Before last night, Houstonist may have told you, "Eh...they're OK live, but we haven't been blown away" if you'd asked whether or not you should go see the show. But, that was before last night. Although we weren't blown away (think David Bowie at The Woodlands in 2006), we gained a much better appreciation for Coldplay as live entertainers.
The crowd was immediately engaged as the band took the stage playing Life in Technicolor. The energy continued to mount sending a tingle through the arena as Clocks followed shortly after. The music may be a bit mellow at times, but frontman Chris Martin could energize a rock with his dancing and flailing around the stage.
Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland mugged for the photographers on the stage right set extension early in the show. Later, the pair were joined by drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman on the stage left extension for God Put a Smile on Your Face that evoked images of the group playing Rock Band. Champion banged an electronic drum kit, and Martin played a small upright piano with Buckland and Berryman crammed in between like teenagers trying to fit between the TV, coffee table and recliner.
The highlight performance of the show was Lovers in Japan. The energetic piano riffs and snare propelled the crowd as Japanese imagery filled the screen. Brightly colored paper butterflies fluttered by the audience in the floor seats.
Coldplay concluded the hour forty five minute show with a one song encore - Yellow. We left the building with our ears ringing and the chorus to Viva La Vida playing on a loop through our head.
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Photos by Groovehouse
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solid review. awesome photos. good times.
DON'T YOU LIKE HOW COLDPLAY RIPPED OFF KRAFTWERK?
Listen to the beginning of "Talk" (2005)
then listen to "Computer Love" (1982)
an outright theft!
From the beginning Coldplay properly acknowledged the riff as a Kraftwerk one, so it doesn't count as theft. Consider Kanye sampling Daft Punk. Or Rachmaninoff writing "Variations on a Theme of Paganini". On the other hand you've got cases like Vanilla Ice denying that "Ice Ice Baby"'s beat was from "Under Pressure", that's a bit more of "ripping off".
indeed, its been widely reported, and confirmed in interviews with the band, that Chris Martin wrote to Ralf and Floran and asked permission to use the riff, and were granted permission, (obviously).