Coldplay - Coldplay News & Updates #6 - Page 5

**Crystaline** · 07-11-2009, 09:54 PM

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Greetings from Portland

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Portland fan review (part one): Meeting Coldplay backstage

An excellent review of Coldplay's concert at the Clark County Amphitheater, Portland, OR, and a meet and greet backstage (10th July 2009) has emerged online at the Coldplay Live forum, courtesy of chengui:

Long story short – I won a t-shirt design competition and me and a friend won seat ON THE STAGE to the Coldplay show last night. I’ll write more later – but figured I’d post this first half this morning.

After I won the tickets I asked the woman at the station if she thought there was any chance we would actually meet the band (so I could be prepared) and she said no. She said the station did not receive ANY meet/greet passes so our prize was just to sit on the stage (still freakin’ awesome – no complaints on my end). She then told me that a woman from Capitol records (who sponsored the contest) would be contacting me the day of the show with specifics of how I got to my seat etc.

Fast Forward – DAY OF THE SHOW - In the morning I went and picked up my T-shirt from the radio station and my tickets. Apparently how they do it is they give me real seats (like 3rd row seats too) just to get me in the venue so I can connect with the Capitol rep (as far as I know these seats remained empty since I was not in them). Around 5, I got a call from the capitol rep. She was SUPER nice and said the Capitol people loved my design and that she had been informed (by the powers that be) that I WOULD be able to get to meet the band even though it wasn’t part of the radio promotion and we’d get a picture with them! Wow. She said that she would meet me inside the venue at 7:15. I’d never been to the venue but knew it is supposed to be in Washington (only 20 minutes north of Portland). However, because of the traffic I figured we should leave with plenty of time to spare so we left at 5:45. How silly I was to think it would take me less than an hour and a half to go 15 miles. Traffic WOULD NOT let up! I started out thinking we had plenty of time, but as the traffic refused to let up I started getting more and more nervous. The Capitol rep called me as I was in the car and told me that the meet/greet was scheduled for 7:15 and told me where to meet inside the venue. Now I started to kinda freak out. With a half hour to spare we got off the exit to the venue (of course CRAZY concert traffic to deal with now) It was the worst feeling being stuck in traffic just to find a parking spot and knowing that we could miss our opportunity to meet the band. We got a parking spot and got out of the car around 7:05. We ran through the parking lot, had our tickets scanned and RAN to the meeting spot inside the venue. We made it….with a few minutes to spare (OMG).

The two reps from Capitol came and met us and two other winners from another radio station. We got the passes and went through the backstage doors into an area behind the venue (outside still though). The Capitol people were super friendly and one of the guys was chatting with me about weird experiences he’d had with bands/fans. Apparently he found us to be pretty down to earth/normal. The said they were taking us to an area to wait for the band. We walked past these big security guys into this back lot area that had a ping pong table set up. The Capitol people said we would just hang out there until the band had a few minutes to come say hi. As one of the reps was telling our group this, Guy walked right past me and went over to the back corner of the area where he began to talk to Chris (who magically appeared from around a corner). I think as soon as they realized fans were there the ducked around the corner out of sight (although I think I we may have been the only two to see them – the other winners were older…not sure how big of fans they were). The security guards then asked us all to come wait on the other side of the fence. The tour manager came and said hi, and a few other people from the Coldplay “group”. Everyone was super nice and seemed to really like my t-shirt.

We waited for quite a while out there and people kept coming over and apologizing for the delay (like I really cared). Finally the band manager said we were ready and we went BACK around the fence to the ping pong table area. Apparently the other contest winners had won some huge framed plaque thing that would be signed by the band, so this was brought out and set on the ping pong table while there was a discussion if they should ask the band to sign the glass with a silver or black Sharpie. We all kinda stood together – however the Capitol people got pulled aside by someone (not sure who) and they came and told us that apparently the other two winners are the only ones that actually would get a photo with the band (as it was actually part of their official promotion). Crazy how this stuff works, you know? Obviously that was kind of a bummer – but still …meeting the band was unexpected and completely extra at this point so I had no reason to complain.

A few minutes later the boys walked in. They came and shook all our hands and introduced themselves – kinda like a wedding reception line. Will was first, super friendly and nice, Guy next, who commented that he really liked my shirt, then Jonny who gave the biggest smile and Chris last, who said hello, introduced himself, shook our hands and smiled (but I got the feeling they do this ALL THE TIME – and he was kind of preoccupied) Chris said it was such a beautiful night and I said they really lucked out. Then they were brought them over to the plaque to sign (Will stayed and chatted for a minute). While they were signing, their manager and a few of their “people” were asking me about the T-shirt design – then they pointed it out to the boys – Will and Guy said it was cool. When they were done, we stood off to the side and they posed for a picture with the other two winners. After that was done, Chris looked over and us and said, “What about these guys? – let’s get one with them” – so they came over and took a photo with us AFTERALL! Crazy how this stuff is orchestrated – whatever the band is in the mood for it seems like – I got the impression that you don’t ever approach them about it, you just hope they are in a good mood. After the photo, they all shook our hands and I wished them luck for the show. They left.

The Capitol people said it was so awesome that they took a photo with us (and that it was Chris’ idea) – I guess that’s pretty abnormal...

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Portland review: Coldplay's pop sneaks up, won't let you go

That Coldplay is one the hugest pop bands on the planet is inescapable. The group and its superstar frontman Chris Martin find themselves, a decade-plus into their career, literally having it all: the fame, the fortune (more than 50 million albums sold; packing venues such as the 18,000-capacity Amphitheater at Clark County on a nightly basis), the Grammys (seven), the hot-actress wife and oddly named children (Gwyneth Paltrow; Apple and Moses), writes Oregonlive.com.

That the group has faced down its critics to become one of the finest bands on the planet is a matter of considerably more debate, but for all its suburb-rockin' anthems for the evening commute, Coldplay has perfected what Sting once called "music for window washers to whistle to," the sort of pop that sneaks up on you and won't let your brain be. And that, too, has its place in the world, as the throng of singing, hollering, cell-phone-waving Coldplay faithful made clear Friday night.

Coldplay's piano-driven balladry is to the '00s what Supertramp's similarly-crafted pop was to the '70s: musically accomplished, somewhat unthreatening, rock the whole family can enjoy. But in a live setting, what sounds tame and overly polished on record explodes in a rainbow of Technicolor and light.

Whether on hits such as the relentlessly driving "Clocks," the hooky ballads "Yellow" (accompanied by huge yellow balloons that bounced around the venue like helium pinballs), "The Scientist" and "Fix You," or the dramatic sweep of "Viva La Vida," Coldplay's energy level whipped its set along as if in a race against time.

And whereas in the '70s, bands such as Supertramp once played "in the round" so that fans in every seat in the venue could get a look at their heroes in action, Coldplay took a different tack, playing "all around" by moving its stage to various locations throughout its set, sprinting through the crowd to play a medley of reworked songs ("God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," "Talk") on a tiny platform stage left, then marching to the back of the venue to proffer an acoustic set highlighted by a tribute to the late Michael Jackson via an unusual cover of Billie Jean."

