Viva la Coldplay!

On March 25, 2009, Coldplay played to a sold-out crowd at the 10,000 crazed fan capacity AsiaWorld Expo Arena in Hong Kong. Now I can't say I am a die hard Coldplay fan, but I am completely enamored with their song "Viva la Vida", and love it so much that I actually made it a life goal to hear them play that song live. So with that in mind, I talked myself into buying a rather pricey ticket to the concert. It was twice what I'd pay for a HK Cantopop concert, but about what I would pay if I were in the states, so I was able to rationalize it all in my addled brain.

So on the blessed evening, I hopped the E22 bus, which makes the 45 minute trek from my dorm to the airport, and the adjacent AsiaWorld Expo Arena, and made it to the venue with time to spare. There were a few of the usual glowstick vendors, but they weren't doing much bid-ness, as, come on, Coldplay is not a glowstick type of band.

The arena is huge, and was not a central, open-face stage. That is, the stage was at one end of the space, and there was a definite front and back of the room, so to speak. I had managed to grab a top tier (cost-wise) ticket that was near the front of the room, and that was basically stage adjacent. That wasn't too bad, though let's face it, we would only be treated to the side view at all times, and we couldn't see the huge screen behind the band...nonetheless, I wasn't too bummed, because I was close enough to see the performers' faces, and that's always cool.

The concert-goers were a good mix of non-Chinese (and Chinese) expats, as well as local hipsters. This was the first time I saw booze allowed in a concert venue, and peeps were bringing in plastic cups of foamy concession stand beer and wine by the four-pack (i.e. paper carriers that held four cups.)

I was generally feeling aok about things until about 10 minutes before the concert started, when an expat couple, she of average height, he a giant of at least 6 feet, planted themselves in the seats in front of me. Ruht roh. This did not bode well.

The opening band, Mercury Rev, was pretty cool. They had some mad guitar skillz, and played for 30 minutes. Then there was a brief intermission, with random high-energy background music playing. Then a roadie in t-shirt and jeans came out, sweeping up the stage, but moved by the hip-hop song playing in the arena, began busting some impressive moves, much to the audience's delight. The music then changed to Strauss' Blue Danube, and the dancin' roadie began a lovely waltz, with his broom as a dance partner. The crowd was much appreciative, clapping along with the familiar rhythm, as the song sped up, reached a crescendo, and the roadie disappeared behind the curtain.

Then the arena went dark, the crowd went wild, and the curtain raised to reveal semi-sheer panels of fabric back lit dramatically, showing the silhouette of the band. Heeeeere's Coldplay!

I wish I could give a blow-by-blow description of every song and every moment, but alas, I was too caught up in the moment, alternating between rocking out and screaming, and being annoyed at Giant Dork in front of me who insisted on standing up and dancing goofily in the aisle for nearly every song. Sidebar: I love a lively audience. I appreciate an audience who can let loose. I can even appreciate a Giant Dork who mimics Chris Martin's wacky dancing. Just not in such a manner in which you are obstructing my view and enjoyment of the show, dammit!!!

Aside from that hiccup, which was resolved when I carved out a spot whose view was not obstructed by Giant Dancing Dork, the show was awesome. The staging was very simple, with the huge video screen behind the band showing gorgeous, striking imagery (i.e. video footage, or images of the album cover, or abstract paintings, etc), as well as the usual jumbotrons hanging from the ceiling so that peeps in the boonies could actually see the band, there were several "video orbs", huge spheres which were able to have images projected on them. I loved the orbs, as they mirrored what was being shown on the video screens, creating a very cool, surreal look, as well as different colors and patterns. The band was in their element, playing strong, and of course, Chris Martin is da bomb. His high energy, moving from his trademark hoppy-dancing, to pounding on his piano, all the while singing strong vocals, is amazing. One of many highlights in the show was when the band played "Yellow", when suddenly, dozens of huge yellow, confetti-filled balloons fell from the ceiling, and the audience kept them on the move, batting them about like kittens with balls of yarn. The song ended with Chris Martin popping one of the balloons, unleashing a rain of confetti on the lucky fans in the choice seats.

Another highlight was when the band, after playing for about 45 minutes, suddenly left the stage, and walked the length of the arena, guarded by burly security, of course, to the BACK of the room, where four mikes and a few acoustic guitars were set up. The band then played a few lovely acoustic numbers, including a cover of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer". The band's percussionist is so very talented...he could play the guitar, and had a great voice, too. The fans in that section, who had occupied nosebleed seats for most of the show, were suddenly in possession of the best seats in the house. (Sidebar: I thought it was nice that the band did that, but dangit, it's kinda not cool for the peeps who did pay for prime seats and were suddenly thrust in "nosebleed seats", even for a few minutes. Still, the band is so awesome, the performance and enthusiasm so engaging and contagious, that I don't think peeps really minded.)

