I’ve always wanted to see Coldplay in concert, in fact its been on my “Things to do before I die” list for awhile, but I’d never been able to make a show until this summer. I had the the great opportunity to see them play last Saturday July 25th, 2009 at Alpine Music Valley in East Troy, WI and it was amazing!

To start off with, I had lawn seats but not even that could dampen the mood of the night, even if it did start to rain midway through the show! Even from the lawn they seemed to  connect to the 27,000 fans rocking out on top of the hill. They’re a really energetic act with bright lights and amazing screen graphics. It was like watching a highly produced movie watching the large jumbo screens; its hard to figure out whats more entertaining the music or the projection screens! You can tell they put a lot of thought into everything that makes their shows special and one of a kind, from the lights, projection screens, wardrobe, right down to how they play each song.

 

 

Look at how detailed just one of the backgrounds were!

Look at how detailed just one of the backgrounds were!

 

 

 

Not to mention that they sound amazing live and definitely sing 100% live!  Chris Martin is the real deal when it comes to leading front men. He’s charismatic, witty and somehow finds a way to be personable and like-able while still being a complete professional on stage. For example he messed up a lyric in a song but easily joked it off and saying he was nervous because his face was being projected on 50 foot screens showing off his bad haircut “looking like a bad Justin Timberlake impersonator”.  The rest of the band is right up there with him though rocking out hard to each song, they’re really together and sound exactly like the CDs!

 

Chris Martin-Lead Singer

Chris Martin-Lead Singer

 

 

For old favorites they spiced things up giving the songs a new feel. For example “Yellow” became an upbeat, indie rock ballad and “Talk” and “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” got an 80′s techno treatment. During the middle of the show they even walked into the middle of the lawn and gave an acoustic set of “Green Eyes”, “Death and All his Friends” and a special tribute to Michael Jackson with a stripped down interpretation of “Billie Jean”. For the encore they played a somber “The Scientist” while the whole crowd crooned along and brought the night the a roaring close with “Life in Technocolor” complete with cannons shooting colorful paper butterflies that floated to the ground gracefully.

 

Acoustic Lawn Set

Acoustic Lawn Set

 

 

Overall I can’t say enough about how great of an act Coldplay was, they combine all the elements of a great show together for a truely unforgettable experience. If you ever get the chance to see them playing near you, go see the show. The ticket price may seem hefty but the end results are worth every penny!

 

 

Life in Technocolor

"Life in Technocolor"

 

 

 

*If you’re not familiar with a lot of Coldplay’s music  here are some of my favorites, a  few from different albums, to get you started!

-Shiver
-God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
-Til Kingdom Come
-Talk
-Strawberry Swing
-Life in Technocolor