All the while, Martin came across like a likeable anti-star, amiably narrating the show as it progressed ("This is the part of the concert where the singer pretends to go solo, like Justin Timberlake, which turns out to be a terrible idea, then returns to his band as fast as possible," he laughed before launching into "The Hardest Part"), twirling an umbrella under a shower of confetti as the band ripped through "Lovers in Japan," bounding goofily around the stage, switching off easily among various keyboard instruments and guitar.

The capacity crowd lapped it up with gusto: Coldplay may have begun its career as a serious bunch of young students given to midtempo confections with memorable melodies and lyrics devoted to the angst-ridden self-reflection of the undergraduate set, but the latter-day version of the band has amped up the fun quotient considerably, and seems poised to give aging stadium veterans such as U2 a run for the money in the decade to come.

With their day-glow, quasi-military stagewear and classic sensibilities, you can call them Sgt. Pepper's Hearts-on-Sleeves Club Band, a group less likely to "save rock" than to continue to push it ever forward, one hit single at a time.

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Coldplay Live Review and Setlist - Clark County Amphitheatre, Portland, OR (10th July 2009)

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued again through North America last night as they played at the Clark County Amphitheatre, Portland, OR. No changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set.

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (Chris piano)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Green Eyes (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will vocals)
Billie Jean
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
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Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
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The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)

Parking and traffic was a cluster ****, took me an hour to get out of the venue. That adorable dancing roadie is a gem, complete with Michael Jackson glovethat kid is gonna go places, i'm predicting. The show was amazing as usual, best one yet. They sounded absolutely unbelievable! Clocks and Glass of Water just stand out because they are so powerful and visually stimulating. The crowd was awesome, except during 42 when Chris wanted us to sing along to the ohhhhh ooooh's, they kind of choked and the Mexican wave fizzled, but other than that they came through I thought. Chris was in his usual playful mood, his vocals were stellar. During Clocks Jonny was rockin' his little heart out, i would have gotten it on video, but the king of all butt-faces(security) told me to stop filming and get back to my seat, prick OMG, and they ran past me AGAIN when they went to the back of the stage to play acoustic! This time I managed to grab all of them and not just Chris, I even grabbed Kelly!Please excuse my squeals of delight and ecstacy. [thanks clisaj]

More on this concert including reviews, videos, pictures and tweets here onwards.

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Portland: Coldplay proves to be hot ticket

Mostly unaware that they were about to be part of the largest concert in Clark County history, a buoyant mob equal to the population of Battle Ground turned out Friday to see the biggest British band since — hey, to hear a few fans tell it, since the big one, writes The Columbian.

They wore sundresses, shredded jeans or Coldplay T-shirts. They braved scalpers, a hail forecast and $8 cups of Miller Lite for a few hours in the sun and a finale under the stars. With pop music splintering into subcultures, there are almost no acts left in the world that could draw a crowd this big, said Brent Sagnotti, 29, of Portland, looking across a sea of blankets inside the Amphitheater at Clark County. "The Beatles aren't around anymore," Sagnotti said. "Led Zeppelin's gone."

At just under 17,800, the Coldplay crowd's size was technically a tie with Many said they'd busted their budgets even to score lawn tickets, which had a face value of $35 but were reselling for more than $100 on Craigslist. They came with dads and with dates. They came to get loose or get lucky.

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Chris Martin features on Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno' soundtrack

A few reviews of the new film Bruno, released on July 10, have been published online — and the news for Cohen fans is very postive. For those not in the know, Bruno is one of the characters Cohen created for his Channel 4 and HBO series, Da Ali G Show.

As Wikipedia desribes, Bruno is a homosexual character claiming to be a reporter from an Austrian television station and interviews unsuspecting guests about topics such as fashion, entertainment, celebrities and homosexuality, with an emphasis on the latter as each interview progresses.” Needless to say, just like Borat, he’s absolutely hilarious. And he’s getting his own movie.

Anyways, according to the reviews, part of the plot involves Bruno drawing inspiration from people like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie to, as he says, find a “new ****hole to save”..and…”Clooney has Darfur, I need to find my Darfive…” In his quest to become a big time celebrity, Bruno feels that the only way he can accomplish this is by giving back. He even flies to the Middle East to negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine by telling them “Why are you all so mad at Hamas, Pita bread is the real enemy, yes?”

The best part? There’s a giant charity song at the end of the movie featuring Bono, Coldplay, Elton John and Snoop Dogg. Any other movie and I’d call bull**** — but this is Sacha Baron Cohen, so expect it. Go see it!

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**Crystaline** · 07-12-2009, 03:37 PM

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[LA/Orange County] 98.7FM Presents Exclusive Coldplay 'Stripped' Performance

Southern California’s top rated Alternative Rock Radio station, 98.7fm, presents an exclusive 'Stripped' performance event with Coldplay (when they describe the band as 'one of the biggest and most dynamic artists of the day', who are we to argue!?). The performance will take place at a secret location on an undisclosed date in July, and the ONLY way to get inside the show is to win passes from 98.7fm.

Having sold well over 5 million copies of their current album, “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” Coldplay is wrapping up their tour by doing this exclusive, private and intimate 'Stripped' performance for 98.7 listeners. 'Stripped' is an exclusive in-studio performance series created for artists who thrive on performing without the typical studio and video embellishments.

The signature series in Clear Channel’s stable of online programming is shot with four to six cameras in an intimate studio. The performance will be distributed across the Clear Channel Radio network of websites (including 987fm.com) on a date to be determined.

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Coldplay Live Review and Setlist - Gorge Amphitheater, George, WA (11th July 2009)

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued through North America last night as they played at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA. No changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set again.

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (Chris piano)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Green Eyes (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will vocals)
Billie Jean
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
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Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
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The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)

Only Coldplay can make a location as beautiful as the Gorge even more gorgeous. And i can tell they have officially left the Pacific Northwest. It is now cloudy, cold and rainy, and for the two days they graced us with their presence, it was beautiful, warm and sunny. Same setlist as yesterday, but where I was seated I spotted a few famous backstage players, Franksy, Hoppy, Jackie, of course Kelly, the girl from Oxfam Soha Yassine, Vicky Taylor and Dan the Trainer, oh is that man gorgeous! The place was PACKED! I have never seen this many people before in my life, i was blown away. This pic is just ONE section, multiply this by FIVE! Chris agreed as well, at the beginning of In My Place he said, "That's a lot of people!" Again, great crowd, everyone dancing and singing along, even the Event Staff. This getting old I know, but the boys ran past me again, but no touchy this time, except i tried when Chris ran back to start VLV, but he zipped past by everyone, that boy should try out for the Olympics. During Yellow, Chris mentioned something about an early birthday gift for Will, and embarrassed the hell out of him. Will had the cutest smile up on the jumbotron. I thought I was recording it, but didn't. Poor Guy looked emaciated to me, I hope I'm just over reacting, but I'm getting kind of concerned, did anyone else notice? It's very windy at the Gorge and the Viva curtain that drops during DAAHF started blowing in the wind instead of just hanging, the boys got a big kick out if and they were all laughing. I drove over 250 miles for over 4.5 hours, got blisters on my feet from walking over an hour in the grassy parking lot looking for my car, my muscles and joints are stiff from SLEEPING in my car, because I was too exhausted to drive back 4.5 hours. But you know what? I'd do it all again in a heartbeat just to see them again. [thanks clisaj]

Howdy gang ^^ I was there too last night, took a bunch of videos and pictures, but I haven't loaded them yet or seen if any of them are good (had reserved seats, but was pretty far back and my camera isn't that great ). But, I'll look through them and post what is worthy! But it's worth noting chris said the Gorge was the most beautiful outdoor amphitheater in the world, and maybe he says that often, but I have to agree. Everyone needs to see a show here! [thanks Oceana]

More on this concert including reviews, videos, pictures and tweets here onwards.

