Alpine Valley

The boys of Coldplay are true rock stars. They took the stage Saturday night, with no reservations as the tens of thousand of fans that packed into Alpine Valley roared.  Despite the signs, despite the cheering, despite the thousands of women who would offer themselves to any of them in the drop of a hat, the band charismatically, but not egotistically, picked up their instruments, and “Life in Technicolor” erupted. The audience, excuse the cliché, went wild. The notorious chorus of oh’s began, the audience joined in, and as soon and the song started, it was over. The grandeur of a Coldplay concert really cannot be put into words. “Violet Hill” suddenly struck. The audience quieted, listened, and as Chris Martin sang, he commanded the respect and awe of his viewers.

Now if you can promise to keep a secret, I will tell you something rather embarrassing. Several times throughout the show, this being one of those times, I closed my eyes and pretended he was singing only to me. What’s amazing though, is that Chris Martin’s lofty voice, laced by his British accent, was intimately comforting, even if there were 40,000 people in attendance. Now this may seem like a big number, but if you have ever been to a Coldplay concert, it is understandable. They sell out venues all over the world, night after night, and now that I’ve seen them, I understand that these rock stars have learned how to take their viewers on a ride. “Violet Hill” was over, and “Clocks” exploded from the stage. They played “In My Place” next, which evolved “Yellow,” marking one of my two personal highlights from the show. Although “Yellow” is now almost ten years old, they played it with the passion of a song they wrote yesterday; one they still needed to impress the audience with.  They released hundreds of huge yellow balloons into the audience and as they bounced over my head I was as excited as I would be if I were listening to it for the first time, only better, because I could sing every word.

“Yellow” became “Glass of Water,” which led into “Cemeteries of London,” and of course “42.” “Fix You” after that and then” Strawberry Swing.” You sing along to almost every song, every lyric for that matter, but it wasn’t conscious at all; Coldplay made you feel like you were sitting onstage with them making the song come to life. Coldplay performed to the caliber of what I would expect a U2 concert to be like. The immensity and insanity of the entire experience far surpassed any expectations (which were pretty high) I had for it.

They continued with a techno segment including “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face” and “Talk.” May I note the incredible light show that accompanied this portion of the show, because it was nothing short of outstanding. The rest of the band left the stage as Chris Martin followed up with a rendition of “The Hardest Part” in which he only played the piano (this, of course, was another time I imagined him singing to me, in a dark booth somewhere in middle London if you want the specifics). He continued playing with a piano acoustic of “Postcards From Far Away,” which transformed into an explosive version of “Viva La Vida,” and then, “Lost.”

This marks the other highlight of the concert. The band left the stage, proceeding up the aisle on stage right (right by me may I add) and set up shop at the back of the pavilion on stage left. The guitars began harmonizing, and Chris began singing: honey you are the rock. I don’t mean to get dramatic here, but this really was one of the top five moments in my concert going career. They were playing an acoustic version of “Green Eyes” literally feet from the audience. The energy of the audience could have fueled a rocket. It was beautiful. They finished the song and Will began singing “Death Will Never Conquer.” It was then followed by a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” that was expected, but also excellent. The band returned to the stage to a remix of “Viva La Vida” and their set was over. Don’t worry because two encores followed the set. The first consisted of a riveting “Politik,” complete with seizure-inducing strobe lights, “Lovers in Japan,” and, finally, “Death and All His Friends. “The second encore began with a beautiful song known as the “Scientist,” to which I reminisced about the show as a whole and high school, a little. It was followed by “Life in Technicolor ii” and finally an outro of “The Escapist.”

Coldplay is one of the greatest live bands I have seen to date. I went on an emotional rollercoaster as they played every song I wanted, save “Sparks,” I fell in love with Chris Martin (even if it was all in my mind), and had an overall great time. A true rock band, a beautiful light show, and an excellent repertoire of songs produced an A+ show so next time they come to town, or Alpine Valley, do not be turned off by the distance or size of the venue. I promise you this: it will be well worth it.

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, sung by Will)
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)