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08/26/2005: "Coldplay Put a Smile Upon My Face!"
I may be coming late to the party but for the record, I have (literally overnight) become a *huge* admirer of Coldplay. I’ve liked several of their singles over the years and like to play a few on guitar (“Yellow” and “God Put A Smile Upon My Face”) then I bought their concert DVD from a 2003 show recorded in Sydney's Horden Pavilion. It comes with an amazing 17 songs on DVD as well as a 12 track CD all for 18.74!
Even better, the DVD comes with a “behind the scenes” video journal from the “Rush of Blood to the Head” tour and you can buy (separately) the accompanying P/V/G arrangements.
But back to the concert, first of all, their stage presence was phenomenal. Chris Martin must be the fittest individual ever, he bounces around stage doing this goofy looking dance that is so full of joy my cynical heart could barely take it…and all without a single huff or puff into the mic! All of the members of the band have something in common though, they’re genuine. You get the sense that they are all incredibly talented musicians who love each other and above all else, *love* playing music.
I put the DVD in at 11:00PM and only meant to watch a couple of my fav songs before falling asleep but the thing kept me awake, riveted, for hours. There was one scene of them jamming out in a back room and their drummer Will Champion was playing a dobro, a twangy country/blues kind of thing, and it was so beautiful it inspired me to buy one (hopefully this weekend).
They are playing at the MTV VMA this Sat. night where they’re nominated in 4 categories for “Speed of Sound”. I can’t wait to watch it! Oh yah, the band is also into promoting Fair Trade, which is one of the causes I support whole heartedly. Chris Martin has “maketradefair.com” written on his piano and his hand during his concerts. When some musicians do things like that it seems cheesy, but I swear to god, these guys *mean* it.