12 September 2009 - Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester, UK

From WikiColdplay

12 September 2009 - Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester, UK [Pic: busybeeburns]

Setlist

Photos

Photos from this show can be found at Coldplaying.com in the Gallery thread for LCCC. http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1666

Videos

Videos from this show can be found in the first post of the Coldplaying forum live thread for this show at http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52088

Discussion

All post-show discussion for this show at the forum thread: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52088

Fan Reviews

All fan reviews have been submitted to us by the members of Coldplaying.com[1], unless stated otherwise.

Chris appealing to Simon Cowell [Pic: busybeeburns]

I am very exhausted, and very red, I don't take sun very well

After sun has been applied and all photos uploading, but they will have to wait until tomorrow because of the sheer number

No setlist changes really, Trouble in for Green Eyes, and a Manchester Rhyming Song introduced Will. I know Mich got one of Will's bell sticks, and I nearly got one when Chris bounced his right off Will's VLV drum and it came flying off the stage in my direction, missing me with a direct hit by no more than a couple of feet.

Chris did an interactive question and answer set on stage talking to a video recording of Simon Cowell on X-Factor, who basically criticised the crowds rendition of the ending of Yellow. Chris gave us a second chance which was obviously going to be louder, and then he panned back to the recording of Simon Cowell who gave it a "bloody brilliant".

[busybeeburns]

Just got back, been awake since 7.30 and im shattered. Been standing up since around 2.30, and my back is gone. Had a fantastic time though, got a load of butterflies as well

Took quite a few pics and some vids, will do my best to upload them tomorrow. Oh and coldplay covering billie jean = AWESOME

[gib786]

Gig was incredible !!!!!!!

Was right by the C-stage and they ran straight past us. That Jackie security woman was manic, she is pretty f*cking scary! She was barking orders around at everyone. We got pushed forward just before Jay Z while they roped a bit of space off next to the c-stage but we stayed close to the barrier and the three songs they played there were fabulous. The audio wasn't great, Chris sounded so quiet but Will doing the high parts of Billie Jean more than made up for it They all looked like they were really enjoying themselves up there, laughing and smiling and Chris looked quite cheeky and mischievous. Him singing Trouble to Will was awww cute

[squareone13]

Amazing! Jay-Z was awesome, as were Coldplay. H to the Izzo!!! Great to hear Glass Of Water and Cemeteries Of London. Caught a butterfly, too. Hope everyone had a great time!

[Fixed]

What a fantastic day,we managed to get at the front of the b-stage so had a brilliant view of the band,the only downsides where whilst waiting for the bands to come on a girl behind us sitting with her back right against my wife's legs so she couldn't move them it was only when The white lies came on that she could move properly,also flying bottles of piss one of which sprayed my wife on the shoulder on the person next to her on the head.Beside that really enjoyed the whole day and wish I was going to Wembley Thought Jay Z was brilliant but wasn't that keen on The white lies,Oh and one other thing we didn't manage to get a cd so if anybody has a spare please let me know.

[hooper68]

Jay-Z [Pic: RedGirl76]

Well my day got off to a bad start... 5.30am is never a good time to hear the alarm on a Saturday morning, but I had a date with the Coldplayers so I dragged myself out of bed, drove down a very foggy motorway and found Ian, Chris, Min, Mich, Mel & Lori outside the venue at 7.30am. They had already been there a while, I was running a bit late (bad Coldplayer ) but it would be hours before Pete rocked up to join us... Pete has a more relaxed approach to life Crazy as it sounds, the first five hours whizzed by... Chris got a tattoo from Mel

We made the podcasts, got banned from playing football and ate a lot of jaffa cakes. It was midday before many more people showed up and joined the queue. Time really only started to slow at about 2pm when those at the back of the queue started to move forward... two hours before we were going to be let in.

Mich & Mel are clearly veterans at the queuing business. They got us organised with a plan to get everyone in to the front row... this involved sprinting... not a talent of mine. When we got through the ticket & bag check, the running started. By the time I got to the stage there were already two rows of people but Chris was frantically waving at me and pointing to a me-sized space in the front. Being a shy girl, I didn’t like to push past people, but Chris asked a couple to stand aside and reminded them how long I’d been there – thanks Chris, you’re a gent!

