldplay on their tour. Shoewater played a type of folk rock music. The crowd cheered, but were beginning to become impatient.

Soon, Coldplay came out with the melodic "Life in Technicolor" from their new album "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends". Everything after that was history. Coldplay dazzled the crowd with loud yet soothing guitar riffs and laser light shows during "Clocks" and the "Chinese Sleep Chant". Crowds screamed when Coldplay performed two songs in the crowd, including a song sung by drummer, Will Champion. When Coldplay exited through the normal crowd exit, prior to their first encore, hordes of fans could be seen rushing through the exit to see the band before they returned backstage.

After a funny video clip of Bill O'Reilly accusing singer, Chris Martin, of plagiarizing the song "Talk", Coldplay came out with a few more tunes including "Yellow" and "Strawberry Swing". Finally after two hours of fun and excitement with Coldplay, the band came back for one last song "Death and All His Friends". Fans were sad when Coldplay left for the final time, but we're deeply satisfied with their performance. The concert went off without a hitch, except for Chris Martin forgetting the third verse of "Speed of Sound" for a brief moment. No one seemed to notice except Martin who then said "Gosh, that was embarrassing."

The concert was great, the stage was amazing, the effects such as the confetti during "Lovers in Japan" dazzled the crowd, and fans left with an even deeper love for Coldplay than before.

http://www.informativepost.com/2008/...ccess-1410.htm