we heart Coldplay — LIVE (Nissan Pavillion)

Date #4
{May 18, 2009}


(photo from us. point-and-shoot Casio, baby. rock it.)

our reviews: 10 Stars. if all the below events/dates were amazing, awesome, incredible, and 5 stars, then this could deserve no less than double that, because we were wowed beyond wowing. We'd been talking about how if we could go to any concert, Coldplay and Death Cab would be our top options, but I didn't think much of it, because the few times my curiosity had led me to their websites seeking tour dates, I was of course not thrilled by the $120-etc tickets. So you can imagine my surprise and EXCITEMENT when on our anniversary Jon told me I wouldn't get my gift until the next week, hinted that he got tickets to a concert, and I was floored when I guessed Coldplay and he smiled. I'm pretty sure I said shut up. Just like a valley girl. And then he told me he got them for $25 each, and I knew I married the right man.

We had lawn tickets so we tried to get there early, but traffic wouldn't have it. We missed the openers but didn't really care, and we still managed to get pretty good seats/grass spots hanging out with all the college folk. I like to think the lawn people are really the diehards. The ones that can't afford a front row ticket and shouldn't be splurging on the back either, but willing to sacrifice and pay what we can to get our piece of the action, as little as that piece may be. See view here: (p.s. all the photos were taken with our point and shoot since we didn't want to pack the good camera and we have no zoom lens anyway)



When they came running on the stage everyone was so excited, we all stood up and no one on the lawn sat for the entire concert. We rocked out like a bunch of schoolgirls and boys, and I felt like a teenager all over again because I was so giddy. They sound JUST like their CD when they're live, and we know they were live because at one point Chris Martin coughed between lines, followed one line later by an "excuse me" squeezed between lyrics. Love it. His voice was flawless. Effortless. This is his groove and he knows how to groove it.

During Yellow they dropped huge yellow beach balls from the rafters that bounced all over the crowd, during Lovers In Japan they shot pink and white confetti everywhere reminding me of cherry blossoms, and during the entire concert the band was obviously in their element, doing what they do best and loving it. Chris Martin introduced the guitarist as "Johnny, my best friend, who also happens to play the guitar really really well" (but oh, imagine this with a British accent, and now it's funny). He made shout outs to students with finals that week and commuters who faced the nasty traffic to get there. He whipped out an incredible piano solo during The Hardest Part, giving yet another glimpse of just how talented this band is. He's a closet concert pianist. How did we not know this.

When the band ran halfway through the crowd and stopped to play on a little stage out there, we watched in envy as people got an unexpected closeup of Coldplay, but still thought it was awesome the band would do that. A little later in the concert all 4 of them started running up the opposite side of the amphitheater, and they just kept running, and running, and then we didn't see them....and then all the sudden they were on THE LAWN!!! We screamed (okay I screamed) and Jon hesitated because he'd taken his shoes off and wasn't sure about leaving our stuff, but when he saw my face, he said "You wanna go? Okay, let's go." and before he got to the end of his sentence I was gone. We ran like the rest of the crazies on the lawn over everyone's blankets and chairs and stormed the field like we'd just won the homecoming game or something. We didn't think we'd get that close, but when we couldn't push any closer, we looked up and we were seriously 20 feet away, max. And there they were. Colplay. Real, ordinary, incredibly talented people. Right there. Practically in our face.





Chris Martin joked around and made some rhymey song about how the people on the lawn are just as nice even if they paid just a fraction of the price. Then he busted out the harmonica. What doesn't he play? We were in complete disbelief that we got that close of a view, and I was so bummed that I only remembered AFTER they went back up front that our cheapo camera in my hands actually has video. So timely, Melissa. Albeit sans video documentation, it was definitely the best moment of the night.

During their encore they announced that everyone would be getting a free CD at the gates that night called leftrightleftrightleft (which you can download for free here, and btw, that's probably our most quoted line from the night, saying leftrightleftrightleft with an english accent). Oh how they know what makes fans happy.

We love you Coldplay. Long may you live.



p.s. Thanks so so so much for the surprise tickets honey, I LOVED it!!