Newsreel: Oxfam volunteers wanted for Euro shows (includes Oxfam Blog from Europe)

[Jenjie]

Newsreel: Oxfam volunteers wanted for Euro shows
August 29, 2008 3:09 pm
They need your help in Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic and Hungary



Good afternoon. This just in from our friends at Oxfam...

Hello. As you know, Coldplay have shows coming up around Europe. Oxfam volunteers have been invited to campaign every step of the way, talking to 100,000s of people about how they can take action to overcome poverty. There are still a few places available for volunteers in Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic and Hungary. You could be one of them.

Volunteers receive a free ticket to the show, in return for working hard and spreading the word for about three hours prior to the show. What better way to spend an evening? Join the other dedicated volunteers in doing amazing work to fight poverty, and then watch Coldplay put on an amazing live show!

We'll convert your precious time into life-saving work around the world. Oxfam works to overcome poverty and injustice in a variety of ways. The three main streams of this work are Emergency response, Development work and Campaigning for lasting change. Campaigning at music concerts is one way to give people the opportunity to get involved. The Make Trade Fair campaign has previously been hugely successful, when it was on the road with Coldplay. This time out, Oxfam volunteers will be asking Coldplay fans to show their support by making a Health and Education FOR ALL pledge.

If you want to read more about how it has been going so far, check out the Oxfam tour blog. If you are interested in volunteering, email Pete Lusby, Oxfam's on-tour coordinator at plusby@oxfam.org.uk - thanks!

Anchorman

[CPRani]

I sent a mail, to ask if I could volunteer in Norway a few days ago, but they still haven't answered yet!

[Jenjie]

I’m on the road again.

Bonjour, Nazdar, Hallo, Hello’, Salve, Hola!

After a few weeks to get some sleep, rest a bit and catch up on life at home (where I lay my hat..), i’m back out on the road again with Coldplay. The crew room has a strangely orange glow. Light fittings, chairs and floor are all a matching ’Dulux’ tangerine colour. That’s in keeping with the awkward-but-stangly-interesting-tango-tent-like structure that is the Strasbourg Zenith, home of tomorrow night’s show. It sort of looks like a pile of bright orange plates.. Nothing like the sports arenas of North America. This is yet another strange and interesting place I have seen on this Oxfam/Coldplay tour. It feels very clean. Quiet too. No voices, ringing phones, truck engines, bleeping radios, running feet, sweating or busy atmosphere that usually fills these places on show days. Not forgetting the amazing music and live shows of Coldplay and their support acts. Mind you, there are a pile of bath towels on the floor, which suggest the crew who arrived a few days ago for tech rehearsals, have been working up a sweat getting the venue ready and the stage set. Thank you to them.



It was another early start this morning. Shower, mango breakfast, lift to the station, train, tube, another tube, then another airport. I stepped out onto the runway to walk towards the plane, and suddently felt what touring feels like. For some reason, the idea of rock stars throughout history stepping out of aircraft onto runways is a resounding image of life on tour. I walked up the 5 small steps into the cosy plane, took my seat, grabbed my cheese sandwich and looked out at the old-fashioned looking propellors that would whisk us away for Round 2.

We flew out over a rain-drenched London, patchwork fields, the English channel and over into France. The airport was fittingly quiet for a Sunday afternoon. I went to the toilet only to come back and see the crew walking out of the hall, and my bag the only one left drifting around on the console (cue mild panic and silly run). Then we headed out (on the other side of the road) in the direction of the aforementioned ’stack of plates’ Zenith..

I’m excited about meeting Amelia from Oxfam France -agir ici with her group of volunteers tomorrow night. I hope that Europe will match the success Oxfam had around North America. I had better go and find the Oxfam hamper, and start setting up. I just wanted to say ‘Hi’ (in a few different languages). Get the ball rolling again. Coldplay will be rolling into town soon, and we need to be ready.

Is that a radio I hear in the distance??



p.s. Here’s a peep inside the crew room (my ‘office’ at the moment). Please excuse silly looking blogger.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=44

[busybeeburns]

Monday 1st September 2008, 22:30. Zenith, Strasbourg, FR.

I just came upstairs to write a little note to the world. It’s heaving down there. Will Champion just dropped the beat for ‘Politik’. I have 1411 signatures sitting next to me. The Oxfam France agir-ici volunteers just handed them in before they went in to enjoy the show. In just 3 hours, 1411 people in Strasbourg called for Health and Education FOR ALL. That’s amazing. When the numbers are added for the whole tour, world leaders will have to take note. I’m heading back down to catch some confetti, before the volunteers come back again to get even more people signed up.

Tuesday 2nd September 2008, 14:15. SAP Arena, Mannheim, DE.

Another day, another city, another arena, another language, another Coldplay concert, and a brand new group of Oxfam volunteers.

