Coldplay, Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA, Fri., 26 Aug 2005, 7:30pm
Opener: Black Mountain
Coldplay:
Title (Album, Track)
- Square One (1,4) -- I actually predicted this would be the first song of the concert as a good way to open the set, being the first track of the album
- Politik (1,2) -- I see a trend of first album tracks now; Chris adds the lyric "give me Will Ferrell in Anchorman" during the other "give me"s
- Yellow (6,1) -- ah, here's where the trend stops; I'm surprised this song came so early; this is the only song they played from this album
- God Put a Smile on Your Face (3,2) -- good bass line
- The Speed of Sound (7,4) -- getting radio play now; I wish they picked a song that sounds less like Clocks
- Low (9,4) -- this song reminds me of New Order
- A Rush of Blood to the Head (10,2) -- hints of antiwar sentiment (at least anti-unnecessary-war): "said I'm gonna buy a gun and start a war, if you can show me something worth fighting for"
- Amsterdam (11,2) -- the first time they're playing this on the tour; only one restart!
- White Shadows (3,4) -- one of my favorite songs on the new album
- The Scientist (4,2) -- the mellow song with the video that goes backwards in time
- 'Til Kingdom Come (13,4)/Ring of Fire medley -- a Johnny Cash tribute
- Green Eyes (7,2) -- dedicated to one of the band members
- Clocks (5,2) -- the uber-hit
- Talk (5,4) -- one of the most rockin' songs of the album
Encore:
- Swallowed in the Sea (11,4) -- a mellow return to the stage
- In My Place (2,2) -- I actually predicted this would be in the encore, based on its place in the live album (11,3); Chris went to the back near the lawn and interacted with the audience
- Fix You (4,3) -- like Amsterdam, starts mellow, then breaks out; Chris sings to San Diego
Albums:
- 1 Parachutes
- 2 A Rush of Blood to the Head
- 3 Live 2003
- 4 X & Y
Maureen and I had to go south with moderate traffic to get to Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista and get a decent spot on the lawn, but it was worth it! Black Mountain played a set at about 8, for about half an hour or so. We thought they might be a local band since they share a name with a pretty major street that goes from the south end of Mira Mesa up to Rancho Peñasquitos here in San Diego, but no, they're from Vancouver, BC. They were interesting. Every song had a different style. Coldplay came on about 9:15, opening with the first track of the new album X & Y, Square One, which has sort of a 2001: A Space Odessey sort of feel to it, and ended with Fix You. They played mostly songs from that and the previous album, with Yellow being the only Parachutes track. There was a screen in back of the stage with graphics and occasionally video of the band itself. The two screens on the sides weren't used at all, unfortunately, and they would have helped us vertically challenged people in the lawn. Anyway, they're solid performers (especially with Chris Martin's unique vocals) and showcased a good balance of mellow ballads and hard rock over 17 songs. Also, they're activists for fair trade, something I first learned about through them at a televised performance, with "Make Trade Fair" written on the piano.