Coldplay on Twitter

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Ok, this is hands down the most gorgeous venue on earth. R#42

Checking out of portland hotel, post hat shop. R#42

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**Lostbeth** · 07-13-2009, 07:06 AM

On Rock Werchter. all artist could paint a mast or make a little painting
for a charity.
I saw some things on the news that are absolutely amazing.

Here is Nick Cave making his painting and on the background are all kinds of others.
Katy Perry even pasted her fake eyelashes on it. LOL.

Coldplay also made something.
I found this writing/drawing thing they made but I'm not sure if they made a mask .

It will be for sale on October 23th.

**Crystaline** · 07-13-2009, 08:26 AM

Whatever it is they drew, it looks very child-like and precious.

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George, WA review: Coldplay leaves fans walking on air

THE GORGE, Grant County — Most bands wouldn't show much enthusiasm 130 shows into a worldwide tour that started over a year ago. They wouldn't be pleased to sweat through long-sleeved shirts and jackets while playing an evening show in desert-like temperatures. And they wouldn't make it seem novel and fun. But most bands aren't Coldplay, writes The Seattle Times.

Martin is a treat to watch, not only because he is a gifted musician, but also because he appears genuinely fresh-faced and awed by the power of song. Two screens on either side of the stage showed close ups of the lead singer and three bandmates (Jonny Buckland, guitar, Guy Berryman, bass, and Will Champion on drums) throughout the night. The quick cutaways that offered glimpses of each musician during a song added to the upbeat energy of the evening.

"Viva" was the top-selling album of 2008, and it the live show made it easy to see and hear all that is appealing about this album. Coldplay kicked off the night with "Life in Technicolor," a catchy instrumental track. Other highlights from "Viva" include the title track, "Lost?" and "Lovers in Japan," with a tack piano intro that is both hard-charging and playful.

Five large sphere-shaped screens hung from the ceiling of the stage, displaying live feeds of the band or multicolored words, paint splotches or just cool colors. The spheres turned yellow for, of course, the big hit "Yellow," during which audience members got to bat yellow balloons around, too.

Martin and mates played tribute to Michael Jackson with an acoustic "Billie Jean," and fans also got to hear favorites "Clocks" and "Fix You," a sweet ballad with a rock anthem-y ending.

In a nod to the band's diverse interests, opening acts had included a rockabilly troupe and Amadou & Mariam, a blind musical duo from Mali. A roadie also performed some break-dancing moves and the Blue Danube Waltz rang through the Gorge right before the band took the stage.

Coldplay closed out the night with "Life in Technicolor ii," and as Chris Martin sang, "now my feet won't touch the ground," it seemed fitting. Coldplay fans would, after all, be leaving the amphitheater that night with the same sort of feeling.

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**Lostbeth** · 07-13-2009, 05:06 PM

Looks like a little comic or something.

**Crystaline** · 07-13-2009, 08:39 PM

coldplay

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Greetings from San Francisco

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Elbow added to Dublin bill

Good evening. We're pleased to announce that wonderful Bury tunesmiths Elbow have joined White Lies on the bill for Coldplay's show at Dublin's Phoenix Park on 14th September.

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Coldplay will perform in Bogota - Colombian sources report

Unconfirmed reports say internationally renowned bands like Coldplay and the Killers will perform in Bogota before the end of this year and that promoters are doing their best to get Metallica to include Colombia's capital in their upcoming tour.

According to Colombian music magazine Shock, Coldplay are close to confirming a show in Bogota, and if all goes well, this gig will be taking place sometime the end of this year.

The same magazine reports that it is 97% certain that alternative rockers The Killers will be performing their latest album, Day and Age, in Colombia's capital. The band's website has not announced a Colombian gig yet though. The magazine also reports that concert organizer Evenpro says it is busy trying to get U.S. rock gods Metallica to visit Colombia for the second time to promote their upcoming cd Death Magnetic.

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George, WA review 2: It's time to stop dissing Coldplay

Excellent review from Blogcritics has emerged online of Coldplay's most recent show at the Gorge Amphitheater in Grant County, and its a big thumbs up for Coldplay and thumbs down for the boo boys. Here's the review...

Say whatever you will about Coldplay. Plenty of folks already have, both here on Blogcritics and elsewhere. But rarely have I ever seen a band who works so hard to please an audience, and who obviously has such a great time doing it. At one point during Coldplay's stop at the beautiful Gorge Amphitheater near the Columbia River in Eastern Washington this past Saturday, Chris Martin thanked the sold-out crowd for "giving us the best job in the world." Sure, it sounds like the sort of thing performers like Martin say to their audiences every night, but you really got the impression that he meant it.

Martin wore a ****-eating, schoolgirl's ear to ear grin for much of the night, and he also made several remarks about the natural beauty of the Gorge. He even ad-libbed a lyric at one point with the words "If you want to play the place that's the best, come to the Gorge Amphitheater in the Pacific Northwest."

Of course here in Seattle, we already knew that. Nestled high in a beautiful mountain desert surrounded by steep slopes overlooking the Columbia River, the Gorge has been Washington's worst kept secret as a favorite stop for touring musicians from Dave Matthews to Steely Dan for years now.

On this particular hot desert night, Coldplay responded to the picturesque setting—as well as a red hot crowd that seemed to know the words to every song they played, often breaking into impromptu sing-a-longs—with a powerful two hour set that was both energetic (and yes, I am talking about Coldplay here) and at least as far as these sorts of big rock shows go, very interactive.

About midway through, the band briefly disappeared from the stage, only to reappear on a platform, that as luck would have it, was literally five feet away from my seat in about Row 30. Seriously, these guys were so close during this mini-set that included "God Put A Smile On My Face" and "The Hardest Part" that I could actually see that guitarist Jon Buckland was very likely stoned (or at least that his eyes looked awful glassy).

Chris Martin was also in great humor during this portion of the show, introducing "The Hardest Part" as the "Phil Collins portion of the show...and this is called "Another Day In Paradise."

The band returned to the main stage for a powerful version of "Lost!" from the Viva La Vida album, with drummer Will Champion, in particular, earning his paycheck here. At this point, the band once again left the stage, reappearing on another small stage—only this time it was high up in the nosebleed section. An acoustic set there was highlighted by a tribute to Michael Jackson in the form of a cover of "Billie Jean." The crowd responded to this by singing the words right along with the band (as they did several times throughout the night).

There was also a part here where Chris Martin led the audience in one of those crowd waves you see at sports stadiums, only this time done with cellphones. Whether the "cell wave" was successful or not is debatable, but all those cellphones against the desert sky was still a striking visual.

