Finally, I Saw Coldplay
I have listened too and loved Coldplay for years. I can't say I knew of the band before Parachutes, but who didn't love "Yellow?" It really has been a regret of mine - not attending a show. I really don't regret much in my life so, this is notable. I made it a priority to catch the band on their current tour. Thanks to the fan club, we had some amazing seats.
The show was held at the Tweeter Center in Camden, NJ. It's a decent venue but not great. The main reason behind attending the show here was my tickets. The fan club ran a pre-sale lottery for each show. I was able to purchase tickets in the pre-sale for the Tweeter Center and PNC. I scored GA Pit seats for Camden. So Cool. This became the obvious choice, even with steep ticket prices.
I drove up to Manayunk to met Dave, Rob, Jeff, Sean, and Mark in the late afternoon. I had to grab a few cases of PBR back in Maryland. Silly PA alcohol laws. We only spent a few minutes in Manyunk before loading the cars with tailgating supplies such as beach chairs, soccer ball, frisbee, and a full cooler. The drive acoss the Delaware River was as pleseant as it can be. We found a parking spot near Rob's friends with minimal effort, except when I yelled at the money taker parking attendant high school student person. Ooops.
The parking lot scene was quite to begin with but exploded into a no rules zone. Everyone was keeping to themselves and not disturbing the peace too much so, the police kept themselves at bay. We played some soccer and put a nice dent in the cooler. I heard a lot about Problem Solving's show at Hannastock. The event was deemed a success, and everyone loved the woodstock type atmosphere. Sorry I couldn't make it. We didn't waste too much time in the parking lot. I didn't care about the opener, but I wanted to get into the Pit before the start of Coldplay's set.
You really haven't experienced a large show until you have been upfront. I sound really conceded, but its just the downright truth. A club show has its place, and they are exciting. A certain feel can only come from that type of venue. You can't dupilcate being at the front of 18, 30, or 75 thousand people unless your in the band. Granted, I am not that good a playing the guitar so, I'll take my front row seats as much as possible. Our standing room only seats for this show were Five Feet from the stage. Perfect.
This picture was the best I got with my phone. It poorly shows the light show capacity which was phenominal. It really engaged the audience, but I kept my eye more on the preformers. Thats more fun when your with in spitting range. Lets look at the setlist:
Square One
Politik
Yellow
God put a smile upon your face
Speed of Sound
Low
Hardest Part
Everything's not lost
White Shadows
The Scientist
Til Kingdom Come
Don't Panic
Clocks
Talk
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Swallowed In The Sea
In My Place
Fix You
It has a nice smattering from each album. By the way, X&Y is good. Its all about love. Did someone fall for a movie star last year? Anyway, "Square One" opens the new album and kicks from near the beginning. I think its a superb way to jump into an album and show. I was jumping around like a mad man. I kept on using Herczeg's shoulder's to jump higher. I wonder if you could see me from the lawn. The next two tunes brought favorites for me, "Politik" and "Yellow." Brunt force music meets classic Coldplay can describe those two. They continued to mix old and new. Of course, "Everything's Not Lost" was hightlight for me. I was again jumping like a crazed dog. I guess, I was trying to match Chris Martin's energy. He was all over the stage running at 300% for the entire show. He appeared to even rip his shirt.
"Til Kingdom Come" is another of my favorites from X&Y. At that point in the show, the roadies repositioned the stage to the extreme front and center. Coldplay was Five Feet directly in front of us. Will sat at a large synthesizer while Chris played acoustic guitar. Guy and Jonny stuck to their normal instruments. Only a few lights show and the feeling was very intimate. Awesome. This continued for "Don't Panic" which gave me chills. The abandoned that configuration for the large sound "Clocks" deserved.
The encore was definitely solid. "Swallowed In The Sea" is another love song I can't listen to enough from X&Y. "In My Place" is a staple successful single, but "Fix You" is sick. I assume "Fix You" has the potential to blow up like "Clocks." I'm not sure it has the crossover power to electronica, but the lyrics and build will get your hair on end. It fits into the closer position excellently.
I was happy with the show. The performance was exceptional. The band isn't Jimi Hendrix talented, but they don't lack in emotion. The songs are straight forward and enjoyable. I'd like to see them perform a few more times. I know the upfront and personal vantage point skews my opinion, but maybe not? No matter, the show was fantastic. My high regard for the band is unchanged if not increased.
After being lost for a few mintues, we rendezvoused back in the parking lot. I'm glad we misplaced the car because; I ran into Ricky. I turned around and just saw him walking with a cute little girl. Funny, he hasn't changed. He is back in Philadelphia, and we need to chill sooner then later. Mark drove us back to Manyunk, and we stopped in their second home - The Bayou. Chicken fingers and beers finished the night. How else can you close down the weekend?
Here are some pictures I found on Coldplay's message board. Someone else took them from the Pit.