I have just had my lunch on day 3 of this European tour. Just before I go to set up the Oxfam stall, I wanted to finish off this post I started last night. I had a strange moment last night. Albert Hammond Jnr walked past me when I was brushing my teeth and said ‘hello’.. With a mouth full of Colgate and toothbrush, my reply was a muffled ‘hey’. There is the guitarist from The Strokes, walking past in his pristine cream suit, there’s me, unable to even say hello properly. It’s all about first impressions! Mind you, at least I will have minty fresh breath.

Another odd moment just now. I’m borrowing a desk in the ‘Artist Management’ office (they haven’t arrived at Mannheim yet). Someone comes up and asks me.. “Do you know where I can put fan mail?” umm.. I guess I just have to get used to these things.

I’m excited to see Albert Hammond Jnr as support. His band were great last night, and duly appreciated by the Strasbourg crowd. It was an open standing floor last night. It gives the gig a totally different feel. I like it when people can pick and choose their Coldplay experience.. almost touching distance, or dancing at the back. It gives the venue a buzz before the doors too, as the crowds wait patiently to rush to the front (even in torrential Strasbourg showers. It made me laugh when I saw them all oblivious to Jonny and Guy going for a run in the distance. That must have had them energised for the show. It was another great concert. Chris and Jonny pleasing the crowd by strutting down the catwalks for ’In My Place’. I have a feeling that it will only get better, as the tour rolls on. Lets hope Oxfam sign-ups keep going up too!

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=47

[Gitta Rensolo]

Is it possible that they still need people in Cologne?That'd be great....

[Jenjie]

Mannheim to Lyon.

The sound in some of these arenas is incredible. I will never get tired of hearing the crowd spontaneously chanting that ‘Viva’ chorus. The echo and the sheer number of people singing as one, is something else. Amazing. Another thing that’s amazing, is another 982 signatures in Mannheim, the first stop for Oxfam Germany. 982 people lending their voice to Oxfam campaigns. Many thousands more learning from our volunteers, about Oxfam, Coldplay’s support of Oxfam and the ways that they can support campaigns, helping to tackle poverty and injustice. These people have power to make change happen. Imagine if EU leaders heard all those people singing along to ‘Viva La Vida’, and then the same leaders heard the same voices calling for Fair Trade policies or FOR ALL people to have access to clean water, health, education, sanitation. Every person has the power to lend their voice for positive change. Together, we are so much stronger.

Today we are in Lyon. The baton is passed back to Oxfam France agir-ici. Their volunteers will again have the chance to be the start of a movement.

Today’s venue, the Tony Garnier Hall. This place used to be an abatoire. It is a huge hall. An unusual setting for a Coldplay show. It’s a great use for such a huge space. I am sure the crowd will soon warm it up, when they rush through later today. The set is being tweaked all the time. Every song, light, sound, drape, cue and position, thought through. The band want this show to be truly something to remember.

I had some time to look around the old town of this great city. It’s very photogenic, despite a torrential downpour, which left me sheltering under the awning at a patisserie. I really like it here. Tonight will leave me buzzing on the way to Barcelona, i’m sure. So many new places to see. So many fans to reach. The band could play well into the night, and I am sure the crowd would still want encore after encore. If it didn’t come, they would make their own, with another chorus of Viva!

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=48

[busybeeburns]

That’s the choice some fans might have had to make for their Saturday night in Barcelona. Today’s venue, the Palau Sant Jordi, is right next door to the Olympic Stadium. That is the home of Andorra today, for their game with England in the 2010 Football World Cup qualifiers. The atmosphere should be amazing outside later, as fans of both events converge on this hill overlooking the city, soaked in sunshine. It will give our volunteers a whole different crowd to speak to as well. I wonder which crowd will make the most noise..

Judging that on the noise inside the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon on Thursday, it could easily be Coldplay that wins on noise volume. It was electric in there. I was on such a high during and after that show. Easily one of, if not, the best show so far. The band really seem to be getting into their stride. The tweaks to the set are fitting in nicely. Songs are rolling on one after the next, and carrying the momentum. The crowd were lapping it up. It was an amazing night. Oxfam volunteers were on song again. Another 1500 or so people making the FOR ALL pledge (that’s 3000 from just 2 shows in France!). The campaigners were full of enthusiasm, passion and energy to help Oxfam strengthen it’s call for action from governments and institutions to ensure quality healthcare and education for all people. The numbers are adding up across countries to form a global movement. With that awareness and action, change is possible. Amazing sign-ups from a noisy and excited crowd at an incredible Coldplay show. When the night goes like that, I really do feel like I have one of the best jobs around.

After the trip from Lyon to Barcelona, it was my chance to check out the city, as there was no show last night. I was exhausted with all the walking but it was well worth it as I made my way around to take in the sights. I had a look at the Nou Camp, home of FC Barcelona, and met a few waiting England fans on the way. This is a great city. History everywhere. I hope to come back someday. Before that though, we have the small matter of another huge sell-out Coldplay show (and maybe some of the football on the radio…)

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=50

[melanieau]

Palacio de Deportes, Madrid, Spain.
Block 12, Room 8, Seat no. 3.
12:10pm.

The venue is a building site. There are hard hats, reflective jackets and hand signals across the floor. Stage trucks reversing in. Confetti cannons, lasers, fans, speaker stacks, motors, inflatable spheres, more lights and more speakers, all ready to be lifted above the stage when the rigging goes up. When a show gets this big, it’s a long time before you see any instruments!

I can now see one of the catwalks being assembled, which will later see Chris Martin walking into the waiting crowds (who are already sitting patiently outside..)
It was my first time working with Intermon Oxfam last night, in Barcelona. It was a pleasure to work with such a happy bunch. The show was a great prize for all their hard work. The atmosphere in Europe is raising the bar even higher, and the band seem to be savouring the challenge of living up to fever pitch expectation. The crowd were still singing that famous ‘Viva’ chorus long after the show closed in that Yellow lit arena. It once hosted the gymnastics at the 1992 Olympics. It was a very different spectacle last night.

Intermon Oxfam was collecting names in support of a fair trade deal. Those people who gave their voice last night, will join those voices tonight in pressuring the Spanish government. It’s a great feeling watching someone stop and listen to one of our volunteers. Take a moment to think about how they can be part of our work. Grab the pen and start signing. Walk away with a smile on their face, and go to enjoy the show. Coldplay make that possible, by inviting us here. The volunteers put the opportunity into action. And the people that stop, are the ones that make it happen.

Here comes another truck full of equipment..

By the way.. I’m pretty sure the Coldplay show made a lot more noise than the football last night.. One of the truck drivers skipped sleep to go and see the football, and said he should have chosen sleep instead!

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=52

[Mimixxx]

O-le ole ole ole, Coldplay, Coldplay.

The stage goes dark. The crowd starts to sing. The lights go up. The noise really starts. Amazing show tonight. A Spanish-speaking crowd singing every word to songs released less than 2 months ago. When there were no words, they were singing the melodies. The atmosphere in Spain has been something I will remember all my life. The arenas seem to hold in the sound. Either that, or these crowds are just crazy. In a good way.

Chris, Will, Guy and Jonny will probably remember that for a long time too. No matter how many shows they do. Belen, my Intermon Oxfam contact, told me that Chris said (in Spanish), at the end of one song, “thank you, with all my body”. He also said, they will be back until the crowd gets bored of them. I don’t see that happening any time soon.

The set just fits. The band knowing how to tease the best out of the crowd. Knowing when they will sing, and when to make them jump. It’s an amazing sight
to see people united in that way. And of course, to see four people controlling all that.

I want to thank all the Intermon Oxfam volunteers for all their energy and enthusiasm. Special thanks to Patricia, Maria and Belen for all their support from Intermon Oxfam in organising everything. It’s been great to see the crowds reaction to us, and as I said, Spain’s reaction to Coldplay.

I am about to jump on my bus, ready for the long trip to Paris. Oxfam France Agir-ici will be waiting for the two shows at the Bercy. Thank you Spain.. it’s been emotional.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=53

[Strawberry Swinger]

Can I be a part of this,before the concert in Budapest? Even if I don't speak Hungarian , but speak English perfectly? And even if I am Serbian? I am glad to help.

And this might be a bit selfish, but are the tickets for the standing area? Cause I have sitting tickets and this might be my only chance to get standing tickets.

But don't get me wrong, I want to help - seriously.

Please do reply !

[Mimixxx]

Viva La France!

This is a stunning city. Very picturesque (i’m afraid I had to look up the spelling of that).. Iconic landmarks wherever you look, Musee du Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Bastille, and of course, Tour Eiffel. I didn’t have long to look around, so I made the most of it!

Just got back to my hotel room from a long walk around Paris (in case you hadn’t guessed). Our 5 ‘BeatTheStreet’ tour buses rolled into the city at about 6:15pm this evening. Quite a journey. We started out from Madrid at about 2:30am last night.. One of the guys described it as a ’submarine trip’ (”a very long time, spent in a confined space”). Mind you, I slept soundly most of the way in my confined bunk space on Bus 5. Our driver, Steffan, always gets us safely to the next city as quick as he can.

That was one of the longer trips we have on this European leg. So now, sadly, we leave Spain behind. Barcelona and Madrid were two amazing shows. Maybe the crowds were subconsciously competing with each other!? I met some great volunteers too. The crowds really seemed to be enthusiastic about Intermon Oxfam’s work on Fair Trade. There is plenty more to come, as Coldplay returns to France, for two shows in Paris Bercy (as always, with Oxfam and our volunteers, for company).

Until tomorrow. Au revoir.

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/coldplay/?p=54

[Strawberry Swinger]

can anyone actually RESPOND to my question?

[Mimixxx]

We don't work for OXFAM so no. You need to get in contact with them

[Strawberry Swinger]

thanks I guess

[Mimixxx]

Email Pete Lusby, Oxfam's on-tour coordinator with your questions at plusby@oxfam.org.uk

He can tell you more than we can. I'm sure he'll give you a reply