Although a fair chunk of Coldplay's set was devoted to songs from Viva La Vida (and its companion E.P. Prospekts March), many of Coldplay's biggest hits were played very early in the set. Of these, "In My Place" and "Yellow" were textbook (the latter played with the prerequisite yellow balloons filling the air). Personally, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the band's inspired showing on "Clocks" though. This is a song that Coldplay have to be somewhat tired of playing every night, yet here they made it sound fresh as new by adding some new vocal nuances and a nice additional keyboard part near the end.

Over all, Coldplay really impressed me on this night. They played their tails off, sounding so tight to my ears that I'm ready to go out on a limb here and say this is a band that could be right on the edge of becoming one of the truly great ones—if they haven't already done so. From the differing vantage points where they performed not one, but two mini-sets, to the free live CD they handed out to everyone at the end, Coldplay also seem to genuinely care about their fans.

I'm not afraid to admit that I was already a fan anyway. But you know what? These guys deserve a lot more respect than they get in some quarters. It's time to stop dissing Coldplay.

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**Lostbeth** · 07-14-2009, 03:27 AM

TRAILER FOR STRAWBERRY SWING.

aaaaah. It looks fantastic!!!!!!!

**Crystaline** · 07-14-2009, 02:48 PM

That is definitely something they've never done before. I love it!

coldplay

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Strawberry Swing: watch video trailer, see artwork

Good morning. We're pleased to announce that the amazing new video for Strawberry Swing will premiere on Monday July 20th on Babelgum.com, but you can watch a trailer of it right here, right now.

The groundbreaking short film was directed by visual artists Shynola. It will also be shown at ODEON cinemas across the UK from July 22nd, where it will be programmed in front of both Bruno and The Proposal.

Strawberry Swing will be released globally as a digital download on September 14th, with the video commercially available from August 3rd. This is the single's artwork...

Finally, here are some stills from the video to further whet your appetite...

Anchorman

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Chris Martin battles giant squirrel in Coldplay's new Strawberry Swing video

REUTERS: Coldplay have made a brief preview available to accompany their single “Strawberry Swing” that will be shown in UK cinemas from July 22nd as a supporting act to Sacha Baron Cohen’s mockumentary “Bruno,” as well as to romance “The Proposal” starring Sandra Bullock. In it, frontman Chris Martin, dressed as an old-style superhero, battles a giant squirrel, whch is drawn entirely in chalk.

Meanwhile, NME also write that Coldplay will showcase their new video before selected screenings of Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie 'Bruno'. The clip for 'Strawberry Swing' will be shown exclusively at Odeon cinemas in the UK from July 22. The film will also be shown before 'The Proposal' at the cinema chain.

The video was directed by Radiohead, Blur and Beck collaborators Shynola, see frontman Chris Martin - who also features in the 'Bruno' film as himself - doing battled with a giant squirrel in a world drawn entirely in chalk.

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Portland fan review (part two): Meeting Coldplay backstage

Part two of chengui's excellent review of Coldplay's concert at the Clark County Amphitheater, Portland, OR, and a meet and greet backstage (10th July 2009). In case you missed part one recently you can recap that here. What follows is part two:

So we all walked back out to the main area (now about 8:30) and were told to meet back by the backstage door at 8:50. We could have gone and found our seats and waited there, but the second opening band was wrapping up and we decided to just hang out for twenty minutes.

At 8:50 the Capitol people came back and met us, walked us backstage and onto the side of the main stage. It was funny cause they stopped to let the band manager what were were doing and he said (in his thick british accent) “I know exactly what you’re doing. For once I know what the ******* is going on around here.” – he was hilarious.

Our seats were right next to the guitar tech’s station on the right side of the stage. There was a thin gauzy fabric that probably hid us from the rest of the audience, but we were RIGHT there! We were the only two that got to sit there (one Capitol rep. stayed with us the whole time) – everyone else there was with the band adjusting sound levels and whatnot. I took out my camera and took a picture, but the Capitol rep (who was super nice) told me that that probably wasn’t a good idea, as a lot of times they don’t like pictures taken of the equipment and stuff. Didn’t want to ruffle any feathers, but I am SUPER bummed that I only have the one picture…which was before the band took the stage.

At around 9:00 the lights went out and Coldplay took the stage swinging sparklers around. RIGHT before they came on stage this huge Banner dropped behind the stage, except it got tangled up in itself and the roadies all scrambled to get it unraveled before the lights went on. The head roadie guy ran past me yelling, “Are you ********** KIDDING me?!”

It was awesome to be so close and see the workings back stage, but I will say it gave me a HUGE appreciation for how the guys can perform like that because the sound is ALL messed up when you are standing on the stage like that. Reason being that all the speakers are obviously pointing out, so the music is bouncing off the venue walls, so there is a slight delay between the music heard on stage, and what they are playing. Everything sounded pretty good, except for the songs with a lot of drums because we were actually hearing the real drums (not the amplified ones) so they sounded ahead of the rest of the music (thanks Will!). Also when Chris spoke between songs there was too much echo for us to really understand. That being, said – I’ve seen them before and I know they sound AMAZING live, so it kinda sucked that we could see everything great, but didn’t really get to see/hear the show as well as if we had been up front. I mean we were right next to them, but let’s face it, they are performing to the crowd. So that being said, I can always pay for great seats next time they are in town, but I’ll never get to be ON STAGE again – so no complaints here.

Early in the show Guy came into the guitar tech’s booth thingie in between a song (literally 2 ft to my right) and took off his coat, which he hung basically on my chair. Also, Chris would be singing, and as he was running around stage he would come up to the Guitar tech and make a motion to adjust some kind of level or something. The guitar tech guy (I wish I knew his name) had like 10 backup guitars that he was prepping and swapping out with all the boys in between songs.

One of the cool things they did during the show is they set up two small stages way towards the back of the venue and the jumped down into the crowd (surrounded by bodyguards of course) and ran to one of these back stages and performed a few songs out there so everybody got to be relatively close. It was really cool of them to do. Well the first time they did it, they played talk and then Chris went solo on piano and played The Hardest Part while the rest of the boys were brought back to the main stage. Well while Chris was playing, Jonny came and hung out with the guitar tech, joking around and talking about something he’d messed up with one of the guitars. He was seriously standing right next to me. Crazy. They obviously had everything scheduled very precisely and it struck me that this is really their job.

They all came back to the stage and played a few more songs and it all went seamlessly – The band manager came out and asked me if everything was going well – also they brought us some water - then the band headed out AGAIN to a smaller stage which was much further away. It was kinda hard for us to see because they were off to the right, past the guitar tech station, which was right near the right end of the stage. The guitar tech was so friggin nice though, he moved some of his gear and invited us around to stand on the stage so we could see better. Like he didn’t have a billion other things to worry about - so nice of him. So we stood on the stage and looked out over the crowd at the band playing. Chris asked everyone to take out their cell phones and do the wave, using the light from the screens (pretty cool). Then they played an acoustic version of Green Eyes (awesome), Death will never conquer, and then they covered Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean! Pretty darn cool. After Billie Jean was over the guitar tech beckoned us back to where we were earlier because we were standing pretty much in Chris’ spot. As we passed by his little set up he took my hand and gave me one of their guitar picks. Super, SUPER nice guy. During their song, Lovers in Japan they released billions and billions of paper butterfly confetti – which I thought was pretty cool, until they released a second wave of black light neon butterfly confetti which was REALLY cool. After their encore they left the stage and we had to wait until they cleared out, before we could leave. We walked out with the Capitol people, and got to say goodbye to the tour manager and band manager, who had both been so nice to us. After that it was trying to find the car, and a good 2 hours sitting in the jammed up parking lot – NIGHTMARE.