Then, the moment of truth came, when the band played THE SONG, "Viva la Vida". What can I say? It was brilliant, and felt unreal and like a dream. I adore the song, love love love it, and sang, along with my fellow acolytes, the whole song at the top of my lungs. Yes, it is the only Coldplay song that I know all the lyrics to. Chris Martin led the audience in a sing-along near the end of the song, and he and the rest of the band seemed really touched by the love.

While that was the climax, for me, the band did continue to play a few more songs from the new album, before disappearing behind the stage amidst yells of "Thank you!" and "Goodbye!" The crowd wouldn't budge, and instead of screaming "Encore!", we opted to sing the "Whoah oh oh oh" refrain from Viva la Vida, which went on for a good minute or so before the band reappeared for their encore, in which they played a few more classics, such as "The Scientist".

The band left the stage, waving and yelling "Thanks!" and "Cheers!" and "Goodbye!" again, to an arena full of peeps giving them a standing ovation. The crowd was finally satisfied, and we all left, in a fairly orderly fashion, considering all the liquor and adrenaline in the air, many still humming the melody from various Coldplay songs...I, of course, hummed "Viva la Vida"...

Here are a few pics from the show:

Getting My Culture on in Hong Kong...

Yes, there is culture beyond poppy Canto-pop concerts, as blessed, numerous, and awesome as they are.

Hong Kong has its own ballet company, philharmonic orchestra, Chinese orchestra, opera, and active Academy for the Performing Arts, which hosts various cultural events such as plays, musicals, modern dance, as well as free recitals featuring Academy students.

Hong Kong is also host to various arts, literary, and film festivals, so there is quite a bit of horizon-enhancing cultural events. There are many museums in Hong Kong, and they offer free days every month. Speaking of free stuff, many of the aforementioned cultural events are free, or usually fairly affordable, especially for students and seniors, who often get up to 50% off the ticket prices.

So of course, I have been taking full advantage of this. These past couple of weeks, I have attended:

- On March 14: A HK Arts Festival performance by Modified Toy Orchestra, a totally awesome UK electronica group that plays instruments that are, well, modified toys. In essence, they troll garage sales, buy old electronic toys (i.e. toy keyboards, talking toys, learning toys, etc -- basically anything with a circuit board), and do something called "circuit bending" in order to make the toys play new, different sounds. These guys took things like Speak N' Spells, Casio mini keyboards, talking Barbie-like dolls, and other electronic toys, and made some kick ass music. They even altered a toy rocket that teaches kids how to count in Mandarin. One of the funnest moments was when they rocked out on toy guitars and toy saxophones. They even had a toy double guitar....rock on, dude. Check them out online: http://www.myspace.com/toyorch

I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be about the annoying dude behind me who kept screaming "Whoo-Hoo" every other minute. Normally, I love audience enthusiasm...just not directly in my ear.

- On March 28: A lovely performance by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, which consists of all-Chinese instruments, such as the Erhu, the Pi-pa, etc. The theme of the performance was "Shanghai", which, as you all know, has a special place in my heart. The orchestra played a wonderful mix of Shanghai-themed music, including the theme of "ShanghaiBund", developed for the 1980s TV series starring Chow Yun -Fat, set in 1930s Shanghai. They also played Western music, such as polka pieces from Strauss, as well as a suite from Carmen. They also played the entire "Butterfly Lovers" suite, from the well-known Chinese opera. Hearing ancient Chinese instruments play these familiar pieces was quite a treat. The instruments have a special sound and power to them, and the sound (and sight) of the orchestra was quite magical. The instruments were interesting, and seeing the orchestra, resplendent in their royal purple Chinese-style robes, playing in perfect unison, was amazing. My favorite piece was one of the Strauss polkas, in which the strings were played, not using the traditionally bows, but plucked by hand. Utterly lovely, and an utterly new sound. The conductor, who turned out to be a Shanghai native whose father wrote many of the lyrics for the classic Shanghai songs played that evening, was an absolute delight to watch. I normally don't pay very much attention to conductors, but this man was like an extension of the music...he moved, nay danced, vividly, as he conducted. I normally roll my eyes when diva conductors leave the stage after a piece only to return minutes later for the next piece, in order, in my view, to garner more applause, but for this guy, I think he totally deserved every clap. The orchestra was a delight, and have some other interesting upcoming events (like a global erhu relay!)...check them out at: http://www.hkco.org/index_eng.asp

I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be about the annoying lady behind me who sang along with the orchestra. Normally, I love audience enthusiasm, but when you're at an orchestral performance, and not a sing-along, pipe down so others can appreciate the music! This is an orchestra, not bloody karaoke! And like all good Asian citizens, the surrounding audience members all shot her disapproving looks, rather than telling her to shut the eff up, and she eventually got the message. Viva la passive aggressive, threat of society shunning pressures of the Chinese culture! But despite that blip, the orchestra was wonderful, and truly deserved their standing ovation at the end of the night.

