My Coldplay.com - A Coldplay Blog

#42 is watching you

I’ve mused before on the section of the show when the guys head up into the back of the arena for the “acoustic” bit. Although I’ve talked about watching the audience response as they slowly realise what’s going on, I don’t think I’ve mentioned the range of reactions from the folks that are immediately around the band once they’re on the “c-stage” way up in the back of the arena. My little video monitor under the stage shows a tight shot of the four fellas, but I can also see the folks around them and it’s increasingly becoming a highlight of the show for me watching the fans’ every night.

Obviously, the common reaction by folks is to raise their mobile phones and start filming it. Others though, realise that they are in the spotlight and start waving and holding their hands in the air so that everyone can see them and cheer (this is mostly the guys, I have to be honest). Another popular response is like the old “studio audience effect” from TV shows. you see folks looking out of the top of the frame to see if they’re on the big screens and then they start nudging their neighbor and pointing upwards. One of my favourite responses was only a few nights ago when a woman behind the band stood motionless, mouthing the words “Oh. My. GOD.” over and over throughout the duration of both songs. [Read more]

We now find ourselves in Boston, otherwise known as ‘Beantown’. Apparently that is because back in the colonial days, a favourite Boston food, was beans, baked in molasses for several hours. So there you go. You live and learn.

There’s a yellow page in the itinerary book, meaning there is no concert tonight. It was a relatively short trip from New Jersey last night. There was a party kicking off on my bus. Felt like being on a bouncy-castle-boom-box.. another round of ipod wars in the back lounge. A chance to let off steam, for the guys involved with the TV recordings during last week. The night before a well earned day-off is always a late one.

Oxfam America’s office is just down the road from here. Right opposite the TD Banknorth Center, where the show is tomorrow. They have been working hard recruiting volunteers for every show. Especially Soha Yassine, who actually met us at one of the first shows of this tour, in LA. Now she works for Oxfam. That just shows how much this support from Coldplay can mean.

I’m off for a quick run. Getting a bit restless. This time of the evening, i’m usually running around a big arena. See you back in one of those tomorrow. Pete.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/

It’s time for the B-stage. I heard a fan earlier talking about how ‘they do this techno bit on the catwalk’. He must have caught the show before.. but I wouldn’t describe this remix of ‘God Put a Smile’ as ‘techno techno..’ Each to their own.

New Jersey is a lucky place. Like LA, Chicago, Toronto, Paris, Stockholm, Rotterdam.. They all have one thing in common. Two chances to catch the Coldplay show, rather than one. For Oxfam, this gives us a chance for 40 lucky volunteers, rather than the normal 20. It’s a good feel for a Monday night today. Lots of people coming up to find out what we’re up to, at our little booths. Oxfam is up to all sorts, to overcome poverty across the world. Lobbying world leaders at the UN recently for the Control Arms campaign. Oxfam America is still working in the Gulf Coast, following the initial devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Intermon Oxfam, today, took our signatures from the Coldplay shows in Barcelona and Madrid, to the a Signatures Handover in the President’s Palace in Spain. Oxfam Ambassador Miguel Bose talked with the Institutional Director of the government, about Coldplay’s involvement with Oxfam to Make Trade Fair in the world. The signatures have been handed over. Coldplay fans in Spain have used their voice, both to sing Coldplay songs, and to stand up and speak out about poverty.
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He’s Mr Yahoo! 42

Just when it looked like we were going to be settled into a long run of arena shows, out of the left field somewhere comes a theatre show for an internet company! It’s a Yahoo! session and we’re at the Hammerstein Ballroom. It’s a beautiful venue in Manhattan, literally around the corner from Madison Square Garden. It could easily have been a real nightmare trying to shift gears on the touring juggernaut like this. In reality, it’s made very easy for us by the folks who’ve been putting this thing together. Obviously, we’re not putting the arena production in. No balls, no lasers, no screens, just the band’s gear - the Yahoo! folks are taking care of the rest. It’s a simple setting, but it looks very classy.

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COLDPLAY, IZOD CENTER, E Rutherford, NJ. That’s what it says on the white A4 sheet taped to the mirror above my laptop screen. Below that title is a list of phone numbers and times for today’s daysheet. It’s taped to a mirrow in my (borrowed) office. Surrounding the mirror are those big white bulbs, like the ones you would imagine backstage at a Broadway show, or on Bugsy Malone. [Read more]

In which Roadie #42 is too modest to celebrate reaching Blog #42

One by one, the band bound onto the stage for soundcheck in Ottawa. I don’t use the word bound just because it’s easy to type. Ten days of rest has recharged, re-invigorated and positively rebuilt everybody here. Jonny, in particular bounces onto the stage like a boxer entering the ring to claim his title. He’s beaming widely and just as the others, has greetings and bear hugs for the crew sitting on the wings awaiting their arrival. We’ve been through the chaos of “birthing” the tour, we’ve been through the painstaking revisions and re-workings. We’ve had a wonderful, if slightly grueling European run. Now at last, you get the impression that everyone is settled. Problems that at first appeared insurmountable, if not completely solved are at least tamed. Folks who were once strangers are already feeling like old friends. Of course strange people are what a good crew is all about. Here’s a lovely man named Maynard who keeps all the screens, drapes and backdrops rocking from day to day. He’s not at all strange, he’s lovely. He is however, having something of a bad hair day today after wrangling a bunch of fifty foot drapes.

I remember it dawning on me late on in the X&Y tour that for nearly a year, I had spent more time at the edge of the Coldplay stage than I had on the sofa in my own living room. Now don’t get me wrong, there isn’t a single person here who would trade this for the opportunity to be at home amongst their family and loved ones. What I’m saying is that it’s all beginning to feel comfortable enough to genuinely start enjoying it now. [Read more]

The new ‘Oxfam sign-ups on the Coldplay tour 2008 World Record’ holders are Oxfam Canada’s amazing group of volunteers in Ottawa. 2032 is the magic number of Coldplay fans who signed up. It was an incredible night. What a way to start the new tour. The Coldplay set was awesome too. They nailed it last night, following opening act, a local band called ‘Stars’, with an awesome set. The atmosphere once again, was electric.
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Amazing stuff from the Oxfam campaigners tonight. 1847 signatures collected in just a couple of hours before the Coldplay set. We have a little more time after the set.. so there is a chance, that we could surpass the current ‘world record’ held since Montreal.. (which was 1889).

Just think.. all those fans stopping to think about providing people with good quality Health and Education For All. Then signing their name. For Oxfam to take off to the Canadian government, to show that support. All those people then go off to watch a Coldplay show. Can’t be bad can it..? I can hear the last song going on inside.. I had better get back out there. There are people who need to get some school books. There’s a record to be broken.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/

Here’s one I penned earlier (when I didn’t have access to the internet..)

It’s oh so quiet. I just got to the hotel. All I can hear is the slight ringing in my ears (still popping occasionally due to the air pressure changes). Coldplay and Oxfam have landed. I caught the same plane as the band today, back over the pond. We’re back on tour. North America (part 2). Now we find ourselves in Ottawa, Canada. Well, just outside, to be precise.
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Time to get back to work. I’m in a cold-looking corridor again. This one skirts around the bottom of the Scotiabank Center. A 13′000 seater hockey stadium, which usually plays host to the Ottawa Senators. Today’s runner, Eric, told me that they are pretty good.
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