All in all a really, REALLY great time!

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Mountain View review: Coldplay delivers rock-solid show at Shoreline

Name the band that you'd least expect to deliver a Michael Jackson tribute. Metallica? Marilyn Manson? How about Coldplay? It was the latter that surprised the capacity crowd at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Monday with its tribute to the recently departed King of Pop, writes San Jose's Mercury News.

And the real shocker was how Coldplay went about it. Late in the set, the quartet moved from Shoreline's big main stage to a smaller platform, which probably measured no more than 6-by-6 feet, located at the rear of the reserved seats, near the lawn area. The players huddled together, acoustic instruments in hand, and vocalist Chris Martin announced that they were "going to go into a song that is far better than any song we could ever write."

A mandolin rang out, alongside two acoustic guitars, and the rhythm was instantly familiar, if not immediately identifiable. Then Martin uttered the first line of the song: "She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene... ." The crowd let forth a collective gasp, then a shriek, as 22,000 fans realized they were hearing an acoustic cover of Jackson's "Billie Jean."

It was a nice, unexpected moment — a "Thriller," if you will — in a show that lacked any other real surprises. In general, the evening consisted of just Coldplay being Coldplay; if you like the band, you would definitely have enjoyed the concert. Following the same game plan that it has used from the start, Coldplay spent roughly 100 minutes mixing radio-friendly pop songs and rock anthems with piano ballads and other softer material. Martin, the 32-year-old superstar who's married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, was his usual self: earnest, personable, and seemingly aware of how lucky he is to be in the position to perform in front of thousands of fans on a nightly basis.

Coldplay isn't big on bells and whistles, which makes it a rare bird in the flock of the world's most popular bands. So it's no surprise that its current tour is a decidedly stripped-down affair. Even the two smaller performance platforms erected away from the main stage seemed mainly intended to break down the barrier between the band and the audience. The foursome — Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion — sounded strong and agile as it kicked opened the show with "Life in Technicolor" and "Violet Hill," two numbers from the 2008 album "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends."

Coldplay was generous with the hits early on. The third number was the showstopper "Clocks," a track from "A Rush of Blood to the Head" that won for Record of the Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards. It was followed by a passionate rendition of "Yellow," the megahit from Coldplay's debut, 2000's "Parachutes," that introduced the band to American listeners. Martin is a terrific pianist, but he's not the finest lyricist in the world. His skill in delivering his lines, however, is without question. His sincerity can be found in every sentence he utters, whether he's moaning through something akin to a love letter or reciting Michael Jackson in a weak falsetto. Actually, MJ cover wasn't the best song of the night — that title would go to the touching original composition "Fix You"— but it was the most important. By paying tribute to the King of Pop, Coldplay showed us yet another side to its already impressive equation: the ability to surprise an audience.

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Coldplay Live Reviews and Setlist - Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA (13th July 2009)

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued on the West Coast last night as they played at the Shoreline Amphitheater in San Francisco, CA, the first in a series of five consecutive Californian shows (not including the 'not-so-secret' show on the 19th at Capitol Records!). The Coldplay-shaped puppets were out and about again, this time in sunny San Fransisco - see those pictures after the jump. Roadie #42 also posted two videos during and after the show which you can watch here at the Coldplay Live forum. No changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set again.

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (Chris piano)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Green Eyes (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will vocals)
Billie Jean
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
------
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
-------
The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)

AHHAFHDFLKAHFSLSAFH. I just got home, it was ****ing amazing, the best night of my life. Can't write now, I'm SO tired and sweaty and need a shower/bedddd. BUT I TOUCHED CHRIS MARTIN! (and Jonny and Will! Guy was being silly and shy, but OMG ANYWAY). [thanks strawberryfields]

Hey guys, I was about 10 feet away from Coldplay! The set list was the same and I have a bunch of videos I will load up tomorrow. The boys were great and Chris was saying how they loved San Francisco and that they don't tell that to everyone. He kept saying '****' it was really funny! The crowd was pretty good, but I have PIT tickets for the show later today so I'm hoping for front row! Oh, when they went to the C-stage tons of people were grabbing at Chris and he was like "careful, careful" but he said it very sweetly. It took me over an hour to get out of the parking lot! [thanks ColdplayRulesTheWorld]

Man if there was anyway to describe tonight, it wouldn't be too far from an outdoor house party. Seriously most of all the little kids, couples, and friends I saw were in good spirits just enjoying the music, whether under the influence or not. And maybe since it's summer, it was like going to a baseball game. The fooood did help though, lemonade, Ben & Jerry's, kettle corn, garlic fries, cotton candy, I could go on but I'll stop here. All the same, very nice vibe from the crowd tonight. My seat was in the 101 section so the ramp was smack dab in front of me. This time, I was able to feel the butterfly rain, get hit by the yellow balloons, and get a glow stick that Chris threw. I definitely had to watch my head tonight, lol. Very worth it all though. I second the Billie Jean request, sounded awesome live. I believe they did a version of Sitting on the Dock of the Bay on the C-stage as well... I'm glad I went to see Coldplay in concert again, cause this time around the album was saturated more and the live instruments brought out sounds and melodies you just don't fully get from the cd. While I did notice that sometimes the crowd wasn't fully into the concert by means of dancing or other "physical output", it was only a few times. The interest was still there, it was just a laid back energy. Favorite banter: "I don't mean to sound like a schoolteacher...but, that's just the way it's going to be." - Chris *along the lines of*. I have a lack of pictures and videos, though I did manage to get screen footage of God Put A Smile Upon Your Face and snippets of a roadie breakdancing to Jay-Z before the concert began. just a nice nice nice way to spend a summer monday night. [thanks soulsalsa7]

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**Lostbeth** · 07-14-2009, 06:33 PM

IIII LOOOOOOVEEEE THE NEW VID.
Well, what I've seen from it.
reminds me of some Regina Spektor for some reason.

~*bitterswt*~ · 07-15-2009, 05:21 PM

I just watched the trailer for the SS video. Absolutely love it. They come out with the most unique music videos.

**Crystaline** · 07-15-2009, 05:43 PM

The giant squirrel is quite interesting.

coldplay

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Roadie #42 - Blog #90: In which #42 has a Pulp Fiction moment and meets Steve Jobs

Greetings from scorching Sacramento, folks. It's beyond warm here and we're well into "living in an oven" territory. We arrive in the early evening and do what all good Brits do when confronted by weather warmer than "overcast with regular drizzle" - that is, we walk around pulling at our collars discussing with each other just how hot it is (in case nobody else had noticed). After a few minutes of ant-under-a-magnifying glass confusion, we find a nice, dark, air conditioned room and wait for it to cool off a little.

