Coldplay Inch Closer to U2 in Achieving Authentic Arena Rock Spectacle

In the same space where one week earlier the Miami Heat were crowned basketball champions, the jubilant city of Miami welcomed Grammy-winning superstars Coldplay to the American Airlines Arena.

Imagine over 20,000 multi-colored lights flashing all together in a single space. Add to the equation 20,000 voices singing along to worldwide hits. Multiply all this by 100 minutes, and we see why Coldplay is becoming a live band to rival any in terms of stage presence, including their inspiration and ours in Irish rockers U2.

The only British band to be equally successful in Europe and the United States, Coldplay are currently touring to support their latest release Mylo Xyloto across the globe throughout the year.

The stage design is all based on their graffiti theme, with five huge circular digital screens. Special wristbands were given on entry, with the screens telling the crowd to wear them because they were actually part of the show.

The evening began with the Back to the Future theme followed by a huge laser spectacle as Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion entered the stage and started playing “Hurts Like Heaven.” All the wristbands suddenly started flashing in rhythm with the music—wow.

The audience was already warmed up thanks to the brilliant opening performances of Wolf Gang and Robyn. However, next on the list was “In My Place” which made every single person stand up once and for all for the remainder of the show.

New songs from Mylo Xyloto prevailed, mixed with selections from A Rush of Cold Blood to the Head, Viva la Vida, X&Y, and only one from their debut Parachutes. But it was that single song “Yellow” that took the concert to a higher level.

The show was cleverly planned and well-balanced: a ballad followed every three uptempo songs, part of the setlist was played on an X-shaped stage in the middle of the crowd, and closer to the end a little stage at the very back of the stadium hosted the performance of two songs (“Us Against the World” and “Speed of Sound”).

The highlight of the concert took place as the darkness fell: that was when Viva la Vida and Charlie Brown were played. Their 2008 number one hit was fantastic in terms of response and sense of belonging (like when U2 plays “Where The Streets Have No Name”) but “Charlie Brown” was simply a visually spectacular Miami party. Watch to believe at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCqLlmEobmo&sns=em

Then followed a never-ending sequence of top-charting songs: “Paradise,” “Clocks,” “Fix You,” and the grand finale of their energetic “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.”

Chris Martin was certainly born to be a performer, running and jumping across the whole stage from the beginning to the very last moment. A talented singer, he also found rest from his antics as he turned to his piano.

Some people may think Coldplay as a rock band are a little too poppy, but the show they put on clearly proves the rock roots of their repertoire, inching them closer to U2 in comparable live show extravaganza. –Jaime Rodriguez, Contributing Writer

Coldplay Closes Its World Tour In Colombia

As far as bona fide rock groups go, there isn’t anyone more polarizing than Coldplay. Accusations run from all out plagiarism of Joe Satriani to simply copying every move U2 makes both artistically and commercially. The quartet from London has received more simultaneous praise and criticism than the last episode of the Sopranos.

But undeniable is their worldwide appeal as exemplified by The Viva La Vida Tour, which in support of their fourth studio album of the same name has played 172 total shows throughout 14 legs across Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America, and now Latin America.

The mammoth tour which started June 16, 2008 finally came to an end in Bogota, Colombia on March 4, 2010 in a buzz-filled evening in Simon Bolivar Park.  In no mood for tearful goodbyes, Coldplay celebrated their most important chapter coming to a close and look to a bright future ahead.

From the opening riffs of “Life In Technicolor” and into “Violet Hill,” the throng at the  sold out venue let Chris Martin and company know they were in no mood to be  silent as 60,000 voices united to roar “If you love me, won’t you let me know?” into the Colombian skies.

Granted, Martin doesn’t have David Bowie’s elegance, Bruce Springsteen’s mysticism, or Bono’s sunglasses, but Chris Martin is a Picasso to all three. And Thursday, he rocked the crowd in a way it hadn’t been rocked since John Madden bodysurfed the nosebleed seats.

His performance showed his ever-growing versatility, simultaneously a rocker and a poet who can pump us up with his roaring anthems and turn us introspective with his somber piano ballads. Martin’s the kind of guy whom we expect to start a “Viva La Vida” chant with 60,000, but with whom we wouldn’t be totally surprised if he brought out Octomom for a chorus of “Wind Beneath My Winds.”

And sure, like Bono he’s one of those celebrities who gets involved with politics and world issues.  And maybe you don’t agree with his views. But come on, people. At least his rambles involve a British accent, something we could all use more of in our daily lives.

The setlist was complete and well rounded. Involving virtually all of the band’s hits, it also mixed in some rarities like “Shiver” from their debut album Parachutes and even a new track titled “Don Quixote” from their still untitled upcoming album, much to the delight of the crowd.

Other standouts from the setlist included the confetti-filled “Lovers in Japan” and the electronic, U2ish medley of “God Put a Smile Up On Your Face”/ “Talk.”

Opening band Bat For Lashes deserves praise. Lead singer Natasha Kahn is a wonderful talent. U2 fans might remember her single “Daniel,” which plays before the band takes stage in their current 360 Tour.

Overall, it was a fantastic night of music. The band seemed very happy with the crowd’s energy, as well as putting an end to their most successful chapter yet.

And to the Coldplay doubters – to each their own. But the quartet leaves an unmovable impression in today’s musical world. –Jaime Andres Rodriguez, Contributing Writer

Bogota, Colombia                                                                                                                      Thursday March 4th 2010

Life In Technicolor/Violet Hill/Clocks/In My Place/Yellow/Glass of Water/42/Fix You/Strawberry Swing/God Put A Smile Up On Your Face/Talk/The Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away/Viva La Vida/Lost!/Shiver/Death Will Never Conquer/Don Quixote (New Song)/Politik/Lovers in Japan/Death And All His Friends/The Scientist/Life In Technicolor II

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Twitter.com/jaimearodriguez

Movie Review: ‘Young@Heart’

By Jennifer B. Kaufman

Get a bunch of irascible and lovable old people and have them sing the songs of the Ramones, the Clash and Bruce Springsteen. It almost sounds like an “After School Special” for the AARP set, filled with lots of schmaltzy life lessons. Instead, Young@Heart is an original and affectionate look at our often-ignored elderly and how they bring a whole new meaning to the words “rocking chair.

British documentarian Stephen Walker focuses his lens on the Young@Heart Chorus based in Northampton, Massachusetts. Started in 1982 by choir director Bob Cilman, the Young@Heart Chorus is preparing for a 2006-2007 tour. Already used to performing and the rigors of the road, the chorus is gearing up for learning new songs as the film begins.

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