Coldplay brings the heat to Phillips Arena

So this is going to be a bit more of an informal blog. This Girl has had her FIRST request for more blogs from her fans (Thanks Chicago!), and by fans I mean the 3 people who read this thing. So I'm going to start a few more off the cuff and unedited pieces, but of course they'll stay in the unending theme of the endless possibilities of music.

So this past Wednesday night, This Girl attended the first of two Coldplay shows in Atlanta. Now, I am not the biggest Coldplay fan the begin with. Yellow was good, but as the songs and albums continued, I felt as if everytime I heard a song they were trying to put me under some sort of spell or play strange mind games, Clockwork Orange-style. As soon as Brian Eno, the world famous producer-maybe you've heard of U2's The Joshua Tree-and musician took the reigns of Coldplay's newest album Viva la Vida (Death and All of His Friends) they were reincarnated as the band who released one of This Girl's favorite albums of the year.

As I listened to the Viva la Vida on my iPod, in my car, and at my home, I realized that these celestial songs must be heard live and in person. I convinced my concert buddy, who wants to be refered to as The Hot Asian but I'll just call him That Guy, to get bad seats and go anyway. As we sat in the very back of Phillips Arena waiting for Chris Martin and the boys to appear, I couldn't help but get caught in the anticipation of what the new sound of Coldplay would be to my senses. I say senses, because (lame-o alert!) I watch shows with every sense I have. Good music has the ability to speak to your ears like a lover, visually stimulate like the Northern Lights, create an aroma of hard work and sweat, make you physically feel each note and word throughout your entire body, and bake the sweetest treat on your tounge as you sing along. Money is wasted and time is spent better elsewhere if these guidelines are not met at each show. But I digress....

Coldplay appeared to a darkened stage and opened with the instrumental first song on Viva, and then launched with everything they had into Violet Hill, my personal favorite. The roars of Chris Martin's voice, the heavy banging of the drums, and the intensity of the guitars came through with every breath the band took, and the laser lights that accompanied created the feeling of climbing through a dark forest and up a hill to the top. All while broken and battered, parched, with nothing but sheer will driving you upwards. The song climaxes 10 seconds before its' end, just like as if you used every last bit of strength you had to pull to the top of a mountain, only to lay down and rest as soon as you reached the summit. Even though it was at the beginning, this song was the best part of the show.

As the minutes went on, Coldplay played most of their new stuff, and all of their old favorites. Chris Martin's stage presence is nothing if not spectacular. He moves around the stage with every beat and bangs on the piano like he doesn't have a microphone and needs everyone in the arena to hear it. He throws himself on the ground, contorts his body in ways that you just can't choreograph. The drummer is so intense that he doesn't even look at the drum set througout most of the show, but plays by instinct and repetition of the songs he clearly loves. The boys who play the guitar seem to not even notice the crowd as they swayed with each strum and put all them had into each song. Coldplay is obviously grateful for all their fans, and clearly wants to provide an unforgettable show to each of them.

Fix You was a fan favorite, and to end with Viva la Vida was absolutely genius. That Guy had not heard most of their new songs, so he spent most of the time trying to appreciate the newer sound, and I think that hurt him in the long run. I have had a few months to get acquainted with Viva and wasn't spending the entire night determining whether I like the new songs or not. I will suggest that anyone seeing a Coldplay show to introduce themselves to Viva, because the live show is definitely worth money spent.

Stay tuned for many more reviews and roughly unedited blogs. This Girl and That Guy attend on average one show a week and to keep my fans happy, I will be abiding by their rules.


But that's just This Girl talking...