We were staying in San Francisco last night, so it made sense to drive down here today. We boarded a swanky coach and settled in for the two and a half hour drive. As we swung out onto the freeway over the bridge, the driver took the mic and introduced himself. To everyone's amusement, he then began a tour guide voiceover, pointing out Alcatrazz, the Golden Gate Bridge and so on. Now, when you're travelling for a few hours of every single day for a year or so at a time, peace and quiet is all you're after. Bizarrely, a two-plus hour journey is one of the few times you're sat still for any length of time - albeit sat still going at 55 mph. This makes it ideal "quiet time" to catch up with emails, get some work done or discuss upcoming work.

Our driver went on to explain how long the new bridge beside us would take to complete and what the shipping lanes are known as. The horror slowly dawned upon us, that he might keep this up for the entire journey.

I'm not sure if he picked up the vibe that people would rather be left to their own devices, or whether he caught a glimpse in his rear view mirror of Franksy with his head in his hands, head-butting the seat in front of him. Either way, the tourist-friendly views of San Fran gave way to the desert scrub and silence was restored once again. Laptops came out, headphones went on and all was well with the world once again.

So, tonight's show is the fourth on this leg. We're all just about accustomed to the time difference and we're settled in like we'd never been away. (Given that our time at home was little over a week, it's hardly surprising...)

So what can I actually remember that I can share with you? As ever, events are out of sequence and more than a little confused. All the more reflective of the touring experience...

Let's see, we scream out of the Portland show in the customary race to beat the concert traffic. The band just about have time to discard their radio packs and in ear monitors before diving into the vans. The sweaty stage clothes they're still in though, need to be returned to the venue so that Tiff can have them cleaned and fresh for tomorrow's show. To this end, there is a car following behind us. The fellas change in the vehicles as we speed through the streets ahead of the crowds leaving the show.

After enough of a distance to get a good head start, we pull into a parking lot. There's a couple of kids sat on a bench by the roadside. It becomes impossible not to wonder exactly how this looks to them: three blacked out vehicles have approached at speed. From one vehicle emerges Kelly, looking every inch the brick ****house, Geoff from the other, each carrying a large duffel bag. Franksy, dressed in black, complete with pimp hat, oversees as the bags are thrown into the car window and the van doors slam shut again. This has to look like some extremely dodgy deal going down

There's a great scene in Pulp Fiction where Samuel L Jackson's gangster character, Jules, is held at gunpoint and asked "What's in the bag?" His reply "My boss's dirty laundry" can't help but spring to mind...

I'm sure I'm not the first person to enthuse about the great beauty of the Gorge venue in Washington State and I doubtless won't be the last. Being a desert, the heat was, unsurprisingly, intense. The view though, even more so. The stage sits above a natural river valley and the audience area slopes up in a somewhat rugged natural amphitheatre. The views as the band begins and the sun sets are nothing short of breathtaking.

The "somewhat rugged" nature of the venue layout here is evidenced by the fact that the front edge of the "lawn" area forms a small jagged cliff. The view of the full house as the show begins is akin to one of those nature programmes on TV where there are thousands of penguins huddled on the ice caps. Rather than freezing in the Arctic, though, these folks are in shorts and bikinis, lying on picnic blankets and soaking up the view, the sun and the sounds. Without getting all hippy-dippy on yo ass, it's hard not to have one of those tiny "yeah, ok, this is a cool job" moments as you feel the vibe go up and the sun go down...

This leaves us with last night. Shoreline Amphitheatre, just outside of San Fran to be precise. I'll be honest with you folks, the only thing that mattered to me tonight was the presence of one Steve Jobs. I'm a confirmed Apple devotee and I really cannot imagine doing the job I do now (or even having got into this line of work) without my Macbook Pro (and all the Powerbooks that went before it). Creating these tools and putting them into the hands of folks like me was the vision of this man.

I spot Steve chatting with Dave Holmes outside the dressing room and suddenly feel like a star-struck teenager. In order to get the gall up to speak to the guy, I down a double espresso. The mixture of caffeine buzz and feeling like a cheesy little fanboy means that all I can manage to say to him is "Thank you so much". I realise that I'm quite simply making a tit of myself and so excuse myself as fast as I appeared.

With that, I suddenly have sympathy for every nervous and excitable kid that shakes hands with the band at a meet and greet. Time to hit send and fold up the laptop.

R#42

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Boise Weekly reviews Coldplay Live CD 'LeftRightLeftRightLeft'

"Man, we put in more rehearsal for this album than any other, because we played it live 101 times before we released it. Talk about road-testing material," said frontman Chris Martin on Coldplay's website. You've got to hand it to Coldplay that not only can they write some captivating songs, they can also deliver on a live performance, writes Boise Weekly (dot com).

Furthermore, despite these Brits being world superstars, they've managed to keep a handle on their music. There's something commendable about a mainstream band refusing Gap the rights to their songs. So when they release a live album as a free download on their Web site, it's worth a listen.

LeftRightLeftRightLeft captures that quality about Coldplay that's given them global appeal. The songs, many of them from last summer's Viva La Vida, are in the trademark emotional explorations of Chris Martin, winsome without bordering too far into unbelievability.

Coldplay's particular brand of alternative rock is minimalistic in nature, both full and sparse at times, making for some great song dynamics. The album features the untold thousands singing along or clapping in unison--a snapshot of standing in the crowd. On the set list, Coldplay classic "Clocks" makes an appearance, along with "42," an eerie melody morphing into a sarcastic and progressive chorus of "You thought you might be a ghost / you never got to heaven but you made it close." The title song "Viva La Vida" breaks the sometimes subdued setting with energetic string-inspired melodies. Another song on the list, "Strawberry Swing," is set to be released as a music video later this summer.

While live albums can have a bad rep for being filler material to boost CD sales, Coldplay attempts to take turn this cliche around. "And although it's live, it's supposed to be a real album, part of our canon. Y'know, as well as being a gift move, it is also a musical move. It's meant to say that this is what we sound like at the moment," said Martin.

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Sacramento review: Tight performance endears Coldplay to Sleep Train audience

It's hard to pinpoint Chris Martin's most endearing moment Tuesday night at Sleep Train Amphitheater in Wheatland. But his miming of a swim stroke to illustrate a line ("tides that I tried to swim against ... ") from the band's anthemic hit "Clocks" ranked right up there, writes The Sacramento Bee.

Though Martin easily could put on airs -- he's British, married to Gwyneth Paltrow and leads a mega-selling pop band -- the Coldplay front man instead took pains to acknowledge and ingratiate himself to Sacramento-area fans.

He repeatedly thanked the audience of 12,000 or so at the 18,000-capacity amphitheater for showing up on a Tuesday evening -- one that moved from sweltering to merely uncomfortable as the sun descended on the mostly shadeless rural venue. (The breeze finally kicked in about 10:45 p.m., just in time for the encore.)

Martin defied the very un-British weather by roaming the stage clad in a dark, military-style jacket. He skipped and jumped even during the slower songs (or rather, slower halves of songs, since there's a crescendo around nearly every corner with Coldplay) as the band drew from all its albums but especially from 2008's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends".

In response, a well-scrubbed but sweaty crowd sang along to all the "Vida" songs, not just the ones that have been on the radio. This made sense, since "Vida," which has gone seven times platinum worldwide, was released more than a year ago, allowing listeners plenty of time to learn the lyrics.

Coldplay has been on tour with "Vida" nearly as long. But this famously meticulous band still seemed appealingly unrehearsed at times Tuesday night. For instance, an acoustic version of "Billie Jean" -- presumably a recent addition to the set list -- let Martin test his falsetto against Jackson's (not even close, but you have to admire Martin for being game).

