I Knew It: The Coldplay Experience
Tonight, I saw Coldplay at Camden Tweeter Center. This wasn't one of the most anticipated concerts in recent memory. Low expectations can usually yield a more enjoyable experience. Not on that night
The band was tight musically but so was the length of their set. A lawn seat, which is basically watching the show on a screen and paying for the privilege of the live experienced, cost about $40 bucks face value.
If this is the next U2, I don't know what to say. This performance overall ranks with some of my most underwhelming shows I've ever seen. Chris Martin did his Indian rain dance like moves all around the stage with flashy, expensive light show and an even more expensive vivid digital video display system behind them.
The high points were enjoyable but it was sad to see the emphasis on the latest subpar X&Y, which sounds like a 12 track U2 cover disc. A nice stretch in the middle featured at least 3 of these tracks which is when I decided to sit down as the crowds of Hollister lovers and drunken Dave Matthews fans with guitar shaped beer jugs swayed as if they were at the latest incarnation of Phish. The poignant "Everything's Not Lost" was dedicated to the tailgaters, something Martin didn't know existed until 2 days prior. Why would you even dedicate something to tailgaters, they are too drunk to have made it inside? Martin went to add cheesy localized adaptations of the songs lyrics to fit into Camden/ Philadelphia mentality, off course mentioning hoagies but intriguingly leaving out the infamous Cheesesteak. Maybe his publicist told him to avoid the Pat's vs. Geno's battle.
"God Put a Smile on Your Face" was a nice relief from this mess. But the worst, yet most humorous, moment occurred during the song Martin stated was "the song that first brought them to Camden." Camden is an ultimate shithole. The path of streets you must take off the highway is lined with film like ghetto streets of garbage and gangbangers on porches while wealthy white people go to see their favorite overpriced band in the middle of this wreckage. It's an intriguing bipolarity.
Anyway, back to the gag moment of the night, and I don't mean joke, was when I peered above the seated crowd to see balloons lined up along the catwalk... and they were all yellow. I jokingly thought that the band would drop them during an encore of yellow which would be sad but slightly enjoyable. After mentioning it to my friends who sat with me, they somewhat agreed it might occur but also hoped it was not so.
5 songs in to the set it happened. Chris makes his Camden remark, the poignant "Yellow" begins and as martin says look at the stars, the balloons drop as did my entire hope for the concert. This is a moment that will persist over any other when reflecting back onto this show from my rocking chair in 40 some odd years.
Pile on top of that possibly the worst encore for a supposed major band in history. A destroyed version of "In My Place" was surrounded by two whatever level tracks off X&Y. A superband with an awful 3 song encore. Are you kidding me?? You must leave the mouth water, not with the bad taste.
Tracks that were MIA from the setlist included Parachutes' "Trouble," "Shiver," "Spiderwebs" plus "A Rush of Blood to The Head," "Daylight." This just proves the problems with tours. The point is to sell the new stuff which of course will come at some detriment to the older tracks but it should also to equate to a lengthier set.
It was a sad night in Camden. The night minimal Coldplay's artistic integrity disappeared. Still from time to time, Parachutes will make itself onto portable music whatever. The flashback will come. The dropping yellow balloons, not the excellent show that they played at Jones Beach just their previous major US tour. It's too bad. Another one bites the dust. Look what they've done. They've made me cheesy too. FUCK!
NOTE: New music review of mine up at Ambitious-Outsiders. Put up a comment or something so I know someone read it. Please!!!
The band was tight musically but so was the length of their set. A lawn seat, which is basically watching the show on a screen and paying for the privilege of the live experienced, cost about $40 bucks face value.
If this is the next U2, I don't know what to say. This performance overall ranks with some of my most underwhelming shows I've ever seen. Chris Martin did his Indian rain dance like moves all around the stage with flashy, expensive light show and an even more expensive vivid digital video display system behind them.
The high points were enjoyable but it was sad to see the emphasis on the latest subpar X&Y, which sounds like a 12 track U2 cover disc. A nice stretch in the middle featured at least 3 of these tracks which is when I decided to sit down as the crowds of Hollister lovers and drunken Dave Matthews fans with guitar shaped beer jugs swayed as if they were at the latest incarnation of Phish. The poignant "Everything's Not Lost" was dedicated to the tailgaters, something Martin didn't know existed until 2 days prior. Why would you even dedicate something to tailgaters, they are too drunk to have made it inside? Martin went to add cheesy localized adaptations of the songs lyrics to fit into Camden/ Philadelphia mentality, off course mentioning hoagies but intriguingly leaving out the infamous Cheesesteak. Maybe his publicist told him to avoid the Pat's vs. Geno's battle.
"God Put a Smile on Your Face" was a nice relief from this mess. But the worst, yet most humorous, moment occurred during the song Martin stated was "the song that first brought them to Camden." Camden is an ultimate shithole. The path of streets you must take off the highway is lined with film like ghetto streets of garbage and gangbangers on porches while wealthy white people go to see their favorite overpriced band in the middle of this wreckage. It's an intriguing bipolarity.
Anyway, back to the gag moment of the night, and I don't mean joke, was when I peered above the seated crowd to see balloons lined up along the catwalk... and they were all yellow. I jokingly thought that the band would drop them during an encore of yellow which would be sad but slightly enjoyable. After mentioning it to my friends who sat with me, they somewhat agreed it might occur but also hoped it was not so.
5 songs in to the set it happened. Chris makes his Camden remark, the poignant "Yellow" begins and as martin says look at the stars, the balloons drop as did my entire hope for the concert. This is a moment that will persist over any other when reflecting back onto this show from my rocking chair in 40 some odd years.
Pile on top of that possibly the worst encore for a supposed major band in history. A destroyed version of "In My Place" was surrounded by two whatever level tracks off X&Y. A superband with an awful 3 song encore. Are you kidding me?? You must leave the mouth water, not with the bad taste.
Tracks that were MIA from the setlist included Parachutes' "Trouble," "Shiver," "Spiderwebs" plus "A Rush of Blood to The Head," "Daylight." This just proves the problems with tours. The point is to sell the new stuff which of course will come at some detriment to the older tracks but it should also to equate to a lengthier set.
It was a sad night in Camden. The night minimal Coldplay's artistic integrity disappeared. Still from time to time, Parachutes will make itself onto portable music whatever. The flashback will come. The dropping yellow balloons, not the excellent show that they played at Jones Beach just their previous major US tour. It's too bad. Another one bites the dust. Look what they've done. They've made me cheesy too. FUCK!
NOTE: New music review of mine up at Ambitious-Outsiders. Put up a comment or something so I know someone read it. Please!!!
posted by airo at 12:45 AM
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