We then had nearly two hours of waiting before White Lies arrived on stage. Mich was kept occupied by a couple of Scouse stewards, the rest of us just tried to forget our aching feet and backs and eventually White Lies came on and gave a very confident performance. And the singer’s quite a cutie!

After a very quick turnaround, the stage was set for Jay-Z. Earlier I had confessed I was slightly more excited about his appearance than Coldplay, because I’ve already seen them, and never thought I’d get the chance to see him. Sometimes anticipation leads to disappointment, but this was not the case here. He delivered a blistering performance, cranking out as many hits as possible in his hour slot. The crowd at the front went mad... must have been quite a sight for him to see us all bouncing along and for Jigga What, Jigga Who he even started a little battle between the two sides of the crowd (Jigga What won by the way ) It wasn’t quite the hostile crowd that he faced at Glastonbury, but Jay-Z’s music and his style was new to a lot of people, not that he seemed concerned. He came out with all the swagger of a true superstar and could barely contain the grin on his face – clearly he loves performing live. His backing band all threw themselves in to the show too, with a fair amount of flirting going on between the guitarist and a rather stunned blonde girl behind me.

As Jay-Z’s set concluded, the stage was suddenly swarmed with about 30 crew members frantically transforming the set for the main attraction. It was really impressive to see them all work together and do so much in such a short space of time. After no time at all, the dancing roadie came out to huge applause and then it was time for The Blue Danube. With two members of the crew leading us in a waving/clapping routine, one or two people behind me seemed a little bit confused as to what they were looking at ("Who does she think she is?” One perplexed newbie asked) But as the classical piece ended and Life in Technicolor began, we saw the sparklers emerge from the wings and the band we had stood THIRTEEN HOURS for, finally took to the stage.

What can I tell you that you don’t already know? Yes the set list is familiar, but for those who hadn’t seen a stadium show already, the change in set and the swelling crowd numbers made it a very different show. The huge video backdrop, the lights and effects were stunning, this was a Coldplay Supersize show. And bigger venues mean more space for Chris to throw his crazy shapes. In My Place is my favourite song, partly because of how powerful it is in the live shows. In Manchester there mustn’t have been an inch of space that he didn’t jump on – he threw himself around on that song so much that I’m amazed he had the energy for the rest of the show

Next up was Yellow, with the X Factor finish that you’ll all have read about by now. Chris led the crowd in song to be judged by Mr. Mean, Simon Cowell.

As the insults were hurled, Chris kept a straight face and played his part well, but Jonny, Will and Guy couldn’t help but laugh. In fact, I’ve never seen Mr. Berryman smile as much as he did last night (and believe me, I look at him... A LOT ). Whether he’s happy to be back in the UK or glad that that the tour is almost over, he seemed very relaxed, which was good to see (and the Berrygirls will also be pleased to note the hair is a bit longer now)

Fix You has never been a particular favourite of mine, but this performance really moved me – maybe it was because I was so close to the action, or maybe it was the nagging thought that it will be a long time before I see the band live again, but it was a highlight of the show for me. Jonny was as reliable as ever (does that guy ever make a mistake), and the crowd enjoyed singing along at the end.

After the B stage action, it was back to the main stage for Viva La Vida, and again the song was enhanced by superb visuals. The stage was awash with colour

Another highlight for me was Billie Jean on the C Stage – wherever that was! I couldn’t see a thing, but it sounded fantastic, stripped down to acoustics with Chris & Will somehow managing those Jacko “heehee’s” between them. It was then back to the main stage for perennial crowd pleaser Politik and the glorious Lovers In Japan. Unbelievably, there are still some people who don’t know about the butterflies and to see the smiles and hear the laughter just added to what has always been my favourite part of the show.

After DAAHF the boys took their bows and headed off stage to change in to the bright Sgt Pepper-esque outfits and there was time for just two more numbers: The Scientist and Life in Technicolor ii. Again, the screen blazed in to life as images from the album artwork collided with explosions of colour. It was another highlight and a fitting end to such a magical, celebratory evening.

