Basically the setlist, and details I remember, and how I felt. Ect, Ect. Steph will post pictures later :)
WARNING: This post is HUGE.
:D
I'm still sort of in shock of the whole thing. Like, did it really happen? I think it will continue to sink the rest of this week.
Last night I made a purpose to write down what I could remember from what just happened and then filled in the blank with my sister and looking at all the backs of Coldplay albums. So this is like accurate as it could get. I'm 99.9999% sure this is all the songs.
I was planning for a shirt, but the shirts were $40! So as much as I wanted a shirt, I realized I could probably get it for a little cheaper on their website (And I was right, I just looked at their website and it has the Life in Tech shirt I want for about $10 cheaper, so I’m gonna order a shirt ASAP) so I got instead the really big and beautifully awesome program they were selling for $20. I like it a lot, mucho pictures, something that you could only get at a concert, so that's my investment there :)
Show Program, Free CD, stolen Butterfly confetti, my memories = Perfect.
Oh, and if you want, you can download the Live CD "Left Right Left Right Left" for FREE on Coldplay's website! So that's way cool :) It's a great listen.
Alrighty. Well like I said, the whole experience feels so surreal. Like it didn't even happen, but it did! I wanted to write this all down pretty much ASAP so I could get it all down and remember everything for the future. I did a giant write up similar to this when I went to see Flogging Molly two years ago and I'm so happy I did because I wouldn't remember otherwise anymore.
So we got there really early and beat the traffic all together, though even so, we weren't the first people there. We checked out the merchandise, bought some Concert Programs and sat down. It was a giant outdoor stadium. We were in the "3rd" section, the stage, "pit" people, a walkway row where the cameras for the big screens and cannons for the butterfly confetti were standing then some rows and essentially us, and more rows in our section and a big grassy area with people just packed in. The two opening bands were both very Jamaican feeling, and had those Jamaican-British type accents (I hope that doesn't sound ignorant or anything, but I hope you know what I mean), the first one (called Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis) more skaish, the other more a reggae disco (I don't remember their name), both were really good. Then they set up the equipment and the anticipation mounted. Then a set of what I can only imagine to be songs that the band picked out to play before they went on stage: a U2 song, a rap song I didn't care for, though a roadie was break dancing to it and they shown a spotlight on him it was cute, and then Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube Waltz", swaying our arms and clapping to the "chorus" of the song (if you look up the song, you'll know what part I'm talking about). Then Coldplay came on!
I'd say when Coldplay came out they were about an inch big to us, so we could see them and whatnot, though a lot of the times you were still watching the screen, unavoidable. So they were tiny but you could still see them.
Chris dances around to what I can only explain as a wiggle crossed with a jig, throwing himself around like a rag doll. It's not necessarily violent, but boy does he move. In no way is Chris the leader of the band (I truly believe they are a tight quartet) but of course because of his marriage and the fact is he is the front man, no way to avoid that, he is the one in the most public eye. He was the Emcee of the night, the only one who actually talked to the crowd, jumped around, running all the way to the edge and flying through the air, it was really entertaining :) He kept asking how everyone was doing through out the night and added lyrics into songs about being here in Sacramento (though technically we were in Wheatland, but this is the “Sacramento” show on the Coldplay tour :) Everyone else was really good, they sounded so good live! I mean they better for being together for so long and being so successful.
What struck me the most though was their pure sincerity. I guess because they’re such a worldwide successful band, I don’t know, I somehow expected something different. But it was genuinely like “Hi, we’re Coldplay, just four guys from England who’ve been given this opportunity to play for you guys, we’re doing the very best we can, we hope you enjoy”. Obviously they never outright said any of that, but the energy coming from them was just that. It made everything they did extraordinary, and as an audience, we took in and believed all of it. Even though there were easily thousands of people watching, it felt like a super intimate performance, a true connection between group and fans, no separation, we were just all people getting to enjoy music.