You also have to love the way Martin constantly stretches his warm baritone to accommodate Coldplay's impressive musical ambitions. Hits such as "Clocks" and "Yellow" -- the latter accompanied by the release of large, yellow balloons into the audience -- sounded fantastic live, especially considering the work that goes into making them sound so perfect in the studio.

All the band members -- keyboardist Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berry man and drummer Will Champion -- appeared to play at least two instruments, with their superior musical skills most evident during a segment in which they left the main stage to crowd a tiny one placed higher up in the amphitheater, in order to better play to the audience on the lawn. The crowd-pleasing band ended up mounting two such small stages during the show.

The contrast in stage size underscored just how small a work force creates the band's big, elaborate sound in concert. And that Martin, though an incredibly charming and natural front man, is only part of the story. Or as Martin put it, before starting a perfectly lovely solo rendition of "The Hardest Part" on the small stage, he would be an "(expletive) nightmare" as a solo act.

He was being ridiculous, of course, but when he subsequently ran back to the main stage to join the band for a rousing "Viva la Vida" -- one of the band's more musically complex songs -- he proved that Coldplay only sounds like a dream with all parts in place.

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Coldplay Live Reviews and Setlist - Sleep Train Amphitheater, Sacramento, CA (14th July 2009)

Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour continued on the West Coast last night as they played at the Sleep Train Amphitheater, Sacramento, CA, the second in a series of five consecutive Californian shows (not including the 'not-so-secret' show on the 19th at Capitol Records!). All quiet from the puppets, Guy and Roadie #42. No major changes to the normal arena setlist except that Billie Jean replaced I'm A Believer in the acoustic set again, and Sitting on the Dock of the Bay was added to Will's acoustic slot.

Setlist:

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (techno version)
Talk (techno version)
The Hardest Part (Chris piano)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Green Eyes (acoustic)
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay / Death Will Never Conquer (Acoustic, sung by Will)
Billie Jean
Viva La Vida (remix interlude)
------
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
-------
The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)

Hey everyone, I just got back from the show and it was EPIC. The set list was the same. First off, I had Pit tickets but when we got there they had seats and took our Pit tickets and gave us random rows to sit in so I got row 12, well I was livid because I was like the fourth person in line and felt like I would have been front row so I talked to a LiveNation man and he said he would talk to his supervisor so finally I decided to go to the bathroom and I took my ticket with me and this other lady who was handing out tickets I told her the situation and she was like "I have row 5" I was like I will take it! So I go to the bathroom and come back to my seat and they escorted me right NEXT to the cat walk and it was really row 3 on Guy's side!! I was freaking out. I was less than a foot away from Chris on the catwalk! The crowd was fabulous and a lot better than last night in my opinion! When Chris looked at me I freaked out because I couldn't believe I was right next to him. [thanks ColdplayRulesTheWorld]

I went to both concerts and I agree that tonight' s crowd was much better. I don't know if it's because I had almost perfect seats tonight, but it seems that Chris gave a much better show tonight. He seemed more like I expected him to be tonight, from the great clips I've seen of his performances on Youtube. He even seemed to sing right on key, as he usually does, and his dancing was especially good. I wonder where he gets the energy. He is in great shape to go non-stop as he does for 2 hours. This concert was definitely worth the 120 miles I drove each way for my friend and me to go. It was simply an unforgettable experience.
[thanks starfish42]

More on this concert including reviews, videos, pictures and tweets here onwards.

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**Carlie06** · 07-15-2009, 07:20 PM

SS VID TRAILERRRRRR. LOVEEEE...

I want to see the rest!

**Crystaline** · 07-16-2009, 08:01 PM

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Coldplay San Diego preview: "Rock artists' fine line between borrowing and stealing"

If you want to accuse Coldplay of musical plagiarism over its 2008 hit song “Viva La Vida,” get in line, writes the San Diego Union Tribune. Coldplay, who perform on Thursday at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, was sued late last year by veteran San Francisco guitarist Joe Satriani, who alleged that “Viva La Vida” brazenly took from his 2004 song, “If I Could Fly,” Why they decide to focus on a plagiarism case rather than the forthcoming show is probably due to Satriani's roots in CA. Wonder if he got a ticket to one of Coldplay's West Coast shows. Hmm. Anyway, here is the rest of the article...

Coldplay was also accused last year of copying parts of “Viva La Vida” from an obscure 2008 number by Brooklyn's Creaky Boards, called – fittingly – “The Songs I Didn't Write.”

Coldplay, Satriani and the Creaky Boards' songs all bear, in varying degrees, similarities with 2002's “Frances Limon” by top Argentinian rock band Los Enanitos Verdes. In turn, “Frances Limon” owes a debt to the instrumental section from Toto's 1982 song, “I Won't Hold You Back,” although no one from Toto appears to have taken any legal action, at least not yet.

More recently, Yusuf Islam (the former Cat Stevens) said in May that the same Coldplay hit also bears a striking similarity to his 1973 song, “Foreigner Suite.”
But sound-alike songs are nothing new in rock, a style in which imitation has long been a way of life and, on occasion, very high-priced lawsuits. The electronic sampling that is de rigueur in hip-hop aside, rock's reliance on instrumental structures often derived from basic 12-bar blues is the source of both the music's visceral impact and its stylistic limitations.

With a finite number of chords, time signatures and topics to write about, achieving originality in rock has become increasingly challenging. Even the most acclaimed artists, from The Beatles and Bob Dylan to Prince and current buzz band Dirty Projectors, borrowed from others as they learned to create and develop their own styles.

“You have to separate between bands that are accidentally sounding like someone and bands that are ripping someone off,” said White Stripes' leader Jack White, who performs here in late August at Street Scene with his latest band, The Dead Weather. White has frequently been criticized for borrowing – vocally and guitarwise – from Led Zeppelin in particular, but he dismisses such comments as “a lazy reference” by journalists.

What separates the greats from the pretenders and wannabe's in music is the ability to absorb various influences and use them as building blocks to make something distinctly your own. “You can absolutely steal ideas from anybody, as long as you twist them into something original,” said acclaimed English singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. “If I regurgitated Ralph Vaughan Williams, or Hank Williams, I'd have to throw it away. But if I added something as interesting of my own, then fair enough.”

Adding something of his own is exactly what David Bowie did when he wrote songs for Iggy Pop's 1977 album, “Lust for Life,” which he also produced. “(Bowie) was tired of me, tired of rock 'n' roll and wanted to get the (album) production contract over,” Pop recently told the English music magazine Uncut. “He said, 'Right, we're going to rewrite any damn song.' I won't say which songs by other people but I think it's a hilarious attitude. He was like, 'I could do that (song), and I could do that better!' He reeled off about five of those (in) about five hours.”

Depending on how conspicuous the musical “rewriting” is – and how commercially successful the result – legal action may follow, as artists as varied as Janet Jackson, Rod Stewart, Steely Dan and the late George Harrison discovered.
In 1976, Harrison's 1970 hit “My Sweet Lord” was ruled to have “unintentionally copied” “He's So Fine,” a 1962 song by the American R&B vocal quartet The Chiffons. Harrison had to pay $587,000. In a strange twist, The Chiffons subsequently recorded their own version of “My Sweet Lord,” while the music publishing company that won the judgment against Harrison was later taken over by ex-Beatles' manager Allen Klein (who died last Sunday).