And then they were gone... for how long, who knows? I won’t be at Wembley so this will be my last Coldplay experience for a very long time. It was an amazing experience, not only because I was in the front row for my favourite band performing at the peak of their powers, but because I got to share the experience with such a fantastic bunch of people. Thank you to Ian, Jen, Chris, Pete, Min, Lori, Mich, Mel (and Ria who joined us on the Saturday all the way from Japan) for being such great company throughout the weekend. My butterflies are crumpled and my photos are blurred, but you guys gave me memories that I will always treasure.

[RedGirl76]

Well, I've been back through the thread up to Jen's first posts of the morning (great work guys!) and I'm sure I've missed some stuff, but there's just so much to take in! I heard rumours that there was a pic of Jizo and myself being silly with lip-balm in front row centre, or at least a link to a pic on Twitter, but seeing as I have no idea how to use that it's probably for the best so that in my tired state I don't see the evidence!

Seeing as I'm going to be angling for some writing commissions soon I was going to take my time and try to write the best review possible. But I'm lying here on my bed after a very tiring weekend, still in a daze from the gig last night, listening to LRLRL, so I reckon I'm just gonna go ahead stream-of-consciousness stylee, and get it all down while it's fresh in memory (if I can distract myself from the ringing in my ears!)

Firstly the personal observational-type stuff. It was so nice to meet everyone at the meal on Friday, a great choice of restaurant by Jen - top-notch - and lovely of Jizo to bring gifts for everyone, and order the champagne (even if I didn't get actually get any myself ).

It was never my plan to aim for front row, in fact it was very much my plan NOT to, as I do like the overview you get from further back, and the freedom to leap around like a loon, with ample refreshment in hand. So, I didn't bother turning up at the breaking of the day like all the others, I just thought I'd mozy on down around lunch, spend a few hours with everyone, and then chill further back.

Well, after queueing for a few hours with the Vivacrew I realised that wanting to be with them for the gig was much more important to me than my dislike of the various discomforts of six and a half hours stuck at the front, so I too did the run-walk-run-walk (speed of footwork dependent on the number of stewards yelling at everyone not to run) and joined my fellow Coldplayers dead-centre stage.

Really I should have apologised to them all at the time for turning up four hours after them but still nabbing a place at the front, but it was never my intention, just an irresistable opportunity. I also have the defence that I probably had as little sleep as anyone due to the various 'goings-on' at Manchester Central Travelodge until five in the morning (both nights I stayed there). There may be a short story idea in there somewhere - it really was an experience. Highly recommended if you like to be entertained but don't care for sleep.

I suppose the consolation is that Jizo and myself were at least involved in some of the madness on the night after the gig (last night) as he managed to get us involved in a limbo dancing competition at four in the morning which was almost followed by a 100m hurdles race across the Travelodge bar/cafe area over the tables...but I digress

So, very many thanks to everyone for letting me join them in the queue and at the front. Thanks to jen for all her invaluable assistance with my planning. Thanks to Ian for turning up to the pre-dinner drink pre-drinks, it was great to meet you and have a good chat. Thanks to Jizo for organising a lot of stuff; for the kind presents; for all the laughs we had after the gig in town; and for almost causing a riot in the kebab shop by producing a fifty pound note

Right...very tired review to follow...

So...onto the gig itself. I will tell it exactly how I saw it myself, and I know some of the other guys disagreed with me, but all this is just my opinion...

So, we were absolute front centre and I can only say that when the White Lies came on the bass was THUNDEROUS. I've been to many a gig, but never felt anything like that in my life. I'm well used to bass hitting one right in the chest, but I've never before quite had the sensation that all my brain cells were being re-arranged everytime the bass drum kicked...

I was more impressed with them than I thought I would be. Two or three songs were really very good indeed, even if almost all their material is about death. But I just wanted them to finish because the bass was too much for me.

Jay-Z: very good. Rocked the place with about half the numbers I thought. The other half was standard rap fare for me. But he and the band do what they do well very well indeed. Unfortunately even during the good songs when I was rocking out (is that right? 'rapping out' doesn't quite seem to work!?!) I was just praying it'd finish and the bass would stop, along with the strobe that was nicely placed right between my eyes if I looked up at Jay-Z who was eight or nine feet away.

Coldplay (the important stuff) next...