Set List! Pretty Accurate I’d say. I'll add my tidbits I remember as I go along!
Well first off, the stage stuff was really beautiful! Colorful and arty and a lot inspired from their CD artwork and what not, or a la Bo Rap multiplied images of them live on stage. They were 4 giant balls above them; they projected shapes and images and sometimes even what was on the big screen. They also had a big screen behind them as the backdrop which they used for the same purpose. It was a cool effect when they would start a slow song like "42" and their video would be up there in a grainy black and white, and then when it got to the rock, faster part, the video footage would pop into color, it was really effective.
Life in Technicolor - The opening of course! Just the instrumental, anticipation grew even more because they had a sheer black sheet hung in front of the stage so you saw their silhouettes and whatnot.
Violet Hill - This one was really great, their first song really, or the one with lyrics. The first was just an intro of sorts. Awesome solo by Jonny.
Clocks - Yes, this one was good :) Just plain good.
Cemeteries of London - My sister was really excited about this one. I don't remember much about it except it was good (duh).
Yellow - There was a pause before this one, where everything went black and then bam! Everything was yellow and they released the giant yellow balloons that the crowd got to play with. At the end of the song, some balloons floated up on stage and Chris bat swung at one with the head of his guitar and popped it! I had noticed as they were flying around that they were translucent with confetti inside. It still made me laugh though. My first thought was like "Oh my gosh, he killed the balloon!" And then he popped another the same way. He told us to sing along, even though it was a Tuesday, like "Oooohhh!" and then sang a little bit of "Yellow" again with the crowd going "Oooohhh!” changing the lyrics to say how good Jonny looked. :)
In My Place - Chris ran around like a crazy person on this one, it was funny. And was kind of like playfully tackling Jonny while playing and they both went over to the side of the stage and Chris fell over all dramatically onto his back at the end and kind of laid there with the mic and pitifully sang the end phrase, sort of in a "Oh I'm tired" kind of way.
Glass of Water – A great song from their EP. They had yellow lights in the big balls and an aqua rippily light on the crowd like, you guessed it, water. I really love this song now.
42 - Now this was awesome. Said above, they had the live feed of them on the big screens B&W then in color when it went to the dancey rock part. Great energy. In this one at the end Chris went over to the piano to play the last part and started to sing the final phrase but was out of breath and flopped down on the piano while still playing the notes with his right hand, and then asked us the crowd if WE were okay. And then sang the last phrase, holding the last note for a LONG time, it was awesome. Random Girly Observation: By this time, he was really sweaty and his hair on his forehead began to curl, I thought it was kind of cute actually. I know, that's kind of weird.
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Right - Then they went off stage into the crowd. The spotlights would follow them so we could see they were going into the audience, then the lights would move around so we couldn't see where they were going until they got there. They were to our rights, closer this time, now a couple more inches big :) Will had a drum, Guy and Jonny guitars, and Chris had a whole piano up there.
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face/Talk - It was a little medley of the two songs.
The Hardest Part - The other three guys left and Chris sat down at the piano. He thanked us for coming on a Tuesday and missing out on stuff to come and see them like "homework". He said something along the lines of "There are many successful front man solo acts to come out a successful band and I am not one of them. So for the next 3 minutes, you'll see what an f*ing disaster that would be". This song was really awesome, and I realized how beautiful the lyrics are. Really honest, a great choice. With backing vocals by Will, who was on stage by this time.
Postcards From Far Away - My sister was really excited about this one and kept poking me. It's a gorgeous little piano instrumental from their "Prospek's March" EP and he played it flawlessly.
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Viva La Vida - And then BAMB!, the rest of the group who had gone back onstage burst into Viva and Chris bounced back to the stage. It was a super cool contrast from "Postcards" to such a fun song. It was defiantly a show stopper, part une.
Lost! - Their show stopper, part deux. These songs sort of felt really "joined", both had the same energy and vibrance. It felt long and awesome.
