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It certainly seems like I have been waiting for an eternity to see Coldplay in concert. In early 2001, shortly after the radio release of “Yellow,” I began dating the woman who would become my wife, and Coldplay’s hit single immediately became “our song.” (Cue sappy music.) When we married in October 2003, “Yellow” was the song we danced to, and yet all the while, we never managed to see Britain’s (current) biggest rock band perform on stage. We had certainly listened to all of the albums repeatedly, including the intoxicating X&Y, and seen various performances on television. That being said, all of these dreams became real when singer Chris Martin and his mates took the stage on a cool September night.
Opening act Rilo Kiley offered a few sprinkles of inspiration to kick off the evening, but the fans in attendance for one of Nissan Pavilion’s final shows of the season were merely killing time waiting for Coldplay’s arrival. (Those who weren’t waiting for Coldplay were likely just waiting, period, thanks to Nissan Pavilion’s oft-documented traffic snarls. Recent efforts to ease this congestion may not have helped on the way in, but the way out appeared to be somewhat improved.) As the sun began to set over Northern Virginia’s foremost outdoor amphitheatre, the evening turned a bit nippy as fans started clamoring for action. An hour passed, the stage lights went dim, a roar went up, and Coldplay, playing their final show of their 2005 Twisted Logic tour, finally took the stage.
To say that the British exports put on a stellar show would be an understatement, but there are some items that merit mentioning. For whatever reason, the band chose to deliver a stage show that seemed ideal for a smaller theatre instead of a venue that houses 20,000 people. Eschewing the large screens, Coldplay only made use of minimal background screens and the standard lighting displays, leaving fans way up on the lawn straining to see. The band also delivered what had to be one of the shortest sets by a headliner in recent rock history, leaving the stage after eighty minutes before returning for a three-song encore. Granted, those ninety-five minutes were packed with hits and a bounty of memorable moments, but a little extra time on stage – especially on the last night of the tour – can go a long way towards earning a little bit of fan goodwill.
All three major studio releases were well-represented by the band, as was the late Johnny Cash, immortalized by “’Til Kingdom Come,” written by the band for him, and “Ring of Fire,” one of his own classics. The band’s bevy of hits also made it into the rotation, as “Yellow,” “Speed of Sound,” and “Clocks” all littered the main set. This sequence’s highlight had to be the band’s rendition of “White Shadows,” an overlooked offering from X&Y that really energized the crowd. Only “Talk,” which had the dubious distinction of following the rousing “Clocks,” seemed ill-fitting within the context of the show. This was quickly remedied by a phenomenal encore, with the mellow “Swallowed In the Sea” heading right into “In My Place,” one those numbers that allows the band to really rock. The ode “Fix You” ended the show in style, leaving tears streaming down quite a few faces.
More so than anything else about Coldplay’s performance, Chris Martin’s ability as a showman demands attention. For a relative newbie to huge rock stages, he has a rather commanding presence and a surprising sense of humor. On numerous occasions, he riffed with the crowd, never afraid to mock his band’s own humble beginnings. Equally impressive was his ability to twist entire verses around to suit this particular venue, a pleasant change from the “Yo, Washington!” shouts typically given by musicians. Martin even ventured out into the crowd during “In My Place,” roaring through the final bits from out among his fans. The band might have played longer into the night, but no one can question the quality of the music they offered during their stay. Rest assured that the wait until our next Coldplay concert will not be nearly as long.
Setlist:
Encore:
Submitted 10/19/05.
If you have any questions or comments about this or any other concert, please feel free to e-mail me.