[Tonsu]

This was my 1st Coldplay gig, and was amazed with the performance overall and the visual displays.

Loved the Yellow balloons with Yellow bellting out, the butterflies with LIJ, and who was lighting those chinese lanterns flying overhead??

I seen someone outside had blagged one of the balloons, bet that is taking pride in her household now!

Just trying to see if anyone has managed to upload some audio onto bootlegs from the concert, but no such luck yet. Is there anything out there on the same lines as that gig, but with good audio? Was lucky enough to have one of the free CD's offered on the night kindly given to me by ejectthetape of bootleg.com. Thanks again for that!

The better half is going to make a photo book of the whole gig and am taking some pics of this site, hope people dont mind? Don't worry I won't be putting anyones personal pics into it, just ones of the band and such.

Just browsing ebay now for some wembley tickets, think I may be hooked lol.

[daisbuys]

I know its abit late but though I would put my view of the gig on saturday across to you.

I was stood next to the walkway (or whatever you want to call it), about half way down it, and the curse of the vertically challenged was in full force! White Lies were good, although I am not so keen on their music, can you like a performance without liking the music? I wasn't so looking forward to Jay-Z, I'm not all that into rap, but I loved him! He was so good. Hes a great performer. No doubt about that. I was in alot of pain whilst watching them as I had hurt my back early in the week and hoped it would get better, but standing up for such along time, I kept trying to hold on to the rail to take abit of the wait off my feet, but a woman beside me kept giving me a dirty look like I was trying to pinch her place! I didn't want to cause any trouble but it didn't help with people barging past! Strange, but the pain disappeared whilst Coldplay were on and then came back with a vengance the next day! Wow, the power of Coldplay!!!! They were amazing, I shed a tear when I first saw them, couldn't get my camera (on my phone) to work proper when jonny came down the walkway (darn cameraphones!), I got yet another pic of his back! I was so happy to hear 'cemetries of london' and 'glass of water' live, wow!!!! But what really made my night was getting butterflies!!!! I was so disappointed when I didn't get any back in december 08 at the MEN, so the butterflies are my pride and joy, I even got one of the live cds, which I thought would be long gone by the time I got out. I was well nervous about this gig, being on my own at such a large venue scared the hell out of me and I was making myself ill with worry about it, but now I think why did I waste so much energy? It was great being on my own, noone I knew to judge me and my scary moves, cos I will never see anyone I was stood near again! Thanks Coldplay for a great night, I'm scared from the experience, but it was worth it, every ache and bruise!!!

[bellynelly]

I'm really enjoying reading everyone views on the concert. I had an amazing time. I was standing on Guy's side of the stage with about 7 or 8 people in front of me maybe which was far closer than I dreamed I would get. My absolute favourite part was when they sang Politik So much energy at the chorus! My voice is still really bad from singing along at the top of my lungs to every song.

I thought JayZ was fantastic he really got the crowd involved and was clearly enjoying himself. We were really going wild in the front but I've been watching some videos taken further back and people look almost bored lol. Oh yeah, at one point I was the only person doing the diamond thing with my hands and JayZ looked at me and did it himself causing everyone to do it That was ace.

[Y89]

So I flew over from Canada for my final Viva show of the tour and got into Manchester by train at around 11am. Didn't pre book a hotel so just wandered the streets till I lucked out! Didn't get to the cricket grounds till 1:00. I had to pick up my tickets so ended up at entrance 2. It proved to be an excellent choice as there was only 15 people ahead of me. By the time the que ended up moving to the gates I was only 4th from the gate. It's a good thing I can run... Ended up front row. Some luck. Or maybe karma was coming to me for putting in so much time following the boys around. And I must say, the crowd in Manchester was by far the most energetic and excited. In Montreal, I was in row two and they only danced when Viva la Vida came on! None of my videos turned out due to the proximity to the amps, but got some great shots of Guy laughing during the X factor videos! All in all, I would cross any pond to see Coldplay over and over again. Hopefully their break is a short one...