Fix You - This was really emotionally charged. At the end when all four sing, it's the perfect sing along song. This was like the mini show stopper, part trois (oh yeah, French). They let the crowd sing the "Lights will guide you home/and ignite your bones" and Chris came in with "and I will try to Fix You". I loved singing it.
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Back/Lawn - The lights did the "where are they going to go?" thing again. Then they went back to the front of the lawn section, so see the people in the back, so now they were behind us, to our left. The people on the lawn were freaking out! (Rightfully so!)
Green Eyes - Awesome acoustic. I noticed really beautiful lyrics to this one. It was super dark by this point and we were all just hanging out under the stars. :)
Cell Phone Wave - Chris then told everyone to get their cell phones out and set hold our cell phone to our side and starting with the crowd facing the stage on the right to do the "wave" with our cell phones. He said he wanted the air force to look down and think "Oh that looks cool. Looks like fun down there" and not know what was going on. So we all did the wave, right to left, left to right, right to left, left to right. :)
Death Will Never Conquer Me - Will's song! He has quite a different voice than Chris but awesome nonetheless. He’s an amazing singer! :) I downloaded this song off Coldplay's website like a year ago, as Chris said on the site so you "could learn it and sing along at our concert" with Will. It has a gospel spiritual kind of feel, very cool.
Billie Jean - Oh yeah. They played Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. An acoustic version, Chris told us to give our best Michael when the little high parts came. Chris had a good voice for it, surprisingly, maybe not surprising though. Awesome awesome awesome!
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There was a little Viva La Vida Remix playing over the speakers and what looked like stars projected on the balls as the set up and got back on stage.
Politik - This is a great song. Yeah I don't remember much about this one, te he.
Strawberry Swing - A new favorite! This one is just cool, really fun song. Awesome! Love it!
Lovers of Japan - This one was awesome! Super catchy piano riff that you just dance to. This is the one with the butterfly confetti! It was kind of cool when it was shot out of the cannons, in front of the stage and in front of our section, but it was really cool when it really began to float down on us, it looks like fruit loop snow :) It was awesome. I tried to catch some, but it was too dark. But it’s okay because I literally picked up a giant handful on the way out from the ground as we left; it's like the best confetti in the world.
Also I remember somewhere around here Chris playing a little piano part that sounded like it could have been taken from the Amelie Soundtrack, I've never heard it before though. Maybe it was just something new he made up or a little improv, either way, it was lovely.
Death and All of his Friends - The moment when I knew it was almost over! This one was a really great one. Chris started it off solo, then called out for Jonny to start and the rest of the band came in. After it ended, the band applauded us all a lot and then went to the front of the stage together and did a joined arm bow, it was cute :) Epic. And then clapped a little more and then left the stage. And people began to bang the seats, I didn't know what that noise was because we were on concrete so I'm like they can't be stomping the ground. After I found out what people were doing, I joined in and we chanted their name.
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Encore - Then Chris came back to the piano. He had the free CD "Left Right Left Right Left" in his hand and told us the title, saying "You can purchase this CD for zero dollars and zero cents. Don't waste your money!” He thanked us for coming, especially on a Tuesday, he told us to have a good week, and see you in a few years, and he had a look like “We hope”!
The Scientist - Chris sang this solo on the piano, and the band came in midway through as it picks up tempo.
Life in Technicolor II - This one was an awesome ending. They had all this artwork from their CD up on the middle screen. It was, in one word, inspiring, and as corny as that may sound, it was so true. Just amazing. They clapped for us again (even though we clapped harder!) and it ended on this gorgeous backdrop. All this really inspires me to paint :P
And I'm just like it's over :( / :)
Coldplay played from 9 until 11, but we didn't get home until 1:30 because of the traffic :O We did stop at In 'n Out though and got some food. Waters, I got a veggie burger and sis Steph got some fries. It took the rest of the night for it to really sink in. And this morning as I write this for my memories box of everness!
