My Coldplay.com - A Coldplay Blog

I’ve joked with friends and co-workers that Viva La Vida is either the first U2 record we’re going to hear this year or the best U2 record we’re going to hear this year. Many critics thought Coldplay had Radiohead ambitions when they first hit the scene, but it’s been increasingly clear over the past several years that Chris Martin has Bono envy. Coldplay took another step towards emulating their heroes by hiring the legendary Brian Eno – U2 co-conspirator being only one of his many brilliant accomplishments — to produce their new album. [Read more]

Rating: 3.5/5

Coldplay are a heavily mocked and derided band but do not forget that in 2000 - the year of manufactured pop, they were a breath of fresh air.

Come 2002, and the band’s sophomore album had them refine the techniques hinted at with their debut ‘Parachutes’. Some listeners were already noticing a certain drippiness oozing its way into the songs, but all in all, ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ felt decent. [Read more]

Here are some pictures from Coldplay’s headlining slot on the Chiba Marine Stadium stage last night in Tokyo. The set was about a hour long and included an appearance by Alicia Keys during ‘Clocks’ and a cover of a Japanese song called “The Only One of All Flowers in The World” by Sports Music Assemble People. More pictures are here, with a full report from NME.com, plus video below…

SUMMER SONIC: Coldplay’s Only Festival Date in 2008 - The Definitive Report

Well, had you asked me what I thought of them a month or two ago, just before Coldplay released ‘Livin La Vida Loca’ (or whatever it was called), I would have told you quite firmly, ‘Interesting to read about because Chris Martin seems constantly on the edge of a nervous breakdown, but too fucking boring to ever actually put on the record.’ [Read more]

Reviews coming soon, but in the meantime here are pictures from Coldplay’s festival appearance at Summer Sonic Osaka last night. More pictures are here and there are some videos below, including one from NME.com, who are covering the event.

SETLIST

01. Life In Technicolor
02. Violet Hill
03. Politik
04. In My Place
05. Viva La Vida
06. God Put Up Smile Upon Your Face (2008 Version)
07. Fix You
08. Yes (2nd Half)
09. Only One of the World’s Flowers –> Japanese song
10. Yellow
11. Lost!
12. 42
13. Speed Of Sound
14. Scientist (Acoustic)
15. Death Will Never Conquer (Acoustic by Will Champion)
16. Talk (Remix)
17. Clocks (with Alicia Keys)
18. Lovers In Japan
19. Death And His All Friends
20. The Escapist (outro)

[thanks Cris_Santos, Lore & Mimixxx]

After the onslaught that was Justice, I decided I needed something a little more chilled out. I managed to catch the last few tracks of Coldplay and I thought they were great. Admittedly, I have never really been a fan and probably couldn’t name any of their songs, but they were great live. Chris Martin’s voice is fantastic and the band are equal to his part. I kind of wish I could’ve seen more but with a line-up as good as today it isn’t all that easy.

http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=5956

VIDEOS
[Read more]

WASHINGTON, D.C.— For music fans concerned about who will continue the arena rock tradition once the veterans have walked away from the stage for good, now would be a good time to turn your attention to Coldplay. Is their music and cultural impact as timeless as The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen? No. At least not yet. And can Chris Martin command a stage with
the bravado and swagger of Bono or Jon Bon Jovi? Not quite.

What Coldplay offers live are well-designed Big Rock Band trappings - video screen the width of the stage, a rainbow of lasers, neon butterfly confetti — but instead of coating them with the cool self-assurance of a thousand other rock stars, the band projects an endearing warmth. [Read more]

Coldplay’s last date of the first leg of their World Tour ended at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts [shame Barak Obama missed it...]. Pictures from the show are here and Reivews, Videos are below…

Coldplay flexes its muscle in all-out rock show at Garden

Lead singer Chris Martin at the TD Banknorth Garden on Monday night. (Justine Hunt/Globe Staff)

Coldplay closed out the North American leg of its tour with an exclamation point Monday night.

Befitting their status as radio kings, thanks to the success of their fourth album “Viva La Vida,” the quartet gave a big performance on a big stage with a big audience singing along to the big choruses. (Speed-dial friends U2 would’ve beamed with older brotherly pride).
[Read more]

Photos from last night’s Washington DC show are in the gallery here. Reviews and videos below…

WASHINGTON – For music fans concerned about who will continue the arena rock tradition once the veterans have walked away from the stage for good, now would be a good time to turn your attention to Coldplay.

Is their music and cultural impact as timeless as The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen? No. At least not yet. And can Chris Martin command a stage with the bravado and swagger of Bono or Jon Bon Jovi? Not quite.

What Coldplay offers live are well-designed Big Rock Band trappings – video screen the width of the stage, a rainbow of lasers, neon butterfly confetti – but instead of coating them with the cool self-assurance of a thousand other rock stars, the band projects an endearing warmth. [Read more]

Photos from last nights Hartford gig can be found here [hey Coldplay did you say hello to my auntie? LOL]. Reviews, comments and videos are below…

A bit of trivia - Jim Koplik continues to book concerts at the XL Center — including the band Coldplay in August — and has booked 21 concerts in Live Nation’s New England Dodge Music Center amphitheater in Hartford’s North Meadows. But he said the only reason Coldplay landed at the civic center was because Mohegan was already booked.

Coldplay’s Arena Rock Energetic, Inspirational

COLDPLAY’S Johnny Buckland, left, and Chris Martin perform “In My Place” on Saturday night during their concert at Hartford’s XL Center. The British band is touring the U.S. in support of its latest album, “Viva La Vida.” (MARK MIRKO / HARTFORD COURANT / August 2, 2008)

Chris Martin grew up hearing a lot of hymns, and it’s a musical influence that shows through particularly clearly when his band, Coldplay, performs in concert.

Like the church songs of Martin’s devout upbringing, Coldplay’s music is often stately and solemn, with an uplifting undercurrent meant to inspire. It’s grown more pronounced with each of the band’s four albums, and it was evident in the soaring sing-alongs throughout the English quartet’s performance Saturday at the XL Center in Hartford. [Read more]

Coldplay performed a 2nd triumphant night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to Will Champion [awww]. Pictures are here. Reviews/Video below…

Chris debuts cool afro-style ‘do as Coldplay thrill Canadian crowds

Normally close-cropped Chris Martin was showing off a fuller head of hair than usual this week. The Coldplay frontman had allowed his ‘do to grow into a funky afro-inspired style to play a sell-out gig in Toronto.
[Read more]

Coldplay, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Wednesday

Long live the kings. And you too, Coldplay. The world’s biggest band hit Toronto’s Air Canada Centre for the first of two sold-out concerts on Wednesday, leaving the impression that while its members are a nice young foursome of Englishmen capable of writing gorgeous anthems and performing them wonderfully, they just aren’t the conquering types.

Appearing as if they hadn’t cleaned the dust from Sunday’s Pemberton Festival in B.C. off their raggedy military garb, the CD-selling giants starting grandly, entering with the swelling instrumental Life in Technicolor that ushered them to an audience that greeted its heroes with something like a soccer-stadium chant.
[Read more]