[HurleySnowCone]

[Pic: Jizo]

After a glorious evening beforehand with other Coldplayers, meal and a few drinks, I'll admit, I was feeling worse for wear . I could see the venue from my hotel room which was cool, until they started testing the lights at like 1am which annoyed me greatly . Alas, I awoke at 6:30am after a few hours sleep and headed to the LCCC for the gig. The cab driver nearly killed me, but to be fair, it made me wake up.

So we all queued up that day, conversation flowed, we did some podcasts, joked around, bit of football until we got told off. Bit of sunburn for Ian if I remember correctly . It was really good queuing up until about 3pm when as usual people started pushing itching to get in. Some of the girls looked really worried like they were about to get test results from the doctors. Pete looked like he wanted a beer. Ian looked like he was chilling out. Eventually the gates opened and after a bit of run walking, and saving places, we all got to the front .

We waited a while until White Lies came on. The bass from their set nearly killed us all. Still, good band and very talented singer. Then we waited a while in the scorching heat until Jay-Z came on. He was very good indeed, great energy from the crowd. Towards the end of the set he noticed my Australia headband and gave me a shout out! This was the start of Jay-Z and myself becoming best friends (see the Wembley threads for more info ).

Coldplay finally came on, I won't bore you with details because its already been said. Was a great night, and being with Coldplayers really made it! After the gig me and Pete went for a drink, then said our goodbyes to Mel, Mich, etc. Then we went out for more drinks, and before we knew it , it was 4am in the hotel bar . We had some really good conversations as well haha, what a great way to end the evening!! Top bloke is Pete.

Gig rating: 5/10

Positives: It was Coldplay! Negatives: Chris was sick (not his fault obviously) no Lost+, show didn't flow at times, limited crowd interaction, bass was too loud, lack of crowd energy.

[Jizo]

On Saturday night I had the geat pleasure of spending an evening in the presence of the fabulous British rock troubadours Coldplay! No, they didn’t come ’round my gaff for a cuppa and a chat – rather me, my wife and about 55,000 other people crowded into Lancashire County Cricket Ground (Manchester, England) yesterday for a concert which has to rank as one of the best I can remember!

While the main focus of the concert was Coldplay there were also two supporting acts who were each excellent in their own right. Kicking off the festivities were the excellent White Lies, who are currently enjoying a fair bit of playtime on BBC Radio 1. These guys look set for great things, and older music fans will notice elements in their tracks reminiscent of several great 80’s bands (most notably Duran Duran). Given the current popularity and resurgence of all things 80’s that can be no bad thing. They managed to warm up the crowd nicely and were good enough that I went out and bought their album yesterday!

Second up (and probably unaccustomed to not headlining) was Jay Z! While he put on a good show it felt a little out of place sandwiched between the two indie acts. We were seated towards the rear of the stadium (my wife is pregnant and we didn’t want to risk the heaving of the crowd) but it looked like everybody down at the front enjoyed the set. From where I was sitting it all came across a bit muddled, but I’m sure there’s thousands of people who were there that would argue differently. Maybe I’m just getting old…

Finally, after sunset, Coldplay took the stage. I’ve been an “appreciater” of their music for some time, but never would have dubbed myself a “fan” until last night. Even while I was there I was trying to think how I could describe the mixture of atmosphere, music and lightshow, and to be honest I don’t think I could ever do it justice.

The set list was a mixture of new material from Coldplays latest album “Viva la Vida” and old favourites that had 55,000 people singing in unison. It’s been about five years since I last went to a large scale concert (it was actually The Cure at the same venue) but I was amazed at how much more sophisticated the accompanying visuals and lightshow were that anything I’ve ever seen before! Each song had it’s own visual theme and I couldn’t even attempt to describe the entire gig, but there are a couple of standout moments that are most vivid in my memory. The first of these are the confetti butterflys spewed forth from cannons into the crowd and over the stage during “Lovers in Japan” – for the duration of the song the air was filled with thousands upon thousands of multicoloured flutterings. Secondly, and perhaps my favourite, were the giant balloons that magically appeared throughout the crowd during a brief moment of darkness just before a moving rendition of “Yellow” during which all 55,000 people sang out the chorus!

