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Coldplay opens up vast yet intimate world
Second-wave Brit-pop group boldly shows its new direction at Bimbo's
Neva Chonin, Chronicle Pop Music Critic Tuesday, August 20, 2002
At Bimbo's Sunday, eight songs into Coldplay's sweaty wonder of a set, singer-songwriter Chris Martin paused for a moment of audience appreciation. "There's this guy who wrote to us today," he began, going on to explain that the writer had requested that the band phone a sick fan from the stage.
"This is f-- cheesy," Martin chortled, brandishing a cell phone. "This is the type of thing Bono does in stadiums, calling on a cell for a sick girl. But f-- it."
He made the call, placed the phone on the stage, then led Coldplay into "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" from the band's new album. Starting as a hushed acoustic ballad, the song built into a roar of acid-rock distortion and soaring, bittersweet vocals.
It was quite the serenade, and it captured both the mood in Bimbo's and the new direction Coldplay takes on its forthcoming album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head," in stores Aug. 27. At once intimate and vast, it marks a turning point for the British quartet, whose Grammy Award-winning debut album, 2000's "Parachutes," and its hit single, "Yellow," established it as second-wave Brit- pop's first breakthrough group.
To launch the new CD, Coldplay has embarked on a small-club tour (the band returns to the Bay Area for a larger show at the Greek Theatre on Sept. 6), with tickets available online for its most hard-core fans.
With Martin seated an upright piano, the members of Coldplay emerged from a wave of fog to open their 90-minute set with "Politik," the first track from "A Rush of Blood." As the song moved from rhythmic pounding toward a sweeping coda, it set a tone for the night's music, which alternated between soft, confessional verses and lavish choruses.
The group embellished and reworked material from its first album and 1999's "The Blue Room" EP to fit its more complex new sound. "Shiver" and "Spies" became heavier without losing their melodic roots, and "Trouble" remained catchy enough to inspire the crowd to sing along. Not surprisingly, the surging dream pop of "Yellow" ignited the night's most enthusiastic response. By song's end, Martin simply turned the microphone over to the crowd for a note-perfect sing-along.
Whether hunkering at the piano, whirling in circles with a guitar or crawling over the monitors to reach the audience, Martin was the music's soulful nexus. His keening falsetto invested the brightest lines with emotional depth, turning a lighter song like "In My Room" from an infectious pop tune into a cathartic love anthem. "See You Soon" and "Everything's Not Lost" were delivered as gorgeous plaints, and the night's best number, "The Scientist," juxtaposed lilting musical simplicity with thoughtful, melancholy lyrics.
Coldplay ventured into fresh psychedelic turf on "Daylight," with guitarist Jon Buckland sliding through chord changes to create an Eastern-tinged backdrop. "Clocks" featured ornate exchanges between guitar, piano and drums that perpetually shifted the number's mood and texture.
Before launching into an encore rendition of Echo and the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar," Martin sang the sweetly haunting "Life Is for Living." It takes a rare grace to pull off a line like "Life is for living . . . and I don't want to live it alone" without sounding hackneyed; Martin made it heartrending.
"For $15, we could come on naked and play Bon Jovi songs," he joshed at one point, referring to the show's low ticket price. Judging by Sunday's performance, it's possible that they could -- and make it sound transcendent.
E-mail Neva Chonin at nchonin@sfchronicle.com.
Coldplay opens up vast yet intimate world
Second-wave Brit-pop group boldly shows its new direction at Bimbo's
Neva Chonin, Chronicle Pop Music Critic Tuesday, August 20, 2002
At Bimbo's Sunday, eight songs into Coldplay's sweaty wonder of a set, singer-songwriter Chris Martin paused for a moment of audience appreciation. "There's this guy who wrote to us today," he began, going on to explain that the writer had requested that the band phone a sick fan from the stage.
"This is f-- cheesy," Martin chortled, brandishing a cell phone. "This is the type of thing Bono does in stadiums, calling on a cell for a sick girl. But f-- it."
He made the call, placed the phone on the stage, then led Coldplay into "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" from the band's new album. Starting as a hushed acoustic ballad, the song built into a roar of acid-rock distortion and soaring, bittersweet vocals.
It was quite the serenade, and it captured both the mood in Bimbo's and the new direction Coldplay takes on its forthcoming album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head," in stores Aug. 27. At once intimate and vast, it marks a turning point for the British quartet, whose Grammy Award-winning debut album, 2000's "Parachutes," and its hit single, "Yellow," established it as second-wave Brit- pop's first breakthrough group.
To launch the new CD, Coldplay has embarked on a small-club tour (the band returns to the Bay Area for a larger show at the Greek Theatre on Sept. 6), with tickets available online for its most hard-core fans.
With Martin seated an upright piano, the members of Coldplay emerged from a wave of fog to open their 90-minute set with "Politik," the first track from "A Rush of Blood." As the song moved from rhythmic pounding toward a sweeping coda, it set a tone for the night's music, which alternated between soft, confessional verses and lavish choruses.
The group embellished and reworked material from its first album and 1999's "The Blue Room" EP to fit its more complex new sound. "Shiver" and "Spies" became heavier without losing their melodic roots, and "Trouble" remained catchy enough to inspire the crowd to sing along. Not surprisingly, the surging dream pop of "Yellow" ignited the night's most enthusiastic response. By song's end, Martin simply turned the microphone over to the crowd for a note-perfect sing-along.
Whether hunkering at the piano, whirling in circles with a guitar or crawling over the monitors to reach the audience, Martin was the music's soulful nexus. His keening falsetto invested the brightest lines with emotional depth, turning a lighter song like "In My Room" from an infectious pop tune into a cathartic love anthem. "See You Soon" and "Everything's Not Lost" were delivered as gorgeous plaints, and the night's best number, "The Scientist," juxtaposed lilting musical simplicity with thoughtful, melancholy lyrics.
Coldplay ventured into fresh psychedelic turf on "Daylight," with guitarist Jon Buckland sliding through chord changes to create an Eastern-tinged backdrop. "Clocks" featured ornate exchanges between guitar, piano and drums that perpetually shifted the number's mood and texture.
Before launching into an encore rendition of Echo and the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar," Martin sang the sweetly haunting "Life Is for Living." It takes a rare grace to pull off a line like "Life is for living . . . and I don't want to live it alone" without sounding hackneyed; Martin made it heartrending.
"For $15, we could come on naked and play Bon Jovi songs," he joshed at one point, referring to the show's low ticket price. Judging by Sunday's performance, it's possible that they could -- and make it sound transcendent.
E-mail Neva Chonin at nchonin@sfchronicle.com.
