Politics, Redemption, Music and $150 tickets

Review of Coldplay Concert: November 26th, 2008, Phoenix Arizona

Few bands can make "arena" rock work. Even fewer bands can pull off a meaningful show in a stadium. Live music is about the fan and the band making an intimate connection through the music. That connection becomes weaker the greater amount of people that you throw into the arena. Relative newcomer Coldplay- well relative to stadium stalwarts like U2, Stones, Madonna, and the Eagles- is out to prove that they can reach every member of the audience and their performance Wednesday night at Jobing.com arena proved that they are almost ready for inclusion into that elite group.

For better or worse Coldplay can't stop being compared to U2. It only takes five minutes of watching the performance before you realize that the comparisons are justified. Norm put it well when he stated that the show is a poorman's U2 concert. There are several hallmarks that make a U2 show unique, here is a breakdown of how Coldplay performed relative to those benchmarks.

• Rock Anthems- The U2 catalog is scattered with myriad songs that on any given night 75% of the audience knows intimately. The result is a moment where the band and crowd sway, sing, and cry in unison. There is electricity in the air that is more related to the energy generated by the crowd then by the loudness of the amp. Coldplay has several songs that apply for the term, "anthem" but realistically only "Yellow", "Clocks", and "Viva La Vida" qualify. These are good songs in their own right but the energy generated by the band isn't quite reciprocated by the audience. The intimacy and personalization of the songs just aren't there.
• Stage Set Up- Both bands are notorious for the lengths that they will go to in order to connect with the audience. Coldplay took lead from the Elevation and Vertigo tours by extending the stage into the crowd. They even go a step further by locating a temporary stage far into the lower bowl. The result is electric and ballsy. Hat's off for bringing the show to us.
• Pyrotechnics- The lighting, screens, and themes very much mirror U2 and many other veteran bands. For the most part the set up enhances the music and doesn't get in the way. The glaring exception was the lasers used during "Clocks" that were eerily reminiscent to the old laser "Floyd" shows that we attended at the planetarium during high school.
  
• Leading Men- I think that even Chris Martin will admit that he has a major Bono complex. Both have unbridled energy, optimism, vocal range, and desire to convey their musical message to the farthest reaches of the arena. But whereas Bono's energy is now finely honed and controlled, Martin's comes across as scattered and somewhat spasmodic. You watch Bono and he has a charismatic and sexual appeal. You watch Chris Martin and sometimes you wonder if he gets the caffeine injected intravenously.
• Politics- You can't mention either band's name without muttering Amnesty International or World Hunger in the same breath. Surprisingly the couple U2 tours were far more "message driven" then the Coldplay show. Martin spared us the preaching tonight.

I could probably draw a few more comparisons but you get the point. Coldplay isn't performing to the level of U2 but they, surprisingly, aren't too far behind. I just wish that they had more songs that were worthy of creating that intimate connection.

All in all it was a great show. The chemistry between the band mates is tangible and very real. The way that they interact with each other and interchange roles is world class. Highlights included "Lovers in Japan" as an encore with the paper butterflies mingling with the lights to create a joyfully thick ambiance and the crowd helping out Martin sing "Fix You". Certain songs that I didn't care too much for on the album really came to life when performed live.

I do have a couple of complaints. The wait was long and the opening acts did little to hold our attention. The avant garde sounds of John Hopkins really don't work outside of a club or Soho. Also, I was pretty disappointed to find out that the band plays the exact same set list from show to show. I understand that the complexity of the show makes things rigid but the acoustic set provides plenty of opportunities to mix it up. Our show was the last one in North America and I was expecting something a bit different than the standard set list.