I love Coldplay, their an amazing band, but I don't like when people say they are the next u2. There will never be another u2. Period. No one will have the magic for 25 years. Coldplay have modeled themselves after u2, and even though it comes through in their music, they aren't that similar. 95% of their songs have piano in them and are ballads, they are basically soft rock, one hell of a band though. u2 aren't soft rock, and Coldplay's guitarist isn't anywhere near the Edge. Their one of my favorite bands out there, but there's no "new u2". Never.
I thought it was funny when the Comic Insult Dog had that song where he said "Coldplay, you should be called cold sore, back when you were u2, I liked you so much more."