I'm back to the blog after dying and going to concert heaven an extended vacay. (See attached "Life in Technicolor II" video shot by someone who wasn't sitting on the lawn. I'm still in awe.) Even in my euphoria, I realize that Coldplay might not be everyone's cup of tea. (Thank you, "The 40 Year Old Virgin.") Back in the day, when I saw the band in 2003, they were very polite and piano ballad heavy. But Thursday, those British blokes threw down and showed they can party.
You can read the Twitter feed from Thursday's show to get the gist of things. (I might have suffered a thumb sprain, but it was totally worth it.) Read more on the jump.
Let's get the negative out of the way first. Live Nation sent me a heart-stopping e-mail last week that said the concert was pushed from 8 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Reading the first three lines of said e-mail made me think the show was canceled or something.) After recovering from the panic attack, I realized that the time change would mean I'd be cutting it close to see opener Pete Yorn. I did miss the beginning of his set, but was able to hear the end and he covered "Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order. (Sweet!)
Now onto the main event. The stars were out. Chris Martin's curls were growing back. The crowd was feeling it. (The music more than the beer, I think.) If there was any doubt that Coldplay is the biggest pop/rock band on the planet right now, it was put to bed at the show. The band was definitely in its element and threw in a ton of fun surprises, including butterfly confetti, yellow bouncing balls, some wardrobe changes and even two location changes. (They came up to the lawn to chill for awhile. Check it out.) All the crowd interaction culminated during "Viva La Vida" when Martin let the crowd take over the chorus. (He rated rated us 100 percent. People were still repeating the chant on the way out the gates.) It's hard to think of another band that treats fans so well. Click here to check out the entire setlist.
The fact that I was handed a free live CD "LifeRightLeftRigthLeft" on my way out the door was the cherry on top of a perfect night. Later in the weekend, I even went out to buy the band's recent EP "Prospekts March" ($8.99 at Target). "Glass of Water"= my new favorite song. After all, what are we drinking when we're done?
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