- On March 27 and March 29: The Hong Kong Dancesport Festival and International Dancesport Competition, in all its spray-tanned, flesh-baring, garishly sequinned, ruffled, spandexed glory. But why, you ask? Well, as a fan of Dancing with the Stars, I admit to having a great admiration for ballroom dancing, and all of its funny, fodder-producing quirks. All of the glitz aside, it truly is a sport and an art to perform such intricate, beautiful dances, and is a true celebration of music and the grace of the human form. And the glitz is fun. The over-the-topness of everything makes things fun. The Mar. 27 daytime session was the quarter-finals for various competitions (i.e. amateur ballroom/latin, junior ballroom/latin, professional ballroom/latin, etc.) There were multiple heats for each competition, with multiple dances for each competition. Each heat danced the same dances to the same music, and it was quite a frenzy watching 12 couples storm the floor at a time. I don't know how the judges are able to judge appropriately, what with so many couple whirling around...I wanted to watch everyone, but ended up focusing on one or two who may have had the flashiest costumes, or the most striking moves. I prefer ballroom (or "standard") to latin, as it evokes mellow, elegant, Fred and Ginger-esque grace, which I adore. Plus I love the music they play, classic, old school stuff you'd hear from the Fred and Ginger era. Since it was the quarter-finals, not a whole lot of people showed uptp watch, so I got cheap tix for decent seats, and also got to see competitors up close, in their full on sequinned, hairsprayed , made up, spray-tanned glory. And this applies to both men and women! Speaking of spray-tans, I think this is the one aspect of Chinese culture that shuns the lily-white, porcelain, tofu skin complexions...all competitors, regardless of age, were tanned a dark, golden color. It was quite jarring to see so many Chinese girls tanned so dark...it felt odd indeed...

The costumes for ballroom are the usual foofy swirly gowns, often in bold, bright colors, with lots of sequin or ruffly detailing. The fluorescent greens and oranges were hard to take, so I often cheered for the gals with more simpler gowns, in less flashy colors like white or pale pinks. The latin costumes were, of course, much flashier and sexier...and that includes the men's costumes...across the board, latin -dancing men had shirts slashed open to reveal spray-tanned, waxed chests...and similarly, the ladies showed as much skin as possible, too, with short skirts, low necklines with lots of cutouts, or simply bandeau tops with some sheer fabric draped strategically. I did appreciate one couple, where the girl opted to dance in a strapless dress with a much longer, form-fitting skirt (think pencil skirt, knee length)...granted, it was super tight, and sequinned all over, but she was going for something different, and I think it helped them stand out. The juniors had much more modest costumes (and dance moves), but I still got the impression of little girls playing grown-up, ala child beauty queens, with the heavy makeup, overdone hair, and spray tans, etc....they danced very well, though, and I estimate the youngest were probably 11 or 12 years old, so that makes it less eeky, I guess.

If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be that the people from the different dance schools/associations cheered obnoxiously during the actual dancing...Picture all these unruly hoots of "jia you" (yep, they were a mainland China dance school) drowning out Sinatra singing "Just the Way You Look Tonight" (one of my fave Sinatra songs ever), as the competitors gracefully dance a waltz. Not cool, dude. Cheering boisterously during a more upbeat latin song is cool, since it further fires up the dancers and the atmosphere, but just seems wrong for quieter, more elegant dances.

The March 29 evening session was the finals for the competition, and also included exhibition performances from world-ranked professionals. The finals came down to six couples in each category, and they were truly the cream of the crop, dancing quite amazingly. The professional performers were awesome, too, and funnily enough, were names I recognized from Dancing with the Stars (i.e. Victor Fung from America). Great stuff. One of my faves was the tango performed to Beethoven's 5th...the professional latin couple from Poland was wonderful too, sharp sharp moves and innovative choreography. And the guy shunned sequins and stayed in a simple black turtleneck for all of his performances, so word up. I also liked how during intermission, they actually invited audience members to dance on the dance floor. And couples actually did! Dance culture is huge there, especially for the more mature set...I can easily see my Mom attending something like this, and being the first one on the dance floor...

If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be that the language issues in the MC-ing (they had to MC in English, Mandarin and Cantonese) seemed to inhibit audience applause...for example, the English MC would say "Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for...", and there would be silence as performers entered the dance floor, because the majority of the audience didn't understand English. When they finally realized that they should announce things like that in both English and Chinese, the audience began clapping accordingly, and the atmosphere became less awkward and more welcoming for the performers, so that worked out much better...

Overall though, it is very easy to get your culture on in Hong Kong. If you still have energy after all the eating and shopping, you will find lots of great events to go to...aside from the few I mentioned above, I also went to a couple of literary festival events and film talks, all free, and all quite interesting...so while Canto-pop concerts are the bomb, you should also consider balancing out the bubblegum poppiness with other cultural events...and Hong Kong, thankfully, makes it easy to do so.