All in all it was a truly breathtaking experience and I will be awaiting Coldplays next tour in anticipation!

http://www.mytraveldirectory.net/blog/viva-la-vida-viva-la-coldplay/

Media Reviews

Coldplay/Jay-Z are only a few bands big enough to ask artists who are at the very top of their own genres to work as their support act. It tells you all you need to know about Coldplay's status that they launched a four-night UK stadium jaunt with the world's best-known rapper as their opening act – even if frontchap Chris Martin did deflate the moment by cackling, "I still can't quite believe it."

The you-couldn't-make-it-up double bill was a brave move for Coldplay, who are hopelessly outclassed by Jay-Z in the charisma and swagger department. To add to his attractions, he has just had his first UK No 1 single, Run This Town. The prospect of Coldplay being upstaged by their support act was very real. In the event, they weren't. They can thank the audience's placid indifference to his urgent depictions of the world according to a bad lad made good. Jay-Z worked hard, firing out hits such as 99 Problems and Show Me What You Got and getting his guitarist to play The Star-Spangled Banner. He eventually got his due, leaving to warm applause.

For all their record sales, Coldplay have little personal magnetism, which didn't bode well for a gig where the vastness of the venue demanded personalities big enough to fill it. Unexpectedly, though, they rose to the occasion, and then some. In this outdoor setting, their many hits, so mopey on record, expanded into magnificent processionals. Songs you had come to detest through repeated airplay, such as Fix You and Viva la Vida, suddenly sounded grand, in the best sort of way.

Chris Martin proved to be a bit of a wonder: the rock star who has made a life's work of walking on the mild side unleashed the beast within. There is one, believe it or not, and while Liam Gallagher can rest easy, it was still jaw-dropping to see Martin racing around the stage, battering his guitar and singing more vehemently than he has ever dared in a studio. Who would have guessed he could imbue an acoustic version of Billie Jean – sung on a mini-stage in the middle of the crowd – with double the paranoia of the original?

Was it his idea to use old X Factor footage of Simon Cowell to "critique" the audience when they sang along to Yellow? Martin urged us to bawl out the song, then Cowell appeared on screen, adjudging our effort a "complete and utter nightmare". Equally dubiously, he orchestrated a "mobile phone Mexican wave", but redeemed himself by leading the group through a lovely, lilting encore of The Scientist.

"We've done 154 rehearsals around the world just to sound good in Manchester," Martin laughed. How about that? Coldplay in "surprisingly good" shock.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/sep/13/coldplay-jayz-review

Right from the opening number Chris Martin was in perpetual motion, throwing his yoga-stretched, tofu-fuelled body around

They may be one of the most successful bands in the world, but Coldplay still really, really want us to love them. Playing their first and biggest British date of 2009 to more than 50,000 people, the singer Chris Martin and his fellow Fair Trade rockers deployed every weapon in their arsenal, from fireworks to flattery, and from Simon Cowell to Jay-Z.

Four emphatically English public schoolboys touring with a Brooklyn-born gangsta-rap mogul may seem incongruous, but there are parallels. Martin and Jay-Z are friends and collaborators, but also both canny populists who recognise the crossover marketing potential of a shared fan base. The rap superstar was in likeably laconic mood on Saturday, playing the hip-hop Sinatra over live horns and jazzy guitars. In leather jacket and shades, he paid wonderfully deadpan homage to Coldplay: “Quite small guys ... the singer’s OK.” Ever the diplomat, he politely neglected to say that there appeared to be more black people on stage than in the audience.

More than a decade into their career, with their fourth album Viva la Vida nudging eight million sales, Coldplay have finally figured out how to work within their limitations. They know that their clean-living, nice-guy image and carbon-neutral stadium-pop scores low on the Richter scale of raunchy rock-star excitement. But their current presentation of it is a dazzling, dynamic, imaginative spectacle, which smartly leaves little room to dwell on the substance of their songs.

Right from the opening number Chris Martin was in perpetual motion, throwing his yoga-stretched, tofu-fuelled body around the enormous stage in a jerky-limbed dance clearly designed to project across huge spaces. During Yellow the band launched dozens of giant yellow balloons into the crowd. Later there were fireworks, a man-made blizzard of multicoloured confetti butterflies and even a comedy skit in which Martin verbally sparred with pre-recorded video clips of Simon Cowell.

