Jul 20 2009
Coldplay
It was 106 degrees at the outdoor amphitheater in Wheatland. We were all extremely hot, as it didn’t seem to cool down until 11pm. That didn’t seem to affect the energy of Chris Martin as he ran across the stage, jumped around, and pretended to swim on stage during the “tides that I tried to swim against” portion of “Clocks”. Despite the heat, Guy Berry, Will Champio, and Jonny Buckland joined Chris Martin in an amazing and energetic performance!
When the concert started, everyone in the first section were on their feet. But everyone from the second section and back sat down. I thought maybe this would just be during the first song, but it continued. A few minutes in, I stood up. I paid good money for this seat, but I wasn’t about to sit through a Coldplay concert. Someone behind me yelled for me to sit down, but then the others in my row stood immediately, as though to back me up. Then the next row, and onward, and before the end of that song, the whole section was on their feet, dancing and singing for the rest of the night.
Hello! It’s a concert! It’s Coldplay!
The experience reminded me of this YouTube video from the Sasquatch Music Festival 2009. Though my dancing skills were much more polished than this guy, I applaud his confidence!
I had hoped to hear most of my favorite songs and the band did not disappoint.
Life in Technicolor,Clocks, In My Place, Yellow, Cemetaries of London, 42, Fix You, Strawberry Swing, God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, Talk, The Hardest Part, Postcards from Far Away, Viva La Vida, Lost, Green Eyes, Death Will Never Conquer, Politik, Lovers in Japan, Death and All His Friends, The Scientist, Life in Technicolor II, The Escapist
..and I knew all of the words.
From the huge yellow balloons being bounced around (during “Yellow” of course), to the insane amounts of butterfly confetti, and repeated opportunities for the crowd to sing along, Coldplay did well in engaging the audience. The cellphone-wave was a sight to see. Chris talked to the crowd quite a bit. Before a solo of “The Hardest Part”, he said he would be a (*!*##) nightmare if he did a solo. (He was great, of course. I happened to catch that solo on video.)
The band constantly thanked us for showing up on a Tuesday, in the terrible heat.
We would come on any day, in any weather! But it was insanely hot.
Twice during the concert, the lights dimmed and the band ran up to the crowd, performing in the midst of the audience, to give people in the back a better view. I couldn’t have asked for a better seat, as the first time they moved to the piano set-up on my right. The second time, they performed their acoustic songs just to my left. The crowd went crazy during the acoustic version of “Billie Jean.” And yes, I have that on video too.
Here are a few more pictures from the concert:
The Strawberry Swing video premiered this week on Babelgum. Chris Martin performs as a superhero in chalk-drawn world. I’ve thought of how the video would play out, but I wasn’t expecting a superhero and a giant squirrel. See what you think.
Coldplay’s Fix You video on YouTube, Fix You Live video
The Scientist video
Viva La Vida video
Catch other Coldplay videos on YouTube
Follow Coldplay on Twitter
