Every few months, I get the urge to actually participate a little more around here. Obviously the level of participation is a little different for guys than for the ladies. I don't get to post sexy pics for everyone to enjoy. =) But I like to write; and when I go to concerts, I always write some kind of recap on my Facebook page. I decided tonight that I should share some things from the last couple months, because I saw three really good shows this year. So, first up, the Coldplay show from August... [Note: paragraph breaks don't seem to work when I copy/paste, so I've added breaks.]
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As we walked in the venue, everyone was handed a light-up bracelet and a small pin that said “Love.” Regarding the bracelets, I’m seriously amazed how many times I overheard someone say “What are these for?” C’mon, people, what do you think they’re for? Act like you’ve been here before. It wasn’t the last time people around me displayed their cluelessness. I found my seat, in the front row of the upper deck, without any trouble. But the people in the seats on both sides of me ended up changing, because apparently no one knows how to navigate arena seating.
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The first opener, Izzy Bizu, took the stage at 7:00. She had sort of a jazz-pop sound. She was followed at 7:45 by AlunaGeorge, a synth-pop duo. I won’t be running out to buy their albums, but they were both fine openers.
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A few minutes after 9:00, Coldplay took the stage, preceded by a recording of a Charlie Chaplain monologue from “The Great Dictator.” I haven’t seen the film, and I don’t remember the entire piece, but Google the film-- you’ll see “The final speech” from the film. It was part of that-- somewhere around the “To those who can hear me, I say, do not despair” part. Once the band got going, they displayed that they have everything a band needs for a big arena show in 2017: a light show, lasers, confetti cannons, streamers, balloons dropped from the rafters, and the previously mentioned light-up bracelets.
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And of course, a ton of hits. I’ll post the setlist at the end, but I’ll tell you now that “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” “Paradise,” “Clocks,” and “Viva la Vida” were all awesome. And “Fix You” is pretty great in an arena full of people. Many of you may have a time when you’ve teared-up at a concert. It happens. I wasn’t really expecting it tonight. I like Coldplay, but I wasn’t thinking “Oh my God, I have to hear [this song]!” But then Chris Martin sat down at the piano for the first time of the night, and hammered out the opening chords of “The Scientist.” And that was it. It’s a great song.
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Like a lot of acts these days, Coldplay had a small stage at the end of the catwalk where they played a couple songs. But they also did something I’ve never seen before. To open the encore, they moved to a stage in the lower bowl of the arena. From the crowd stage, they played “In My Place,” and the early “Don’t Panic,” which I admit I only know from the Garden State soundtrack.
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So, this was a really good show. Originally, this was just an “I haven’t been to a show in forever, let’s pick something” show. But it was a darn good choice. Up next, probably tomorrow, I'll post my thoughts from the Ed Sheeran on September 12. Thanks for reading, if you did.
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The set list:
A Head Full of Dreams
Yellow
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
The Scientist
Birds
Paradise
(B-Stage)
Always in My Head
Magic
Everglow
(A-Stage)
Clocks
Charlie Brown
Hymn for the Weekend
Fix You
Viva la Vida
Adventure of a Lifetime
(Encore - in crowd)
In My Place
Don't Panic
Green Eyes
(A-Stage)
Something Just Like This
A Sky Full of Stars
Up & Up