Besides confetti, Martin also showered the local audience with shameless flattery, invoking Noel Gallagher’s name and joking that Coldplay had played “154 rehearsals around the world because we wanted to be good in Manchester”. Conducting a mass singalong during a swooningly lovely Fix You, he gushed: “No wonder all the best bands come from Manchester.” The line between charm and smarm felt toe-curlingly close at times.

Coldplay left the main stage twice, first to play a ten-minute techno-pop medley at the front of a long runway that extended deep into the crowd. Later, a heavy security escort ushered them to a spartan mini-stage at the back of the venue, where they strummed a handful of ramshackle acoustic numbers including Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.

At no point during this two-hour set, a slick blend of razzle-dazzle distraction and conscientious effort, was boredom allowed to take hold. Martin’s relentless niceness and studied humility may have grated at times, but in the end it served its purpose. Relax, Chris. Mission accomplished. Everybody loves you.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/live_reviews/article6832857.ece

Jay Z showed steely confidence while Chris Martin turned personal anxieties into communal prayers at the Coldplay gig at Old Trafford.

For the opening night of Coldplay’s live return to the UK it was hard to know what was more incongruous: the cloudless blue Manchester sky or the booming rap music vibrating across the open pitch of Old Trafford. Denied a part in the Ashes, the cricket ground was perhaps determined to prove it was still a fine place for a celebration, just as American rapper Jay Z was determined to prove he could play to a crowd of 50,000 Coldplay fans.

The street hustler from Brooklyn and the choirboy from Exeter may make an odd couple, but Shawn Carter and Chris Martin clearly have more in common than their glossy A-list wives. Both are ambitious, multi-grammy award winners with a strong belief in engaging in public debate and protecting their private lives.

Following a brief retirement, Carter, 39, has been revitalised by both his triumphant headline slot at Glastonbury last year and the election of America’s first black President. With a new album out this week, his mission now seems to be foreign diplomacy on a mass scale – proving that rap can triumph on any stage.

Looking like he could be the chippy grandson of Louis Armstrong, the statuesque, Basset-cheeked Carter had an instant magnetism on stage yet could still not overcome the major obstacle facing this style of music in a big stadium: you just can’t hear the fast flow of words and images that make up the rap bit. Cleverly, Carter didn’t labour the point – “I need to teach you the words,” he joked – but allowed the diversity of his grooves and beats, from the sledgehammer boom of his early hits to the more soulful, jazzy flow of his current work (played with style by his tight band), to envelop the audience. The only words that were discernible throughout were “bounce, bounce”, and the audience were happy to oblige, arms hooked-up in a diver’s stretch.

In contrast to the steely confidence of Carter, Chris Martin confessed later, in typically self-deprecating style, that the band had been nervous about returning to the UK after their year-long jaunt around the world. But as he also pointed out, “154 rehearsals”, as he called the Viva La Vida tour, had make them rather good as live performers. Every song was played with an impressive attack, with Will Champion pummelling the life out of his drums.

But it was Martin, surely the fittest man in pop — practically completing a decathlon with his sprinting, long-jumping and invisible javelin-throwing – who dominated the stage. Martin is a strange lead-man: geeky and gregarious, nervous and controlling, and yet it is this tension that elevates the often simply drawn mood sketches that make up most of Coldplay’s songs. With each number he turned personal anxieties into optimistic, communal prayers, and the audience were happy simply to raise their arms once again – not to bounce this time, but to be lifted up into a mass chorus of hope and into a moonlit sky filled with confetti butterflies and yellow balloons.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/6186858/Coldplay-and-Jay-Z-at-Old-Trafford-review.html

Inviting his hip-hop megastar mate to warm things up was always going to be a risky game

Recessions make people act out of character; party animals won’t socialise at all while board game enthusiasts spend nights eternally pub-crawling. Others, like the fifty-something woman stood in front of NME tonight, will spend £50 on a and then indecently expose themselves by urinating in a pint glass in public. The ‘camouflage’ bit of her camouflage jacket isn’t doing what it should, and we don’t know what to think. Not a typical Coldplay fan, right? Right. But this isn’t a typical Coldplay gig; one of hip-hop’s strongest contenders is tonight supporting Britain’s most confusingly popular rock band.

