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Get ready, Manila: Coldplay’s Singapore show was magical


Coldplay, one of the biggest bands on the planet, played the first of two sold-out shows at the enormous Singapore National Stadium in Singapore on Friday night, March 31.

The concert was significant for a number of reasons: it’s the band’s first show of the year; the first stop in the Asia leg of their A Head Full Of Dreams tour (not counting a show in Abu Dhabi last New Year’s Eve); and the first anniversary of their current tour, which started a year ago to the day in La Plata, Argentina.

 

B-stage R42 #ColdplaySingapore #AHFODTour

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The quartet of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion have a few other dates to keep in Asia over the next three weeks, including Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and of course, Manila.

If you’re one of those who purchased tickets for Coldplay's Philippine debut at the MOA concert grounds on Tuesday, the question is, are they worth all the money you shelled out?

The short answer is yes.

Say what you will about Coldplay (and people seem to have pretty strong feelings one way or another about them), but these guys know how to put on a show.

If you’re a longtime fan, it’s enough that you’ll get to see and hear Chris and co. live, but even if you caught the Coldplay bug later on, there are plenty of elements about their performance that’ll put smiles on your faces and warm fuzzy feelings in your chest.

“Thank you for coming out tonight wherever you’re from,” Martin said to the stadium crowd. “This is gonna be the best show we’ll ever play.”

Of course, like a flirtatious paramour, it’s possible he says that to all the cities they play, but it’s fun to pretend that he really meant it this time.

“Let me know you’re out there!” he said, to which the reply was tens of thousands of excited screams and fists thrust into the air.

Audience members were issued electronically controlled wristbands that twinkled in different colors in tune with the songs. It’s just one small but effective way the band added an extra layer of engagement with their audience. Against the dark venue, the lights just looked magical.

 

A Head Full Of Dreams kicking off the second #ColdplaySingapore show. R42 #AHFODTour

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If you’re one of those obsessed with setlists, you probably already know what songs they’re playing on this current tour. They pretty much stuck with it here in Singapore, save for a few pleasant surprises.

After opening with “A Head Full Of Dreams,” the band dove right in with the modern classic “Yellow.” It’s tough to imagine anybody not having any kind of emotional reaction to the song; the familiar lyrics, the sweeping insrumentation, Martin’s strong yet pained voice, even the wristbands that lit up in the song’s signature color all mixed together to coax out genuine, unbridled joy, sorrow, disbelief and anguish in the crowd. There were actual tears from some people in my immediate area.

Speaking of tears, “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” was fun, but the band quickly shifted gears back to the melancholy with “The Scientist.” If you thought the last few minutes of Wicker Park was emotionally draining, wait till the song’s soft piano intro assault your senses in real life.

On “Paradise,” the full extent of the visual aspect of the show was on full display. Laser lights pierced through the darkness and, coupled with a faster rearrangement of the song, it felt for a second like an EDM show.

The band moved to the edge of the long catwalk  closer to the audience to do “Always in My Head.”

“This is our first show of the year,” Martin said. “So either we’re a little rusty or we’re fresh.”

Martin took time to talk about spreading happiness and positive energy to the world as he sat alone on a piano before launching into “Everglow.” If you line-graphed the energy level of the crowd that evening, that was probably as low as it ever went. But it allowed audiences to breathe and prepare for what was to come.

Grammy-winning song “Clocks” led to “Midnight,” “Charlie Brown,” and “Hymn for the Weekend,” before the night’s other big emo trip. The story goes that Martin wrote “Fix You” after ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow’s father died. It has since become a tender anthem expressing grief and sympathy, and a heartfelt way to convey comfort and compassion. Sung in a stadium-ful of fans, it was difficult to overstate the song’s power and intensity.

 

The choir of #ColdplaySingapore R42 #AHFODTour

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David Bowie’s “Heroes” made its way to the setlist on this tour as a tribute to the artist after his death last year. Afterwards, it was the twin powerhouse singles “Viva La Vida” and “Adventure of a Lifetime.” At that point, Martin had been singing almost completely nonstop for about an hour and half, but barely showed any signs of fatigue. He was even running around like a little ball of energy, through a shower of confetti and bathed in rainbow-colored lights. In the end he lay crumpled down onstage heaving but smiling.

The house lights came down and it was a few minutes before it went back up with the band on a smaller stage in the standing section. Here the band attempted to create a more intimate atmosphere, starting off with “Don’t Panic,” the soft, elegant little song that introduced them to the world (it was the first track from their debut album Parachutes). The band had asked people what they wanted them to play on this tour and I imagine thousands of requests poured in. One lucky girl’s video was flashed onscreen and she asked for “Til Kingdom Come,” which the band readily performed.

Martin messed up midway through the song and jokingly said, “Don’t upload this on YouTube. Let’s maintain the illusion of professionalism.”

The charismatic frontman carried the Singaporean flag in his back pocket for most of the later half of the show, but later on, it changed into a rainbow flag during the last few songs. It may have just been the fact that the band has been using the rainbow as a symbol for their latest album, but it could also have been a nod to Gilbert Baker, the inventor of the LGBT flag, who died that very day.

After “Amazing Day,” the band finished up the 23-song set with brand new single “Something Just Like This,” a collaboration with The Chainsmokers, the enchanting “A Sky Full of Stars,” and “Up & Up.”

“I think you’re one of the greatest audiences we’ve ever played for,” Martin said, again stroking the egos of everybody there. “I wish you could know what it feels like to be up here. It’s an amazing feeling.”

“See you next time, yeah?” he said.

 

Definitely one of the hottest Coldplay shows I've ever experienced. R42. #ColdplaySingapore #AHFODTour

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During those last few moments of the band onstage, with the audience clappping and shouting, and confetti raining down on everyone, I started to wonder, when did it become cool to hate on Coldplay? Was it when Chris Martin got hitched to Gwyneth Paltrow, who herself has lost her once lofty position as Hollywood’s golden girl? Was it when they became the butt of a You-Know-How-I-Know-You’re Gay joke from Paul Rudd’s character in the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin? Or was it a long, slow process over time, when they moved up from being just another British band to Glastonbury-headlining, Superbowl-halftime-show-playing, global rock superstars?

But I quikly dismissed the thought and realized they were just four guys playing music that, for some reason, resonates with millions of people around the world, including me. I’ve responded to them ever since that time I bought a pirated copy of Parachutes in 2000. (Don’t worry, I bought the original CD as soon as it became available in local record stores) and I’ve followed their careers since. To see them live was a mission and a dream, and I suspect, it’s the same for many other people in the audience that night.

There are rumors this is Coldplay’s farewell tour, and if they turn out to be true, I’m happy I’m on the side that gets to say I saw them live and it was one of the most glorious concert experiences of my life.

What side will you be on? — BM, GMA News

Paul John Caña is a writer and live music geek. Check out his blog manontheotherside.blogspot.com. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.

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