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 Topic: JournalThe new items published under this topic are as follows.
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Coldplay's Roadie #42 - Blog #184 (reporting for duty in Auckland)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 10, 2012 - 11:00 AM (1833 Reads)
Topic Journal
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports on the soundcheck in Paradise (aka Auckland)
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Tash]
We’ve been out for over a year now and in every country and every city we’ve visited, Chris has sung “This could be Paradise”. New Zealand though, gets my vote for it being closest to the truth. Of course we’ve arrived mid-spring, escaping a damp and chilly run into winter at home. Even so, it’s lush, it’s green and it genuinely is pretty damn wonderful.
I’ve been here a while already, staying with some old friends down on South Island. The band, however, have gone for the rather questionable approach of following the head-mashing 28 hour flight (and 12 hour time difference) by piling straight down to the stadium for a soundcheck the night before the first show.
The general consensus among the crew is that one of two things could happen. They’ll either be completely wiped out and they’ll turn up, have a look and go straight to bed - or they’ll be somewhat on the tired and irritable side. What happens though, is way better. There’s a giggly, daft air to the soundcheck. They’re clearly in that weird underwater stage of jetlag where it’s impossible to take anything seriously...
Note: Read also: (Wiki) Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand (10 November 2012) |
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Coldplay's Roadie #42 - Blog #181 (looking back at the first Amsterdam performance in 7 years...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 06:58 PM (9528 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42, the harsh YouTube judgement and the Amsterdam revival
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Tash]
YouTube comments threads are pretty well known for the massive amount of snarky negativity they can contain. In this globally super-connected age, anything you can imagine can be filmed, uploaded and then called “Ghey” by a 12 year-old in the midwest all in a matter of minutes.
I had the utter delight the other morning though, of YouTube itself passing judgement on a clip. Phil Harvey had asked me to upload a clip filmed by the reference camera at the mixing desk, as a Private video to my account. It was just one song, to show someone how the band do it live.
Note: Read also: (Wiki) Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (11 August 2012) |
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Coldplay's Roadie #42 - Blog #179 (and a new 'song'...!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, August 03, 2012 - 04:35 AM (7844 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 gives us the world premiere of Graham Against The World
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks wabbit]
We head out to Boston spread across a couple of smaller planes. It would seem that there’s been some storm damage to the regular ride, so this is the best way forward. It’s impossible to sit on the tarmac looking at the similarly nippy looking plane opposite us out of the window and not think one thing: “Let’s race ‘em”. Plainly this isn’t going to happen - and the other plane contains the band, so us getting there before them is not on the cards. Trainer Dan, though, still suggests a whip round to offer the pilot some cash in exchange for “putting the hammer down”. Can’t say it isn’t tempting…
Boston sees more sound-checking and general fiddling. As well as a slight brush-up on God Put A Smile, they head off to the C-Stage to have a look at Us Against The World. The planned change is microscopically subtle, but the version they end up playing turns into a gag tune. I’ve talked before about how from time to time they’ll launch into a tune in soundcheck and Chris will make up lyrics on the spot to make a tribute song to one of the crew...
Note: Read also: Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI (1 August 2012) |
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Coldplay's Roadie #42 - Blog #177 (soundchecking new ideas!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, July 27, 2012 - 02:20 PM (6920 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports on a rare Coldplay soundcheck as the band try out some ideas
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Coeurli]
Soundchecks are something of an oddity by this point in the tour. First day back in Toronto, though, that’s exactly what we’re up to. There are plans afoot for much further down the line which require a bit of work now to start getting right. As is often the case with future plans, there’s as much talking as there is playing. The five man Coldplay brain-trust has some decisions to make. A few things are tried. Some work better than expected, some suddenly seem like less of a good idea than they did on paper. That’s kinda the point of the operation…
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Coldplay's Anne-Rose #42 - Blog #176 (#42 gets mistaken for a woman!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 - 12:05 AM (6838 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 gets mistaken for a woman and spins a ripping piano yarn
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks wabbit]
So I arrive at the check-in desk at Heathrow airport and tell them where I’m going and what my name is. I always feel a little doubtful when I do this that it’s actually going to work, that they’ll look at me incredulously and demand a huge docket of paperwork that demonstrates my entitlement to travel. Years of following this procedure though, (and on occasion turning up not actually knowing what city I’m going to, just a vague idea of which country it might be) has made me a little complacent, I guess...
Note: Read also: Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada (24 July 2012) |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #175 (the DC close shave and the return of Oldplay!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 03:05 AM (7543 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42, the DC close shave and the return of Oldplay
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Tash]
Good grief - here we are at the last show of the leg and I’ve got a bag full of untold stories and observations from along the way. I must apologise for the radio silence of late. I won’t make excuses - hows about I tell you about right now and then when I get home I’ll start picking through some stuff I missed out along the way?
We’re in Washington DC right now - although for a little while, it did feel as though maybe we wouldn’t be. We were all set for the trip down to DC from the day off in NYC. We get as far as the fasten seatbelts sign before the pilot comes over the bing-bong to tell us that there are storms in DC and the airport has temporarily stopped all air traffic. Shouldn’t be a problem, but for a half hour, we’ll be going nowhere. Get comfy...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #174 (#42cam's amazing adventure!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, July 02, 2012 - 08:13 AM (8712 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the curious tale of the disappearing guitar camera
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Tash]
So here’s a funny one. I’ve been playing about with a bunch of new cameras lately. Even though it’s the cheapest of them, one of the most interesting is a tiny little video camera that was invented for sticking on skydivers heads. What better way to test it then, than to stick it to the end of the guitar that Chris throws into the air at the end of God Put A Smile?
Hoppy spends a lot of his working day repairing this guitar and nursing it through the tour. Understandably, he’s not entirely sure about the idea when I first explain it, but he’s game. I rig it up and show him how to press record, then pretty much forget all about it. During Princess of China after God Put A Smile is done, Hoppy’s voice comes over the comms system. “I’ve got no idea where your camera ended up, mate”. Oh bugger.
Note: Read also: Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL (29 June) |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #173 (the hometown shows)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, June 10, 2012 - 11:55 PM (7130 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the hometown shows
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Tash]
In a lot of ways, hometown shows can be like a family Christmas. They’re ostensibly a time of joy and celebration. You do tend to forget though, how much stress comes along with it - and you pretty much always collapse in a heap at the end, glad that it’s all over for a year or so. London, of course, is just another gig - the same as any other. Every gig has to go well and every gig is important. Nevertheless, you can feel the crew collectively clench their teeth (and other parts) as the hometown shows approach...
Note: Read also: Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK (9 June) |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #169 (another 'never a dull moment...' from R#42)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 03:10 PM (2193 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the P45 microphone
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Texasluvsjonny]
Sometimes, you’re just better off not knowing.
I was in the van after the second San Jose show, thinking to myself what a great time the fellas appeared to be having onstage lately. I couldn’t help but wonder why that was? Are the new songs more energetic, more celebratory? Have the crowd reactions been stronger? Maybe it’s the fact that after six months of promo, actually playing the songs to huge crowds is like a massive shot in the arm? After all, small rooms full of just a few crew and TV cameras can feel a little vibe-less and flat when compared with 15,000 folks making their feelings very much known.
But as I say, ultimately it doesn’t matter why. The fellas are clearly having a properly great time - and the shows have been total belters as a result. San Jose were a pretty damn loud crowd. Perhaps it’s been like this every night and I just spent more time with my earpieces out, taking it all in.
Note: Read also: Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Hollywood Bowl - second night (2nd May 2012) |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #167 (North American tour leg 1 begins!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, April 20, 2012 - 10:55 PM (1801 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports on the first shows of N. American tour
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
Aaaaaand we’re off!
I’ve said before that a tour is essentially a huge machine, powered for the most part by an extraordinary amount of human effort. Considering we haven’t really done any “proper touring” since before Christmas, we’re really trying to get this massive contraption in motion from a stationary and cold start. I can’t help but see these first few days as being a bit like the band and crew united, leaning their shoulders into push-starting an ocean liner. Of course, we’re not starting completely from scratch. We’re building on everything that has gone before. There’s plenty of changes though. Phil has been overseeing new video content for the screens as well as working with show designer Paul Normandale on a heap of new show elements...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #165 (reporting back from Good Morning America!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, March 05, 2012 - 07:03 PM (2845 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the 3.30am Good Morning America lobby call
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
Now, a 3.30am lobby call is usually a pretty cruel blow. However, in a wonderful demonstration that two wrongs sometimes do make a right, the London-NYC jetlag has me up and about and feeling fine before the alarm even goes off.
It’s all in the name of Good Morning America, of course. The band are performing on air at 8.30am - which means getting set up and soundchecked obscenely early, but it does give us pretty much the whole day to ourselves once it’s done.
The morning of the GMA show, is Chris’s birthday. As a treat, he’s relieved of soundcheck duties. Singing at 8.30am is hard enough. Soundchecking at 6 would just be unkind. This leaves the studio with a problem, though. They want to do “camera blocking” during soundcheck. This means that someone must be found to stand in for Chris so that all of the camera folks can learn the songs and plan their moves.
Note: Full multimedia update: 2012-03-02 Good Morning America, New York, USA [VIDEO] |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #163 (reporting back from the GRAMMYs!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, February 17, 2012 - 05:50 PM (2130 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 gives his perspective on last weekend's Grammy Awards in LA
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
They’re a funny thing, awards shows. I guess then, that if Glastonbury is the “Beatles of festivals” as CM once quipped, then the Grammys is pretty much the toppermost of the poppermost when it comes to awards shows - and hence the funniest of funny things.
In my more sour roadie moments, I’ve likened working at awards shows to going to a slightly stiff family wedding - you know that you have to go, but you’re pretty sure you're not exactly going to *enjoy* it - and you’re damn sure that you’ll be glad when it’s over.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #161 (working on a NEW song!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 10:55 AM (3836 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Coldplay round off the tour in Berlin by working on a brand new song
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
I hadn’t thought about it until Chris mentioned it on the B-stage. He thanks the Frankfurt crowd and mentions that Germany is where this tour really started, back on Rock im Park all those months ago. Fitting then, that we bring the show back here just before we break for Christmas.
I don’t think there can be anyone not going home from this tour not feeling as though they’ve been hit by a truck (or indeed, by a dozen of them, or however many it is we’re up to now). It’s been an utterly bonkers six or seven months, but looking at the way the record has been taken to people’s hearts and how joyous the shows are, you can’t help but conclude it’s been worthwhile.
I’m going to keep this one brief. Primarily because in the rush to get out of the back door in the runner to the airport, I left my memory card in my camera, which means all my photographic evidence from the past few days is on a truck to Abu Dhabi. (I promise I’ll dig a few things out for you once we hit new year.)
I should probably tell you that we had a rather interesting soundcheck in Berlin today, with a bunch of files finding their way over the internet to me from the studio for the fellas to work on before doors. It’s not a song that’s likely to be in the set for a good while. I’d say that once they’ve finished writing and recording it though, it’s got a good chance…
Note: Read also: Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany (20th December 2011) |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #161 (Twinkle Twinkle little stars, look how they shine for you...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - 09:02 PM (3079 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Roadie #42, the errant smoke machine and the soundcheck experiments
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
I’ve got to be honest, I was expecting the Rotterdam audience to be somewhat - um, “laid back” I guess is the right phrase. It just goes to show that you never can tell…
It’s a good noisy crowd that sing through the show at the Ahoy - none more so than when the band are on the B-Stage and the cheer for Will during Us Against The World is so huge that the song grinds to a halt amidst disbelieving giggles on stage.
Meanwhile, *underneath* the stage shortly later, things go similarly silly just before Clocks when it becomes clear that an errant smoke machine has been kicked and is now facing in the wrong direction. Rather than fill the stage with smoke for the lasers, it instead fills the entire under-stage corridor with thick smoke. I can hardly see the computer screen in front of me and begin wafting the smoke out of the side curtain with a clipboard in either hand.
Note: Read also: Coldplay Live Reviews, Photos and Setlist - Sportpaleis. Antwerp, Belgium (18th December 2011) |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #159 (shooting the Charlie Brown video...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - 12:28 PM (6750 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Charlie Brown video shoot
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
Following the directions from the car park to the video shoot location, I pass the pub that’s noted on the map. I look in the windows to see if there’s anyone I recognise in there. The pub is completely awash with folks covered in luminous paint. Clearly I’m getting close.
They’re quite a striking sight, all crazy hairdos, raving outfits and glow in the dark splashes - yet they’re all sat quietly chatting, drinking and reading the paper like it’s the most normal thing in the world. I have to wonder what the old fella in the corner who’s nipped in for a quiet lunchtime half is thinking.
The shoot site itself is classic Mat Whitecross. I trudge in over the mud and into a very musty abandoned old wreck. It’s about the least glamorous location you can imagine, but you can instantly see it’s going to look great...
Note: Up next: [14-Dec-2011] Coldplay @ Bercy, Paris, France (live updates etc) and Paris Photoblog - 14th December! (AKA Le F5-powerhouse™ edition) |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #158 (X Factor review and O2 gigs)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - 08:30 PM (5602 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 muses on a triumphant TV performance and two homecoming shows
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
Back in 2002, very shortly after I joined the Coldplay travelling circus, we found ourselves in a tiny club in San Francisco. I remember the soundcheck having been somewhat eventful, almost ending in fisticuffs over nothing of any great import. Shortly before showtime, I dived into the dressing room to clarify something about the setlist. Chris was in mid-stream, giving an impassioned monologue - to whom exactly, I don’t remember - I was more concerned with getting the information I needed without interrupting.
As I left though, I caught a phrase that he was hammering emphatically. “…It’s still all about bringing passionate music into the mainstream, which is what we’ve always been about…”
The phrase came back (somewhat shortened) minutes later when the intro tape finished and they smashed into Politik. Chris yelped the phrase over the opening chords (he used to yell all manner of random stuff at the start of that tune back in the day I seem to remember).
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #155 (from chatshow to church!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 26, 2011 - 09:20 AM (2620 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports back from Chris and Jonny's Little Noise Session for Mencap
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
It strikes me as I arrive at The Church Of St John in Hackney that there is quite a lot going on in the world of Coldplay today. We’re in East London getting set up for this acoustic show tonight, whilst on the South Bank, all the gear is going into a TV studio to record an appearance on the Graham Norton show. Meanwhile, somewhere in a vast hangar-like warehouse in West London, production rehearsals for the upcoming arena shows are already in full swing, with truckloads of lights, sound, staging and video getting up and running ready for the band’s arrival after the weekend. Given that the Bakery and the Beehive will be grinding away up in North London, I’d say Coldplay pretty much have London covered today...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #154 (The hush hush Italian appearance)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - 09:14 PM (2622 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which Coldplay perform on an Italian film set and their plane home is diverted
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
It’s not uncommon for me to have little idea of where we’re going or what we’re doing. It’s actually quite easy to fall into this state and once you spot it starting, it can be fun to nurture it as a way of keeping things interesting. Conversations in the airport departure lounge this morning clue me in that we’re heading off to Italy. Well that’ll be nice.
Upon landing, soundman Dan Green asks me if I know what songs we’re doing. “Um, just the regular set, I think or something like?”
In my mind it’s another album launch show, so I’m expecting a small venue, perhaps something like the hall we did in Cologne a while back. “It’s a TV show isn’t it?” Dan replies, confirming that I do indeed have no idea what’s going on. We head off in the van towards the gig and I’m now thinking “TV studio, blacked out warehouse, lots of lights hung from the roof”, pleased that I’m now on the right track. Or, as it turns out when we arrive - not.
Note: Multimedia update: 2011-09-02 Coldplay @ Taratata, France TV Studios, Paris [AUDIO/VIDEO, ~500mb] http://bit.ly/taufVm |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #153 (Roadies in the wars)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, November 06, 2011 - 07:57 PM (2960 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 gets his head stapled and Coldplay perform some wonderful webcast shows
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
I first realise that I’ve done slightly more than just bumped my head when I hold my skull with both hands and they’re immediately soaking wet. Walking through the dusty bullring towards catering for napkins to mop up the blood, the wide eyed stares from the locals reinforces the impression that there was something really very sharp sticking down from the beam I’ve just not quite managed to duck under.
I arrive in catering and grab a fistful of napkins and press them against my skull with one hand whilst mopping up my face and neck with the other. Graham Feast, our lovely Lighting Designer immediately takes me by the arm and steers me to the production office whilst radioing Phil Sharp his crew chief that he has someone “with a head injury here” - and could he please attend with his First Aid kit.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #152 (MX release week roundup!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - 07:48 PM (3372 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 catches up on the whirlwind that has been the last seven days
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
So there we are - the record is finally out there. For me, it mainly means I can stop worrying about having the files on my laptop. For others hopefully, it means being overjoyed that they finally have them on theirs. It also means that (praise the lord) the pre-release-promo phase is coming to a close. It’s been a white knuckle ride for all concerned and not a little exhausting. I’m constantly amazed by the way that the band can not only function throughout this schedule, but actually be cheery and engaging with the relentless round of interviews that they get on top of what we’re dealing with.
The schedule was shuffled crazily at the last moment last week to accommodate the Steve Jobs memorial ceremony at Apple Headquarters. We of course, were very much on the periphery of it. The event and those that were gathered were literally at the very heart of the Apple organisation. The love, respect and sense of loss clearly palpable in the stillness and quiet.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #150 (Elephant Heads!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - 08:25 AM (3263 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry:
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
A few days after the Cape Town stadium, which was literally at sea level (any closer to the coastline and it would have been a wet load-in), we pull into the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg and are reminded by stage manager Gary Currier that we’re 1,700 metres above sea level. This means thin air, which in turn means it’s very easy to get out of breath. Still - at least we’re moving up in the world…
As is often the case, today we’re launched catapault-like straight from the airport into soundcheck. There’s the customary mad scramble to work out how to get the B-stage right, followed by further chaos on the main stage which I can’t say too much about at this point. The frenzy is suddenly multiplied by the fact that around the stadium, someone has mistakenly decided that it’s ok to open gates to the punters.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #149 (African Adventure)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, October 08, 2011 - 08:50 PM (2245 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the amazing African adventure
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
As you get ever more road(ie) miles under your belt, two things start to happen. Firstly, less phases you. Most things that the crew encounter on a daily basis are a repetition of what’s gone before. I remember on the Rush Of Blood tour, the enormous growth spurt that the band went through meant every few weeks, we seemed to be doing the biggest show that any of us had ever been involved in. It was a steep learning curve and there was always the question nagging at you as to whether you could really cope when the next step up came.
Nowadays, we’re seeing a lot of familiar situations, so we have the lay of the land a little better. That’s not to say that things don’t crop up that throw a spanner in the works, just that we’re more comfortable that whatever it is, we’ll be able to deal with it somehow. This brings about the second phenomena. Once you’ve a couple dozen laps of the planet and several hundred shows, the excitement level can drop a little. Getting off the plane in Chicago and doing my first shows in the USA with Coldplay felt like walking into a cinema screen. “Look - real yellow cabs..!” Ten years later, though and that feeling can’t help but be dulled a little.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #148 (the final festival... Rock In Rio)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 04, 2011 - 01:20 PM (2895 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 sits by the pool and tells tales of Brazil
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
Touring is a strange activity. People generally believe that it’s all exotic travel and flash hotels. Like a long luxury holiday with a few gigs thrown in. The reality is somewhat more grubby and demanding, which makes the days where it actually *is* like that all the more surprising.
Today, we’re laying by the pool in Buenos Aires having what can only be described as a right result of a day. We have a 12 hour stopover between Rio De Janeiro and Cape Town. The DJ is spinning a mix of trad jazz and uber-hip sixties funk. The wine is flowing and the sun appears to be doing its best to inflict actual physical harm upon us...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #147 (heading towards... a few days off?!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 26, 2011 - 03:40 PM (2416 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is watched in his hotel room and sees Queen Elizabeth moshing...
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
We’ve finished the most exhausting six day sprint in recent memory - and, somewhat predictably, I can’t sleep.
The final two days of this leg of promo-mayhem first take us over the desert and into Vegas. The venue is a huge arena with an even huger hotel / casino complex on top of it. We have “day rooms” upstairs to give us somewhere to rest up until we’re required. An absolute godsend given how knackered everyone is. It would appear that the event has produced promotional materials extending to the DND signs...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #146 (continues the pre-release promo phase)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, September 24, 2011 - 12:45 PM (2941 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 stares down the barrel while being fired from a cannon. And Coldplay do too
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
So we’re officially slap bang inside the pre-release promo phase. The clearest indicator of this is the proliferation of thousand yard stares and slightly tattered nerve endings visible all around. Every album’s launch phase is its own pinball machine of utter chaos. If the recording process was a year or two of pulling the sprung launcher back, everyone involved is now packed tight in the shiny silver ball bouncing around the schedule at an alarming rate.
Besides the travel and the sleep deprivation, the toughest thing about all this is the lack of consistency. Every day is a completely unique assault course. By the time we’re into the relative calm of “just being on tour”, we’ll have done shows in tiny theatres, a bunch of massive festivals, umpteen tiny TV studios, a few stadiums, a tennis court, an arena or two, a bucket factory and a parking lot. This is just the performance side of it. For the band, there’s an additional layer of interviews. Radio, TV, magazines, newspapers, blogs and websites.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #144 (Double dose in Texas)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 08:49 PM (3310 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from two Coldplay's two Austin shows
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
The customs officer at Houston airport greets us with a cheery “howdy”. One of his colleagues shouts over, pointing at the entire entourage, informing him that non-specifically and collectively “this is Coldplay”. It turns out that our guy knows of Coldplay. He’s even got one of the records: “The one with all the old soldiers on the front”.
For reasons that are never made quite clear, he’s bought it five times now. It’s certainly not the coldest welcome any of us have ever received from the TSA, so we thank him and move along. We’re on a layover at Houston airport before a short flight to Austin. It’s been a long flight from London and the time difference is just enough to make things feel spacey. It’s mid evening here, but deep into the night where our bodies think they are...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #143 (Live debut of Paradise!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 09:25 PM (3997 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports back from the live debut of Paradise
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
Paris. Add a few more letters and you get “Paradise”. Quite fitting then, that it’s the first city in the world to get a public airing of the tune. Admittedly, it’s in a closed TV studio, for broadcast at a later date, but the point is that there’s a crowd of people here that are going to hear the song for the first time. If there’s an uncomfortable silence when the track ends and tumbleweed rolling across the floor, it would surely bode rather badly for the imminent release on Monday. No surprise then, that folks are keen for today to go well.
TV shows are always a “hurry up and wait” affair. Long days with long stretches where other parts of the show are being attended to, so all you can do is sit and nurse a coffee, or bury your head in the laptop. Keeping busy is the best way to take your mind off the fact that in a few hours, you’ve got to get it right, but right now, there’s not actually anything you can do about it...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #142 (three new songs for the setlist...!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, September 09, 2011 - 11:44 AM (3006 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the rehearsals of the new songs
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
The four weeks off it seems, haven’t just breathed new life into the crew - the band roll up for the first day of rehearsals positively beaming. It’s all hugs, smiles and “So, what’ve you been up to?”. Everyone looks fresh, relaxed and ready to take on the world. Pretty good thing too, as that’s what’s on the agenda for the next year or so. If any more evidence were needed that summer is finally in the rear view mirror, the weather on the first morning is absolutely miserable. Perfect weather, then, for spending the day in a dark windowless room...
Order of the day, is the three new tunes to be added to the setlist. First up is Paradise. They’ve played it enough times during recording to be on top of it from the word go - almost. It sounds confident, assured and classy right from the off. Also, with me being set up directly opposite Jonny’s amps here, it sounds even more exhilarating than the recorded version...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #141 (rehearsals of the new songs)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 05, 2011 - 10:06 PM (3735 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the rehearsals of the new songs
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Lily42 & _Tash]
The fact that I’m sitting amongst a pile of road cases looking over at Chris’s piano must mean that the summer holidays really are over. I had intended to go away somewhere nice for a week or two. To be honest though, getting on a plane wasn’t top of my list of things to do once we got home from our “round the world in 13 days” mission. By my reckoning, a complete lap of the planet in under two weeks gave us an average speed of over 80 miles an hour for the entire trip. No wonder I quite fancied sitting still for a bit…
Being back in the rehearsal room after a four week break though, definitely makes this feel like the first proper day back. In reality, I’ve been slowly easing back in over the last week or so. I’ve been prepping some new songs that’ll be getting a run through during these rehearsals. Paradise is mere days from breaking free from the studio into the big wide world, so learning how to play it live seems like a sensible plan for the band at this stage.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #140 (Happy Birthday Will & Amy Winehouse tribute)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, August 03, 2011 - 04:15 PM (3823 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the global time travel
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks melanieau]
Australia, as regular readers might remember, is one of my very favourite places on the face of the Earth. Imagine then, my level of dis-chuff to find that we’d be spending a grand total of 36 hours there - much of which was spent asleep. Good thing then, that the gig went a long way to making up for it.
Firstly we arrive, as we have at several festivals this year, to the sound of Elbow wafting through the air. We then discover that Pulp are playing - total result. I stand and watch them at stage left and find that whilst I’m happy to see them, band assistant Vicki Taylor is positively thrilled. They appear to have lost absolutely nothing of what made them so superbly wonderful in the first place and they’re a totally unexpected highlight of the trip so far. I really hope their reunion lasts longer than just the festies…
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #139 (from Japan to Australia)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, August 01, 2011 - 08:15 PM (2293 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the great karaoke caper
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks _Tash]
We’re sitting in the reception of the Brisbane hotel, which I guess must mean that we finished our days in Tokyo. I have to say, I was utterly delighted last night when the immigration fella greeted me with a cheery “G’Day”. That’s not in any way to say that I’m glad to have left Tokyo you understand, more that it’s actually a joy to remember that people really do say that here.
Japan passed in the predictable blur of jet lag and disorientation. There was a great deal of promo involved, I seem to remember. First up, a small gig in a TV studio - of which I remember only the fact that a maximum of five people at a time were allowed on the wi-fi network. As I’m sure you can imagine, amongst a party of about thirty folks far from home, this required some careful choreography...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #138 (looking forward to a brutal two week schedule)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 10:52 AM (2440 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the globe-trotting adventure
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks coldplayfan_115]
Greetings to you all from Tokyo. We just flew in from London yesterday and boy are our arms tired… And so begins a trip that sees us do an entire lap of the planet in just fourteen days. London-Tokyo-Brisbane-Sydney-LA-Chicago-London. Two weeks of insane travel, monstrous jetlag, huge shows and days packed with promo. There’s just no getting around the fact that we’re going to need taking home in a basket. As ever, when faced with such a brutal schedule, Coldplay’s response is completely predictable: “Can we fit a bit more in?”.
To that end, studios have been booked at every step along the way for some final (yeah right) fiddling with the record and Mat Whitecross has joined us to see if they can get a video made while they’re at it. I do sometimes wonder whether the fellas are going to get to 40 years of age and just collapse onto their respective sofas and refuse to move for the rest of their lives. I have to say, it’d be hard to blame them…
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #137 (Sweden to Belgium to France...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, July 07, 2011 - 06:41 PM (3337 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the continuing European festival adventure
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks doritji]
There’s an urban myth that a frog can’t discern tiny changes in temperature - meaning that you can plop it in a pan of cold water and if you turn the heat up slowly enough it won’t realise it’s being boiled alive. Now, this is apparently untrue and obviously I don’t condone any kind of animal cruelty, but as an analogy, it’s quite apt. For most of the touring party, it feels like the final applause of the Glastonbury show marked the point at which the pan came off the hob and we were returned to our natural habitat. It’s not like we didn’t know there was stress in the air, just that most of us hadn’t realised quite how far from comfortable we’d travelled, as everything just kept ratcheting up a tiny bit at a time...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #135 (the countdown to G-Day has started)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, June 13, 2011 - 10:13 PM (2874 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Roadie #42 and the solitary candle
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks doritji]
So that’s the last two big, big festies out the way before what’s becoming known as G-Day (or Glastonbury to the rest of the world). These shows have been a great way to shake off the rust from the touring machine and get into gear for the big one. In so many ways, Glasto is just another gig - and given the fact that we’ve been doing huge festivals for the past couple weeks, that really is exactly what it is.
Except that it just isn’t. It’s a gig that perhaps more than any other, is way way bigger than any artist, any crowd or any amount of dry ice and laser beams. In many ways, headlining the Glastonbury Pyramid is a bit like owning a stately home. You can live there for a bit and maybe even feel like Lord of the manor if you’re that way inclined...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #134 (Coldplay head back to the Beehive!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, June 09, 2011 - 02:55 PM (2734 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the days off that weren't days off
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
Doing festivals means a lot of days off. Or rather, it doesn't. Following Rock am Ring, the band party headed off in a convoy of vans through quite the most dramatic thunderstorm I can remember since the Dubai show a few years back. As the crew saunter down to Venice for a few days off, the fellas head back into the Beehive to give it some on a new track. I remember chatting to Rik Simpson at the end of the Viva recording about songs that came along late in the recording process - the last minute wonders...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #132 (reporting on Rock am Ring)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, June 07, 2011 - 11:36 AM (2708 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the rocking in the rain
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks jeremyy]
The human race, really, is pretty amazing. If a wildlife documentary showed you a species gathering together in tens of thousands to sing and dance together, it would be gripping, unmissable television. If it showed this happening in torrential storm conditions with all of the assembled creatures showing no signs whatsoever of losing enthusiasm, you would sit and shake your head incredulously at the utter wonder of nature.
I looked out from the side of the stage on Saturday and saw the Rock Am Ring crowd going pleasingly berserk to Charlie Brown and couldn’t help but be astonished. Now, I’m not generally one for gazing in wonderment at humanity. The fact is, I tend to prefer keeping the majority of it at arms length if at all possible. How could you see this though and not let your stony heart be just a little warmed?
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #132 (first show in the bag!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, June 04, 2011 - 03:43 PM (2508 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports back from the first show of the festival run
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Natascha]
We all meet up around noon to head over to the first festival show. Coincidentally, it's the exact time that the new single breaks cover and hits the radio waves for the first time. Everyone wanders into the lounge with different news: "They gave it a rewind - so good they played it again straight away"; "Twitter has gone absolutely berserk"; "I can't even get on the fan sites they're so busy - one of them is completely down".
It's a bit of a Team Coldplay gathering, with various management folks, some EMIs - even producer Markus Dravs is here to visit his homeland for a couple days. The band, of course - the eye of this very hurricane - float in looking oblivious to anything going on at all. They are focused on the job in hand, namely playing a blinder of a festival show to get us off the blocks.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #131 (friends and family rehearsal gig)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, June 01, 2011 - 02:20 PM (3515 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the family and friends rehearsal
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks SueDeNimes]
Back in 2002, I did my first ever day’s work for a band called Coldplay. They were doing Production Rehearsals at The Forum in Kentish town. For those who have never been there, The Forum is a theatre sized rock venue, with a stage almost exactly the same size as the one in the Christmas Lights video. It also happens to be right next door to the Bull & Gate pub, where on their fourth ever show, Coldplay met up with a young sound-man called Dan Green who has been with them ever since. Dan has recently been co-producing their new album...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #130 (almost the festival season)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 - 10:41 PM (3002 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is busying himself for festival season
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Natascha]
We had an email go around recently from our fearless new production manager (you’d bloody have to be…), Wob Roberts. It had the subject line “More changes - No change there”. Now, that could come across as snidey moaning, but given Wob’s unflappable nature, it’s clearly just the knowing wink of someone who’s seen it all before. The process of getting a tour together, much like any creative endeavour, is something that starts with a blank sheet of paper (or in the festivals’ case, an empty field). The change from the empty field to the huge event doesn’t happen in one big lightswitch-like flick. It happens over the course of an incredible number of planning meetings, decisions, experiments, triumphs and trashings...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #125 (Christmas Lights, shivering and Shiver...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, December 17, 2010 - 01:09 PM (3258 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 on Christmas Lights, shivering and Shiver
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Kris W.]
Bloody HECK, but it's been busy. I'd forgotten what it's like when they release a record. I've experienced 3 album launch campaigns with this band and I swear that the mind blocks out the memories. It's only as your brain starts to feel as though it's doing the wall of death round the inside of your skull that the vague recollections become somewhat disturbing flashbacks. I could moan about mountains of email and exploding to-do lists, but frankly nobody likes a whiner. And besides, there are more interesting things going on...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #124 (...and all that remains)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 05, 2010 - 08:01 PM (2432 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 fancies a cuppa
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Lore]
Tea. Daily studio life can come to revolve around it.
To borrow someone else's story for a moment, it's claimed that uber-producer Flood earned his nickname very early in his career whilst working as an assistant on an album with The Cure. Legend has it that he was one of two assistants working alternate days in the studio. The two chaps apparently had very different levels of commitment to ensuring a regular flow of hot beverages. Apparently, this prompted Robert Smith to quip that on the tea front, it was "either flood or drought". The two assistants then became known by these names for the remainder of the session.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #123 (all smiles, scans and backups...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 - 07:06 PM (2325 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 goes for smiles and smiles
Congratulations to Elena35 who wins the 6th round of Roadie sweepstakes! Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks zzz]
I guess it's inevitable that after a couple months away from the recording process, the first couple of weeks back would feel a little like being thrown into a wind tunnel. When the fellas get the bit between their teeth, things start to move very quickly. And then they accelerate. As detailed previously, "the plan" has again been shaken up like a fizzy drink can. Once they decide to bend back the ring pull, you'd better be on your toes...
The immediate plan has shifted to one very specific thing, to the exclusion of all else. Brian has often claimed that limitations are very useful in the creative process and in this case it's like a huge shot in the arm. The past week has been like watching one of those time lapse movies of a tree growing. Rather than a tree of course, we have a song. One song in particular.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #122 (the band and R#42 are all back!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, September 16, 2010 - 07:04 PM (2349 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Our man on the inside is back...
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks AnnaElisabeth]
Oh yes, I should have mentioned that we were going away for our summer holidays.... But today, like legions of kids across the land being dragged away from their Xboxes (or their surfboards...) we're back to school. Interestingly and somewhat predictably, we've spent the last ten days prepping the studio ready for what we thought would be our first lesson - only to have the timetable turned firmly on its head within the first hour of the band being in the building.
The natural response is to curse, tut and whine about moving goalposts, but we've long since learned that this is simply the way the creative process works. The band are attempting, after all, to create something from nothing. So planning the route is as much guesswork as anything else. As things begin to develop, the best way forward becomes clearer.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #121 (the band continue to create among the plants...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, June 24, 2010 - 10:05 PM (2363 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 watches as Coldplay create
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks coldplayisawesome]
Greetings folks, from back inside the Beehive. I'm at my desk, which is tucked away behind one of the pianos. Over my shoulder are two rather beaten up old sofas. This "lounge area" is where every recording day starts - beginning, as every day should, with strong coffee.
I talked in the last blog about different ways in which the record gets made. These first-thing conversations are actually a hugely important part of the process too. The band spend a great deal of the day playing live together. These discussions beforehand, though, mean that everyone has a good idea of what they're trying to achieve before things start getting noisy.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #118 (from studio to... solar system?)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, April 02, 2010 - 08:56 AM (2725 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Chris has got a little project for #42
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards.
I've talked before about differences between what I've experienced when touring with the band and work here at the studio. Mostly, it's the fact that you're not sure what's coming next. Touring is fairly repetitive; the scenery changes a great deal, but the daily routine is pretty much set in stone. Here in the studio, it isn't like that. As you'd expect with a process led by the creative mind, there is a lot of jumping from one thing to another. It's difficult, if not impossible to anticipate what's coming next and what you'll be asked for...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #117 (from stadium to studio...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, March 15, 2010 - 08:50 AM (3126 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: They think it's all over...
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks marie/pims]
So there we have it folks. There goes the final whistle. The fat lady has sung and the world's Vida has been well and truly Viva-ed. Summing up two years of your life in a few words is a little like trying to mow a lawn using only scissors. I could try, but I'd pretty soon have sore fingers and give up. All I know is that I'm ready for a day or two of sleep...
Off the top of my head, I'd say that I'll remember this campaign as the one where Coldplay finally made friends with stadium gigs. They haven't joined the old guard in the greatest hits shows just yet. They also haven't joined the stadium rock arms race of selling tickets on the strength of "having a longer power cable than The Stones used on their 1998 tour - previously the most extensive stretch of copper used on a rock show..."
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #116 (from Guadalajara to Monterrey...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, March 12, 2010 - 03:00 PM (2805 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42, the Parachutes song and the farewell dinner
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks tisnowflake]
As I write, we're only hours from the final closing bell on the Viva Tour. The realisation that we're reaching the end seems to have hit everyone simultaneously after the Guadalajara show. The fact that there is "just one more gig" - that the Monterrey show tomorrow is "the last one" flicks the switch and we're all faced with the knowledge that it's the end of this chapter.
We've already "done" the end of the tour once, of course. The Wembley stadium shows were the end of a very long concentrated run. In the back of everyone's minds then though, was the fact that we still had these Latin American shows to do - so it wasn't *really* over. We were just stopping for a while. We mused about this over breakfast this morning. Guy remarked that it's like we've already had the season finale, but the cast has been talked into doing a Christmas special...
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Walk on the wild side
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, March 11, 2010 - 10:23 PM (2630 Reads)
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 This morning I’ve arrived in the Estadio Universitario in Monterrey quite early to enjoy the last day from the start. The sun is shining, someone has put Lou Reed on to test the sound so here comes the title of the post (I haven’t slept enough last night so I’m short of ideas). The Oxfam stand is not set up yet, so I’ve got time for an update about Guadalajara’s concert.
The show was fantastic: my confetti shot was the best one since I’ve been using the ‘advanced’ machines. Butterflies came out smoothly until the last seconds of ‘Lovers In Japan’. I think I’ve mastered the art now! And the ola before ‘Don Quixote/Spanish Rain’ was the fastest I’ve seen up to now, so well done Guadalajara! However, today someone told me that the real home of the Mexican Wave is Monterrey’s Estadio Universitario, which is exactly where I am sitting right now, so we shall see tonight what El Volcàno has prepared for us…
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here courtesy of Giulia now...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #115 (Mexican singalong and roadie merch!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, March 08, 2010 - 08:37 PM (2485 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42, the bootleg merch and the unexpected Mexican singalong
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks svenky]
Coldplay have history with Mexico. The Rush Of Blood tour finished here at the Palacio Des Deportes in 2003. The X&Y tour also finished up here in 2007. Now, we're putting Viva to bed here in 2010. Of course, there is also the fact that the artist Frida Kahlo was born here - and that she provided so much of the inspiration for the title and spirit of this record. Frida gets shouts out during both of the Mexico City shows. From the B-stage on night one and then (if memory serves correctly) during Politik on the second.
Mexico shows are always a treat, as the crowd are properly berserk. They are incredibly loud - so much so that even though I'm hidden away at the side of the stage and have earphones in, I have to put my hands over my ears at several points because the cheering is so loud it's making my ears go funny.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #114 (Bogota barnstormer!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, March 06, 2010 - 05:50 PM (2477 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Bogota barnstormer
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks svenky]
Now, don't get me wrong, - Argentina and Brazil were both fantastic. Each wonderful in their own way (largely down to the people and the response). For me personally though, things really get interesting when we leave for Bogota. Not for any reasons pertaining to one of their more well known exports, but because I've never been before. When we last visited Latin America, we had almost a week in each city, which means that Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires actually felt quite familiar to me. I even remembered where my favourite place to get coffee was just around the corner from the Sao Paulo hotel..
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Fingerprints needed
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, March 06, 2010 - 09:17 AM (2022 Reads)
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[Notepad-typed notes on the flight to Mexico City] Two days since my last post from Brazil and we’ve already been to Colombia and gone. So here we are, on a plane to Mexico right now and Mexico City is in some way what everyone in the crew has been looking forward to: we’re half-way through the tour and also this is the only place where Coldplay will play twice in the same venue so it means a bit more time for everyone.
Last night show in Bogotà was in the huge (how many times will I use this word again? Place your bet) Simon Bolivar park from where you could see the green mountains surrounding the capital. We’ve also been blessed with sunshine all day long, except some drizzle just when Coldplay went on stage. As usual. It was the first time in Colombia for Coldplay. 32,000 people made it to the show despite a quite impressive public transport strike; they were all there, screaming their lungs out when Chris successfully attempted some local slang in Spanish!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here courtesy of Giulia now...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #113 (...we're all just working for Will Champion!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, March 04, 2010 - 07:37 PM (3408 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which Coldplay bow to pressure and play Shiver
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here [thanks marie/pims]
So we're three shows in and what belters they've been. Buenos Aires had the task of getting us back on track after a lengthy break. I can't deny I was nervous before the gig. The scale of the show and all that goes into making it happen had become much more apparent having had five months to forget which buttons to press.
With that first show done, I wandered around the bar afterwards chatting to a very relieved band and remarked that it had been a solidly good first night back. "Yeah, that one was a banker," commented Jonny Buckland. If the first show back had been a wobbly one, the nerves would have multiplied, but a great first show back meant that we were very comfortably back in the saddle and the confidence was restored. Thanks folks!
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Mad Traffic
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, March 02, 2010 - 01:40 PM (2027 Reads)
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Mad traffic - two words that perfectly sum up my first impression of São Paulo. Okay: we arrived just at rush hour and the city is huge, but the journey from the airport took us absolutely ages, despite the driver trying his best to find as many shortcuts as one can possibly imagine.
Anyway, we’re finally here, the crew is already loading in for tomorrow’s gig. I haven’t seen the Morumbi Stadium yet, but it’s supposed to be MASSIVE: with a capacity of over 60,000 people, I can only imagine how much noise Coldplay fans will make when they recognize the first few notes of their favourite songs. And from my short experience, that usually happens with every single song! Oxfam will be at the venue with 20 volunteers led by the amazing Carlos: you’ll see them distributing bookmarks and if you ask they’ll be more than happy to have a chat about how you can take action against climate change.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here courtesy of Giulia.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Boa noite, Rio de Janeiro!
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, March 01, 2010 - 04:20 PM (2321 Reads)
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Hello from Rio de Janeiro. Coldplay are just about to play tonight in the famous sambodromo Apoteose and Oxfam is here, as the band have asked us again if we wanted to come along. This time it’s me, Giulia, trying to make the most of this opportunity for Oxfam to be heard and to involve as many fans as possible. And I will be reporting for you on the fabulous life of the ‘Oxfam Rep’ on tour.
The tour started last Friday in Buenos Aires, with about 50,000 people in the River Plate stadium singing along to their songs. I was there, free from Oxfam duty for the first concert and suddenly recruited for helping out with firing butterfly-shaped confetti during Lovers in Japan: an exciting task that is likely to continue for the rest of the tour. Right now twenty-one great volunteers from Oxfam Brasil are campaigning on the issues of climate change, asking people to sign up to Tic Tac - you can do it here: www.tictactictac.org.br
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here courtesy of Giulia.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #111 (Beehive news, new songs and Latin America!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 02:24 PM (2105 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 gets scared, discusses new songs and looks forward to the tour
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks AnnaElisabeth]
Where on earth does the time go? One minute it's Christmas and I'm rushing about wondering whether we're going to get the eBay auction finished, or whether it's going to finish us first. Suddenly, I look around to see that the Latin America leg has begun and it's nearly March. Before I start telling you how lovely it is to be in Argentina, howsabout I fill you in a little on what's been happening since we last spoke? Firstly, the Beehive is really beginning to feel like home. The builders' dust has settled, the smell of paint has faded and we've all established our little workspaces, spreading instruments, equipment and tea cups around the place in equal measure...
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12 Coldplay months of 2009: OCTOBER (three awards given)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, January 02, 2010 - 11:50 AM (3977 Reads)
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 To the relief of Latin America Coldplay Fans, Coldplay finally announced their Viva La Vida Latin American Tour. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are featured on the list and a second Mexico show was announced at the end of October. "Coldplay are pleased to announce a tour of Latin America for February/March 2010. The seven stadium shows will mark the end of the band's Viva La Vida world tour, which has so far seen them play 159 shows to 2.75 million fans across 25 countries."
Two weeks after the Wembley shows, Roadie 42# (who has a lovely cat) still seemed somewhat exhausted when he explained what finishing a tour felt like after months on the road. He also revealed that the band were back in the studio after a well deserved break. He even let slip that Coldplay had found a new studio. "Just as the Bakery was at its birth, this place is currently no more than a broken down shell, which will become a warm womb in which to grow the next little member of the album family."
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12 Coldplay Months of 2009: AUGUST (five Coldplay members huddling)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 - 09:07 AM (1969 Reads)
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 As the sweet summer month began (August 4th), Coldplay was honored with four nominations for Viva la Vida at the VMA’s; this included the nomination for Best Rock Video.
Four days later Coldplay were sorry to announce that they had to cancel the last show on their US tour due to illness. The fans in Tampa were of course devastated, and unfortunately the promised re-scheduling of the show has not yet happened. Some comments to the Coldplay cancellation in Tampa, taken from Coldplaying.com are below...
i'm seriously still in disbelief. this was def. one of the highlights of my summer. my friend and i still want to drive down to the ampitheatre and make sure that it's all really real. i hope Chris gets better soon, and the show's rescheduled very soon. i think they're not meant to play on their original scheduled dates in Tampa, b/c isn't this the second time they've had to postpone and reschedule a show there? [thanks technicolor_love78]
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Live Coldplay Exeter Blog... updates and pictures from the Big Noise Sessions
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, December 19, 2009 - 03:47 PM (4101 Reads)
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 The Coldplay blog from Exeter Castle in Southwest England has started following a bout of technical problems (well, a delayed train anyway). Please join us now at the Coldplay forum for all the discussion on the latest pictures, interviews, videos and updates from the live Coldplay Exeter blogging! Don't forget to keep an eye on the Vivacrew Twitter account which will also be tweeting live updates and photos prior to, during and after the performance courtesy of Jayzo and mimixxx.
Here are the latest official photoblog updates...
10:46pm: A very happy Chris just told us he thought the show was "really great fun". The crowd certainly thought so. We did too. And that's it from us. Thanks, as ever, for reading this and for all your emails. And for generally being such terrific supporters of Coldplay. Hope you all have a great Christmas. And keep on bidding...
10:40pm: Goodnight Exeter
That was ace.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 Blog #109 (more stories from the new Beehive studio..!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 06:30 PM (4573 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is back, Back, BACK! And he's in the sudio...
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks cephaus & deathandallmyfriends]
I keep wanting to say "Happy New Year" every time I see people. I can't speak for others, but six weeks off tour in the warmth of home, loved ones and general all round "real life" has felt like the holiday season. It hasn't helped that I saw my first "Christmas Shopping" adverts in mid-October this year. Nobody else seems to be as chronologically confused as me, but everyone looks positively re-born. The thousand-yard-stares from a year and a half of touring have been replaced by grins, wisecracks and a crackling energy at being back together...
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coldplay Roadie #42 Blog #107 (the bakery is no more!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 06, 2009 - 06:08 PM (3262 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the post-tour hibernation
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks marie/pims]
Which cliché to chose in describing the experience of finishing a tour?
"It's like stepping off a fast moving train"?
"Like being fired out of a cannon at a brick wall"?
"The kind of dis-orientation you get when shaken awake from a deep sleep"?
All handy phrases I've used in the past to romanticise "life on the road". In reality, the experience is a little more subtle...
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[Oxfam Coldplay Blog] Oxfam and Coldplay on Wembley Way.
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 04:34 PM (2100 Reads)
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Oxfam UK: Here we are. Paused on the finish line. The finale. The final shows of the VIVA tour this year. Hundreds of flourescent jackets are scurrying about inside this huge, world famous stadium. You can already sense the rush and anticipation, which will only be quenched when Coldplay take the stage. It’s a huge occasion.
Everyone is pulling out all the stops, to make the next two days, days to remember for a long time.Of course, this place is a venue full of memories, where dreams come true. England won a world cup here! Just last week, English football rubber stamped a place in next years show piece in South Africa. The last time I was here, my team, Luton Town, won the Johnson’s Paint Trophy, on a glorious Spring day. Anything that happens here is a spectacle, and I’m sure the next two nights will follow suit.
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coldplay Roadie #42 Blog #106 (in Glasgow!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, September 18, 2009 - 05:55 PM (1640 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the superstar rapper
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Noémie]
It's funny. We're within sight of the finish line, which means we should be coasting to a nice comfortable finish. Things seem to be more hectic than ever though. Today in Glasgow, we have Radio 1 recording the show for a Live Lounge transmission. This means getting in early and soundchecking almost the whole set (albeit only half of every other song).
There's also talk that Jay-Z will be up to do his bit in Lost tonight, so I'm busy under the stage fiddling about extending Will's Hip-Hop drum loops in the middle section. Three shows to go and still making changes. I'm sure it'll all settle down by Sunday... After soundcheck, there's a little acoustic session to do in the dressing room to go with the live broadcast of the show. It's been a while since they've done anything like this, so it's a bit of a roadie scramble to work out what's going to be required to make it happen.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #105 (Dublin calling...!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 06:58 PM (2159 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the huge mass of humanity
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks pris]
I've never not had a great time in Dublin. Pardon the double negative, but it's absolutely true. I worry sometimes that it may get tiresome for you the reader, to continually be told what a belting crowd it's been, but it's been a tour so absolutely rammed with highlights that it has become unavoidable.
I travel alone from Manchester to Dublin and arrive at the show site quite late in the day. Wandering into the backstage compound, I pass the buses and note that one appears to be entirely dedicated to "Stage Truck". Many of the drives on this leg have been so long that they have required "double drivers" that tag team through the hours. It appears we have an entire tourbus for the "extra" truck drivers. Yet another small indicator that things have grown to a rather huge scale.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Some people are on the pitch.. they think it’s all over…
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 14, 2009 - 11:55 PM (2001 Reads)
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It is now. For Manchester at least. The VIVA tour is not quite done yet.. 4 shows to go. 3 Countries. 2 national stadiums. 1 week. The bands have left. The crowds have dispersed from the pitch. The trucks have started their engines, and the Oxfam road case, has been loaded on it’s way to Dublin.
Coldplay. Jay-Z. White Lies. Blackmanalishi. Tone-Acity. ortoPilot. That was the line-up for today’s concert in Manchester. The last three of those played on a slightly smaller stage to the one graced by the ‘best rapper alive’.
All of our OXJAM buskers did a great job today. They were out in front of the grand pavillion of this famous cricket ground, lightening the mood of hundreds of fans waiting for food, drink and toilets. The crowds steadily grew, and more people enjoyed the early entertainment, before heading onto the turf, for the headline set.
Note:
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #104 (Manchester! Where Coldplay all started...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 14, 2009 - 09:56 PM (2000 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the hometown hijinks
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Noémie]
So here we are in Manchester. I live here (well, it's where the suitcase gets unpacked, anyway). It's famous for many things, not least some of the finest bands of all time. It's also well known in the UK for often being somewhat damp. Today though, there literally is not a cloud in the sky. The white covering they've used on the cricket pitch is also bouncing the sunlight back up into people's faces to such a degree that everyone is positively squinting as they work today - which makes a nice change from moaning about the rain...
The tour offices here are located in the structure that houses the VIP boxes when the venue is carrying out its day job as Lancashire County Cricket Ground (and not galavanting with pop groups on the weekend). This means that a quick slide of the glass doors means we can spend the afternoon on the balcony with the laptop watching the day unfold.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] The ‘last days’ of summer..
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 10:35 PM (1798 Reads)
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Sitting in Goffertpark, Nijmegen. Surrounded by autumnal tinged green trees. It’s a beautiful late summer’s day in The Netherlands. To my right, I can see the big stage star-light VIVA balloons being hoisted up onto lighting towers. Speaker stacks being raised by the riggers. Fork lift trucks keep rumbling past me carrying fencing, cases, portaloos and various other loads, as Goffertpark prepares to host two days of the Coldplay festival.
By my feet are the keys to the little green Oxfam Novib caravan, which is parked in it’s spot for the next few days of campaigning on the ‘Big Promise’ Millenium Development Goals actions. Two volunteers hitch-hiked it this morning to the site from 100km away. It may be small, but tomorrow, it will be a hive of activity as volunteers give Coldplay fans here, the chance to take their action on poverty, and make a promise, to support Health and Education FOR ALL. They will be carrying post-box backpacks, for people to post their promises, and big green hands so they can wave at each other. I hope that all 122’000 people who come to the show the next couple of days, will see us, and thousands of you will take an action.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #102 (Catalan Chorus)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, September 06, 2009 - 10:44 AM (2340 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Catalan chorus
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards.
I remember somewhere back last year I talked about the band's stadium show in Tokyo. It was an absolutely belting night and I wrote the following: "You get the impression that the guys are on such a roll that the PA system could fail, the lights could go dead and they'd still carry on, just them and the crowd, too caught up in the moment to notice anything had changed."
Roadie sensibility sometimes approaches the superstitious - so much so that phrases such as "tempting fate" and "touch wood" are commonplace and spoken with completely straight faces. It should come as no surprise then, that the chance to test out the bold claim above, comes on a night with 64,000 punters and a bunch of cameras filming for an as yet unspecified project.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Boomerang to Barcelona.
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, September 05, 2009 - 09:18 AM (3602 Reads)
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Back in Barcelona. About a year ago, we were next door, in the Palau St Jordi arena, for one of the best Coldplay shows so far (in my opinion). It was an incredible night. Next door, England fans piled into the stadium where the Coldplay stage now sits, preparing for an international with Andorra. Somehow it feels like it could have been yesterday.. familiar weather, faces, scenery. Fans are already outside waiting to come in. In fact there was a handful of them out there in tents last night..! Fair play to them.
When I came in yesterday, I looked up in catering and noticed the Olympic rings across the wall. This is a great stadium, perched on the top of the hill, overlooking the beautiful city of Barcelona. I’m sure tonight will be a show to remember. 64′000 people will rush through the doors, (some who waited longer than others), and greet Coldplay with a huge roar. From then on, it will be a dual between speakers stacks, and vocal chords, for who can make the most noise.
Read the full blog entry by Pete Lusby here at the Oxfam Blog website.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Singing in the rain.
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, September 04, 2009 - 11:50 PM (2057 Reads)
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*Here;s a note from Bern a couple of days ago.. originally scrawled on a scrap of paper*
I’ve just run out of the pouring rain. My hoodie is soaked and my trousers, rolled up, to avoid soaking up any more puddles. Out of the front lounge window, on the tour bus, I can see a constant flow of people hurrying home. Like a river of people flowing out of the exits of the Stade de Suisse, and splintering off into tributaries. The reverse of what I was taught about river systems in Geography.
A few minutes ago, just behind the stage trucks to my right, popping - fizzing - banging pyrotechnics lit up the sky to compete with the lightning, spotlights and camera flashes, and bring another triumphant Coldplay show to a close. 40′000 more people have seen the spectacular open-air show in an incredible summer for one of the world’s biggest bands. And here we are.. Oxfam is playing it’s part in this event too. *I think* .. this was the 150th show of the VIVA world tour. A lot of people have passed through the gates, sung along, clapped hands, campaigned with Oxfam, in that time.. and a few have got a bit wet too.
Read the full blog entry by Pete Lusby here at the Oxfam Blog website.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #101 (picking up some bargains!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, September 04, 2009 - 04:45 PM (1929 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the dodgy merch
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Zeya]
Italy can occasionally be challenging for the roadie community. Things are never quite as you expect them and you get the distinct impression sometimes that people would rather be wearing sunglasses and smoking cigarettes than helping you get the job done. Quite frankly, I don't blame them. There's something about the gorgeous weather that makes all this effort seem just a little silly.
The pay-off of course, is that the Italians are some of the best crowds you'll ever witness. Wonderfully warm and passionate people, they turn any gig into an emotional event. They're inventive folks too. The DIY ethic is strongly present in the bootleg merchandise. It's present at every show, but normally, it's some folks stood over the road from the venue with a few T-shirts over their arms, looking shiftily round for the law.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Munich to Udine to Bern.
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 - 08:37 PM (2081 Reads)
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Leapfrogging through the country’s again. It’s an odd feeling. Waking up in a different landscape, country, culture, currency every other morning, but in the same bunk. I open my curtains, soon after the bus rolls to a halt, and look out of the front lounge at the view. First, I usually see a dusty carpark and a lost looking roadie taking directions from an in-the-know bus or truck driver.
Those guys seem to have a permanent compass and map in their heads - knowing where everything is and never failing to get us to the next city. Because of course.. the show must go on. It’s great to have them around, to help a lost roadie find their bearings .. ‘toilets over there, catering through there, and the gig in that huge building behind you’..
These stadiums are big. I have said that already, in my previous blog. But last night I was struck again by the volume of people standing on the pitch usually occupied by 22 footballers and a referee at Udinese’s home ground.. and then at the thousands more filling the stands singing every word, like a goal has just been scored when plectrums meet guitars.
Read the full blog entry by Pete Lusby here at the Oxfam Blog website.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #100 (ton up for #42!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 05:33 PM (3123 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 reaches his century
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks SueDeNimes]
So then, the hundredth blog. I suppose I should be doing something special for the end of the first century. Let's face it though folks, every single one of them is special.... (This is another way of saying that if I wait until I've had time to do something uber-cool, we'll be stuck on 99 forever, so we'd better move swiftly along).
The Dusseldorf show was covered admirably by Mr Anchorman, so there's not too much to add there. In all honesty, all I remember about that particular day is the insane distances involved in getting anywhere. The vehicles drop us in an underground carpark. If the stadium viewed from above is a clock-face, the vans are at three o'clock. The dressing rooms appear to be at around eleven and several floors up. Getting to the stage involves a clockwise walk underground to six which feels a lot like walking halfway home to England.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Make some noise. Make a promise.
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 04:35 PM (2569 Reads)
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Hello. It’s me. ‘Oxfam’. Oxfam America’s wonderful tour rep has stepped off the bus. The North American ’shed’ tour has come to an end. Volunteers across the continent have come together two years in a row, having countless conversations, signing up tens of thousands of people, and giving Coldplay fans the chance to take an action to help alleviate poverty. They’ve had a laugh. Smiled until their cheeks hurt. Sung until their throats were sore. Let’s hear it for our volunteers, and their intrepid leader, campaigner, roadie.. Let’s hear it for Soha Yassine! But there is one group of people missing.. you lot! Thank you for smiling back. Signing up. Taking an action. Talking about it to your friends. Saying hello.
But Oxfam’s touring wings are not done flapping just yet.. We’re not quite ready to tuck our wings away and go to roost. Coldplay have again said “do you want to come along?” .. and of course, we have been happy to accept. They want as many of their fans as possible, to hear about Oxfam, and to get involved and be active.
Read the full blog entry by Pete Lusby returning for the European stadium leg here at the Oxfam Blog website.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #99 (new song soundchecks!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 01:37 PM (2065 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the new song soundchecks...
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Zeya]
You get the distinct impression that the Stockholm crowd are going to be a belter when the soundcheck finishes and from outside the stadium walls you can hear the thousands of early arrivers chanting the "woah-oh-woah-oh-oh...." from the Viva chorus.
In fact, there's so many folks outside that word comes around that they're going to open doors early. Within minutes, the floor is filled way back past the mix tower. It's the first "stadium proper" and we couldn't really have asked for a better start.You get the distinct impression that the Stockholm crowd are going to be a belter when the soundcheck finishes and from outside the stadium walls you can hear the thousands of early arrivers chanting the "woah-oh-woah-oh-oh...." from the Viva chorus.
In fact, there's so many folks outside that word comes around that they're going to open doors early. Within minutes, the floor is filled way back past the mix tower. It's the first "stadium proper" and we couldn't really have asked for a better start.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #98 (Franksy and The Transvestites!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, August 24, 2009 - 10:29 AM (1883 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the awkward delivery
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks SueDeNimes]
I spent the days off before the Stockholm show putting together some video from the first two big outdoor shows - here it is. For the majority of the European stadium shows, the band are spending the days off at home with their families. Being as I live outside of London, I'm booked into the same London hotel room for the whole month. It's a very spiffy hotel and an excellent room, but all is not well. As any regular traveller will know, failing to observe the Do Not Disturb sign is one of the most basic but heinous crimes a hotel can commit.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #97 (in Norway!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, August 21, 2009 - 06:58 PM (1691 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the fearsome fireworks
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
This quick little six week run around Europe to close the tour has collectively been referred to amongst the camp as "The Stadiums". Today in Norway, we're in quite a small outdoor space which is essentially a green field at the foot of great mountains and an old military fort. Quite frankly, I'd take this over a big concrete and steel shell any day of the week...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #96 (in Denmark!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, August 20, 2009 - 12:03 AM (2049 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the stadium show excitement
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks marie/pims]
It would be too easy a gag to start off by saying that it's only 16 months into the tour and we've finally made it to production rehearsals. In reality, we're knocking it up a gear for this final run of shows. Yes folks, it's stadium time.
I talked a little about scale when the band played in Toronto in what was in essence an indoor stadium. Basically, this many punters means that things get very, very large. The infrastructure to support all of this largeness though, brings with it an additional helping of largeness all of its own.
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Read Soha's final Oxfam/Coldplay tour blog, Pete Lusby takes over European concerts
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, August 17, 2009 - 04:15 PM (2348 Reads)
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Hello lovers and friends of the world! Soha here, coming at you from the departure terminal of Boston’s Logan International airport. The last time I wrote to you all from an airport terminal was in Vancouver at the end of the first leg of the summer tour. I was headed home for a two-week break before resuming the rest of the tour.
It feels like a million years ago recalling that moment where I sat with a signed Coldplay banner at my side, the knowledge that Oxfam now had over 100 thousand actions under its belt since the start of the Viva tour, and the rest of the summer ahead of me. Since then, I’ve worked with an additional 300+ volunteers who helped Oxfam America nearly reach our goal of getting 30 thousand people to sign our Climate Change Petition this summer.
In that time Team Saratoga Springs was dethroned by Team Raleigh as the highest performing team, achieving 1387 petition sign-ups! Not to forget, since I last talked to you, the North American part of the Viva Tour 2009 wrapped up and Coldplay started the European stadium leg. Well, the N. American bit didn’t so much wrap up as it did come to a screeching halt because of the postponement of the Tampa show, which was supposed to be my last show. This means that I had to clear out the Oxfam road case, and pack and ship the remaining Oxfam America materials in addition to clearing my bunk, packing, and saying too many goodbyes to what had become a crew of dear friends in less than a day’s notice.
Read the full blog entry with pictures here at the Oxfam Blog website. Thanks Soha for all your blogs, from everyone at Coldplaying!
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #95 (Toronto and beyond...)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 10:51 PM (1821 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the creeping exhaustion
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards and spot the teeny mistake by an eagle-eyed Coldplayer [thanks lfdianne & Pris]
Big. A word whose purpose is to describe vastness, enormity and sheer-all-round-bloody-hugeness. You'd have thought they could have shelled out a few more than three letters on it. It certainly doesn't really do justice to the experience of walking into the back of the arena here in Toronto.
Another thing that doesn't do justice to the size of the venue is climbing way, way up to the highest furthest seat from the stage with a heavy bag full of camera equipment and discovering upon setting up, that your memory card is downstairs connected to your computer. Still, that's why God invented iPhones....
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Hello from Toronto!
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, July 31, 2009 - 03:09 PM (2233 Reads)
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Hello world! I’m coming at you from the lovely lovely Toronto, Canada on the second of two much appreciated days off. This leg has been characterized by many long drives that end with our arriving to our hotel on a day off at 7pm with just enough time to take a good shower, grab dinner, and have a decent night’s sleep on a real bed before waking up the next day and doing it all over again.
This tour has given me the opportunity to become acquainted with many of our neighbor in the north’s major cities and the more time I spend here, the more I love it. I’ve mentioned before how Oxfam Canada’s teams never cease to amaze me, so I’m very much looking forward to working with Team Toronto tomorrow at Rogers Center. Even Team Vancouver, who managed to acquire 1600 Action Cards at their show last month, bragged about how impressed I’d be with them. I don’t doubt that.
Read the full blog entry with pictures at the Oxfam Blog website here onwards.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #94 (in Saratoga Springs)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, July 30, 2009 - 04:14 PM (1457 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the troublesome balcony
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Zeya]
We arrive into the Saratoga Springs venue a little late. Well OK, we're a couple months late. This is the show that had to be re-scheduled from our last US leg. The route in seems to lead us through a wood, which is all rather pleasant for a summer's afternoon. The venue itself is a little unusual. It's a shed, like most of the others we've done in the States recently - a stage and a covered area with a lawn at the back. Here though, there is a balcony too.
Jonny recently said that sheds were like "doing a festival and a theatre at the same time". The balcony here means that you almost can't see the lawn and it feels more like doing a theatre with no walls where you can see a lot of trees all about the place.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #93 (feat. Kelly's Viva-Car™!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 04:39 PM (1755 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42, the Elbow shiver and the loud crowd
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards and meet the owner of the Viva-Car™ too [thanks Lore & kspillers2]
We start the Alpine Valley show with a rather novel quad-bike escort into the gig. The venue is called Alpine Valley Music Theatre, presumably in reference to the mountains and ski resort behind the stage. The quad bikes escort us past a lodge that's more than a little reminiscent of The Outlook Hotel from The Shining. We then wind our way through the parking lot and past a pretty cool motor that's been done up in full Coldplay livery.
When we commandeer a golf buggy a little later in order to get some photos of the car, its owners are gone - doubtless in the venue for the opening acts. One of the guys from the parking lot comes over to tell us that the lady whose car it is has been to see the band eight times in the last few months. The fan fervour stretches even to the license plate. Well done folks!
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #92 (from MO to NYC)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, July 26, 2009 - 08:30 AM (1931 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is a Big Apple man
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Zeya]
It's another warm night in Maryland Heights, MO. I had figured that moving north from Texas would mean a bit of respite from the heat, but there is nothing of the sort. If anything, the stage here is even more humid than the past couple of shows. Things heat up on the B-Stage too, when Chris fluffs The Hardest Part and falls into laughter, admitting that he's been put off by the fact that he's just had "I love you" shouted at him by a very muscular six foot dude.
In other news, today was per-diem day, which means our lovely new tour accountant Bob brings around in the magic envelope full of cash. In a miraculous feat of synchronicity, Apple have released updates to two of the huge software suites that I use to mangle audio and video. A perfect illustration of the old truism: "What the PDs giveth, the Apple Store taketh away.""
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Life in Technicolor II
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 06:11 PM (2976 Reads)
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Hello world, I humbly throw myself at your feet in apology for not writing in a very long time. Major props to my boy Pete who is always so good about keeping in touch. Lately I have been plagued by the thought that my entries lack an underlying, unifying theme and for that they are no good. Such is the life of a perfectionist…
The rest of the crew and I have been longing for the days of torrential downpours and thunderstorms that seemed to plague us earlier this summer. The past few shows have been HOT. The crew has gone from having nice summer glows to constantly nursing sunburns. I’ve always liked having the red nose in the summer that suggests that I’d been in the sun, but my face is 4 shades darker than my neck now!
Read the full blog entry with pictures at the Oxfam Blog website here onwards.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Part 2 of the Ultimate Road Trip
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 07:53 AM (1664 Reads)
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Hello world! …And we’re off! Leg 2 of the Viva La Vida summer tour! I’m coming at you from The Gorge in the beautiful state of Washington. Check out the view from behind the stage. Not too shabby right?
Oxfam America’s goal is to have 30,000 new people take action with us this summer and we are right at the half way point! Do come and visit the Oxfam table and learn about how you can fight hunger, poverty, and injustice in your community! You can also sign our petition urging the President to call for a fair climate treaty to be negotiated this December at the UN Climate Change conference. If you won’t be at a Coldplay concert this summer, join the over 100 thousand people who have taken action with Oxfam since the begining of the Viva tour and sign our petition here on our newly relaunched site!
Read the full blog entry with pictures at the Oxfam Blog website here onwards.
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Roadie #42 remembers Coldplay super-fan "Nettie"
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 09:55 AM (3973 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new entry: Roadie #42 remembers Coldplay super-fan Jennifer John
More on this entry is at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Sirhc]
I have just learned of the tragic death of a big personality and well-loved member of the Coldplay fan community. Jennifer John, known to most as "Nettie". Jen ran two fansites dedicated to Coldplay: mycoldplay and guyberryman.net. These sites were a strong and very active part of the fan community and Jen attended a huge number of Coldplay shows, meeting a great number of fans along the way.
Jennifer died in a tragic car accident on Saturday travelling to Cornwall to watch Kasabian at the Eden Sessions. That she died on her way to watch a band she loved, demonstrates how she lived. Her passion for music and her dedication to sharing both the live experience and the online community was truly inspirational.
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Live Coldplay Roskilde Blog... updates and pictures from the Danish festival
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, July 05, 2009 - 01:36 PM (5440 Reads)
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 The Coldplay blog from the Roskilde festival has started - there is expected to be updates also from the official Twitter account if the Danish wi-fi service becomes unreliable. Please join us now at the Coldplay forum here for all the discussions on the latest pictures, interviews, videos and updates from the live Coldplay Roskilde blogging! Here are the latest updates...
11.42pm: And with that, we'll bid you goodnight. Thanks for reading, wherever you are. The band are very aware that they're very lucky to have fans like you who read stuff like this. See you next time. Anchorman x
11.39pm: The band are playing their encore. We just saw them when they came off before going back on and they were buzzing. Coldplay have had a blast.
11.31pm: There's a good chance you won't need us to tell you which song this is...
It's been a really, really great show. Amazing atmosphere and a marvellous way to bring Roskilde 2009 to a close.
Oh, by the way, the band are doing "a runner" tonight (ie leaving immediately after the show), so don't be alarmed if this coverage abruptly stops as we slam down our laptop lid and make a run for the car...!
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] The Time to Hesitate is Through (includes new Coldplay pictures and special prize!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, June 27, 2009 - 07:43 AM (2409 Reads)
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Hey gang, So, you know that I’ve been referring to a big announcement a lot lately. A few days ago in my entry written from the departure terminal at Vancouver International airport, I alluded to sitting with an important package by my side.
Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, I posted a picture of Chris Martin and Guy Berryman facing a poster of sorts with writing that appears to match the graphics on this page. Well, In the immortal words of one Jim Morrison, “The time to hesitate is through.”
In fact, the “package” I carried was one of our Oxfam banners that had been signed by all four members of Coldplay. They signed it just after I had met with them to announce the good news of reaching the milestone of 100 thousand people who have taken action with Oxfam since the start of the Viva tour last July. We commemorated the occasion with a few pictures that were sent to me a few days ago with the words “Sent via carrier pigeon” at the bottom of the email.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Since you’ve been asking
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 08:14 AM (1584 Reads)
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Lovers and friends, How’s everyone doing while the Viva tour is on break? For some of my crew mates and I, it’s already beginning to feel like that point in summer break where you admit to yourself that you’re bored with all the time off and want school to start again so you can see all your friends.
This is evidenced by the text messages and Facebook posts that immediately began being exchanged that say, “I miss everyone already!” or, “I’m already listening to Howling Bells to me get myself back to NORMAL.” Ironic, though not unexpected because we are constants for one another on the road when everything else is changing. I feel so lame talking about all this like I’ve been out for three years or something, but I’m new to this whole roadie thing.
Read the full blog entry with pictures at the Oxfam Blog website here onwards.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] 100 thousand voices, eh?
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 03:35 PM (1512 Reads)
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Hello all! I wrote this from the Vancouver International Airport with a view of the mountains in front of me, and a supremely important package by my side…
Today is the first day of almost three weeks off while the tour is on hiatus and the band hits some major festivals in Europe. This means my crew pass and 2-way radio are unclipped from my belt-band, and that I’ll be carrying car keys in the place of a hotel key-card in no time. I wish I could say the same for those weary crewmates who do sound or instruments, merchandising or security, for the fellas. I honestly thought that 23 shows into the summer tour I’d be exhausted and ready to go home. Although I have begun noticing the dark and puffy circles around my eyes in recent photos, I think my new touring wings have a long ways until they’re worn to a frazzle.
Read the full blog entry with pictures at the Oxfam Blog website here onwards.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #88
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 12:40 PM (1717 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the last day of term
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks SueDeNimes]
Our Vancouver hotel is opposite a construction site. In the interests of noise avoidance I eventually end up moving between three different rooms before settling on a place to stay on the other side of the building up on the 26th floor. It's a smaller room, but it's well away from the noise and when you've spent a year in clanging arenas most days, peace and quiet is a luxury - even if it does mean sitting and listening to your ears ring.
I later learn that Dave Holmes, the band's manager once worked as a bellman at the hotel where the noisy hole in the ground opposite us now is. I sit waiting for the van on our first day watching the bellmen in our hotel and wondering where they'll end up...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #87 (in Edmonton!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, June 19, 2009 - 02:22 PM (3448 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Edmonton favour
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks SueDeNimes]
We arrive in Edmonton and the van that has come to pick us up has a windscreen adorned by several huge cracks. Franksy voices his concern to the driver who cheerfully claims that this is par for the course here in Edmonton. Apparently, the roads throw up stones at a rate of knots, which means that an unspoiled windscreen is a very rare beast indeed round these parts. We're not convinced. A windscreen with so much as a tiny crack is illegal to drive with in the UK. Our driver jokes that around here, they stop you just to make sure your windows are smashed up enough. We shrug and buckle up.
We're far enough into the tour that soundchecks have pretty much become superfluous. This gives us more time in the hotel, but does inevitably mean that we're heading to work just as the rest of the world is going home. We sit in rush hour traffic and slowly grind towards the venue.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Not a bad way to turn 26
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, June 19, 2009 - 08:26 AM (1614 Reads)
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Hi world! When I received the tour travel itinerary early in May, I became aware of the fact that I’d be with the tour in Calgary on June 17th, which happens to be the day that I’d be turning what I call “the adult side of 25.”
I’m sooooo not the person to broadcast my birthday, especially not to an entire blog readership! How many of you do you think are out there? Sometimes I feel like it could be 5 people, other days it feels like it could be 5 million people… who knows? The point is that I’m resisting the impulse to delete this entire entry and ignore the fact that yesterday was my birthday for the sake of honesty. For me this blog is about Oxfam’s work on the Coldplay tour, and about the awesome volunteers that I get to meet who exhibit incredible commitment to “thinking globally and acting locally.”
Read the full blog entry with pictures at the Oxfam Blog website here onwards.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #86 (feat. Coldplayers Lori & Angie!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 02:35 PM (3573 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the birthdays bonanza
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks CookyMnstr]
Rather hilariously, we recently hit a million Twitter followers - shortly after I posted a photo of a toilet door. I shall leave it as an exercise for the reader to decide what that says about the Twitter-verse... In all seriousness though folks, thanks for joining us - and obviously, I'm aware that it's Mr. Berryman's presence that has catapaulted us over the seven figure mark. It's fun to be part of things that are changing so fast. Not knowing how it'll all develop is all part of the fun....
It's been a little while since I've posted and as always happens when I leave it a week or so, the intervening days have all blurred into the rear view mirror somewhat. What I do remember, is that we seem to have been averaging a birthday every other day on this tour leg.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] the belly of a beast
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, June 08, 2009 - 09:20 PM (1483 Reads)
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Hello all! Today is the last of two days off in New Orleans. I’ve been here before, but this city and its people never cease to amaze me with their vibrance. Check out the picture below; it is part of a tape graffiti mural just outside the famous french Quarter.
Saturday night’s show in the Sommet Center in Nashville was a bit of a shift for the tour as it was the start of the arena portion of this leg. I love arenas because their enclosed nature causes the audience’s cheers to reverberate and capture the amazing energy of Coldplay fans that much more. I told my pal Glenn from Howling Bells that they sounded exceptionally good and he laughed and shared that he thought they sounded awful given they didn’t have a sound check.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #85 (approaching Indianapolis!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, June 07, 2009 - 11:36 AM (1978 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the gangs in the vans...
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Jizo]
Sometimes, completely out the blue, you get a blindingly bright view of your life from another perspective. We're approaching the Indianapolis show when, beside us on the freeway, we see a converted old school bus, with guitar cases, amps, drum carpet and so on piled up in the window. It's a band on their way to a gig. We too, are in a van, we are also on our way to a gig. The similarities don't end there though. In our van is Franksy, Dan Green, show designer Paul Normandale and I. Every one of us started our touring careers crammed into a bashed up van full of gear with the band, driving to some smelly, sticky dive in the middle of nowhere wondering whether anyone would show up.
I remember coming home from a gig in Plymouth, aged 17, with a band very dear to my heart, (who sadly got passed over by the industry at the time). The van was so heavily packed and so wheezingly broken, that anything more than a slight incline meant everyone but the driver had to get out and walk. On particularly steep hills, we would have to push.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Life in Technicolor (Coldplaying.com mentioned!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, June 06, 2009 - 09:12 AM (1852 Reads)
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You know, world, when I’m done writing a new entry, I click on the little square to the left of the text that says “publish” and I wonder to myself, “Self, do you think anyone is actually reading this?” However, today I was pleased to find evidence that people are actually reading and liking these entries in the form of a concert goer today. She was waiting for doors to open to the show and as I walked by the gates she said “Are you Soha? I read your blog!” Wow. Thank you everyone! Thanks especially to my peeps at Coldplaying.com for linking Oxfam’s entries and always being all around awesome to us. [Ed. - pleasure is all ours!] Please do comment so I don’t always feel like I’m talking to myself.
Yesterday’s show day in Cincinnati was another one of those days where rain loomed and I had to be ready to pack up in an instant. Lest another Hershey, PA fiasco be repeated where all of Oxfam’s gear was soaked in rain!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Coffee, PJs of various sorts, and more Balloons
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 10:29 PM (1734 Reads)
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Hello all! Just checking in from Cinncinati, Ohio. Today has been quite the eventful day despite my thinking that a day off in Cinncinati was going to be one of those marathon-movie-watching-in-bed days that are often accompanied by massive amounts of hotel room coffee and some form of chinese take out.
We awoke around 11:30 in the morning by the declaration that we’d arrived to our hotel and that we had to wake up and get off the bus so that it could be parked off-site. Often times on days off, we get to wake up at our own leisure and check in our hotels when we’re ready to; but today our buses were too big to park in front of the hotel so we had to be rushed off upon arrival. So I climbed out of my bunk in the most undignified of manners and got my bags in order. Our bunks are three high and three deep in the center of the bus. They are sandwiched in a corridor between front and back “lounges.” I use the term “lounge” lightly here because there isn’t much lounging happening on a bus of 12 people. Anyway, my bunk is on the very top, so one could imagine how difficult it is to climb down half asleep...
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #84 (Detroit!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 12:24 AM (1715 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the mighty roar of Detroit
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
America gets a lot of stick for being overly homogenised and lacking in diversity. I don't really see it, though. Maybe I'm lucky in that the whole place is blurring past us at such speed, but it's such a buffet of flavours and mini-cultures, you can't help but love it. Plus, if you don't love it, a couple hundred miles up the road, you probably will.
We begin the morning in Manhattan. There's fewer places on the planet that can match it for sheer density of population. Folks are packed tightly in - above, below, beside and between each other. Then, as though the DVD has skipped, the next moment, the view from the van window here in Buffalo is of vast expanses of open space. Houses sit proud at the end of long driveways, with so much space surrounding them that many don't even bother with fences. You can just make out where properties end by the fact that mown lawns give way to wild grassland.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Drop the bricks, carry the balloons
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, May 31, 2009 - 09:56 AM (1882 Reads)
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Hello all! Tonight we’re leaving what has begun to feel like a home away from home, Pittsburgh, after three days off and a phenomenal show. I really enjoyed our time off here visiting the Andy Warhol Museum, shopping on Carson Street, and attending a Pirates game. Rolling into the venue at the early hour of 7:30am this morning I had a good feeling about the show. I knew the crowd would be a good one and that the Oxfam team would do well.
Pittsburgh did not disappoint; it was an awesome audience with amazing energy filling the amphitheatre with the resounding shouts of “Go Pens!” Chris Martin even responded at one point when Coldplay was performing on the lawn with “What the hell are you guys talking about?” Needless to say I’ll miss Pittsburgh. This academic-turned Oxfam intern-turned roadie ought to learn not to get too comfortable in one place…
And oh are there balloons! 838 new members of Oxfam America recruited tonight, 75 of them alone ended up being the result of Stevey’s effort! We’re off to Buffallo, NY for another day off tomorrow. I think Niagra Falls is a short drive away; any other suggestions for how to spend my day off tomorrow?
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] An Unlikely Roadie
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, May 29, 2009 - 05:28 PM (1832 Reads)
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Hey Folks! I’m hollering at you from the beautiful Pittsburgh, PA. The rain curse that was brought upon us has been lifted during our glorious three days off (!!!) and its been nothing but sunshine and butterflies (naturally). It seems that everywhere this crew goes-Atlanta, Hartford, Hershey, Camden- rain ensues! In every city however, rain or shine, our volunteers make me so proud to be part of an organization that has inspired the type of commitment and dedication that they exhibit.
Its been about two weeks since the tour started, and more than a week since my last entry. You may be wondering why I haven’t written. World, its not because I don’t love you, nor is it for lack of inspiration. Rather, at the end of my 13 hour work days when I sit in front of my computer to write to you all, I find myself writing about how much energy life on the road requires. Then I think to myself: “This entry is lame, I’ll try again tomorrow.”
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #81 (first week tour round-up!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, May 24, 2009 - 12:05 AM (1735 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 blogs on the way to Hartford
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Lore]
Without getting all "life on the road" on you, I had forgotten just how fast things move out here. It feels as though I've barely had time to exhale and we're already a week into the new tour leg. It's not so much that time passes fast, as that lots gets packed into short spaces of time. I've already had two major equipment panics - quite possibly a hangover from our desert storm experience in Abu Dhabi.
Touch wood, we made a rather neat, swift and full recovery, without any effect on the show whatsoever. Of course, roadie superstition states that making that kind of statement is tantamount to smashing a mirror whilst walking under a ladder to pass someone the salt, so don't be surprised if I make the next post from hospital (explaining about how I ruined the gig....)
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #80 (start of the new tour!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - 12:19 AM (1967 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is back at his desk...
Chris greets all the crew at the top of the soundcheck in West Palm Beach with a schoolmasterly, "Welcome back everyone, hope you all had a nice summer holidays". A six week tour break has been a real treat indeed. Everyone is looking rested, relaxed and rejuvenated. We've also flown west, which means that although there is a little jetlag to contend with, we've gained five hours. After the timezone table-tennis that this year began with, it's a pleasant boost. Not unlike pulling on an old pair of jeans and finding some cash in the pocket.
Inevitably, after a long break, everyone feels a wee bit rusty. The soundcheck is a long-ish affair as everyone slips slowly back into the well worn groove. It's not like we're doing anything wildly different, but a long break can mean it takes a little while to feel comfortable in your environment again. The afternoon then, is spent spraying our scent about the place and marking territory.
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] West Palm Beach sets the bar
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 06:06 PM (1973 Reads)
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Hello all! Soha here, your Oxfam representative on the North American leg of the Viva La Vida 2009 world tour. From West Palm Beach to East Troy- Montreal to Mansfield, I’ll be your on the ground source of news for all things related to Oxfam volunteers, campaigns, and more!
The tour kicked off with bang yesterday at the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL. Team West Palm Beach consisted of 20 of the most energetic, and enthusiastic volunteers I’ve met. How many sign-ups do you think they got Friday night? Go ahead, make a guess! Last year, Oxfam volunteers at Coldplay concerts all over the world recruited 80,000 strong against poverty, hunger, and social injustice. This summer, Oxfam America has challenged its teams to recruit 30,000 new Coldplay fans to support Oxfam.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #79 (working on new tunes!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, April 20, 2009 - 05:31 PM (2297 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 blogs while the band work on new tunes
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks LittleMissMessy]
After three glorious weeks of real life, families, home and becoming human again we're back to a quick stint of recording. There has been some listening back to things recorded earlier in the year and some exploring of new ideas. Will has a new toy for drum programming which has sent him on a beat-making odyssey. He rolls up today with a new idea and announces cheerfully to all that, "It's in seven four time and it's 168 bpm". For those of you less versed in music theory, "Seven four time" means that when he kicks off the drum machine, everyone spends a lot of time asking, "Where's the one?". Meanwhile, "168 bpm" means that everyone is getting confused very quickly.
Slowly, from the chaos comes great beauty. The concentration of feeling the beat has forced everyone to play in an open and simple manner. Before long, a gentle and chilled piece builds up with an utterly joyous feel. It's a great kick-start to the week. Layers of vocals are added until it becomes a rich, complex weave.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #78 (Abu Dhabi deluge)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 06:34 PM (2227 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports on the Abu Dhabi deluge
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards.
So, we've been home a week now. I managed on day four to move the suitcase from blocking the front door - I still haven't got round, though, to the rather dull looking pile of bills, final demands and other junk mail that's accrued during my absence.
Going from constant motion to utter stillness is obviously a treat. It also begins like many other blocks of "free time" with great intentions. Inevitably, the opportunity to rest and recover overtakes everything. I've heard the very end of a tour being described as being like "getting fired out of a cannon at a brick wall". Perhaps a little over-dramatic, but not entirely inaccurate.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #77 (Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi reports)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, March 28, 2009 - 11:25 AM (1992 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks crazyduckette]
Quite often, by this point in a tour, soundchecks become unnecessary. I guess it's the re-appearance of the "soundcheck party" that's kept us coming back in. Rather than trot through a few set pieces, the fellas have been trying out a few new (old) things to sprinkle into the set for the rest of the year.
In Hong Kong, they had a run through Rush Of Blood. Now there's a tune I haven't heard for a while. I remember JB's solo on that being a nightly highlight of the show for me way back when. I can see it floating across the summer air rather nicely on the outdoor shows later in the year. They've also recently given Swallowed In The Sea, Warning Sign and several others a go - not to mention a few brand new songs they've been kicking about.
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A note from Will Champion about Mercury Rev (Support Act)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 05:42 PM (1569 Reads)
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 Coldplay's Will Champion explains via the official site the formative influence Mercury Rev had on Coldplay. Here's what he had to say about them...
If I could go back to 1998 and tell a 20-year-old me that we would be playing some shows with Mercury Rev in 2009, I think my younger self would laugh me all the way back to the present. Such was the importance of Deserter's Songs to me and to our band. When we started out making music, trying to soak up as much information about songwriting, recording and generally what a band should be like, the blueprint was that band and that album. We met the producer of that album, Dave Fridmann, early in 1999 with a view to asking him to produce our first record. He told us stories of the band recording on 16mm video film and other mythical recording techniques that totally changed the way we assumed a band was supposed to make a record. Above all they managed to achieve with that record the thing that we have always striven towards (successfully or not), which is to create an album which is so evocative and complete in its atmosphere. Everything on it perfectly contributes to the whole. I would like to thank Mercury Rev so much for playing these shows with us and also, unbeknownst to them at the time, for helping a young band understand a little better the possibilities of music. Wx
More discussion on the short blog at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #76 (Aussie round-up)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, March 23, 2009 - 05:36 PM (2002 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the monster Oz catch-up
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks melanieau]
Howdy folks. Apologies for the week and a bit of dead-air. I'm contributing photos to the new, updated tourbook and ploughing through all the pics I have has been nothing short of an insane task. It would appear that since the tour began, the mirror on my camera has clicked up and down just short of ten thousand times. I have no idea how this has happened. I deliberately haven't enabled the annoying "chickkit-chikkit-chikkit" motor drive mode, even...
As you can imagine, ploughing through this lot and getting it into some kind of order has been an all-consuming task. No excuse for dereliction of duty, I know, but there you go. Leaving Australia was bloody hard. I love it more every time we go. Everything that annoys me about where I live seems right over there. In terms of personal space, it's glorious - a land-mass comparable to North America with a population of seemingly fewer people than I've shared a tourbus with back in my cheaper touring days.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] New Zealand’s 6 year drought is over
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 10:18 PM (1655 Reads)
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No I don’t mean the early March storms that blew across Aotearoa, I mean the Coldplay drought! It’s been 6 long years since the band plucked a single note on these shores and tonight’s sold out crowd at Vector Arena in Auckland didn’t let them forget it for a minute. The evening started off with our posse of Oxfam campaigners, 20 strong, heading downtown on busses, trains, bikes and feet to tell people about our work…and to rock. I’m happy to report we did both.
Big ups to the band for providing some great autographed gear. That was the inspiration for our text-to-win contest. And while we were giving people a chance to score a signed Asian umbrella that Chris used on stage, a drum skin or a tour book, we had a great opportunity to talk to thousands of them about Oxfam’s work to deliver clean, safe water to communities in the developing world.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] THANKYOU to the 10,000 Coldplay fans...
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - 01:29 PM (1835 Reads)
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...in Australia who have supported our work. It was a bittersweet moment in Sydney on Sunday night as we bid farewell to the Coldplay lads at their last concert in Australia on their Viva La Vida world tour.
Oxfam volunteers were again out and about at Acer Arena taking full advantage of the chance to talk to Coldplay fans about our Make Trade Fair and Close the Gap campaigns. Many Coldplay fans were eager to hear about Oxfam’s work, and the efforts of our volunteers in Sydney resulted in over 2500 sign-ups over the four Sydney shows. Wow, what an effort!
As we recover from the excitement of the shows we can now look back on the Australian tour. We have had a total of 220 volunteers across 4 states mixing amongst the crowds of 11 huge shows. Coldplay fans received thousands of stickers, postcards, leaflets and tattoos as the word about Fair Trade and Indigenous Health spread across the country. Overall in support of the Make Trade Fair and Close the Gap campaigns we managed to get over 10 000 sign ups. That is as epic in proportions as a Coldplay world tour!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Coldplay & Oxfam in Sydney
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, March 14, 2009 - 02:21 AM (1681 Reads)
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As we set up the Oxfam campaigns table for the first Sydney Coldplay show, we could see hundreds of fans eagerly waiting to be let in the huge glass doors of the Acer Arena, and we could almost touch the excitement in the air! On the dot of 6pm, the doors flung open, and Coldplay fans streamed through ready to see their favourite band rock out Sydney.
3 hours later our team of 20 Oxfam campaigns volunteers had handed out thousands of stickers, tattoos and flyers about our work on Fair Trade and Indigenous health equality and 912 people had signed up to support our work. What a fantastic effort! Thankyou to each and every person who took the time to find out more about Oxfam’s work, and who have now used one of the most powerful things you have, your voice, to support our vision of a just world without poverty.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #75 (pap papping!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 05:51 PM (1904 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the pap shots of the paps
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Loud Meditation]
I have a new hobby folks. I've been pap papping. Here's a likely-looking fella who was hiding in the bushes as we left the hotel this morning. I had a lovely chat with him about what cameras he uses and how big his lens was (a whopping 600mm in case you're interested). He seemed distracted though and eventually a little huffy - almost as though he was more interested in taking photos of the band than talking to me. Looking back on it, I think I may have been in his way somewhat...
He had a jolly chum over the way. Another keen photographer. He's got a lovely scarf for his camera. All the rage when hanging out down the docks in Sydney...
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Coldplay wowed Brisbane
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 12:50 PM (1873 Reads)
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After 3 years, the fans were hyped, ready and waiting for the return of their favourite lads from the UK - so there was plenty of energy and interest around what our Brissie volunteers had to say and show about Oxfam’s work on the Fairtrade and Close The Gap campaigns.
The sight of our Oxfam green t-shirted brigade flashed amongst the thousands who thronged both nights to Brisbane Entertainment Centre, for their first live dose of Coldplay tunes since 2006. Quite a few in the crowd were obviously back for more - what’s more, many also remembering their chats with us about Make Trade Fair from last time, which made us smile. These fans obviously love their Coldplay music - but they also follow what else the band are involved with.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #74 (Brisbane report!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, March 09, 2009 - 07:52 PM (2271 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 enjoys a spot of Coldplay cricket
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
Well, it seems we're bringing the weather with us. Brisbane has been broodingly humid since we got here, threatening to release a cloudburst. Come the second show day, that's exactly what it did. Sydney is our last chance to catch some sun before we're out of Oz for another couple of years. Here's hoping.
The disappointing dampness is more than made up for, though, by the warmth of the audiences we've had over here. Amazing responses all around. Tonight's crowd were giving it the Mexican wave before the band went on and everywhere we've been in Australia they've given us the full-on mobile phone glowsticks over the Viva Remix. Singing too, has been excellent. Good on ya folks!
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] New Zealand braces for the Cold(play)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, March 09, 2009 - 05:08 PM (1564 Reads)
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While Coldplay are busy rocking Australia, New Zealand is getting ready for the concert event of the year. Oxfam will be there next week to greet the masses for two sold-out shows. We’ll have 20 volunteers at Vector Arena each night, talking to people about Oxfam’s work to provide clean water and sanitation in some of the world’s poorest regions.
Keep an eye out for people carrying 20 litre buckets on their heads, and text us to enter the contest for great prizes. In the meantime, you can check us out here.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #73
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 09:58 AM (1700 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and mini-bar masquerade
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks squareone13 & LittleMissMessy]
Despite blowing my new year's resolution almost immediately, I'm still looking for ways to avoid giving hotels all my money this year. To this end, I visit reception in Melbourne and lie through my teeth. "Hello, I'm a recovering alcoholic and I'd like my mini-bar emptying please - all of it". Then it's off to 7-11 to stock up on all the goodies they'd sting me a fortune for in moments of weakness. (If Jonny Christ is reading this, please rest assured that the Archbishop would not behave in such a way in NYC - oh no siree....)
With my precious pennies saved, I head out later to a lounge bar in town for CM's birthday. I bail after a few drinks, but it's enough to give me a drunken grin and a slight stagger when I wander back through reception. Busted...
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Coldplay arrives down under!
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, March 06, 2009 - 03:38 PM (1735 Reads)
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On the latest leg of their mammoth world tour Coldplay have hit the shores of sunny Australia. First stop was Perth, Western Australia, where the four lads from England were welcomed by thousands of excited fans at Burswood Dome for two nights of crowd pleasing awesome music! Oxfam Australia volunteers were there too.
A sizeable hop skip and jump took the Coldplay lads across to the opposite side of the country where they performed for three nights at the Rod Laver Arena in downtown Melbourne. Again, at each concert, we had twenty Oxfam Australia volunteers on the ground chatting to Coldplay fans about fair trade and the Close the Gap – Indigenous health equality campaign. Over the three nights more than 1 800 people signed in support of Oxfam’s campaigns work, what an impressive number!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #72 (Coldplay have jetlag!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 08:55 PM (2046 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: The weather's sunny, and so is #42
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Lore]
Sunshine. God's own medicine... Suddenly the whole world feels like a different place. Hardly surprising, I suppose, given the distance we've travelled. I'm sure we must have been somewhere sunny in our summer last year, but I absolutely cannot remember it. I expect we were rushing around working out how to make the gig work. Getting a second chance at a summer then, is an utter gift. Even seeing the light through the production office window and feeling the warm breeze changes my mood beyond measure. I have a feeling we're in for an excellent few weeks
I remember this place. It's called the Dome, although it looks more like a very large maggot from a distance. Its white moggotty roof is like a huge lilo supported purely by air pressure inside the venue. I'm sure there are other buildings in the world like this one, but I've not been in any of them. The downside of this particular structural system is that to open two doors at once in this air-pressure-supported building is asking for trouble. Getting around backstage involves a series of airlocks (I'm not making this up), to prevent hapless roadies from being cycloned off like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz (obviously kind of fitting, given the location). Even leaving one door ajar when opening another can leave you permanently maimed or at least short of a finger or two.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #71 (Coldplay Land in Australia!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 10:02 PM (1846 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42's latest missive comes from a land down under
Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Cris_Santos]
I hope you've packed your Sudoku, folks. After the somewhat demanding past couple of weeks, we find ourselves staring down the barrel of a pretty extensive bit of travel to get down under. We're leaving London on Tuesday at 10pm and not arriving in Perth until 2am on Thursday. Now, even with a half hour to change planes in Singapore and a chunky time difference, there's time enough to twiddle your thumbs to stumps as the world slowly slips past below us.
Luckily for us, the springs on our body clocks pinged spectacularly out of place some days ago now. Time is now viewed through the hall-of-mirrors eyes of the truly knackered. I wander about dazed in London Heathrow and a familiar voice jolts me out of my bubble. It's Mr Berryman. I would have walked straight past him. He greets me with a warm smile and I explain that I'm slightly adrift, still a bit on the pooped side. He agrees and between us we try to work out what time it is where we're going. Guy's iPhone tells him around 6am. It feels much more like the middle of the night to me right now than it does the 8pm that the clock above us reads. Perhaps I'll be ok....
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] 712 sign-ups at Coldplay’s Japan tour!
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 06:36 PM (1477 Reads)
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A week has gone by since Coldplay performed in Saitama and Kobe, and we are certainly feeling the impact here at Oxfam Japan. We have inquiries from people who saw Oxfam’s booth, to those who have expressed interest in future campaigning. We are also hearing voices from those who have read the tour blog!
712 people signed up for the FOR ALL campaign during the Japan tour. We will continue to collect the sign-ups and for those of you, who missed the opportunity to sign up at the shows, please visit us and sign up on line! Behind the scenes at the show, it felt like watching a video on fast forward – but I am sure it was even busier for the tour staff. They came to Japan after the Grammy’s and fighting against jet lag is certainly not easy, but I am sure the warm welcome of the fans kept the band going.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] More fans in Japan greet Coldplay
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - 05:39 PM (1851 Reads)
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So we were out there again in the lobby and entrance area, distributing flyers and talking to Coldplay fans about the FOR ALL campaign. 18000 people came out to Saitama, despite it being a weekday!
Hundreds more of those fans, signed the petition. Oxfam Japan was also interviewed by the TV crew from Channel 4’s evening news program, NEWS ZERO. The main focus of the program was about Coldplay’s charity work, and how it has made an impact on the lives of so many people. All those fans that stopped by our booth will make an impact on Oxfam’s work. Eevery one of you can make a difference. A big thanks to the Tokyo volunteer team, and now the team in Kobe will take over the campaigning!
Read more blog entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #69 (Tokyo report!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - 10:03 AM (1945 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Roadie #42 and the disappearing day
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks sirhc]
I've been robbed, readers. Nothing's been taken from my luggage, nobody has held me up at gunpoint. I'm missing no money (apart from what I've wasted on room service - trampling another New Year's Resolution into the dirt). So, what's happened? Well, I've had 24 hours of my life whipped away from right under my nose. That's right, an entire day - stolen.
You see, following the Grammys, our schedule had two blank days before the first Japanese show. Granted, one was a travel day, but that still left a glorious day of recovery in Tokyo. As we leave the hotel at 9am for the flight out of LAX, I casually enquire as to the time difference between LA and Tokyo. "They're sixteen hours ahead". Slowly, the wheels whir in my head. "Wuh?? That means it's already tomorrow there, then?" ....and with that, the thief vanishes into the night.
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] Coldplay in Tokyo
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, February 12, 2009 - 01:30 PM (2094 Reads)
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So the excitement continues in this part of the world.. After attending the Grammy’s in L.A., Coldplay arrived in Tokyo last night, to kick off their tour of Japan. It’s hard to believe their energy levels, despite all the travelling!
The Japanese crowd gave Coldplay a warm welcome - 16′000 crammed into the Saitama Super Arena. Fans had waited 2 and a half years for Coldplay to tour Japan. Hundreds of people were there, outside the venue, two hours before the doors even opened.. The crowd had a special night - on top of a great concert, many of them learnt about Oxfam’s FOR ALL campaign. 12 Oxfam Japan volunteers were in the arena, signing people up for the campaign.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam's Coldplay Blog] A big year for music. A big year for action.
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 11:00 PM (1930 Reads)
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The crew have flown out, to wipe the jet-lag from their eyes, in time to get the stage up tomorrow. Yesterday morning, Coldplay flew out to join them. Tomorrow, Tokyo will see the start of the Coldplay tour in 2009. Oxfam Japan will be there waiting for them.
With that, comes a new blogger. Oxfam’s Akiko Mera, has worked tirelessly to get things ready for the show tomorrow. She will be there, at the first drop of another rollercoaster ride on the Coldplay tourbus. The Saitama Super Arena will be the first stop. This year, the band have already confirmed shows in 20 countries. The stages will be bigger than last year, and i’m sure, that after what I have learnt about them in the past year, the show will match it.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here. On behalf of everyone at Coldplaying.com we look forward to more Oxfam blogs and with them all the success in this year's campaigning!
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #69 (Grammys report!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 04:21 PM (1696 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 sends his Grammy report
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
Now, I'm not a huge fan of awards shows. For a roadie, they're basically a monumental pain in the arse. If you're a bloke who earns their living plugging gear in and telling the band that it's going to work, then they're by far the most stressful thing that you can get involved with. The gear flies from the loading dock to the stage at terrifying speed and you get the length of a commercial break to hook it all up and test it. If it ain't working when the stage manager shoos you away out of camera shot, you're sending your band out to look stupid in front of millions of viewers on live TV.
If you sat down with a pencil and paper to design the ultimate roadie nightmare, I can pretty much guarantee you'd end up here.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #67 (at the Neil Diamond gala)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 11:23 AM (1749 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the London Monkees
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
Well, it would appear we've brought the weather with us. As we sped up the freeway tonight to the hotel, the heavens opened. Los Angeles is far better at clear blue and hot - but it's certainly demonstrated the breadth of its repertoire today. Perhaps the British-style downpours are a good omen for the Grammys? Let's hope so, eh?
But the Grammy Awards aren't until Sunday. We've come out early for a show next door in honour of Neil Diamond. Now if the mere mention of this guy's name doesn't set you involuntarily singing at least a couple of tunes to yourself then you're missing out. One of the songs you might be singing is I'm A Believer. Made famous by the Monkees, it was written by Mr Diamond. This is the tune that the fellas are doing tonight. The show is a charity event and takes place before a huge roomful of diners. Both the relaxed nature of the show and the kooky-ness of the track mean that the fellas have taken a sharp left turn some distance before the signpost marked "slick". It's supposed to be fun and they're treating it exactly thus.
Note: Sign up to the Coldplaying Twitter account and get live updates from INSIDE the Coldplay/The Killers exclusive War Child Gig on 18th February at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, as well as latest updates, news and stories on Coldplay and Coldplaying.com |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #66 (Inside the studio!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, February 04, 2009 - 03:25 PM (2241 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is our mole in the studio
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks marie/pims]
After touring's "ying" of constant motion, noisy crowds and repetition, studio work's "yang" brings stillness, quiet isolation and a torrent of creativity. I've been in the corner of the control room at the Bakery for the past couple of weeks watching the first foundations being dug for the next batch of songs.
Regular readers will remember that whilst we were in Miami a couple of months ago, Chris spent some time in a studio putting down new song ideas. Well, for the past couple of weeks, the fellas and Brian Eno have been working their way through these sketches.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #65
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, January 26, 2009 - 10:52 AM (2038 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is back in business
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Lore]
It was always inevitable that the Christmas break would vanish before we'd had the chance to get nearly half the lazing about done that we'd planned. Sure enough, here we are again heading off to do a TV show. I set off this morning in the belief that we were going to do the German equivalent of the Grammy awards. Somebody asked me yesterday where that would be. I told them I was fairly sure that an event like this would be in Berlin, but really I had no idea - I'd find out when we got there. My first surprise then, comes when we land and the passport inspector greets me with a cheery "Bonjour". Odd, he thinks I'm French.
No, apparently, we're going to Offenberg today and the nearest airport is in France. Once we get to the venue, it becomes clear that this is also not an awards show. This is some kind of rather cheesy but hugely, hugely popular German gameshow. That's a personal best. Less than an hour back on the road and I already don't know where I am or what's going on.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] The End of a Y(era)
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 10:19 PM (1633 Reads)
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From buses to desks. I’m sitting in Oxford, England, at a desk in the Media Unit of Oxfam House. I’ve been around the UK, North America and Europe on buses with Coldplay’s crew for the past 7 months. The desk in front of me is covered with files, newspapers, tapes, contact cards, campaigns pins, a gnawed pen, a rubber band, a coffee cup and a spoon.
It’s not mine. I’m borrowing it. Outside I can see the ‘arctic snap’ frost and yesterdays snow on the street and people bustling along to get where they are going at the start of school terms, semesters and working weeks. It’s been 14 days since the last Coldplay show of 2008. Just 7 hours after the show ended in Belfast.. I was in bed at home. A large part of the past two weeks were spent asleep. Now we are into 2009, a fresh year for campaigning, an important year for Oxfam’s Climate Change and Essential Services campaigns. Oxfam unwrapped donkeys, goats, camels, mosquito nets, school books and latrines, donated as gifts for people who need them most, will soon be put into action. The last mince pie crumbs will be swept away, and the baubles, stars and tinsel will come down. Remember to do that today everyone.. I hear it’s bad luck not to.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here. On behalf of everyone at Coldplaying.com we wish Oxfam and Pete the best for 2009 and all successes in this year's campaigning... Oxfam and Coldplay crossing paths again couldn't come again soon enough!
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] The finishing straight
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 - 09:34 AM (1513 Reads)
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We are nearly there. It’s a couple of days until Christmas. Time for the holidays and to welcome in a new year. Soon we will be travelling home. Getting over coughs, colds and extreme sleep deprivation weirdness. Just one more Coldplay show to do this year. The pillows are in sight.
I hadn’t seen much of the set for a while. Tonight, I stood, stage-left, with some of the Oxfam volunteers, to watch the amazing show. OK, so most of the songs may be the same, but I love seeing the crowds every time. People jumping around, singing the words, clapping at every opportunity, stamping their feet, holding their heads in disbelief, watching the show through a mobile phone - when the band are right there.. Stamping their feet - (whether they’re out of time or not.. Who really cares?) It’s great to see how captivated people are when seeing the show for the first time. It reminds me how great it is, that Oxfam is on the tour. How great it is that the volunteers get to see the show. How much people love this band. How awesome it is that the band want these people to be involved with Oxfam’s work. 1348 people joined Oxfam tonight. That’s 2319 people at the two Dublin shows. 1 in 7 people across the two nights. That’s a great response, and something for our volunteers to be proud of.
There were a famous pair of sunglasses in the audience tonight too, which caught the eye of a few of our campaigners.. I saw you there Bono.. bobbing your head and singing along to ‘Viva’ at the Coldplay show.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] 971 stand up to be counted.. and a few more
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, December 21, 2008 - 11:23 PM (1531 Reads)
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It’s quite a spectacular sight to see 8′500 Coldplay fans on their feet in Dublin, singing the final few lines of ‘Yellow’. I came back here into the crew room to write, and heard a similar roar of noise at the end of ‘Fix you’. ‘Viva’ has just struck up as well, and I can already hear the chanting starting.
971 of those people, on 1942 feet, all signed up with Oxfam tonight. They all now have the chance to be active campaigners for Oxfam in the years to come. 2009 will be a huge year for Oxfam, and Coldplay as well. They will be back here for a massive outdoor show in September. Maybe some of those people who signed up, will be volunteering as campaigners themselves next year..?
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] The tour comes to Dublin
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, December 21, 2008 - 07:15 PM (1788 Reads)
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I’m sitting in the newly revamped O2 Arena, Dublin. Last Tuesday, this venue was re-opened. Coldplay is only the third show to pass through. 8′500 people will pack into the arena tonight, and again tomorrow. There is only three days to go on this tour. I thought I was going to escape the strange illness that has been doing the rounds in the crew. Unfortunately, it got me in the end. I’m on the kiwi fruits and orange juice today..
Yesterday, I visited the famous storehouse of Arthur Guinness. The cobbled streets and darkened passages around the old factory buildings was quite a sight. Real atmosphere. You could just imagine the barrels rolling down the streets and a huge workforce piling in and out. The black gates through the streets guarding the special secrets of this ancient brew.. As we pulled up on the open-top bus tour, it felt a bit like Charlie the Chocolate Factory for adults. Sadly.. I didn’t see any umpa-lumpas..
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Belfast - Odyssey arena #1
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, December 21, 2008 - 07:10 PM (1529 Reads)
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Just went past the Odyssey (which will be the last stop of the tour). Heading for Dublin, the second last stop on the tour. The band are still on stage, entertaining the 8000 strong crowd. Foot-stomping and singing was in full force, as I packed up the Oxfam road case in the dressing room hall. The night is still young. The bus pulled out at 10:30pm “on-the-head” as the driver put it. This must be what it feels like to be in one of the vans that does a runner straight after the show. I’m off early, with the ‘Eat to the beat’ catering team, beating the traffic and heading for the hotel, in the hope of a ‘regular’ night sleep..
Belfast was a fun city. I’m glad we’re heading back before it‘s over. Oxfam volunteers were signing up the crowd to become campaigners. The sheet simply said. “Coldplay. Sign up to use your power”. In the new year, Oxfam Ireland will update them on the Climate Change campaign, which will be a massive part of Oxfam’s work in 2009. For now, they can just sit back and enjoy the show. Or.. Alternatively.. Stand up and stamp their feet and enjoy the show.. Why not eh? It’s Friday!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #64
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, December 20, 2008 - 10:22 AM (1631 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 tells you about tour fatigue
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
Tour Fatigue, Road-burn, Knackered-ness, "Ready for Bo-Bos", it's called many things, but all describe the same thing. I've shied away from describing some of the less enjoyable aspects of touring because - well, lets face it, the job we do is amazing and I can't even bear listening to myself moan about it, let alone imagine how little anyone else would care.
It is, however, an intrinsic part of the touring experience. Just as seaside summer holidays always smell strongly of sun-cream, so too is the entire touring experience often viewed through the soft focus lens of exhaustion. Timezones have a lot to answer for. So too does the fact that the working day produces a ninety minute adrenaline rush that ends around 11pm - making early nights rare, despite all best intentions.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] An Old Trafford-full of Oxfam and Coldplay supporters
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, December 20, 2008 - 09:57 AM (1484 Reads)
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The Coldplay tour, along with it’s Oxfam rep, has now travelled to Belfast City, and I have not even talked about the last show in London yet.. so, just to recap, here’s a note from London..
1200 people made the Health and Education For All pledge tonight. That’s almost 4000 for the London shows, great stuff. The UK tour has seen an incredible number of people giving their support on this Oxfam campaign. It also saw Simon Pegg, join Coldplay on-stage for some memorable harmonica moments..
The third London show was the final concert in England & Scotland for 2008. Oxfam GB was there, with a group of volunteers at every show. A massive 18′350 Coldplay fans made the Health and Education For All pledge over the 12 shows! That’s the equivalent of a capacity crowd at the Birmingham NIA, plus the Liverpool Echo Arena, and all of their staff and security, standing up at once, and pledging their support. A truly incredible level of support, to add to the global movement of people speaking up about Health and Education For All.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #63
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 06:10 PM (1897 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the London homecoming shows
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
I note that on the X&Y tour, there were three "Big London Shows" at Earls Court on the 14th, 15th and 16th of December. Three years, an album and an EP later, here we are with three "Big London Shows" on exactly the same dates. Hometown shows around Christmas make perfect sense really. If it's supposed to be a time for getting together with family and friends and celebrating, then what better way could there be?
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Lots of people at the O2
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 03:10 AM (1599 Reads)
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Just counting the pledges at the Oxfam tables by section 110 at London’s O2 Arena. The Oxfam volunteers have handed in their sheets, and gone in to take their seats. ‘Speed of Sound’ is ringing through the doors, each time someone swings it open, to run to the toilet, or grab some fish n’ chips.
The total so far tonight is 1188. All those names, showing their support, can make a real difference to people’s lives. One person can make a big difference. 1188 can make a huge difference. Imagine what 6 million could do.. Oxfam is asking 6 million people to make the Health and Education For All pledge, to represent the 6 million more well trained and accessible doctors, nurses and teachers that are needed. If Oxfam can put that sort of pressure on world leaders, they can’t ignore it.. especially if over 40′000 of them are noisy Coldplay fans!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Homecoming..
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, December 15, 2008 - 05:05 PM (1425 Reads)
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We made it. And it was great! The band finally made it back to the start.. (well close enough, just a few tube stops away from Brixton). It was the first of three sold-out shows at the O2 Arena in London.
This morning, I stepped off the Jubilee Line, at Greenwich North Station, looked up, and saw huge cranes sticking out of a big, white, dome-shaped tent. It was the sight of the Millenium dome. I had only ever seen it on TV, or from a distance on my way around London.. but today, the big show was inside this thing. The first thing Oxfam’s rep did, was get completely lost by going in the ’staff entrance’, going up some stairs and finding myself in a restaurant warehouse, going through a door, past some bemused bar staff polishing glasses, down some steps, and finding myself by the main entrance.. Lot’s easier.
I set up the Oxfam tables and got ready to meet the volunteers. Another great group tonight. Full of energy. Keen to get started.. Another massive crowd tonight. Waiting to applaud the band’s homecoming.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #62
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, December 14, 2008 - 07:37 PM (1827 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the secret special guest...
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
Here I am, sitting outside the production office in the O2 arena. It's the first of the "Big London Shows" today, which would traditionally mean much stress and fretting all round. However, we've managed to completely circumvent any last minute nerves by being so insanely busy that worrying has fallen off the to-do list entirely.
Whilst the first of the 14 trucks are being spilled onto the arena floor at the O2 in east London, a bunch of us are way out west at BBC Television Centre setting up for a TV show. There's no band here when it's time for "camera rehearsals" so the floor manager comes over to ask the crew to stand in the band's places. Suddenly, I find myself extremely busy with something. (Funny that.) Production Manager Craig Finley is up there on the kit giving it loads - he offers a most spirited performance (particularly given the hour) - although he definitely twirls his sticks a bit more than Mr Champion does...
Note: According to ZDF Television, Coldplay will be appearing and performing on Germany's "Wetten, dass..?" show on 24th January 2009. More news on this here [thanks Larry & Ilione] |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #61
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, December 13, 2008 - 10:23 AM (1673 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the hometown show
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Pris]
Finally, I spend an entire day off in bed and so see an end to the misery that is "the tour cold". Everyone is suffering. Folks have either had it, just finished it, or are right in the middle of it. It seems poor old Jon Hopkins has been hit harder than most though. He's come down with something a bit heavier than a cold and he's not with us for the Manchester shows. Let's hope he's better for London. I'm really looking forward to seeing him together with Viva co-conspirator Dav at the O2...
Manchester is a bit of a strange one, in that I wake up in my own bed and have breakfast at home, then go into the gig. This must be what it feels like having a proper job....
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Security guards in the MEN Arena were a bit Yellow.
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, December 12, 2008 - 02:29 AM (2061 Reads)
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Half of them was anyway. The security here really stand out, in their bright yellow blazers. It was an odd sight when they all took their positions just before the doors. All these organised yellow dots, covering the arena entrances. The biggest line of yellow, being by the stage barriers. The dots of yellow were far less organised a few hours later. As balloons were thrown in to the crowd by the roadies at the mix desk, by the stage and up in the rafters. Yellow bopped and popped all around the place. Most of them, seemed to gravitate towards the stage. By the end of the song, Chris Martin was beating them away with his guitar, surrounded by inflatables.
The band just finished ‘Green Eyes’ up amongst the crowd, so I should get on with it and get back upstairs. I just want to add one more thing. I hear that Manchester is the home of Coldplaying.com. I also saw the names of Ian and Jenny Betley on our petition earlier. Thank you Coldplaying people!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Glasgow SECC - Take Two
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 08:41 AM (1734 Reads)
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I’m sitting in the same little room as I was a few days ago, writing another blog, about another Coldplay show. We have had some adventures on this tour, playing 3 different countries in 3 days.. it’s not quite the same adventure when you return to the same city, but it was another great show in Glasgow. Oxfam’s brilliant bunch of volunteers, between them, got 1526 Health and Education For All pledges, to add to the thousands of others on the Coldplay tour.
Another noisy crowd greeted the band tonight. Needing little encouragement to sing every word and clap to the beats (even if they weren’t always in time with the band). Chris Martin had to tell everyone to stop clapping at the start of ‘The Hardest Part’ (which he dedicated to his haircut), as he couldn’t figure out the timing. He got it in the end, and the clapping continued anyway.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #60
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, December 09, 2008 - 11:10 AM (1620 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the crazy car chase
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks JENNY34]
On the ride into Liverpool from John Lennon Airport, there is much talk in our van (which, I hasten to add, included none of the band) about The Beatles - as though this is all that has ever happened in Liverpool. Come showtime, Chris gets part way through In My Place and reminds the crowd that half of the songs they are hearing were written here. Suddenly, it strikes me what he's talking about - and how right he is about the degree to which this city has been a part of the band's history.
Parr Street Studios in the centre of Liverpool, is the place where so many songs from the first three records took shape. Those albums were recorded there (and elsewhere) by Ken Nelson and Mark Phythian, two of the most lovely human beings you could ever wish to meet - both natives of this fine city, I believe.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] 1 in 4 at the Echo
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 09:49 AM (1668 Reads)
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The capacity of the Liverpool Echo Arena is 8000 tonight. 2044 of them made the Health and Education For All pledge, in just under 3 hours, thanks to our incredible Oxfam campaigners. For many of them, it was their first time volunteering with Oxfam. That’s a pretty good first time campaigning, by any account.. 1 in 4 signed up. Wow.
Chris Martin is currently singing ‘The Hardest Part’. The volunteers effort tonight has certainly ensured that Liverpool is not the hardest part of this tour for me. I think it’s great when so many people join in. That’s like the whole floor area of the arena standing up at once, in unison, against poverty. All those people believing that governments should do more to provide people with their basic rights to good quality healthcare and education. Imagine if you just took away all the running taps, plasters, first aid workers, and hygienic cooking areas in this venue. The show probably wouldn’t happen. If nobody had access to an education, there might not even be anyone working here. But they are. Why couldn’t the same thing happen anywhere? Good quality and affordable healthcare and education are some of the things many countries’ prosperity is built on. It’s not a new idea. Oxfam believes it’s about time everyone had the same chance.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
Note: Join the Coldplaying campaign to get Guy Berryman on Top Gear! More details here [thanks Long Live Life] |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #59
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 09:42 AM (1661 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the nasty flu
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
Don't get too close, readers. I'm full of cold. Being ill on tour (OK, I know, it's only the sniffles and a sore throat...) is a pretty rubbish experience. If I had a sensible job, I would have called in sick and spent the day under the duvet feeling sorry for myself. That's not really an option in my line of work, so instead, I've turned up to a cold and draughty arena and felt sorry for myself here. Really, I should get the juicer going in catering and load up on healthy vitamins. Maybe later. For now, tablets, vitamin water and self pity are the order of the day.
So what's been happening here? Well, we finished up in Birmingham. The third night's crowd are memorable particularly for a rather excellent bout of Mexican Wave-ing (if indeed such a term exists) before the show. Then, after two glorious days off, we arrived up in Glasgow.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Warm up room
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, December 07, 2008 - 03:18 PM (1586 Reads)
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I’m sitting on a road case, which says C O L D P L A Y, in spray paint across the top. On my right, is a label which says ‘Coldplay. Viva. Viva La Vida 2008/2009. Location: Warm-up room. Truck: Backline. Contents: Piano.’
It’s the ‘Dressy Piano’ case, ready for the band to warm-up for another show on their world tour tonight. Today, we have made it to Liverpool’s Echo Arena. It sits proudly overlooking the Docks, and this famous city of music. It’s also European Capital of Culture this year. A week today, the hosts of the venue will be Sue Barker and Gary Lineker for the annual BBC Sports Personality awards ceremony.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Stomping their feet on the wooden boards
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, December 07, 2008 - 03:40 AM (1467 Reads)
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Actually. I’m not sure they were wooden. That’s probably classed as a fire hazard. There was plenty of stomping on metal bars though. Fantastic atmosphere tonight. The Scots came out to party in Glasgow’s SECC. Coldplay were the life and soul. Soon enough the whole room was all, sort of.. yellow.
Tonight’s surprise was a bunch of yellow balloons, which the band kicked out onto the crowd at the beginning of that song. It was a great sight. I’m always facinated to watch people’s reaction when something like this happens. Some people completely stop watching the show, and concentrate every part of their body, on trying to touch one of those balloons. Then there are others, who don’t seem too fussed, and keep getting hit on the head by them, as they drift down. I saw one boy leaving the venue proudly clinging to his balloon. I guess it will proudly sit in his room, as a reminder, until it wrinkles and shrinks to little more than a yellow shower cap.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Brrr...
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, December 06, 2008 - 01:21 PM (1704 Reads)
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After an overnight drive up to Glasgow, we are here at the SECC.
There’s frost on the trees and that kind of cold clear blue in the air. The Oxfam case is out in the ‘cold-zone’ as Fin described it earlier. That is right behind the stage. It’ll be good when that crowd show up later on and warm the place up a bit! Just a little short blog.. to say.. “brrr”.
Read more blogs at the Oxfam Blog website here
Note: Coldplay.com have just announced that the band are still sifting the shortlist of videos for the Lost? video competition and therefore the result will not be posted today. A winner announcement will now be made on Monday. |
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Birmingham, Birmingham, Birmingham
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 05:50 PM (1701 Reads)
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Three nights in Birmingham, 4 UK Coldplay shows in 5 days. 7177 people have already joined Oxfam GB and made the Health and Education FOR ALL pledge. Thank you to all those amazing Coldplay fans for adding their small action to a global movement. Thank you to our 69 awesome Oxfam volunteers so far, who have given up their evening’s to spread the word, talk to fans, and make all those little actions, add up to an incredible 7177!
The first day in Birmingham, the sign-up record tumbled. The second day in Birmingham, that record tumbled again.. In fact. It was smashed, by over 400! A massive, and inspiring 2448 people made the pledge in just under 3 hours. That’s more than 1 in 5 Coldplay fans walking through the door! Special mention must go out to our new record holders.. the 20 Oxfam volunteers from Birmingham NIA, December 2nd, 2008.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
Note: Coldplay.com have just announced that the band are still sifting the shortlist of videos for the Lost? video competition and therefore the result will not be posted today. A winner announcement will now be made on Monday.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Phoenix on Ice
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 05:28 PM (1760 Reads)
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Blog #3: The third and final instalment from our guest blogger, Soha Yassine. Soha took the reigns for all things Oxfam, for the final 3 US shows of 2008. Phoenix was the last of these 3 shows, before the UK tour kicked off.
We arrived in Phoenix at what seemed like an ungodly hour for a tour caravan that hit the road at 1:30am. As I rolled out of my bunk in the ungraceful manner that I do every morning and headed into the venue for some much needed coffee, I stopped by the stage area. It wasn’t even noon yet and my bus-mates have the skeleton of the stage already constructed! Confetti butterflies had already littered the ground. They tend to get stuck on all of the equipment from the night before and fall off everywhere they go. They don’t bother anyone though; who can get mad at butterflies? As I stared at the butterflies in my pre-coffee state, I realized the familiar pattern of metal puzzle-pieces on the floor of the venue. This could only mean that there was an ice hockey rink beneath us and my pre-coffee-Californian-self could only think of one word: gnarly.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Oxfam Action Corps Territory
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, December 05, 2008 - 05:09 PM (1772 Reads)
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Blog #2: Second instalment from our guest blogger (Soha Yassine), who took the Oxfam reigns for the last three shows in US of 2008. November 25th. 2008. Anaheim. CA.
Tonight we are in the backyard of Los Angeles, Anaheim, California, which is centrally located in Orange County. A few days ago the band rocked the American Music Awards and tonight we’re in the home of the Mighty Ducks.
Here’s an image from the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs with the palm trees shining under the California sun. This is what California looks like about 350 days of the year but not tonight- its pouring rain! Tonight the gods are preparing the weary group of roadies on my bus for the cold and fog that’s to come next week when the band heads out to England. When I helped Pete with the canvassing at the Coldplay show in Boston on the day before Halloween, Chris Martin commented during the show about how Coldplay had been in Boston twice this year, but haven’t had a single concert in their home country! The same is true for California; tonight is Coldplay’s third concert in Southern California since July!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #58
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 07:05 PM (1663 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 on being back in Blighty
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
I've often said that I never feel as British as when returning from a long stint away. We've been out of the country for so much of the last six months though, that for the first time ever, it actually feels a little odd to be back in Blighty. Without wanting to get all cliched and "life on the road" about it, I have to admit to finding my own country feeling a bit foreign and unfamiliar when we get home his time.
It's difficult to put my finger on exactly what gives me this feeling. One thing that I notice myself doing almost constantly when abroad is gazing out of the windows as we travel. Just being in a foreign country makes everything interesting. Everyday things such as bus stops, payphones and letterboxes are all a little different. I often watch folks going about their everyday lives and form a (most likely quite inaccurate) idea of what it would be like to live here (wherever "here" happens to be on that particular day). For the first time ever, I'm looking out of the window at the UK in the same way.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] From Intern to Roadie
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, December 03, 2008 - 06:28 PM (1601 Reads)
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Blog #1: Just in from our mystery guest blogger (Soha Yassine), who took the Oxfam reigns for the last three shows in US of 2008. 22nd November 2008. Salt Lake City. UT.
“… So come over, just be patient, and don’t worry” can be heard clearly enough that I forget for a moment that i’m standing in the middle of the concourse at Energy Solutions Arena. I take a peak inside, as the building-sized banner, that reads ‘VIVA’, drops behind Chris, Jonny, Guy, and Will. Audiences always seem to be moved by this moment, and the band does not at all seemed dwarfed by the towering banner.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Brummie World Beaters
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, December 01, 2008 - 11:44 PM (1602 Reads)
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If my memory serves me correctly.. It’s been 22 shows since the last time I was able to say this. We have a new world record sign-up number for the Viva La Vida tour 2008! Oxfam has had an amazing night so far at the 1st Coldplay show, here at the Birmingham NIA.
An incredible 2050 amazing Coldplay fans, signed to pledge their support for Health and Education For All. That’s almost a fifth of the audience! Thank you to our amazing 20 volunteers, organised by Kay, our star regional coordinator.
My condolences to the Ottawa volunteers, who held the record for over 6 weeks. I am sure that you will be able to see the positive side though.. thousands more people calling on their governments to act and continue supporting education, healthcare, sanitation and water improvement programmes for the worlds poorest people.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
Note: Coldplay look likely to play Goffertpark in Nijmegen on 10 September 2009, following news from a Dutch TV commercial plugging Coldplay's album. Full details on the pre-sale starting 3rd December and full-sale two days later are already online. More details on the forums here [thanks Yevgeni] |
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] It’s another chilly day at the Birmingham NIA
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, December 01, 2008 - 02:40 PM (2135 Reads)
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I walked across to the arena today, watching Christmas lights being strung up around trees. It’s the first day of a freezing cold December, in England. You know, when you go outside in the cold and then get back indoors, try to speak to someone, and your mouth doesn’t work properly.. like your cheeks are freezing up. When you stand talking to a friend, and your breath in the air makes you look like two boiling kettles. That’s the kind of day it is out there. Inside, everyone is wearing wolly hats, beanies and big coats. It’s a few degrees warmer than out there, but still pretty chilly.
The Birmingham NIA stands proudly overlooking the canals and down across England’s second largest city. Posters line the walls, advertising all sorts of big shows to come.. Coldplay own the stage here for the next 3 nights though, and will play in front of over 32′000 people before we even get the Thursday. I’m sure those fans will go home happy and looking forward to the huge stadium shows next year.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
Note: If you haven't already, it's not too late to vote the Coldplay playlist ahead of Keane in the Absolute Radio Rock-Off competition... please submit your vote here before 8.30pm (GMT) tonight! |
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Sweeping Up The Butterflies
Posted by Jenjie on Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 12:12 AM (1590 Reads)
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I never get to see the end of the show from there. I’m usually upstairs, but just now, I watched as the band bowed, left the stage, bolted for the door, and the Oxfam sphere lit up, illuminating the clearing seats, so that the masses can find their way home, and find their way to take action with Oxfam.. It’s already emptied out in there, the contents of the arena, heading out into the misty Yorkshire night.
The stage is already cleared, and being torn apart. Rick marches down the catwalk, blowing away the butterfly confetti, with a leaf-clearer fit for any enthusiastic gardener. Every trace of tonight’s show will soon be gone. Band, crew, trucks, cases, stage, amps, lights, Oxfam tables, butterflies, empty beer mugs and tomato ketchup pouches.
It was just a small team of Oxfamers tonight. 9 of them from the Leeds Outreach group. Between them, they got an awesome 623 pledges for Health and Education For All. That’s awesome stuff. Just think what we can do with the 60 volunteers in Birmingham over 3 nights of Coldplay shows..!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #57
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 07:07 PM (1810 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the pumpkin soup
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
Marguerite drops into her seat at dinner in Anaheim looking as though she's just been mugged. The explanation is simple enough - it's LA and consequently, she has just submitted a guest list that outnumbers the attendance at the band's first ever gig by a factor of three to one. Shows in London, New York and LA tend to be ever thus.
They're not just gigs, they're mini music biz events. There is an aftershow tonight though and it is unusually good. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, but aftershows tend to do little to excite me. They're usually full of people who I've never met before - it's rather like gatecrashing a stranger's wedding reception. Tonight is nice, though. The music is chilled, the sushi is excellent and the company is most agreeable
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] A foggy day back in the U.K.
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 03:10 PM (1853 Reads)
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On a train to Sheffield, England. The accents have changed. The scenery (or what I can see of it), is very different. There’s coffee fumes in the air from the buffet car. Bleary-eyed Saturday shoppers are shuffling along in the carriages, for a boost of morning brew (with chocolate sprinkles).
Autumn looks like it’s been and gone. Trees stripped bare of leaves. Frost on the wiry grass. Thick.. Thick, fog. To be honest, I can’t see a lot at all. Aside from the occasional rooftop, lonely-looking horse, or another patchwork field. It’s all quite poetic. To think that it was the start of the summer days, when Coldplay took the stage for their live return in Brixton, London, back in June. When ‘Viva La Vida’ crashed into the charts worldwide, and the band began to take the world by storm. I remember back in April, when I got my new job. Preparing for the tour, back in Oxfam House. Designing t-shirts and collecting boxes of materials. The buzz of waiting for the tour to begin.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Mystery guest blogger coming up..
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 05:38 PM (1417 Reads)
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Here’s one from a couple of days ago..
Waiting in the Denver arena, looking through the glass at all manner of Denver Nuggets merch. It’s going to be a good night. I can feel it. I looked out at the setting sun, through swirls of rollercoasters.. to the huge Broncos stadium, and rugged line of mountains cutting off the sun. Now that sun has gone down, the temperature is in plummet mode again. I’m going to need some gloves for that trip outdoors.. This cooler air, is a good way to acclimatise before the UK tour..
The Oxfam volunteers had free reign on a huge arena. 3 Levels towering up high. During the show, I took a seat in one of the closed off sections behind the stage. It’s an incredible sight to see all those people staring towards you, but not looking at you at all.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #56
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - 11:00 PM (1669 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the random rememberings
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
Gah! I hate leaving the blog for a few days - I forget all the tiny details of what happened. Hence, if this installment reads like a random list of unrelated rememberings then that's because it's exactly what it is!
Lets see, where were we up to? OK, I'd got as far as leaving Texas.
The Denver show brings a guest at soundcheck. We are joined by a chap called Ricardo Leon, who's here with the Make A Wish foundation - his wish being to play drums with Coldplay. He makes his way to the stage on a motorised wheelchair, which does make one wonder how he'd manage with a drumkit.
Note: We have a Coldplay address! Send a personal postcard to the band as part of Coldplaying's exclusive 'Postcards From Far Away' project now... full details at http://www.coldplaying.com/postcards |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #55
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 22, 2008 - 08:49 PM (1555 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Texan cable massacre
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
"If you're from Tex-as, won't you le-e-e-et me know...". Chris ends Violet Hill with this line in Houston and they spend the whole night doing just that. The Houston crowd are extremely vocal. It's not just the line from Chris that sets them off either. I was musing the other day that some crowds give a cheer when the house lights go off but then get very quiet through the intro to Life In Technicolor - only truly erupting when the four shadowy figures make their way up the steps and onto the stage. It's almost like they don't believe that the band are even in the building until they can see the whites of their eyes.
In Texas though, they explode at the house-lights dropping and they pretty much stay in berserk mode until the fellas wander off after Yellow. Once the tour settles in as it has, it's the crowd reactions that truly differentiate one show from another. Tonight in Houston we get a truly standout show. As ever, a powerful performance from the crowd brings out the same from the fellas. Lovers In Japan particularly, seems to take flight tonight like never before. There's something about the way Will is pummelling the shuffling snare drum pattern that gives it immense power - yet at the same time a wonderful, supple grace. It's kind of like being kicked in the head by a ballerina in army boots. I'm fairly sure though, that Mr. Champion wouldn't thank me for painting the mental picture of him in a leotard...
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Denver and back to Dallas
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 22, 2008 - 08:23 AM (1568 Reads)
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No. Not physically. That would be very silly. That’s a long old drive. Plus, let’s face it. There is not much to look at on the way. I spent much of the trip in the darkened cocoon of my bunk. The rest, faced with the slow realisation, as I peered out of the bus window, that this country is just vast. As soon as we headed out into that nothingness the day after the Dallas show.. the temperature dropped. We eventually hit the Colorado mountains on the way into Denver, and it fell again. Tumbled even. -6 last night (20 Farenheit I think.. crikey). Nothing like the heat of Dallas.
Back in Dallas, Texas, it was more like a summer’s night than a winter freeze. No scarfs required. No jackets even. I was sweltering when I donned the Oxfam jacket to go and meet the patiently waiting volunteers. It was another night of activity for them. Getting the word out there, meeting fans, explaining Oxfam’s work and getting excited about the show ahead. One of them came back afterwards, and described the concert simply as “life-changing”. There are a lot of happy fans leaving these venues once the confetti has fallen.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Better make it quick
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 07:30 AM (1485 Reads)
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Houston, Texas. Home of one very famous and powerful man. Home of the ‘Rockets’ NBA team. I have seen a few very tall people walking around today.. Yao Ming is not small. Here we are in a huge state. 13′000 people have come to see the Coldplay show. All 26′000-or-so eyes, are now firmly fixed on the stage, on 4 guys who formed a band thousands of miles away, and wrote a song, and it was called ‘Yellow’. Probably also another 100 or so transfixed eyes are from crew members, waiting to jump in if anything goes wrong. I was just about to try to work out how many eyes might belong to people who also signed up with Oxfam tonight.. but i’m not sure my brain can do that..
The crowd are making all sorts of noises. Some of them screaming so loud, they must be sore. I didn’t think one pair of lungs could make that much noise, before I came on this tour. It’s been a great night for our Oxfam group. Loads of people have shown an interest. Feet were flooding through the doors, and heading right over to our Oxfam tables. Listening carefully.. taking it in, and then taking the pen (don’t worry i’m not going to go on about pens again - even though they are amazing).
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #54
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 12:05 AM (1878 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Flaming Lips cover
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
It's pretty common for shows in more out of the way places to be the ones with the most enthusiastic crowds. Oklahoma then, has potential to be a right good night out. We arrive late in the day, as soundcheck has been bypassed yet again. At the top of the ramp that leads us into the bowels of the arena are three young ladies holding banners who giddily bounce and wave as the band's vehicles swing around the corner. This is obviously not the only time this has happened, however when we emerge some hours later after the show, they are still there and they are just as excitable. I really do hope that they saw the show in between. Not just because they clearly were wonderfully bonkers about the band, but because it was a particularly good night.
Being in the hometown of the Flaming Lips means a lot at a Coldplay gig. Not only are the band great friends with the Lips guys, but so too are some of the crew. Hoppy, who looks after Chris's guitars worked for them many years ago. So did keyboard tech Neill Lambert (also now infamous as Chris's spooky Halloween attacker). I pass Neill in the corridor just as Wayne Coyne is making his way into the arena. Somewhat fittingly, Neill is in the middle of building a robot out of some metal electrical casings he's rescued from the dumpster. Proof if it were needed that we're heading now onto the beautiful slippery slope into what is commonly referred to as tour madness. I can only imagine that by Christmas, there are going to be a lot of inane grins and wonderfully skewed mental states. In the meantime, Neill's as yet unamed creation has been given a job in the Production Office dispensing setlists. I'm not sure he's even seen the Talk video. Maybe it's just subconscious...
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Here’s one I prepared earlier, from ‘OK’ City
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 07:47 AM (1373 Reads)
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Good old fashioned pen and paper. How refreshing it can be. I’m scribbling away in the dark, next to stage right ‘guitar world’. Writing on the back of a Coldplay setlist, and leaning on an Oxfam ’Health and Education FOR ALL’ campaign booklet, on top of a road case..
I just saw Chris Martin run out to the front of the Coldplay stage, to bounce with the packed audience to ‘Viva La Vida’. There was a deafening roar when those strings kicked in. Now, if I look to my left, up the steps, there is Jonny, Will and Guy, starting up the thundering beat of ‘Lost!’. Two of the roadies just walked past me, carrying a small flight of stairs.. I guess the band will be leaving the stage soon, for an arena tour, here in Oklahoma City. Now the screaming begins, as they make their way through a mixture of bemused and excited fans. Here come those roadies again, with that flight of stairs.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #53
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, November 17, 2008 - 09:00 AM (1867 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the exit strategy
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
I start the day in Minnesota by going to the wrong arena. I've left the hotel in search of breakfast and spot the Target Center where we played last time we were here. Although I'm not due in for a good while yet, I know that catering will be up, so I wander over. I spend a good couple of minutes explaining to the folks on the back door at the Target Center that I've left my laminate at the hotel before eventually realising I need to back up and ask a fundamental question.
"Do Coldplay have a show here today?" "No sir, that is the Xcel Center," comes the reply. I thank them kindly and wander off looking for somewhere to get a coffee.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Chris Martin is talking and the crowd are cheering
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 02:04 PM (1786 Reads)
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It must be such a strange thing to be in that position. I’m sure most of you have been at a concert before, where the lead singer stops between songs to talk to the crowd.
Due to the buzz of 15′000 (or however many thousand people), and the fuzz of a microphone.. it can all become a bit of a blur. Now Chris Martin is a very clearly spoken fella. I understand the things he says from stage, a whole lot better than some artists I have seen slurring into the mic. No slurring for Coldplay at all. Still. I never catch it all. It always amuses me when a singer stops to speak and everyone just cheers anyway.
When they stop talking, it’s like the crowd collectively thinks (*oh.. erm.. it’s our turn to say something.. umm.. what should we say?.. umm.. WHOOOP! YEAH! (or just a general screaming noise of appreciation). You know who you are. I’m not saying I mind it. Quite the opposite. I mean it’s not like the band can stop the momentum and have a talking shop about how everyone is finding it so far.. no round tables, no half time analysis. No time for discussions in the Coldplay show.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #52
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 01:58 PM (1549 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 muses on Hooters and parties
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Loud Meditation]
Our show in Fort Lauderdale or Miami (nobody seems exactly sure where we are) is a nicely noisy affair. You can always pretty much judge how raucous an audience is going to be by watching them during the Blue Danube intro. Tonight it's arms aloft, swaying in time. It can't hurt, obviously that many of these arms are attached to rather large plastic cups full of beer...
Most arenas have advertising boards on the front of the balconies. The majority of modern ones have LED panels that make a bright ring all around the venue. Tonight, when the lights go up after Speed Of Sound, Chris notes that all the way around the arena there are boards advertising a certain drinking establishment. Despite Jonny's assertion in a Canadian radio interview that the album had been a success mainly due to the fact that "there are boobs on the cover", Chris is at pains to point out that the "the band Coldplay has nothing to do with Hooters". Never one to burn his bridges though, he follows this up with "although we'd like to..."
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Atlanta, Georgia (part 2)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 08:24 AM (1727 Reads)
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I’m huddled in a corner behind one of the Oxfam pop-up banners by our table at the entrance to the arena. If I look up, I can see three of Oxfam’s volunteers enthusiastically passing out free badges and signing up Coldplay fans to the Oxfam America mailing list. Here come 5 more fans ready to sign on the sheets. It’s great to listen to some of the little things that happen at the stall..
“When I say ‘Cold’ .. you say ‘Play’ .. Cold - Play. Cold - Play!
When I say ‘Ox’ .. you say ‘Fam’. Ox - Fam! Ox - Fam!”
I haven’t heard that one before. But that’s the beauty of doing this in so many different places. In the background, I can hear ‘Sleepercar’ finishing up on-stage. There’s just 40 minutes until the main attraction hits the stage.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] De-ja-voo in Atlanta
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 08:31 PM (1763 Reads)
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Right. Time to catch up. Access to the internet on tour is never as easy as it is, when switching on a computer, in the ‘comfort’ of an office block or internet cafe. Wireless internet is set up in tour production and management offices. This usually leads to a line of roadies sitting on road cases outside, or sitting on the floor around the production team. In these concrete block buildings.. that signal doesn’t travel too far. Crew rooms are usually slightly less equipped for internet, as they are for showers and couches.
Ocassionally, like today. There is a crew office. Today, it sits at the back of Production. It’s a tiny little room, which randomly has mean-looking cartoon characters, wielding hockey sticks and perched on basketballs, painted on the walls. It’s a strange little place. The tour buses have a handy intermittent internet connection too. It does not cease to amaze me, that I can send an email to my friends back home in England, from a tour bus, moving along Atlanta streets to a venue.
We’re back in Atlanta’s Phillips Arena. De-ja-voo. We walked in saying “Good to see you you again” to the venue staff, as if we had worked with them for years. This is the second show of two in this building. Two shows in Florida were sandwiched in between. Last stop was Ft. Lauderdale. As a British guy used to rain and frost in November.. it was a strange experience to be outside in a t-shirt before the bus left Florida at 2am.. It turned out to be a long ride from there to Atlanta. 15 hours later, we rolled up at the hotel last night.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #51 (Chris Martin back in the studio writing new songs!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 09:29 PM (2918 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 joins Chris in the studio as he works on new songs...
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Lore]
It would seem that the impending Prospekt's March EP release has sent the band (and Chris in particular) into that familiar Coldplay overdrive. It's a day off today, but the term seems to mean little to one Mr. Martin. I've tagged along as he meets up with Viva's co-producer Rik Simpson to "put some ideas down".
I remember talking to Rik ages ago about how some songs arrive right at the end of a project - and that sometimes they are the best ones. He was saying that he reckons it's down to the fact that the creative juices are still flowing but there is suddenly the joy of the pressure being off. So, with "Prospekts March" finished and on its way, here he is with the tap still running.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #50 (new setlist on the horizon!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 11:21 AM (2209 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 reaches his half-century
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks deydey]
Chris bounds up to me on the journey into Orlando with a new setlst. It's been quite a while since we've played Setlist Twister. The start of this tour often felt like trying to ride a malfunctioning mechanical bull and then, all of a sudden, seemingly out of completely nowhere, things settled into a definitive form.
The current setlist is pretty much engraved into everyone on the crew's brains. The endings to songs trigger mental flags that it's time to carry out the necessary steps to be ready for the next one. As I've said before though, familiarity and repetition can become a little tiring. The show has got stronger and stronger night upon night in terms of the band's performance, but you can't beat a nice shake-up to keep everyone interested.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] What a difference a day makes
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 09:04 AM (1342 Reads)
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22:45, 6th November 2008. Orlando, Amway Arena. The arena empties out. Orlando Magic 98 - 88 Philadelpiha 76ers. The court in the center is shiny. Smooth under all those squeeking sneakers. Giant figures leave the court. Sweatbands are off to be rung out. Cheerleaders bound off, with white toothed smiles across their faces. Scoreboard is flashing. Disco ball is rotating. Magic’s mascot is circulating. TV crew are out doing reviews of the game for the audience at home. Charles Barkley (NBA, Suns & Sixers legend, who also used to slam dunks on my Super Nintendo in his spare time), packs his papers court-side to leave (or at least I think it was him..).
10:45, 7th November 2008. Orlando, Amway Arena. Is this the same arena? Squeeking floor nowhere to be seen. No hoops. No mascot. No crowd to cheerlead. Instead - cases. Lots of cases. Cables hanging from points high in the arena. Catwalks *(under construction). Amp stacks waiting to be lifted. Forklifts beeping. Bags full of butterfly confetti. Roadies dressed in black (beards across their faces).
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #49
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, November 07, 2008 - 05:47 PM (1426 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the aura explorer
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
Today marks the day when we decamp from our temporary home in NYC. We've been based here for two whole weeks now. I can't think of another establishment in the world where the staff have become friends in the same way. From the doormen, to the desk staff, the bar staff, the housekeepers all the way up to the management and the owners. Some of them have come along to the shows, many have shared a drink with us.
For obvious reasons, naming the place we stay when visiting NYC would be frowned upon, but for services above and beyond - and for pretty much defining "home from home" they deserve at least a mention. 'Til next time, many thanks from us all!
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Atlanta, Georgia (part one)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, November 06, 2008 - 08:17 AM (1629 Reads)
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Extra show added due to phenomenal demand. That’s how this show came about. Without it, there would have been a lot of people who missed out. As it is, they didn’t have to. Another sold out show in another state in the US. Coldplay whipped up another storm. The set may have settled into a groove, but the crowds are jumping around wherever we go. One of the Oxfam volunteers summed up the crowd reaction.. ”that was magical.”
I’m sitting on Bus 5, waiting for Doyle (our driver), to hop on and take us on to Orlando, Florida. I’ve not been there before.. I hear it’s kinda hot. Slices of cold pizza and plastic cups filled with various beverages, is the order of the day (even if we are just an hour into it).
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #48
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 - 08:54 PM (1692 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and a new dawn
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
I start the day today by filling out forms for my Japanese visa, in readiness for the February trip. Somewhat less glamorously (if indeed, filling out forms could ever be considered glamorous), I then move on to the launderette. We're a day or two from leaving New York, so it makes sense to walk around the corner and drop in my smalls for a fluff and fold.
My washbag is one of my favourite pieces of tour swag ever. (Roadie glossary: "Swag" - primarily refers to merchandise for sale at shows. Also, in this case, refers to promotional items distributed free to the crew). Free t-shirts, jackets and hats are a very handy perk of the job. A nice drawstring bag for your washing, though? Now that's something you can be grateful for every single day. Before the last tour, I just used to "borrow" laundry bags from nice hotels. The X&Y tour gave us our very first Coldplay laundry bags. They arrived at a "shed" show in the States. I note though, as I wander through the hotel's swanky lobby, that the old faithful has become somewhat worn and ragged.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] United States of America has a new President
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 - 08:22 AM (1533 Reads)
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A quick note of a memorable moment in history.
Outside my Atlanta hotel room, I can hear car horns beeping and voices shouting for joy. I have the TV on. More of the same. Celebrations in the street and huge crowds gathered in Time Square, NYC, and Grant Park, Chicago. The Chicago crowd awaiting their Senator, the President-elect, Barack Obama.
The tour made it’s way down to Atlanta today. All eyes on the bus were on the election. Some people in this city won’t get much sleep tonight. With all this beeping outside, I might not either..
Read other entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Lost! .. in those Auburn Hills..
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 04, 2008 - 08:58 AM (1456 Reads)
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Coldplay just polished off the last notes of ‘Strawberry Swing’ and after a little wander down to the front of stage left, have now burst into life again on the remix version of ‘God put a smile…’ I just came back to production to write to you all, who aren’t in here. Seems to me like plenty of you are crammed in though.
It looks packed out there.. People are on their feet, clapping and cheeing. The atmosphere is incredible. Spare a thought for the nerves that must jangle in those 4 lads as they look up at all those peering faces for the first time. At least you can always rely on it being an overwhelmingly good reception when the curtain is raised during ‘Violet Hill’.
The hip-hop/classical entry music, the dimmed - then flashing - lights, mixed with ‘Life in Technicolour’ always gets the crowd raised to their feet and ready to make some noise for these British boys.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
Note: You can now watch the Lovers In Japan video on the official Coldplay website here following its premiere on iTunes last week! |
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #47 (Coldplaying.com mentioned on Roadie's blog!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, November 03, 2008 - 06:19 PM (1586 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the wonders of technology
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldpatrix & Pris]
Philly is close enough to drive from Manhattan. We're in the van bringing up the rear (oo-err missus, etc etc). For reasons best known to security folks (and quite possibly insurance companies), it's better for all the vehicles to travel "in convoy". Being in the back vehicle as we are today is occasionally a hair raising experience. A string of vehicles takes up as much space as a truck, but fellow road users don't always understand that you're going to move as one. It seems today's driver is somewhat unused to this role. This means that by the time we're almost at the gig most of the folks in our van have knuckles whiter than Hollywood teeth.
We get to the highway exit for the venue and we sail straight past. It would appear that our man at the wheel finds it easier to follow his sat nav than the back of the vehicle in front. Franksy asks what exactly is going on and is informed that it's ok, we're all going to the same place. Suitably reassured, we hold tight and hope for the best.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Duffy’s last stand, and roadies playing dead..
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, November 02, 2008 - 09:09 AM (1465 Reads)
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Directly in front of me, is the constant stream of Coldplay fans entering the Philadelphia Wachovia Center. Beep.. beep.. beep (etcetera), go the machines, as ticket bar code’s are scanned. There is one very enthusiastic security guard too, whooping and cheeing, singing ‘Violet Hill’, anything to put a smile on faces as they enter. That’s if the smiles aren’t already there.
Fans then walk directly over to the Oxfam booth to my right, where our Philly action group is busy signing up the masses, and talking about Oxfam’s amazing work. Those that miss us, are heading in to see the Duffy show, which is in full swing. She has a couple songs left before the end of her last show on this tour. Those (notoriously hard to please) roadies, have often been heard talking about her presence on stage. This girl from Wales is only going to get more fans, the more shows she does. One of the biggest hits of the year.. alongside Coldplay of course.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #46
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, November 02, 2008 - 08:26 AM (1538 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Grateful Undead
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks melanieau]
Soundcheck in Washington gets cancelled in the name of a little more time in NYC in the morning. Whilst this is a right result for all, it does mean that we land at Dulles just after 5pm. Of course, as we get on the road, it becomes clear that we're in for a slow trip. One of the reasons to run away and join a tour is to escape the 9 to 5 and here we are sat in rush hour traffic. I'll wager though, that we're the only ones here on our way IN to work...
I'm fairly sure that Coldplay have never done a show on Halloween in the US before. Certainly not whilst I've been with them. We've also got a higher percentage of Americans in the crew this time out, so we're celebrating in full this year. As you can see below, tonight saw a very rare stage invasion. Somehow, it would appear that keyboard tech Neil Lambert got possessed partway through the day. Despite several drumsticks through the heart, he still managed to make his way onstage to try to take out Mr. Martin. Somewhere in the blackout, Chris prevailed and we've put Neill away in one of the spare piano cases for now. I'm not sure what the international laws are about transportation of the undead across borders, but we'll let the freight company deal with that...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #45
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 09:28 AM (1597 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the wonders of technology
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Lore]
What on earth did roadies do before the laptop? Roadies and laptops are like kids with colouring books - give them a laptop and a wi-fi connection and they're quiet for hours. More seriously though, technology has genuinely changed the human experience of touring. There's no getting around the fact that a major tour means weeks at a time away from those that you love, which will never be anything but difficult.
I'm old enough, though, to remember the days when touring abroad was like being sent to the moon. No mobile phones, no texts, definitely no email or any of that. If you were organised, you'd get a calling card from a train station which bought you an hour or so of call time. You could use this on a day off from a payphone and just hope that you could juggle the time difference well enough to find that someone was in and awake when you called.
Getting the news from home meant trying to find a British newspaper, which would usually be a silly price and a couple of days out of date. Trying to watch foreign TV was usually amusing for all the wrong reasons and if the language barrier was too high, completely useless for finding out what was going on in the world.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Halloween in the capital
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, October 31, 2008 - 04:50 PM (1367 Reads)
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There is a weird skeleton-skull-ghost-doll thing hanging from the door of the production office. I’m sat right outside, with it watching over me.
Skeletons will walk the halls of the Verizon Center, Washington D.C. tonight. It’s Halloween, and the Coldplay crew are dressing up for the occasion. I hear rumours of all sorts of alterations to the show. Projections on spheres, confetti, lights, video.. it should be fun to see what gets thrown in to the party. One of the roadies has a mask which is proper freaky.. I’m sure the mood won’t be too dark though. After all, one of the songs is called ‘Death will never conquer’..!
Coldplay and Oxfam are back in Washington D.C. This is one of three venues being repeated from the last stint out here in the States.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Boston Celtics one day, Coldplay and Oxfam the next
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 07:28 PM (1335 Reads)
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Last night I watched the Boston Celtics NBA World Championship banner be raised to the rafters, inside the TD Banknorth Garden. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (whose arena we were in the other day), to open the new season. Today, the Coldplay lights, rigging, screens, confetti canons, amp-stacks, PA, and huge inflatable spheres, are being slowly raised towards the roof of this famous arena.
This is the first time that we have returned to exactly the same place, on two separate occasions, so far this tour. Boston was the last show before Japan, last time out in North America. Now we are back. Familiar surroundings. The band must have really enjoyed that show. If the atmosphere is anything similar to the basketball last night, it’s going to be another day for the earplugs later.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #44(a)
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 07:15 PM (1427 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is watching you
Discuss this blog entry here onwards.
I've mused before on the section of the show when the guys head up into the back of the arena for the "acoustic" bit. Although I've talked about watching the audience response as they slowly realise what's going on, I don't think I've mentioned the range of reactions from the folks that are immediately around the band once they're on the "c-stage" way up in the back of the arena. My little video monitor under the stage shows a tight shot of the four fellas, but I can also see the folks around them and it's increasingly becoming a highlight of the show for me watching the fans' every night.
Obviously, the common reaction by folks is to raise their mobile phones and start filming it. Others though, realise that they are in the spotlight and start waving and holding their hands in the air so that everyone can see them and cheer (this is mostly the guys, I have to be honest). Another popular response is like the old "studio audience effect" from TV shows. you see folks looking out of the top of the frame to see if they're on the big screens and then they start nudging their neighbor and pointing upwards. One of my favourite responses was only a few nights ago when a woman behind the band stood motionless, mouthing the words "Oh. My. GOD." over and over throughout the duration of both songs.
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[Coldplay Oxfam Blog] Beantown
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 08:58 AM (1237 Reads)
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We now find ourselves in Boston, otherwise known as ‘Beantown’. Apparently that is because back in the colonial days, a favourite Boston food, was beans, baked in molasses for several hours. So there you go. You live and learn.
There’s a yellow page in the itinerary book, meaning there is no concert tonight. It was a relatively short trip from New Jersey last night. There was a party kicking off on my bus. Felt like being on a bouncy-castle-boom-box.. another round of ipod wars in the back lounge. A chance to let off steam, for the guys involved with the TV recordings during last week. The night before a well earned day-off is always a late one.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] A gig so good, they played it twice..
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 08:23 AM (1233 Reads)
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It’s time for the B-stage. I heard a fan earlier talking about how ‘they do this techno bit on the catwalk’. He must have caught the show before.. but I wouldn’t describe this remix of ‘God Put a Smile’ as ‘techno techno..’ Each to their own.
New Jersey is a lucky place. Like LA, Chicago, Toronto, Paris, Stockholm, Rotterdam.. They all have one thing in common. Two chances to catch the Coldplay show, rather than one. For Oxfam, this gives us a chance for 40 lucky volunteers, rather than the normal 20. It’s a good feel for a Monday night today. Lots of people coming up to find out what we’re up to, at our little booths. Oxfam is up to all sorts, to overcome poverty across the world. Lobbying world leaders at the UN recently for the Control Arms campaign.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #44
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, October 27, 2008 - 05:15 PM (1299 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 the bootlegger
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
Right then folks. Saturday Night Live was a very long day. Soundcheck, camera rehearsals, dress rehearsals and so it went on. Being on the tail end of jetlag as I am, a 1am finish required a hell of a lot of coffee. The one good thing about having all that time though, is that I got a chance to dig through my laptop and have a clearout.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #43
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, October 25, 2008 - 10:30 AM (1635 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: He's Mr Yahoo! 42
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks melanieau]
Just when it looked like we were going to be settled into a long run of arena shows, out of the left field somewhere comes a theatre show for an internet company! It's a Yahoo! session and we're at the Hammerstein Ballroom. It's a beautiful venue in Manhattan, literally around the corner from Madison Square Garden. It could easily have been a real nightmare trying to shift gears on the touring juggernaut like this.
In reality, it's made very easy for us by the folks who've been putting this thing together. Obviously, we're not putting the arena production in. No balls, no lasers, no screens, just the band's gear - the Yahoo! folks are taking care of the rest. It's a simple setting, but it looks very classy.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #42
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - 08:21 PM (1588 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which Roadie #42 is too modest to celebrate reaching Blog #42
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Pris]
One by one, the band bound onto the stage for soundcheck in Ottawa. I don't use the word bound just because it's easy to type. Ten days of rest has recharged, re-invigorated and positively rebuilt everybody here. Jonny, in particular bounces onto the stage like a boxer entering the ring to claim his title.
He's beaming widely and just as the others, has greetings and bear hugs for the crew sitting on the wings awaiting their arrival. We've been through the chaos of "birthing" the tour, we've been through the painstaking revisions and re-workings. We've had a wonderful, if slightly grueling European run. Now at last, you get the impression that everyone is settled. Problems that at first appeared insurmountable, if not completely solved are at least tamed.
Folks who were once strangers are already feeling like old friends. Of course strange people are what a good crew is all about. Here's a lovely man named Maynard who keeps all the screens, drapes and backdrops rocking from day to day. He's not at all strange, he's lovely. He is however, having something of a bad hair day today after wrangling a bunch of fifty foot drapes.
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[Oxfam Blog] We Did It!
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 06:14 PM (1461 Reads)
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The new ‘Oxfam sign-ups on the Coldplay tour 2008 World Record’ holders are Oxfam Canada’s amazing group of volunteers in Ottawa. 2032 is the magic number of Coldplay fans who signed up.
It was an incredible night. What a way to start the new tour. The Coldplay set was awesome too. They nailed it last night, following opening act, a local band called ‘Stars’, with an awesome set. The atmosphere once again, was electric.
Thank you to Victoria Harnett, from Oxfam’s Toronto office, and all of our volunteers last night, for their energy and enthusiasm. They worked tirelessly to give as many fans as possible, the chance to take an action with Oxfam. It was a really inspiring night. 2032 people in the space of a few hours standing up against poverty, and making a noise for Health and Education For All. Amongst them was Ottawa Senators Allstar player, Jason Spezza. One of the volunteers was very pleased about that!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Record breakers..?
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 07:05 AM (1105 Reads)
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Amazing stuff from the Oxfam campaigners tonight. 1847 signatures collected in just a couple of hours before the Coldplay set. We have a little more time after the set.. so there is a chance, that we could surpass the current ‘world record’ held since Montreal.. (which was 1889).
Just think.. all those fans stopping to think about providing people with good quality Health and Education For All. Then signing their name. For Oxfam to take off to the Canadian government, to show that support. All those people then go off to watch a Coldplay show. Can’t be bad can it..? I can hear the last song going on inside.. I had better get back out there. There are people who need to get some school books. There’s a record to be broken.
Read more blog entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Show day 1. New tour. New itinerary. New haircuts.
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 05:00 AM (1607 Reads)
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Time to get back to work. I’m in a cold-looking corridor again. This one skirts around the bottom of the Scotiabank Center. A 13′000 seater hockey stadium, which usually plays host to the Ottawa Senators. Today’s runner, Eric, told me that they are pretty good.
It will be Canada’s last chance to watch Coldplay for a while tonight. Way back in summer, in Toronto, Pemberton and Montreal, the atmosphere was electric. I’m sure that it will be tonight too. The band have had a chance to rest, and i’m sure they will want to come back with a bang.
Everyone seems to be walking around with shorter hair today. No more shaggy-dog looks in the crew. The chance to visit your own barbers is another luxury of visiting home for a day or two. It’s all hands on deck today. Lots to do before we head on to Cleveland tonight. Everyone wants it to go off well. Start on a positive, get us rolling again. 20 Oxfam volunteers are fired up and ready for tonight. Let’s hope it’s a good one.
Read more blog entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Coldplay and Oxfam have landed
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 04:55 AM (1272 Reads)
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Here’s one I penned earlier (when I didn’t have access to the internet..)
It’s oh so quiet. I just got to the hotel. All I can hear is the slight ringing in my ears (still popping occasionally due to the air pressure changes). Coldplay and Oxfam have landed. I caught the same plane as the band today, back over the pond. We’re back on tour. North America (part 2). Now we find ourselves in Ottawa, Canada. Well, just outside, to be precise.
Silence is a rare thing on tour. You know.. when you can actually hear it. Completely quiet. So breathing sounds noisy. Things rarely shut down and switch off, on the road. For about a week or so, the whole crew did just that. Got some silence in their ears. Coldplay have another 20 shows coming up here. Oxfam will have 20 campaigners at each and every one. The first of this leg, and the last in Canada, is tomorrow night. Oxfam Canada are up first.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #41
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 07:01 PM (1838 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from an end-of-term TV show
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
Will is laughing like a drain - and it's all because of Chris's socks. I've no idea when this T4 TV special will air, but I won't spoil the interview by telling you what's caused the hilarity. It's nice though, to see the fellas all together on the sofa (albeit one which keeps collapsing at Jonny's end) and all genuinely having a good laugh.
Doubtless, the lightness of mood has a lot to do with how close we all are to the end of this touring leg. Not that it hasn't been a great time - far from it, everyone is agreed that it's been a great run. The fact is though, that after six weeks straight at work, the prospect of ten days at home is pretty much the best treat any of us can imagine. (OK, twenty days at home....). Actually the majority of the touring party went home after the Jools Holland thing, so everyone is halfway into "home-mode" already.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #40
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, October 08, 2008 - 12:05 AM (1456 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 writes from the Later studio
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
It's all quiet in Studio One at BBC Television Centre. Shortly, they'll be letting the audience in. In the meantime, there's just a few of the TV crew rehearsing camera movements. In an hour or so, we'll start taping a show that'll go out on telly this Friday. This series of Jools Holland is different from those before, in that there is also a show tonight - completely live, at 10pm.
TV studios are strange after arenas. Arenas make everything sound huge, boomy and vast. Even someone tapping a microphone can end up sounding like the coming of the apocalypse when it's coming through a couple hundred thousand watts of PA into a huge concrete and steel echo chamber.
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[Oxfam Blog] Home time
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, October 06, 2008 - 04:56 PM (1299 Reads)
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Back in the office. Back at Oxfam HQ. Back in the UK. Back home..
Antwerp was the end of the road for the European tour. Coldplay, their Stage trucks, the Beat the Street tour buses, Roadies, Fans, and Oxfam, have all gone their separate ways.. for now. Coldplay closed out the tour with a fantastic show in front of 17,000 euphoric fans, a brand new song called ‘Glass of Water’ (acompanied by ”one of the coolest men in the world from 2 of the coolest bands in the world, The Strokes and Albert Hammond Jr” (CM), Albert Hammond Jr), a victory in the Band v Crew football, and the words “see you again soon”.
Oxfam closed out the tour with an incredible number of signatures for various Oxfam campaigns, another great group of volunteers.. and a few Fairtrade chocolate bars. Oxfam-in-Belgium gave out Fairtrade chocolate to lucky Coldplay fans who met one of our volunteers and got 3 Oxfam logo’s on their scratch card. It was a fun way to give people some information about Oxfam and on the quality of Faritrade products.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #39
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, October 06, 2008 - 04:54 PM (1690 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: An afternoon update from #42
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
So there we have it - Glass Of Water is now out in the wild. The footage on the site came from Andy Bramley, the tour's wonderful video director - the entire XL video department played a blinder, I think you'll agree. I'll spare you the details of the chaos that went into making it happen at our end, but I think it was worth it and now we have the ability to do this, it'd be a shame not to use it again.... ;-)
So today, I'm in London. We are soundchecking at Jools Holland this evening. For those outside the UK, this is a television show which the guys have done several times before. I've always enjoyed doing it, as there are about half a dozen bands on each episode. This means that, as at festivals, you're always going to run into someone you know or get to watch a band or two that you might not otherwise check out.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #38
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, October 04, 2008 - 06:53 PM (1639 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is a busy bee
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
Friends, it's been a stupidly busy day or two here at 42 Towers. I won't bore you with the details, because frankly, nobody likes a whiner. But whilst the train wreck of several last minute rush-jobs piles up around me, I really don't want to neglect my duty to all of you.
To that end, here's a few photos from the other day that I took of Albert Hammond's band. We'll be saying goodbye to them tomorrow and I have to admit, I can't remember enjoying an opening act more - and lovely guys to boot.
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[Oxfam Blog] Antwerp, Belgium. the end of the European road..
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, October 04, 2008 - 02:56 PM (1746 Reads)
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Talking of roads, the buses and trucks are all literally parked beneath one, as this venue is right next to the motorway. We drove past it on the way from Milan to Rotterdam. It’s a big green building, feels like it’s seen a few sights over the years..
The crowds are already patiently waiting outside. Inflatable pillows for comfort and their backs against the glass doors, claiming thier spot at the front of the queue. That metal bar at the front of the stage must be the most sought after piece of steel in Europe at the moment! There are some familiar faces too.
I met some Coldplaying.com fans last night, waiting outside to meet the band on their way out. They waited in the rain last night, and said they would see me here today too. So they did. Knocking on the glass doors at the front of the venue, with a friendly wave, as I set up the Oxfam booths. I am constantly impressed by the dedication of these fans. One of the best part of the days, is when the doors finally open, these wide open venues fill up and the buzz starts to build up.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] I’m surrounded by nurses in white coats!
Posted by Jenjie on Friday, October 03, 2008 - 10:00 PM (1287 Reads)
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Don’t worry. I’ve not been hurt (although I did take a tumble in Band v Crew football earlier..), and I have not gone mad after almost 5 weeks of touring and diminishing sleep levels.
The Oxfam Novib volunteers are busy hugging their way through the Coldplay crowd in the Rotterdam Ahoy arena. A few of them are having a coffee next to me, so I presume the tiredness means that it’s been going very well! Exhausted from hugging.. It must be a rare condition.
They have been a great group to work with. They look great, and really stand out in the crowd, which is generally a mist of Coldplay shirts and the occasional stitched replica jacket.. Hug a nurse, is about drawing attention to the need for quality healthcare worldwide. For that, we just want Coldplay fans voices.. And their hugs.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #37
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, October 03, 2008 - 04:27 PM (1532 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the jolly green beer man
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
The "intro tape" on this run has been a double whammy of Jay-Z followed by the Blue Danube. Quite an odd pairing, I'm sure you'll agree, but it works wonderfully well. Tonight in Rotterdam, keyboard tech Neill Lambert drags me over to stage right as the hip hop track kicks in. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for until I get there. There is a roadie breakdancing face-off as everyone who lives and works on this side of the stage has gathered in a circle with their baseball caps on backwards. There's some moves being busted here that defy description (certainly in polite company, anyway).
A small slice of the crowd seated up the side have a view and are applauding wildly. Now, given the sheer deliberately dreadful nature of the dancing, I assume that they're clapping because they appreciate the joke. But, as I wander back to stage left as the Blue Danube begins, it dawns on me that it could be that they're cheering because they think that they can see the band warming up to go on with some appalling electric boogaloo. I really, really do hope that's the case - if so, there will forever be a tiny corner of the Netherlands with a permanently twisted image of the band and I like that very much.
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[Oxfam Blog] Matt Vassallo has an amazing moustache
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 11:05 PM (1223 Reads)
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I’m sitting here stage-left, backstage, outside the production office, with Steve from support band Albert Hammond Jr. They had another great set earlier. It’s Coldplay’s turn now.. Just on the way back for the encore.. Steve says “I’ve made it now! i’m pleased to be in the blog. i’m pleased to know Pete from Oxfam”. Awesome.
Hoppy and Rick just went past with the guitars from the balcony. The band have launched into the encore now. I’m sure our Oxfam Novib volunteers are out there, having a great time at the rock show.. Their work is done for the night. They have hugged as many Coldplay fans as they could (dressed as nurses)! The idea was to show, through a simple action, that we all care about everyone having access to good quality healthcare.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #36
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 02:19 PM (1528 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is your Italian stallion
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks coldplay12]
As we arrive at the airport in Zurich, ready to head for Bologna, we see that there are some fans gathered at the entrance. Not so unusual, except that they are the very same fans that were waiting outside the hotel when we just left. Not only do they know our movements, but they've done the same journey as us and beaten us here.
It gets even more strange when Trainer Dan (who keeps the fellas in shape) mentions that they were around when he and Guy went out for a run. I'm not even sure if they weren't at the airport when we arrived yesterday. They've collared the guys for photos and signatures several times in one city. It's like some strange inverse micro-touring.
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[Oxfam Blog] Ahoy there.. Rotterdam
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 11:41 AM (1713 Reads)
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Here we are at the first of two nights at the Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands. From what I hear, these shows sold out in minutes. Tickets snapped up in eager anticipation, of the Viva La Vida tour. The band have been wowing crowds right across Europe. It’s been a busy 4 weeks.
Oxfam Novib, the Oxfam group here in the Netherlands, will today and tomorrow, be bringing a different kind of campaigning to the show. Dressed as nurses, they will ask the fans to ‘hug a nurse’. Yes, you heard me right! Oxfam is asking for improved health care around the world. The volunteers will dress as nurses to demonstrate the need for improved care and more medical personnel worldwide. Find out more here.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #35
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 04:37 PM (1483 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is on a Swiss roll
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
Today marks the first day of the tour where I genuinely don't know where we are. We get into the van at the airport and I catch myself asking what country we're in before I realise how utterly rubbish that sounds. Turns out we're in Switzerland. Zurich, to be precise. The first time I ever visited Zurich it was snowing, I was hungover and it was my mum's birthday. For some reason, I've thought of Zurich the same way ever since. Today however, it's clear and bright, I haven't had a drink in days and my mum is the same age she was yesterday.
It's another day with no soundcheck. Chris, though, has an idea bubbling away and wants a piano in the dressing room. We still haven't really got a "warm up room rig" together yet, so the easiest way to give him a piano to play without disappearing into a tangle of cables, laptops, speakers and "but this SHOULD be working" is to drag one of the uprights off stage. Previously, we would always have used the "spare" piano, but this is down on the B-Stage now. The punters are already in the venue when the request comes. This means we're performing a somewhat comedic double act of trying to discreetly move the piano off the B-Stage in front of all the punters who've grabbed a spot on the barrier. With no room whatsoever to manoeuvre, Neil ends up walking backwards down the wheelboard carrying his end of the piano. I can't help humming the Laurel and Hardy tune as I realise our cover as professional technicians is well and truly blown...
Note: Watch the second part of Absolute Radio's video backstage with Coldplay which has just been uploaded here [thanks jenjie] |
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[Oxfam Blog] Green arena
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 11:20 AM (1106 Reads)
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This one looks a bit like a giant turtle shell from the outside. Unlike many of the arenas we are doing on this tour, this was mostly standing, in one big oval hall, like a cake tin, with a few seats icing the edges. The standing masses gave a totally different edge to the atmosphere. More like a huge tent at a festival..
The waiting crowds always burst in and run to the front, as soon as they open, but here, the running kept going until the arena was half full. The fans are so passionate, and came for a party.. Complete with balloons bouncing off heads for hours before a single note was played, party hats, banners and flags. The place was jumping even before the band had hit the stage. In fact, probably whilst they were still in catering, or busy in another intense game of table tennis backstage.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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A Blog From Will Champion
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 09:26 AM (1774 Reads)
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Will Champion writes from between Bologna and Milan
There are a few fans we know by name. Plenty we know by sight. The loyalty and dedication of our fans always astounds me. There are faces that I have seen in the front row in three different continents.
When we play anywhere in Italy, I know I'll see Francesco, front row, dead centre. A friendly face in a foreign city. Sure enough he was there in his usual place in Bologna tonight. We are very lucky to have such incredible fans; all throughout this European tour we have been stunned by the reaction we have been getting and for that we are truly grateful.
Note: Watch the second part of Absolute Radio's video backstage with Coldplay which has just been uploaded here [thanks jenjie] |
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[Oxfam Blog] Coldplay In Bologna
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 29, 2008 - 12:09 PM (1514 Reads)
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The first of two dates in Italy. The tour has come through the Alps, and stopped in Bologna. I have been told that the atmosphere will be incredible here. I hope so.
I’m working with UCODEP and Oxfam International in Italy today. Ucodep is an Italian NGO that since 1976 has worked in Italy and abroad to build a better world through activities aimed at fighting poverty, supporting health and education rights, promoting the values of diversity and solidarity, and assisting people in humanitarian emergencies. It will be great to work with the volunteers here. I’m sure it will be another successful night.
Read other blog entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #34
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 29, 2008 - 11:58 AM (2798 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Munchen bunchen
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Jenjie]
We arrive in Munich not entirely sure what we'll find. The crew have had a day off here in the midst of "Oktoberfest". Now I couldn't tell you exactly what Oktoberfest is, or indeed why it begins at the end of September. What I do know, though, is that it is all about the drinking. Somewhat predictably, much of the crew are looking rather tired today. I expect the fact that the band have chosen not to soundcheck has been greeted with much relief.
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[Oxfam Blog] A peek inside the tour bus
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 29, 2008 - 11:45 AM (1487 Reads)
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I am peering out through the darkened windows of the tour bus into the Zurich night. Just tapping away a few lines, whilst perched in my ‘favourite seat’ at the front of the bus. I like this seat. You can see where we are going.. Even if it’s often just a dark motorway, with flashing cat’s-eyes sinking beneath the wheels. You can also recline quite well here, and even fall asleep, if my bunk seems too far to move. There’s a plug socket by my ankle too, which is handy for my laptop for midnight blogging.
Outside I can see a sea of moving white hard hats and beanies. Road cases being pushed into queues for their space on one of the ‘Stage Trucks’ carrying all of Coldplay’s gear (and Oxfam’s hamper). Another two trucks just reversed into the venue for loading. There are flashing hazard lights. Fork lift trucks. Roadies pulling luggage towards their buses. The support band walking past onto their bus. Outside every big arena in a major city, is probably where you find most of the activity on a Sunday night..
Strange. You lose track of days on tour. Sunday. Feels like it could be any day. I guess it’s another work day. Some days blend together when you are awake so long. Hang on a minute, it’s Monday now… Chris Martin said from stage yesterday.. “thanks for joining us on this Saturday night.. Wait a minute.. Is it a Saturday?”
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Coldplay In Sunny Zurich
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 03:55 PM (1362 Reads)
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Half an hour until the Oxfam volunteers arrive for campaigning at tonight’s Coldplay show. I’m sitting outside catching (possibly) some of the last rays of summer, in sunny Zurich. It’s important to catch your vitamin D from the sunshine you know.. especially when you work in the dim light of these indoor arenas all day. I have to admit (as I squint at the glare of the screen), the weather is making me wish we had an outdoor stadium show today!
If I stand up and peer over the fence, I can see the waiting crowds growing outside the arena gates. They are the lucky ones. I have seen fans waiting in heavy rain, icy gales and cracking thunder during this tour.. The band is here in 10 minutes.
Here we go..
Read other blog entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Switzerland. Schweiz. Suisse. Svizzera. Svizra.
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 01:27 PM (1892 Reads)
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Zurich, Hallenstadion, Switzerland (or one of the above, depending on where you are from). Just the one show in this land-locked land. There are four official languages here. A fairly popular brand of chocolate, and one very good tennis player.
Oxfam is here, as ever, at the latest concert of the European Coldplay tour. The 18th, out of 23. It’s going to be a busy week. 6 shows in 7 days, in 4 different countries. Yesterday was a day off. A chance to prepare for the long haul. I went for a run again, to explore the latest town, that I had never been before. Zurich is a very pretty place. Very popular with tourists.
The centre meets Lake Zurich (Zurichse), which sits at the foot of the Alps. Quite a sight. I probably was too, dodging between the busy streets in my marathon gear!
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #33 (feat. a Coldplaying member's banner!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 09:23 AM (1560 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 shows you his bunker
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Larry & Chris²]
Sitting in the van outside the hotel in Budapest today reminds me that we're slipping gently into tour madness now. I'm not talking about hotel-trashing ad hell-raising, but the slightly punch drunk, hazy-minded feeling that tells you it'd be really nice to have some time off. It's slightly similar to sleep deprivation, in that everything begins to seem mildly amusing for no apparent reason.
We're sitting in the van watching Kelly, one of our security chiefs stand at the door of Chris's van scanning each and every passer by to assess their potential trouble. This of course, is his job and he's one of the best. We're laughing not at him (unwise, given his size), we're laughing at his subjects. The hotel is right in the most beautiful part of town and consequently full of tourists. Most of them of retirement age. We begin to amuse ourselves by assigning a story to each passing couple of pensioners. "quick Kelly, grab 'em, they're from the Enquirer", "stop that woman going in the front door there, she's clearly going to go through the band's bins"...
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[Oxfam Blog] I forgot to say!
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 06:25 AM (1250 Reads)
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Oxfam had an incredible show in Vienna. Thanks to the amazing work of our volunteers, we managed to give 1587 people the chance to pledge their support for Health and Education For All. That’s incredible. Over 10% of a huge audience. The numbers are growing fast. More pressure for action from governments to give people what they need to survive. Thanks to our ’Clean Clothes Campaign’ volunteers!
It also looked like another great Coldplay show!
Read other blog entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Last show in Germany
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 06:10 AM (1378 Reads)
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On the bus, on the way to the venue. The crew are all ‘fresh’ from a day off yesterday. The tram cables of Munich are strung up over the road. This is a one-off show today. The last show in Germany. It’s right next door to the Olympic Stadium, home of the 1972 Olympic Games. A little bit of history for you..
Yesterday, I took a chance to have a stroll around Munich. It’s Oktoberfest at the moment (despite still being September…), so the city was buzzing. After checking out the main tourist sights with Steve, the ‘Motion Control’ for Coldplay’s stage spheres, we headed out to see Oktoberfest. We decide that the best way to get there was to follow the lederhosen. There were colourful dresses, cardigans, long socks, feathered hats and polkerdot shirts lining the streets (worn by inebriated German folk). Eventually we found the ‘meadows’. Huge temporary tent structures crammed full of drinkers, lederhosen..and huge tankards of beer. It’s an amazing sight. Apparently “the world’s largest beer festival”. Not surprising, when seven million people consume six million litres of beer there.. 1 huge fun-fair + lederhosen as far as the eye can see + lots of beer = Oktoberfest 2008.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #32
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, September 25, 2008 - 01:31 PM (1657 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the Budapest backline panic
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks melanieau]
There were photographers and video cameras when we landed in Prague yesterday. Quite a pack of them, actually. Today, here in Budapest, there is a lone photographer and a couple of guys with a video camera and a microphone.
Chris and security chief Kelly Samuels have quite the double act worked out when it comes to pap evasion. They've slid by un-noticed and without fuss through London and Manhattan's most hardened and ruthless press hounds.
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[Oxfam Blog] Wet Wien
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 12:13 PM (1574 Reads)
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I’m a little blurry-eyed, sitting here inside the depths of the Stadhalle, Wien (Vienna). Maybe due to the combination of dim underground walls, and the bright glow of a laptop screen. Outside, the lunch time catering is in full flow. Everyone refuelling after load-in, getting ready for the bands’ imminent arrival. We made it to Austria in great time. Apparently arriving at 5am.. I didn’t surface on arrtival..
I awoke to the sound of heavy rain drops on the roof of the bus. I sleep in a top bunk, so it felt particularly cosy, being so close to the outside, but wrapped in a duvet. Steffan, our bus driver, decided to wash the bus this morning. Apparently he was being blamed for the rain. “Whenever you wash your bus.. it rains. I think we should try washing the buses in the desert, and see if it gets a bit more temperate!”
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #31
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 06:20 AM (1570 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 is your Czech mate
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks Carlaatje]
One of the nice things about touring Europe is how different things are from day to day. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't like touring the USA - nothing could be further from the truth. What I'm saying is that if touring the States is like an economy sized box of your favourite breakfast cereal, Europe is like filling your cupboard with those variety packs. Every morning is a slightly different flavour. As opposed to spending four to six weeks in one country (albeit one with some pretty huge extremes), here, we are in a different country every day. Each with its own culture, architecture, language, fashion, currency - and so it goes on.
We arrive in Prague and the differences are immediately obvious. The architecture is grand, colourful and imposing. There are trams and cobbled streets everywhere and the street signs have apostrophes and accents all over them. They seem to like a lot of consonants here, too. Another difference - which although unsurprising, does the most to make you feel very much "out of familiar waters" - is the almost complete lack of western corporation logos. Indeed, it has to be the first journey from airport to gig without passing a single green logo for a large coffee chain. Given that it's hard to get from one set of traffic lights to the next without passing two or three in some cities, this is a big difference.
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[Oxfam Blog] Off To Vienna
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - 02:05 AM (1575 Reads)
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Motors are reversing. Lorries are bleeping backwards. Latches are fastening. Cases are rolling. Crew are running about shouting instructions at each other. It’s load-out time. The day is nearly done. Coldplay have left the stage and the Oxfam volunteers have gone home. My road case is packed and waiting in line for it’s truck. Time to reflect on another day (even though we are here less than 24 hours..)
1085 more Coldplay fans have pledged support for quality Health and Education, clean water and sanitation to be available to all people, everywhere. They have also joined in the chorus of ’Viva La Vida’.. Fans came from far and wide tonight. The volunteers meeting Romanian, Croatian, Slovak, French, German, English, Scottish.. and many many more.. Oxfam volunteers were mostly local to Budapest, some having previously worked with Amnesty International, some, just big fans of Coldplay. It’s been another successful day.
Marguerite, the production assistant is busily packing up the wireless and the radio cases.. I had better wind this up and go and get on my bus. Next stop. Vienna.
Read all the blog entries at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #30
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - 05:46 PM (1520 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the curious incident of the bubble wrapped office
Discuss this blog entry here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
It's another round of cover versions in soundcheck today. As well as a now alarmingly regular Oasis tune, somebody stumbles upon the riff to Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream. Somewhat inevitably, it morphs into a rocked up version of the A-Team theme tune. Signs of a mis-spent youth indeed...
The covers theme continues into Albert Hammond's soundcheck when a series of Led Zeppelin riffs get a good blast. I have to say I've really enjoyed Albert and his band being around. Not only have they got some absolutely top tunes, but they're also a lovely bunch of fellas. When one of our carpenters who normally deals with the moving risers on stage was injured in Sweden, they immediately offered to jump in and take over.
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[Oxfam Blog] Budapest
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - 02:35 PM (1513 Reads)
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Late arrival today. Some of the trucks got held up en route from Prague last night. Everyone is here safe now, so the show can get back on track. One thing is that it will make it a shorter day.
The arena is on the outskirts of Budapest. We are here for less than 24 hours, and won’t get to explore. I hope I will get another chance to follow the Oxfam volunteers advice, and check out this amazing city.. It’s strange to think we were in Oslo a few days ago, and will be in Vienna tomorrow. Touring is a unique experience.
It is a unique opportunity for Oxfam too. When else would the organisation get the chance to take a campaign on the road in this way, and talk to such a range of people. It’s very exciting. I need to head out and set up. Speak to you soon.
Read other blogs at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] A note from Prague
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 - 07:05 AM (1598 Reads)
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Coldplay have just come off stage in the O2 Arena, Prague. I am sitting in the crew office, hearing the scurry of feet and the sounds of a thousand cases being loaded and wheeled off to the trucks (which still sit breathing heavily after their mammoth trip from Oslo over the weekend). Even on a day off, the tour does not stand still, as buses, trucks and crew make their way to the next city.
Prague is a beautiful city. A sight for sore (sleep deprived) eyes. Such a great place to recharge batteries, catch a breath and take stock, as the tour rolls on past the half way mark. I checked out the famous Ruduta jazz club, which was a change of scenery, but a real treat for any drummer out there..
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #29
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, September 19, 2008 - 05:27 PM (1531 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 has a Swede sensation
Discuss this blog entry here [thanks coldplay12]
As befits a building called The Globe, the venue in Stockholm bears a striking resemblance to a very large football. We have two shows here, which is always nice. The first goes well and is a 'walk away', which means the entire crew get to do a runner. Much letting down of hair ensues.
The following morning was to have been a full-on "Band vs Crew" football match. However, it's a somewhat less exuberant affair than it might have been after a rather heavy and eventful night previous. The crew pull ahead by the end of the first half, but they're running purely on fumes as they go into an ultimately disappointing second half. A rematch is planned for a couple of weeks' time in Rotterdam. Doubtless tactics and training are already being discussed...
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[Oxfam Blog] Strawberry swing.. inside a giant golf ball
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 09:52 PM (1413 Reads)
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Let me explain that title. I don’t want you to think that the tiredness and cool Scandinavian air has made me start to hallucinate. Coldplay are on stage now, playing ‘Strawberry Swing’, in Globen (The Globe), Stockholm, Sweden, which happens to look like a giant golf ball. See.. I wasn’t making it up. It’s been a while since I wrote. So let me just say… ‘Wow!’
1426 more Coldplay fans, like you and I, have made Oxfam’s Health and Education For All pledge. That’s just tonight.. and the night is still young! This is the second night in Stockholm’s famous Globe arena (*golf ball). On the first night, Oxfam volunteers helped 905 people make the pledge. That was with only 9 volunteers! Amazing stuff. Incredibly, that gives Oxfam a total of 2401, in two nights in Sweden. 2401 people who care about giving everyone, everywhere, access to good quality health care. To well trained nurses. The chance to go to school and learn, for a more sustainable future. Access to clean water and sanitation. Basic things that people need to survive, to be free from poverty, and to prosper.
I think that’s truly inspiring. Coldplay are out there at the moment, inspiring people with their music (the walls are shaking, it must be ’Politik’). I want to thank them for inviting us to involve their fans in Oxfam’s work around the world.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #28
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 04:10 PM (1328 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: The curious incident of the camera and the foot
Discuss this blog entry here [thanks jenjie]
Days off tend to be anticipated with a mass of good intentions and disappear before your very eyes before you've had a chance to do anything with them. Plans are made to explore the world's great cities, catch up with friends or any number of things that mean you've actually achieved something. Inevitably, either hangovers, travel, or general exhaustion ensure that your 24 hours of freedom disappear before you've even properly yawned and stretched.
Today, I have a rather unusual aim. I have phone calls to make and research to do. I'm talking to Mike Hill, the technical genius who built Jonny's mission control guitar rig. He also built a pedalboard for Guy's bass gear. Now that Guy is taking photos almost more often than he is blinking, he's devised a way of firing his camera remotely during the show. We've had it working in the most basic way possible for the past few gigs and now we want it posh-ed up a bit - and Mike Hill is the man to do it.
You have to love any phone call that begins with the line "Hiya Mike, I'd like you to build us something so that Guy can take photos with his feet". You also have to love the fact that the man didn't bat an eyelid and proceeded directly to making plans. In fact, you have to wonder exactly what would phase him...
R42
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #27
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 03:41 PM (1651 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 and the rise of the eBayer
There appears to be a new breed, a strange distant cousin to the paparazzi. They're eBayers. Like paps, they hang around in groups outside hotels and gigs, at airports and radio stations.
They are armed not with camera, but with signing pens. They usually have half a dozen copies of the same CD cover for the band to sign. They also usually look as unlike Coldplay fans as it's possible to get - which, given the broad range of folks the band attract, is saying quite something.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #26
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 15, 2008 - 03:48 PM (1744 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 sends word from the autobahn
Well, we're halfway to Berlin as I write this, with a show in Hamburg fading off in the rear view mirror. Temperature-wise it's been one extreme to another. The Paris venue seemed to have no ventilation whatsoever, making for a sauna-like gig experience.
In Hamburg, there was ice beneath the boards that covered the floor. This caused enough confusion to throw Chris off at the start of Death and All His Friends. He had a couple of goes at the intro, trying to work out if it starts with "Oh, summer" or "Oh, winter". The crowd soon set him straight, however.
It's got to be a sign that things are beginning to settle when there's time in the gig to take notice of what the crowd are up to. I'm led to believe that in Paris, Cemeteries of London saw some particularly bonkers Parisians dressed in bedsheets sat on their friends' shoulders. Plainly Cemeteries need Halloween-style spooky ghosts. Excellently silly - and I applaud. Cologne saw what was possibly the first display of sparklers during Fix You so far this tour. Maybe there have been more, but from where I am, I can only see a tiny section of the crowd, so I may well have missed out. It's beyond great though, when the crowd give the band and crew something to look at. We see the flashing lights, the smoke and the mirrors of the show every night.
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[Oxfam Blog] Lost!
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 15, 2008 - 09:26 AM (1515 Reads)
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No not me.. i’m in Hamburg, just like Coldplay. They are about 30 meters away from me, just finishing the end of ‘Lost!’, from their new album ‘Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends’.
Now I can hear the crowd screaming.. which might mean they are about to play a special acoustic section, somewhere in the arena. The show is sold out again. These guys seem pretty popular you know.. Oxfam has again played it’s part in the evening. People stopping to ask who we are, ask about the shops, ask about 'Unwrapped', ask about OXJAM, ask how they can raise money in the marathon they are doing next week… ask why we are at a Coldplay concert in Hamburg? Because they invited us, of course.
The message is simple. It’s written on my wrist. “Deine Stimme Gegen Armut”. (Give your voice against poverty). Oxfam. Time for the encore. . . (once the band have run past this little office, back to the stage!)
Read other blogs at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Here we are in Hamburg
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, September 14, 2008 - 01:03 PM (1977 Reads)
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So here we are in Hamburg. The Color Line Arena. The rigging is going up. The morning is growing old. The Coldplay tour has rolled into town. ‘Oxfam’ (as some of the crew call me), is here too.
The show in Cologne, was another triumph for both the band, and Oxfam. 1472 was the number of Coldplay fans who gave their voice to our petition. Showing the German government that they care about unfair agricultural policies, which further marginalise small-scale farmers. Those people all pushing in the same direction, for a fairer world without poverty. That was a great effort by the team, and set a new record for the tour im Deutschland.
I took my chance to take in most of the show on Friday night too. Albert Hammond Jnr is still doing a great job of warming up the crowd, surely building their fan base in every city they pick up guitars. Coldplay live is a real spectacle. It would be easy to either close your eyes, or block out the sound, and still enjoy the show. Lights, confetti, screens, spheres and lasers, all add to the action on stage.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Two nights at the Bercy, Paris. Then on to Cologne
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, September 12, 2008 - 06:15 PM (1794 Reads)
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So here we are. The Koln Arena, Cologne, Deutschland. I’m taking advantage of the internet connection in the tour management office, before they arrive with the band later on.
We had a travel day/day off yesterday after the French finale in Paris. I went for a run by the Rhine to explore Cologne. The tour is flying by. Hard to believe that we are done in Spain and France already. It was great to work with Oxfam France Agir-ici. The volunteers worked their socks off getting over 5000 signatures for the Health and Education For All pledge. That’s fantastic work. One volunteer even travelled twice from Marseille, just to help Oxfam in Lyon and Paris.
I met some great people. I especially want to thank Amelia, Maria and Nina for all their work helping to coordinate everything. Merci!
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42: Blog #25
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 06:14 PM (1352 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: An amazing little film from #42
Now, I know the last blog had a clip of the crowd doing the Viva chant,but I couldn't not show you this. I stuck a camera up on the drum riserlast night, looking out past the piano. As the fellas come back fromdoing the acoustic section at the back of the arena, soundman Dan Greennow puts on a Viva remix. So whilst the chaps were out in the loadingdock having a drink and a breather before the encore, here's theParisian crowd having their own impromptu rave without them! Forgetcigarette lighters, mobile phones are the new glowsticks!
Watch the film here and discuss the latest blog entry here [thanks texasluvsjonny]
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #24
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 11:54 AM (1450 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from the first European shows
Discuss the latest blog entry here [thanks melanieau]
Well then dear reader, that's the first week of European touring done. After the US leg finally beginning to feel as though it was settling into a groove, the less experienced (or slightly more optimistic) roadie might be forgiven for expecting this run to be simply a case of coasting along on auto-pilot from where we left off. Obviously though, this being Coldplay, everything is getting a fresh appraisal. New approaches are considered, embellishments added, whole sections dropped and replaced, then completely reworked.
The band have undergone huge growth with this record and it's clear that they're continuing on with that trajectory. The tour is like a toddler on a growth spurt. Every time we find it a nice pair of shoes that fits and send it off to school happy that we've kitted it out properly, it wakes up taller, bigger and bursting with even more energy. There's not time to sew the name tags into the shirt before they've outgrown it.
It can be overwhelming at times and certainly, for those in the crew who haven't experienced a Coldplay tour before, it's taken some adjustment. Much of the job seems to be about anticipating what might come next, or what the band might ask for. It means a lot more work, as inevitably for everything that actually happens, you end up organising and preparing three or four things that don't. In all honesty though, it's so much better than touring for this length of time with a show that's "set in stone". Boredom creeps in easily and tedium can be far more exhausting than anything else. That's not to say that the panic of hearing "can we make this happen, so we can do this song tonight?" gets any less intense - just that everyone knows that it's (usually) worth it. Either way, I'm nominating this tour for the "most tweaked setlist of all time" award.
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[Oxfam Blog] Viva La France!
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 - 02:38 PM (1721 Reads)
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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.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] O-le ole ole ole, Coldplay, Coldplay
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 08, 2008 - 05:47 PM (1403 Reads)
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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.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] España
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, September 07, 2008 - 03:06 PM (1652 Reads)
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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.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Coldplay or Andorra vs England?
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, September 06, 2008 - 01:21 PM (1363 Reads)
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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.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Mannheim to Lyon
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 03:57 PM (1512 Reads)
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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.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
Note: Discussions on the Lyon live photoblog have started! [thanks mimixxx] |
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[Oxfam Blog] In my (orange) place
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 06:40 AM (1617 Reads)
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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.
Read the full blog at the Oxfam Blog website here
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[Oxfam Blog] I’m on the road again
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, September 01, 2008 - 02:15 AM (1446 Reads)
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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.
Read the full entry at the Oxfamblogs website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #23
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, August 31, 2008 - 09:22 PM (1517 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from last night's BBC show
Like the school summer holidays, our three weeks at home went all too fast. In many ways, starting again at the BBC is perfectly consistent with the "back to school" analogy. The BBC has that wonderful institutional feel, a similar must and polish smell and a strict adherence to regulations that is at first mildly annoying, but eventually becomes quite endearing.
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #22
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 04:28 PM (1517 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 muses on the band's time in Japan
Can it really be a week since we left Japan? Worse yet, I've not yet submitted my journals from those shows. "Jetlag" sounds far more glamourous and interesting than "couldn't get off the sofa", so I'm sticking with that. Somehow though, I think we all know where the truth lies.
In a nice follow-on from the previous journal, I opened my hotel room curtains in Osaka to be greeted by a building in the distance bearing the word "Yodobashi". The very same camera shop I arrived at in Tokyo minus my credit card. Over breakfast, I enlist the permanently Leica-bearing Berryman to join me for a trip over there. I've managed to obtain cash and today there's no stopping me. We both return somewhat lighter of wallet, but laden with photographic goodies.
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[Oxfam Blog] More gigs confirmed!
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - 05:13 PM (1497 Reads)
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Great news for Oxfam, and Coldplay fans everywhere! Well.. mainly great news for fans who live in Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, or Atlanta.
The band have added 4 dates to the second leg of the Viva tour in North America. The USA is getting it’s fair share of those lovely boys from England. If you missed it, there has also been a date added in Dublin, Ireland, in December.. Loads more opportunities for Oxfam to talk to the fans, and a second shot for me, at seeing more or Washington (I spent most of the day inside the venue last time..) Only this time there will be lots of ghouls and goblins wandering about (as that concert’s on Halloween).
After their quick trip to Japan, both band and crew are on a quick break from touring at the moment. Looks like we are going to need it. Oxfam is busily preparing to hit the road again.
More on the Oxfam blogs here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #21
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, August 09, 2008 - 12:32 PM (1475 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from Japan
I have to wonder whether it's called "the land of the rising sun" due to most visitors spending their first jetlagged days waking at 5am. Indeed, it was apparently a skewed body clock that had Chris walking round an Osaka park at sunrise when he began writing Lovers In Japan. It's cheesy and obvious, but it's impossible to wander the humid streets and not have the tune as a mental soundtrack.
Humid, now there's a thing. It's hot here. Not the ant-under-a-magnifying-glass hot of desert festivals like Coachella or Austin City Limits, but a special kind of oppressive clammy heat that the East specializes in. Walking out of the air conditioned oasis of the hotel converts you from a smartly dressed tourist to a wrung-out-damp-cloth in under a minute.
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[Oxfam Blog] What’s that I hear? .. (silence)
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, August 07, 2008 - 08:10 PM (1629 Reads)
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The quiet hum of a computer. The muffled bleep of a printer. The distant mingled voices of the office. Grey clouds outside and the smell of freshly brewed tea. It’s all very different sights, sounds and smells to life on the road. No radios, no lines of cables on the floor, no waiting crowds filling arenas..
Most of the crew, myself included, have returned home after the first leg of the tour. Only a select few crew members have travelled on with Coldplay to Japan, for the two dates at Summer Sonic Festival. If you happen to be at the festival, why not check out Oxfam Japan, after catching the headline set..
It’s time to re-charge batteries (and not just those belonging to the radio sets). I’m exhausted. My eyes feel like crutons. It’s past home-time in the office, but it feels like lunch-time. From what I hear, we are all going to need our rest. Europe is going to be intense. From Spain to Germany, Coldplay are popular, wherever they go. Oxfam will be there all the way.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfamblogs website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #19
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 - 08:24 PM (1429 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: In which #42 runs into Barack Obama
After spending the day off in New York, the Hartford show is close enough to drive to. Everyone climbs into a couple of vans outside the hotel and we head off. It's been a fair old while since the days when the band traveled to every gig by van. The nostalgia for the van days steps up a notch when they pull off the freeway after 90 minutes for a break. 'Motorway services are as integral a part of any band's early touring experience as hangovers, smelly socks and lost sleep.
Everyone piles out into the sunshine. Ice creams are purchased and grimy vending machine coffee plops its way into paper cups. It could be any band heading to play a divey club anywhere in the world. Except, of course, it's Coldplay and they're heading to Hartford, Connecticut to play a sold out arena...
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #18
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 06:43 PM (1687 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from Canada
So that's Canada done for a little while, eh? This time out, a good proportion of the crew are Canadians, so Chris's claim from the stage that it's a "home from home" have an extra resonance. As soon as Life In Technicolor hits in Montreal, I'm suddenly reminded about this place. Nobody knows whether it's the crowd or the acoustics, but the cheering is absolutely deafening throughout, which can't help but lift the show to new heights.
There's a mix up over the piano early on in the set and nobody can work out if it's actually broken. We've carried a spare piano for about five years now and never had to switch them out mid-show. I've always wondered if it would even be possible - after all, it's not like strapping on a new guitar if there's a broken string...
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[Oxfam Blog] Hartford, XL Center
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 10:22 AM (1277 Reads)
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The walls are shaking. The crew are checking the huge sound system. Both band and crew, are back in the USA. Canada behind us, until we roll into Ottawa, next time we cross the pond. A very sleepy crew left Toronto after 3 consecurive show days. We made the (slightly) bonkers border crossing back South.. (all off the buses at 4.30am, only to be sent back to our buses without checking out passports).
Oxfam America volunteers will be here in an hour. All geared up and ready to ask this Connecticut crowd to join Coldplay’s support of Oxfam. It’s a crazy world that gives millions of people less than $1 each for a hard day’s work. The same world that sells bottled water for $5 at a festival.. when billions don’t have access to clean water. Something is not right. Oxfam knows that. Coldplay have shown their support for Oxfam for years.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfamblogs website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Farewell Canada.. (for now)
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, August 01, 2008 - 09:27 AM (1316 Reads)
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It’s the end of the road in Toronto. We will soon cross the border back into the United States of America.
I’m in the production office, post-shower. I’ve packed the Oxfam road case. I’ve seen off the awesome Oxfam Canada volunteering team. Another 1615 signatures for the FOR ALL campaign. Signed. Sealed. Delivered.. (or something like that).
I took my shower in the dressing room (after the band had left). Paper butterflies still littered the floor. There are not many better feelings than a hot shower after a long day at the ‘office’. The Toronto crowd were treated to an unscheduled version of ‘The Hardest Part’ tonight. It sounded like a great show.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfamblogs website here
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[Oxfam Blog] One more show north of the border
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, August 01, 2008 - 03:55 AM (1063 Reads)
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Santogold just warmed up in a huddle to my left. Black hats, white shirts, balck ’pants’, white ’sneakers’ and sunglasses. The lights are bright out there you know.. They just took the stage, with a roar rippling through the excited crowd. Sirens ring around. There goes the beat. There’s the bass.
Backstage always sounds like a glamorous place.. all couches, plants.. etc. This is just where we work. I’m sat by a concrete wall. Surrounded by road cases. Roadies and crew are perched on cases with laptops, catching up with the world. Radios are being charged. It’s true though that some unusual things happen. Earlier on, two huge bundles of helium balloons went past me.. I think it must be someone’s birthday… Should make for a good show tonight.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfamblogs website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #17
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 12:30 AM (1365 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 becomes a mountain person
We arrive in Whistler pretty dazed and confused. The travel has been fairly brutal once again - but hey,nobody said it was easy...
All I knew about this in advance was that it's a festival. I think I vaguely got the idea that there would be some trees. But the van ride from the airport to Whistler lays it all out before us in glorious technicolour. Mountains, lakes, glacial streams, it's all here. The road hairpins its way around the mountains revealing another breathtaking vista with every turn.
By the time we reach the hotel, pretty much the entire crew have decided that they're going to knock touring on the head and retire here to write their memoirs. OK, maybe that's just me, but it's pretty much as gorgeous as planet earth gets here, so suddenly the sleep deprivation seems a little more worthwhile.
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[Oxfam Blog] Maple Leafs all round
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - 07:47 PM (1354 Reads)
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The singing was ringing in my ears as I packed up and took a shower last night. Chris Martin had told the crowd the rules of the encore: that they had to make lots of noise, if they wanted the band to come out again. That was before they played the last song of the set.. then, even with a mic, you couldn’t hear him speak to introduce it.
Montreal was an amazing show. The crowd in full voice from start to end. Coldplay couldn’t help but play a second encore. There’s a lesson in making some noise for one more song. 1887 strong of that same crowd signed Oxfam Quebec's FOR ALL petition. Exigez l’accès de tous aux services publics en signant la déclaration Pour tous!
Read the full blog entry at the oxfamblogs website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Montreal already?
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - 08:14 AM (1395 Reads)
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Ole, Ole Ole Ole .. Cold-play Coldplay! (repeat many times).
There’s nothing like a festival crowd. Squished in tight for the best spot. For some that’s right by the speaker, on your friends shoulders, by the fence, or it might be at the back.. where there’s room to dance. For everyone, it’s on the grass/mud/dust/hay, or whatever else is underfoot. It was dust at the first ever Pemberton Festival.
For most, the best spot was as close to the stage as possible, when the night reached Coldplay time. Some of those at the back got a surprise front spot when the band played two songs by in the middle of the crowd. Festival crowds are so close, you can feel the heat, just standing. And when the roar goes up for the return of Coldplay to Canada, 5 weeks at number 1 here, you can almost hear it.. the heat i mean.
Read the full blog entry at the oxfamblogs website here
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[Oxfam Blog] Winding our way to Whistler
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, July 27, 2008 - 09:43 AM (1138 Reads)
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Canada and the Rocky Mountains.. the latest destination of the Coldplay Tour. It’s the day of their headline slot at the Pemberton Festival, which will also see Jay-Z perform before the London boys take to the main stage. Quite an impressive pair of headliners. Surely rumours of a collaboration will circulate the site. We shall wait and see.
Philadelphia Wachovia Center was the last to play host to Coldplay’s sold out show. A night to remember for thousands more fans before the tour headed for it’s 4 dates in Canada. A few of those fans being dedicated enough to show their appreciation by handing out ‘Viva La Coldplay’ and ‘USA Still Loves Coldplay’ signs to the audience. This was the idea of www.coldplaying.com to follow in the footsteps of a previous stunt at the end of the Twisted Logic tour. These dedicated fans also kindly gave their time to hand out Oxfam postcards to raise awareness. The message being a joint one, of appreciation for a great band, and that together, we can change the world.
Read the full blog entry at the Oxfamblogs website here
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #15
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 10:52 AM (1617 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports from Philly
I only realise that today is a Friday when I head out of the venue in the afternoon and see the first of the 'tailgaters' setting up in the parking lot. This is something that doesn't seem to happen in Europe - maybe it's the weather. For the uninitiated, what happens is that folks arrive way early for the show and have a barbeque / picnic / party out of the backs of their cars - all getting into the spirit of things with music blaring from the car stereo. This should mean that by the time the band are on, they'll be on fine fine form.
And indeed they are!
When the guys got to the end of the first attempt at The Scientist in the acoustic section a few days agoin Chicago, Chris claimed it was the first time they'd ever tried playing it that way "and would very likely be the last". Seems that perseverance has paid off!!
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Coldplay Newsreel: An appeal to Wikipedia enthusiasts
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 08:18 PM (1917 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new newsreel entry: Fortis est veritas ("truth is strong")
Good afternoon. It has been brought to our attention that the Wikipedia article on hard-living rock combo Coldplay is not as accurate as it could be. For starters, it was Mr Tim Crompton who first suggested the name Coldplay, not Mr Tim Rice-Oxley.
Also, the song featuring Miss Kylie Minogue is called Lhuna, not Lunar, and is not confirmed to be on the band's next album. Furthermore, eagled-eyed readers of the band's album sleevenotes (or, indeed, their MySpace page) will have noted that Coldplay officially have five members - with the mysterious Mr Phil Harvey making up the quintet. The band would, we're told, be enormously grateful if these inaccuracies could be corrected, so that they don't keep having to answer questions about them.
Anchorman
You can discuss this entry here [thanks Jpw48]
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Coldplay Roadie #42 - Blog #14
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 04:21 PM (1462 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 tells of unexpected encores in Chicago...
So today we exchange the sun-drenched palms of Western California for the 'Windy City' of Chicago. It's a rudely early awakening for the flight - made no better by the fact that I didn't really start packing until about 2am. We get to the plane and the luggage van looks like an explosion in a childcare store.
You can't help but wonder whether the huge burst of bright colour and 'home-made' artwork that have come along with this record are a result of all the new Coldplay young'uns. I remember Will telling me that in the very early days, they used to sell 'Official Coldplay Baby-Grows' on the t-shirt stand. I wonder if they're thinking of starting again?
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[Oxfam Blog] You might be a big fish, in a little pond
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 06:25 PM (3114 Reads)
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Those are the lyrics I just heard Chris Martin sing from the United Center stage on the second night of their stop in Chicago. They are on stage right now.
Just before I came in to write, they played ‘Yellow’ to a rapturous reception, literally lighting up the arena with that song, both in colour and voice. Oxfam had a massive 1143 great Chicagoans signed up last night, and it looks like a similar amount again tonight. The audiences seem really keen to find out more. The energy of the volunteers has been great! They are all in there enjoying the show right now. Gives me a chance to scribble a bit on these keys.
As soon as the show is done, it’s off to Philadelphia (download your batch of Philly signs here!). 12 hours on the tour bus…! It will be a good chance for a nice long snooze. Oh, there go the band, running down the corridor for the encore. Right, i’m off to check on the tables and try to catch the last song...
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #13
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 01:33 PM (1378 Reads)
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 Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: Coldplay in a fan's back garden.
Last week the band had a crazy day where they finished the Jay Leno show and headed off to play their first ever barbeque (in a fans back garden!). It sounded like a ridiculous idea, but we got there it turned out to be really rather wonderful.
Here's a little home movie of it. R#42.
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[Oxfam Blog] From the casinos to the Windy City...
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - 04:10 PM (1355 Reads)
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Time for a breather.. time I caught up with the world.
I am in the production office at the United Center, Chicago. Home of the Bulls and the Blackhawks! Banners marking their history of success hangs from one of the highest ceilings on the tour.
This venue is apparently one of the ‘big 3′ (in terms of height at least). Got a bit of vertigo on the ‘noseblead’ seats when I took a wander earlier. There is history everywhere. I met tonight’s Oxfam volunteers a couple of hours ago, by a statue of Michael Jordan leaping for the basket. I think Coldplay would have slightly different statues, but who knows, they may get one someday. The tour seems to be the biggest on the planet right now.. selling out shows in hours and minutes, rather than days and weeks.
Read the full journal entry here [thanks Cris_Santos]
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #12
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, July 21, 2008 - 10:12 PM (1407 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 reports on a magical night in Vegas
San Jose sees set-list tweakage continue. The LA shows have gone very well and feedback has largely been extremely positive. The band, however, aren't really ones for auto-pilot. Everyone is very pleased with the show, but the search for the ultimate knockout punch continues.
To this end, Politik is pulled out of storage and gets a good airing. I can't really see the point in ever doing a Coldplay show without it myself. It is truly monstrous live and tonight is no exception. It's very good to see it back! From where I am through the gig it feels like the first utterly solid show. Inevitably, my response to the gig is largely built on whether things have technically worked or not - and tonight is very smooth on that front, which is very gratifying this early in the tour.
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[Oxfam Blog] Leaving San Jose.
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, July 20, 2008 - 07:45 AM (1538 Reads)
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 I’m on the bus. Front top bunk. Driver’s side. I just marked my name on the mini-whiteboard that has the 11 other scribbled names for this bus. One of 5 on the tour. I can hear the set frantically being wheeled out case-by-case from the loading bay, onto the shining red trucks. Drivers eager to hit the road, and crew, ready to hit the hay. I’m fascinated by how fast that whole set gets boxed up and heads for another venue. That venue waiting for us this time is the MGM Grand.. Las Vegas.
I hear it’s ‘hot’ in Las Vegas. And Crazy. I’m excited. And intrigued..
If Oxfam has a group of volunteers as good as tonight, we’ll do fine. Another night. Another raft of names signed up for Oxfam America. More people showing support for the cause. More people ready to use their power and take action on injustice. It’s exciting to meet so many people ready to do something positive. Also to meet all the people who already know about Oxfam, and want to do more.
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #11
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, July 18, 2008 - 02:26 PM (1481 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 expands his role to passport photo snapper...
Two for two.
Well, it seems that we're airborne. The maiden flights of the Viva La Vida tour have been a success and it looks like we're in for a good run. Admittedly, the shows passed in a blur - a mixture of concentration and panic that leaves one utterly shattered. I have to say, the standout aspect of the shows for me is how effective the acoustic section has been. This is possibly because I don't have anything to do at that point in the show.
I have a feeling, however, that it's more because it is a truly emotionally resonant moment. You can feel the crowd pass first through confusion that all the lights have come on, then excitement that the band are suddenly wandering through the arena, to the final shrieks of recognition as Yellow strikes up.
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #10 (Tonight's LA show preview!)
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, July 14, 2008 - 08:36 PM (1731 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 blogs from LA on the day of the first show
It struck me today that so far we've spent time in Wembley Arena, Madison Square Garden and the LA Forum - and yet the tour hasn't yet officially begun. Either it's all downhill from here, or this is going to be one hell of a ride...
Somewhat predictably, the week of production rehearsals has passed in the blink of an eye. For the first couple of days, the band were still in the UK. The lighting department replaced them with white towels hung over each mic stand. For some reason, Guy's mic stand was adorned with a bed sheet, which gave stage left the look of a particularly cheesy Halloween party.
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #9
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, July 08, 2008 - 07:04 PM (1384 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 sends an update from LA
Back to school.
After the past few weeks of complete and utter chaos, we find ourselves loading into a huge empty space in LA with an entire week until the doors open for the first show of the tour. It's a little like finally getting a chance to move into your new home after a mad month of parties and visitors. Finally, we have time to arrange the furniture, to work out where the fusebox is and to attend to that troublesome leak when someone uses the shower upstairs.
In many ways, the promo shows were a great way to get a lot sorted out very quickly. We didn't so much hit the ground running as get thrown from a moving vehicle. It meant we had no choice but to make things work - and fast! Now though, we're smoothing the edges, refining every aspect. "Good enough" has never ever been good enough with this lot - and now, less so than ever. I expect a lot will happen this week and not all of it fun. I'm also pretty sure that by the time the house-lights go down for the first night next week, the show is going to have grown into something pretty exceptional.
Also by then, with any luck, British Airways will have found my suitcase....
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #8
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, June 29, 2008 - 12:58 PM (1627 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: R#42 blogs amid crazy scenes in NYC
I had yesterday pegged as just another TV show all the way up to about 6am. Just as the sun came up, it began to dawn on me just how amazing this was going to be. I can't remember anything like it in my whole time working for the band. The first Jimmy Kimmel show in 2002 was pretty amazing, but even that was just closing down Hollywood Boulevard. Here, there was major disruption to traffic on two different NYC streets, in front of and behind the stage. There were also folks hanging out of the skyscrapers that loomed above us, trying to get a look in.
I think the fact that it was an obscene hour of the morning made me a little slower to realise how beautifully strange it all was. It was only when Chris did a quick re-write of the 'shoot an apple...' line from 'Clocks' in the soundcheck ("too early to be out of bed...") that I even remembered that it was still some ungodly hour. This sideways sleep-deprived view obviously wasn't just limited to me, as 'Violet Hill' came towards the end, Chris stopped singing and spotted a young lad with a pretty hefty bandage and sling. "Wow, what happened to your arm, man?" he enquired as the track carried on below him. "Your brother hit you with a stick?".
The soundcheck stopped and started as commercial breaks allow. The setlist went through so many changes that the final version was brought out (after at least half a dozen revisions) by Tour Manager Andy Franks, literally scrawled on the back of a napkin. More run-throughs were squeezed in and nobody seemed to know whether we were actually still rehearsing or live on air. It was gorgeous chaos, wonderful nonsense - and then it was over. The band waved, thanked everyone and ducked back out. Me? I headed off to find a diner...
R#42
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #4
Posted by busybeeburns on Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 02:40 PM (1554 Reads)
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Check out coldplay.com for a new blog entry: #42 sends pics from Paris
Well that was one of the more intense weeks I've had in this game. To be honest, these promo shows have wiped us all right out. The thousand-yard stare has been replaced with the utter 'man down' exhaustion where merely being awake and having to function feels like cruel and unusual punishment. We're off for a few days to get home, do some laundry and then pinball off to New York. Nobody said it was easy! ;-)
In the meantime, here's some photos from Paris TV day this week. Note Mr. Berryman being admonished for leaving his iPhone on during an interview!
R#42
More on this here onwards [thanks mimixxx]
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #2
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 05:04 PM (1293 Reads)
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Roadie #42 crashes the Barcelona press conference
17.6.08 - Barcelona
The crew is running entirely on espresso today. I sneak along to the press conference in a nearby swanky hotel. When we get to the rather impressive and imposing foyer, there is a gent in a suit at a grand piano playing a lounge jazz version of Trouble. Given my level of sleep deprivation, it seems wonderfully twisted. Lord only knows how the band manage to be so affable and approachable throughout. The wit and good humour flows and soon the press conference is done. Just a gig to do and a flight back to London. See you at the BBC!
Roadie #42 @ coldplay.com
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Coldplay: Roadie #42 - Blog #1
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - 09:25 AM (2064 Reads)
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Hello there, I am Roadie #42. My good friend Prospekt has asked me to keep you all posted on the goings on from inside the tour. I sit somewhere stage left through every performance. Wherever the band are in the world, I'll be there and I'll be reporting back to you.
So here we are in Brixton Academy. The crowd's gone home, the floor's a mess and the truck's nearly packed. It must be the first night of the Viva La Vida tour.
In many ways, it feels as though we've run a marathon just to get to the starting line. Rehearsals have been brutally taxing. We've been flitting about across the planet doing TV shows, amidst trying to work out exactly what we need to do to be ready for the guys to play the songs. (Tympani drums? Cast iron bells? Butterfly confetti? Hand painted synths and guitars? None of this stuff comes off the shelf...)
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[12/06/2008] New Prospekt Entry On Coldplay.com 2008 | Worldwide Release
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, June 12, 2008 - 07:37 PM (1514 Reads)
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Check out the 2008 section of Coldplay.com for a new Prospekt entry.
Thursday 12 June, London
I feel very relieved that the album is finally released out into the big wide world today. It's out of our hands now. It doesn't belong to us anymore.
I hope that you like it. I hope that there's songs on there that will make a shit day slightly less shit, or a good day even better. Thank you for all your patience and support.
Prospekt.
More on this here onwards [thanks Stefan-C8]
Read the full chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay
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[18/12/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2000 | Mince Spies
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - 06:26 PM (1478 Reads)
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Check out the 2000 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.
Mince Spies EP 2000
Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Even big soft rock bands like us are frustrated Karaoke singers.
CM
You can listen to Chris Martin's version here. More on this story here [thanks melanieau]
Read the full chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay
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[13/12/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2003 | 2000 Miles
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 03:45 PM (1543 Reads)
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Check out the 2003 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.
Dec 2003 - Christmas cover of 2000 Miles by the Pretenders (wonderful band with fringes/bangs).
We love Christmas songs, but every time we try and write one it’s awful. So we often cover them. Well, once or twice actually. The one song I would most like to have written is ‘Fairytale of New York’ by de bloody Pogues of Ireland.
CM
You can listen to the band covering a festive classic here. More on this story here [thanks Stefan-C8 & Loretin]
Read the full chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay
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[05/12/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2005 | Talk Video
Posted by busybeeburns on Wednesday, December 05, 2007 - 05:11 PM (1425 Reads)
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Check out the 2005 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...
Talk Video
In our 3D video for Talk (only visible on HD) we played astronauts landing on a distant planet.
GB
You can discuss this star here onwards [thanks crestingwaves]
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[27/11/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2001 | Trouble Video 2 USA
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - 10:58 PM (1386 Reads)
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Check out the 2001 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...
Trouble Video 2 USA - Sept 25, 2001
Tim Hope (of the Mighty Boosh) made this. He's very talented, but we haven't seen him since. Our favourite bit of the Mighty Boosh is the moon singing 'Neil Armstrong walkin' on me face'. On that note, did you ever watch 'The Day Today'? For us, its the comedic equivalent of The Beatles.
CM
You can discuss this star here [thanks fixed] and click here for the WikiColdplay chronology page.
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[15/11/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2003 | 'Gravity' Soundcheck
Posted by busybeeburns on Thursday, November 15, 2007 - 11:15 PM (1373 Reads)
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Check out the 2003 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...
We liked this song but our people (we have a lot of people) said it was balls. So it was just sitting gathering dust and then Danny McNamara heard it on Limewire and we said would he like it and he said yes he would and then it was a good song.
CAJM
You can discuss this star here [thanks doritji]
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[13/11/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2003 | Hollywood Bowl
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 11:40 PM (1496 Reads)
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Check out the 2003 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...
Hollywood Bowl, 31 May 03
I remember watching Monty Python at the bowl on TV when I was young. When we played there were a few less dead parrots and silly walks but it was an amazing venue. Being surrounded by the bowl and being able to project on to LA made it feel like playing inside a giant fish tank.
Wx
You can discuss this star here [thanks joyhannah].
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[10/11/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2005 | X&Y Release
Posted by busybeeburns on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 03:15 PM (1353 Reads)
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Check out the 2005 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...
When X&Y was coming out we were pretty nervous. It was a difficult time for us as we had a lot of opinions flying around from within and without. But we got through it. Mainly by playing live I think. Plus, we discovered that we played better and liked each other more when we wore white trainers.
CM
You can discuss this star and previous stars here.
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[10/11/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2005 | Case Against Coldplay
Posted by busybeeburns on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 12:15 PM (1051 Reads)
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Check out the 2005 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...
This article changed our lives quite considerably. Although it was pretty painful at the time, it did us a lot of good I think.
CM
You can discuss this star and previous stars here.
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[09/11/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 2005 | Madison Square Garden
Posted by busybeeburns on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 06:41 PM (1173 Reads)
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Check out the 2005 section of Coldplay.com for a new star...
Madison Square Garden 05 (6/7 Sept 2005)
The band before us took their drumkit home as they were pissed off with the promoter... oh wait a minute that was another time
CM
You can discuss this star here onwards and pictures here [thanks CP678]. Pictures courtesy of Penny Howle, for coldplay.com.
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[06/11/2007] New Star On Coldplay.com 1998 | Dublin Castle
Posted by busybeeburns on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 04:19 PM (2881 Reads)
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Check out the 1998 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.
Dublin Castle - Feb. 22, 1998
Our first concert as Coldplay Ltd
The band before us were pissed off with the promoter and so took their drum kit home after their set... this was a problem as we were going to borrow it. So Will had to use the flare as the bass drum and rely upon his wits
CM
You can discuss this star here onwards [thanks doritji and the.hardest.part]
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12 Coldplay months of 2012 - reviews (NEW!)
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January (In which the band consists of Chris and some musicians)
February (The Brits, The Grammys and a bit more...)
March (A not so quiet month off)
April (In which Chris and Jonny fly a kite)
May (In which the band are in full concert swing)
June (attack of the POCs)
July (in which things take a comic turn and the band almost miss a gig)
August (features Will, Phil & AROBTTH birthdays!)
September (Rihanna duets, Para Para Paralympics, MTV VMAs and more!)
October (Old photo project revived and charity stuff)
November (in which the band start a "3 year hiatus")
December ('most popular act' of last decade end their year in the Big Apple with Jay-Z)
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Awards Ceremony: 16th December!
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Xyloband Swapshop!
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Connect to us!
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Older Articles
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- Wednesday, December 12
- Live 2012: Coldplayers' reviews of the cinema screenings worldwide (part 3)
- Monday, December 10
- Coldplay's Oracle on Jonny's 'Sunny' guitar, 12-12-12 concert, Cemeteries Of London, Square One, Politik and more...
- Thursday, December 06
- Coldplay round-up: Double GRAMMY nomination for Mylo Xyloto & Charlie Brown; 2DayFM prank leads to nurse suicide
- Tuesday, December 04
- Coldplay round-up: MX album art raises $800,000 (£500,000), Chris @ 12-12-12 concert (streamed live), Spotify charts
- Sunday, December 02
- Coldplay's Oracle discusses R#42 aka Miller, auto-tune, recent studio activity and more...
- Friday, November 30
- Chris Martin: "3-year haitus is rubbish; I'm fired up about the band's future"
- Thursday, November 29
- Live 2012 review 4: Coldplay's masterclass in entertaining millions of people with arena rock
- Tuesday, November 27
- Live 2012: Coldplayers' reviews of the cinema screenings worldwide (part 2)
- Saturday, November 24
- Three year haitus? It's not Coldplay's style...
- Friday, November 23
- Brisbane review 2: Coldplay lights up Suncorp in 'last big show' in Australia for a few years (21 November)
Older articles
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