Of course, Noel Gallagher insisted Jay-Z and guitar music couldn’t grace the same stage or ignite the same audience. Yet, just over a year later, the rapper is playing to a sell-out Coldplay crowd in the Oasis departee’s hometown – and what’s more, he’s winning with ease. While Coldplay insist on dressing like toy soldiers, Jay-Z strides onstage like a rock star, sporting shades and studded leather jacket. Sure, his confident Brooklyn drawl, as ever, suggests he could afford more gold toilets than we could Wispa Golds, but that doesn’t stop all 50,000 of us feeling like a collective of superstars when the thud of bass-heavy ‘99 Problems’ kicks in.

It’s a happy reception, but this crowd aren’t easy to work out, as exemplified by Madame Public Urination as she proceeds to drink her own freshly brewed export. Yep, really. As security drag her out by the arms, we wonder how the excitement of American hip-hop could summon up such English madness. We also feel obliged to point the OAP holding binoculars in the direction of the opera but, alas, his feet are tapping as the words “Rap critics that say he’s ‘Money Cash Hoes’/I’m from the hood, stupid, what type of facts are those?” blast out at mighty volume. Superfans wearing replica Coldplay army get-up, who you might have thought only knew Jigga from collaborations ‘Lost’ and ‘Beach Chair’, are in fact singing his back catalogue word for word. Iconic images of Muhammad Ali, JFK and Nirvana set the scene for ‘U Don’t Know’ and the soulful ‘Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)’. Rihanna’s vocals introduce ‘Run This Town’ and the crowd divide for group vocals on ‘Jigga What, Jigga Who’. But it’s ‘Encore’ which allows the rapper to be on top of his game tonight – even to a wall of guitar-loving Mancunians who apparently consider Chris Martin a stadium god.

And away he goes… sprinting from corner to corner like a hyperactive child, Martin and co have blown budgets on fireworks and giant yellow balloons which, in predictably cheesy fashion, float out during the soppiness of ‘Yellow’, which is then turned into a comedy X Factor skit. Fair enough, Coldplay do take the piss out of themselves, but Simon Cowell’s pink, smug face on a half a dozen TV screens cancels out any empathy. Mass singalongs are encouraged for ‘Clocks’, ‘Fix You’ and ‘Trouble’ and if said hits weren’t so debilitating to the soul, maybe we wouldn’t feel as hollow as a Songs Of Praise special for atheists. ‘Violet Hill’, ‘Viva La Vida’, the piano stirrings of ‘Politik’ and a (rubbish) acoustic ‘Billie Jean’ don’t muster up anything near the adrenaline caused by Jigga. Before he bursts into the rom-com-perfected ‘The Scientist’, Martin declares, “I think this is the only time we’ve ever had to play after someone who’s had about 10 more Number Ones than us!”

And with that, a line-up born out of mutual respect for different genres has no doubt opened up new sounds to die-hard fans. If, even in the credit crunch, the average listener clearly still values live music as an essential pleasure, no matter what the support, well, we can all take comfort in that – even if we have to sit through Coldplay to do so.

Kelly Murray

http://www.nme.com/reviews/coldplay/10828

Jay-Z is probably one of the last remaining hip-hop pop stars, someone respected in hip hop circles and still able to make records that can crossover and be appreciated by pop music fans of all generations. Recently I caught his gig at the Old Trafford Cricket ground in Manchester – Well, I say his gig; he was actually supporting Coldplay!? This point highlights exactly what I’m saying about his crossover appeal. Jay’s performance went down well with all the middle aged mums and dads waiting to see Coldplay but something about him warming up for Coldplay got under my skin a little bit. I don’t care for all the Jay-Z and Chris Martin arse licking – probably stemming from my dislike for Coldplay’s music. Although I have to admit that Coldplay do put on a rather special live show. They don’t skimp on costs, it’s more of a specatacle than a music gig – the music seems to be secondary to the lighting, smoke, fireworks, confetti, balloons, stage changes, crowd roaming and other outlandish showman tactics. That’s all good, but I’m about the music so it was nice when Chris Martin declared it was the first time they had ever played after someone bigger than them.

http://www.audiobounty.com/reviews/album-reviews/jay-z-the-blueprint-3