All That Noise And All That Sound

The last time Coldplay visited our shores in 2003, it’d be fair to say they were pretty big. Three years and one more album later, it’d be fair to say they’re now one of the most successful bands in the world. So on a cold and drizzly night when having a quiet one in front of the teev seemed very appealing, my mates and I braved the nasty weather, and trotted along to Rod Laver Arena to see (in the words of the lovely Chris Martin) “a little band from England.” Well, a little band that’s come a long, long way.

On a screen stretching across the rear of the blackened stage (eerily reminding me of Radiohead’s show a couple of years ago), a counter ominously ticked down as the band strode on. They started off the main set with the first track from X & Y, “Square One”, quickly followed by the thumping, drum-heavy “Politik”. The instantly recognisable “Yellow” featured early on, aided by soft yellow lighting bathing the stage. Towards its end, a number of huge yellow balloons were thrown from the rafters and into the crowd, golden confetti scattering over those fans inquisitive enough to pop them. It was moments like this that typified the positive, and good-natured attitude of the band, and the downright sweetness of their music. So even at this early stage of the evening, you already knew you’d be left with a good feeling after the show.

Generally, the main set leaned heavily on Coldplay’s latter two albums, with “Yellow” and the gentle “Don’t Panic” being the only inclusions from Parachutes. I’ve seen criticism levelled at them before, regarding the whereabouts of gems like “Shiver” and “Spies”, and whilst these are two songs I’d love to hear live, as the breadth of a band’s material expands, I guess it does get more difficult to include everything and keep everyone happy. Personally, I’d rather concentrate on what they actually played rather than the omissions.

Amongst a string of numbers that left some fans reaching for their lighters, like “The Scientist” and “What If”, were tunes such as the inspired “Speed Of Sound” and the well-paced “Clocks” – the latter aided brilliantly by a very impressive laser show which landed on the central section of the crowd. Perhaps less visually spectacular, but just as effecting, were the songs where the band came to the very front of the stage and slowed the pace of the evening with the stoic “Kingdom Come”, followed by a playful version of the great Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” which sent this punter into spasmodic chuckles. Equally impressive was “Talk” which early on, saw an extreme close-up of the quizzical Chris Martin being beamed up onto the screen behind him, making you feel as though you were watching a video clip rather than a live performance.

The evening peaked with “In My Place”, which was as full of the yearning that can be heard on the recorded version. And I’m still trying to work out how Chris Martin – humble, and gracious with the limelight, but without a doubt the centre of the band – managed to cover so much ground to get from the stage to being amongst the crowd in a few seconds. This was followed by “Fix You”, the song that starts as a gentle ballad but gradually builds into a grandiose, U2-like anthem. A final flourish to cap off a top night.