Coldplay's embattled “Viva La Vida” is being featured nightly on the band's current tour, which is named after the song. The group, not surprisingly, is seeking to downplay the controversy. In late May, Coldplay singer Chris Martin wrote on his band's Web site: “Yeah, some people are suing us at the moment and although it was initially a bit depressing, now it's become really inspiring. You think, 'Right, if everyone's trying to take away our best song, then we'd better write 25 better ones.' ... Now we've got more to prove than ever before.”

Coldplay drummer Will Champion sounded more defensive in a May interview with the English newspaper the Guardian. “For some reason, God only knows why, it's the successful songs that seem to be the ones that are accused of being stolen,” Champion said. “There are elements of our music that I've heard in other people's music, but it's kind of ... I don't know. It's interesting, but a very difficult thing to define.”

The difficulty may lie in the numbers, a point Champion made in the same interview. “There are only eight notes in an octave and no one owns them,” the mathematically challenged drummer said. “And there are probably about 12,000 songs that feature the exact same chord progression. I think it lies on an intent to steal, which we certainly have never done and never would.”

Intent, or lack thereof, may have played a role in Islam (the former Cat Stevens) backing off his previously announced intention to file a suit of his own against Coldplay, which he said would have been determined by “how well Satriani does.”

“They did copy my song, but I don't think they did it on purpose,” Islam told the London-based Daily Express last month. Islam was less forgiving in 2003, when he successfully brought legal action against Flaming Lips for using the melody of his 1970 song “Father and Son” for its 2002 song “Fight Test.” (Creaky Boards, meanwhile, retracted its plagiarism charge against Coldplay, without explaining why.)

Of course, intent can be hard to prove. Ditto the sometimes fine line between flattery and thievery, as evidenced by the dozens of songs based on rock pioneer Bo Diddley's 1957 anthem, “Hey! Bo Diddley.”

Last month, two members of Men at Work became embroiled in a suit in their native Australia. The imbroglio stems from charges that the band's biggest hit, “Down Under,” reproduces the melody of the opening verse to the popular children's song “Kookaburra.”

Then, there's the signature guitar riff to the Rolling Stones' 1971 classic “Brown Sugar.” It has appeared, almost note for note, at the start of the Dandy Warhols' “Bohemian Like You,” The Specials' “Little Bitch” and “The Loser” by Chicken Shack. But each of those songs have their own added twists. That may be why there were no suits filed by the often litigious Stones, who more than a decade ago shared songwriting credits with k.d. lang and Ben Mink after the legendary English band learned that its song “Anybody Seen My Baby?” bore an uncanny resemblance to lang and Mink's Grammy Award-winning “Constant Craving.”

Then there are such performers as Lenny Kravitz and the Black Crowes, whose songs sometimes appear to be a composite of several songs by several different artists. The Strokes' 2001 breakthrough hit, “Last Nite,” achieved a trifecta of sorts by combining elements of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' “American Girl,” Iggy Pop's “Lust for Life” and The Jam's “Town Called Malice.”

Sometimes, though, candor makes all the difference. Neil Young memorably demonstrated this in 1974 with “Borrowed Tune,” which featured a melody he “borrowed” from the Rolling Stones' 1966 chestnut “Lady Jane.” Tellingly, Young's song includes the climactic verse: I'm singin' this borrowed tune I took from the Rolling Stones / Alone in this empty room, too wasted to write my own.

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Coldplay's Oracle speaks on Chris Martin's Hollywood calling

July 16, 2009 - submitted by Alyssa, Canada
Q. Dearest Oracle, At the June 21 show at GM Place I was sitting in the second row holding a sign that said 'Chris, are you havin' a laugh'? Since that reference is from the brilliant show 'Extras', as I was watching a behind the scenes segment where Chris discusses his reason to do the show etc he says that previous to accepting Ricky Gervais' offer, he was offered a role in a movie but turned it down because of his lack of acting ability. ( which, based on the episode, I have to disagree with ). Would you be able to tell me what role that was? And just for fun are there any roles/projects that the band would love to appear in?
The Oracle replies:
Chris was joking in both the episode of Extras and the behind the scenes interview. A weird but true fact is that Chris was actually approached to play the lead in a Hollywood major film but he never considered accepting the role. I can't tell you what it was either. So sorry to mysterious but Chris is a singer not an actor. They're up for cameos in spoofs which is why there have been appearances in Extras, Shaun Of The Dead and Bruno.

July 16, 2009 - submitted by adrian, Australia
Q. Dear Oracle I got two questions. 1. Has Coldplay ever been a fan of Jeff Buckley? 2. Was it possible that their works were similar to his playing? Thanks
The Oracle replies:
Yes they are fans of Jeff's music. He was certainly an influence on their early material over 10 years ago. I guess because of Chris' falsetto and general vocal range he has been compared to Jeff but their music isn't similar at all these days.

Good on Chris for turning down a movie role. I am curious what film it was.

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**Carlie06** · 07-16-2009, 08:29 PM

I want to knowwwww.

**Crystaline** · 07-17-2009, 04:35 AM

coldplay

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Coldplay to feature on the South Bank Show

Good morning. We're pleased to announce that Coldplay are to be the subject of an episode of the South Bank Show, the highly-respected arts TV programme. The Coldplay show will be broadcast on ITV1 in the UK at 10.15pm on September 20th 2009. We'll let you know any international broadcast details as soon as we get them.

The show accompanied Coldplay for six months, taking in their wins at this year’s Grammys Awards, touring Japan, the Brit Awards and the War Child concert in London; and spending quality time with them whilst they work on their next album in the Bakery, with Brian Eno. It also features host Melvyn Bragg in discussion with the band.

This is one of nine shows which will mark the final series of The South Bank Show, 31 years after it began.

Anchorman

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Coldplay become first artist to break 1m US digital album sales barrier

They may not be on Joe Satriani's iPod, but Coldplay are certainly the kings of the digital music age. The band have become the first act to sell over one million full digital albums in the US.

Based on Nielsen SoundScan data, Coldplay have moved 1.358 million digital albums in the States and their label, EMI, reports sales from around the globe totalling two million digital albums worldwide. And for Coldplay, the stats keep getting better and better: their 2008 release Viva La Vida, is now ranked as the top-selling digital album in SoundScan history. (Although we suspect a certain King Of Pop might stand a chance at beating that figure within a matter of weeks.)

It should be noted that these just-released sales figures of Coldplay's worldwide stats of more than two million full digital albums includes the download sales of four of the band's complete studio albums, a live disc and an EP, and is not calculated on the track equivalent basis (TEA) that SoundScan uses to calculate its digital album chart. Viva La Vida, Coldplay!

Coldplay are currently touring North America in support of their most recent album, 'Viva La Vida'. The tour hits San Diego's Cricket Wireless Amphitheater tonight (July 16). Meanwhile, the band are gearing up to debut the video for their latest single, 'Strawberry Swing', on Monday (July 20) via Babelgum.com. The video features frontman Martin as an animated super hero.

w00t, congrats boys!

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