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: