Alaskan Artist - Elise Tomlinson
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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.


Replies: 6 Comments

on Friday, August 26th, greg said

I will risk the stigma attached to males who like Coldplay. Supposedly we must be gay. I am not, but I like them. That piano sound is a nice respite from other bands sounds.

BTW Happy Woman's Sufferage Day!

on Friday, August 26th, Markus Barca said

I'm not a huge fan of theirs, but I'm really into the song Yellow.

If you get a chance, check out the band Modest Mouse. I bought their latest cd the other day, Good News for People Who Love Bad News and have not been able to stop listening to it. It's great.

Recommended songs: World at large, Float on, The View, Black Cadillacs.

on Friday, August 26th, Elise said

I heard there was a scene in "40 Year Old Virgin" where guys sit around saying "you're gay because..." and one of the barbs was "you're gay because you like Coldplay!".

First of all, it bothers me that calling someone "gay" is still considered an insult by some. That is soooo lame!
:plain:

I will admit that every guy in the band is attractive, but the ARE NOT a boy band. They are incredible musicians coming out with consistently exciting music that strikes a chord with so many people for a reason....it's good!

Chris Martin has a voice that would sound amazing reading one of his dad's accounting books, and the drummer Will Champion originally was a guitarist, but learned to play the drums just so he could be in the band when the original drummer quit (bet he's kicking himself!)

Plus I love the fact they wouldn't sell their songs to corporations like Pepsi even when they were offered millions of dollars and give 10% of their profits to charity!

on Friday, August 26th, Elise said

Oh, and thanks Markus for the band suggestions, I'm always looking for new music. As soon as I have the extra $$$ I'm buying an itunes and then you'll probably never hear from me again!

on Friday, August 26th, Markus Barca said

I never felt gay listening to Coldplay. I do feel a bit uncomfortable walking around with the Modest Mouse CD, though. Boy is it pink. Hot pink.

on Sunday, August 28th, Elise said

I just got an MP3 player with 40gigs that can hold up to 10,000 songs! yeah, and a subscription to Napster...I looked up Modest Mouse, I like them, I think my fav is Bukowski! I used to *love* reading him (Ham on Rye is brilliant).