Soooo, I guess there’s this band, they’re maybe from Britain or somewhere…Cold-something…ever heard of ‘em?

Yes, I went to go see Coldplay. If you’ve read my other reviews, then you wouldn’t think that a guy like me would go see a band like that. Well, I did. Deal with it. I don’t have to explain myself to you. Who are you anyway?

Fiona Apple started out the evening with her own brand of synth-heavy, Joplin-esque musings about life and love. Seeing respectable indie artists in large stadium venues is always tough. With half of the lights on and ¾ of the seats vacant, it’s tough to get into the mood. Even though I felt like I should be in a smoky nightclub, I still enjoyed the music. Piano driven rockers and quiet odes to lost love rounded out the set well. Finishing with one of her better known songs, “Fast As You Can”, the crowd was finally beginning to move at her pace, but unfortunately, it was too little, too late. After seeing interviews and reading reviews of Ms. Apple, an opening slot for Coldplay is not what I had imagined her next career move to be. The gig is neither above or below her, but rather off to the side, as she tends to exist in a plane slightly askew from our own.

Have you ever listened to a Coldplay album really loud, in the presence of others? If yes, then you didn’t miss anything on Wednesday night. For one of the biggest bands in the world, I was expecting something a little more than just playing the right notes at the right time.

First off, Coldplay tickets are expensive. Who do they think they are, the effin’ Eagles? Not even the effin’ Eagles are the effin’ Eagles anymore. The U.S. exchange rate is unbelievably low right now, but it still ended up being a $300+ evening for me and a friend. Fiscal matters aside, the Brits fell short in a number of other categories. Namely, the evident absence of original stage banter, as Chris Martin said little more than “How ya doin’ out there?” or “Y’alright?” between songs, which was, unfortunately, more than enough to work the crowd up to a deafening level of enthusiasm. There were a couple talking points, such as Chris’ haircut, or Chris’ love of Johnny Cash, but that’s just it - it was all about Chris. The other band members didn’t say a word all night. The kind of banter that I’m looking for are the conversations that take place among the band members, proving their camaraderie even after extensive and exhaustive touring. Such niceties were missing, and Coldplay couldn’t prove to me that they were having a good time.

In all fairness, it was a visually impressive show. With 4 large pixel displays behind them, as well as a massive projection screen added later on, there was a lot to look at for those in the nosebleed section (namely, my sister). Also, as they played their 2001 breakthrough hit, “Yellow”, dozens of large yellow balloons fell from the rafters, eventually exploding in a flurry of gold confetti. The acoustic set was a nice touch as well: the four members somewhat changed duties, creating a vocal-guitar-piano-harmonica quartet at the very front of the stage. It is difficult to get intimate with 40,000 people, but at least they tried.

Bottom line - Did they play well? Yes. Did people enjoy it? Yes. It’s just that when you’ve seen as many great concerts as I have, your standards of good and bad become highly refined, perhaps to the degree of snobbery. That being said, it was a good concert, but it could’ve been better.

-Andrew Bondy