Coldplay includes tour diary on album
From WikiColdplay
Coldplay's new DVD/CD reaffirms the group's international talent while giving fans a taste of its hits
More often than not, when a band releases a live album, it is either fulfilling its record contract obligation or is in the twilight of its popularity. It is rare form these days for a band to release a live album while in the prime of its career. On Nov. 4, Coldplay did just that with "Live 2003," a DVD/CD combo of its July 2003 stadium performance in Sydney, Australia.
The DVD has two main attractions: a live concert and a 40-minute tour diary and documentary. The main feature of the CD is a shortened version of the concert found on the DVD. The disc is also an Enhanced CD, with links to the band's Web site in addition to pictures and other things.
The concert is well-captured and shows Coldplay in all its glory. For fans, this is something worth picking up. If you have seen Coldplay live already, you may not be surprised by anything in the video except the tour diary, which gives a bit of a perspective of the band behind the scenes and while traveling around the world. If you have not seen Coldplay, this is a good place to start, especially if you have Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound on your stereo. The DVD utilizes this feature so remarkably that it sounds like you are at a concert.
The tour diary documentary is a little hard to watch if you have ever seen Radiohead's DVD "Meeting People is Easy." The film techniques, style and feel are basically the same in both, but Radiohead's video is stronger by far, primarily because it did it first. After watching the tour diary, you may be left feeling bored. Coldplay seems out of its element here. You get the strange impression that the Coldplay members dislike their jobs, despite getting to see the world and having millions of adoring fans. By the time the video is just about finished, the band seems a little ungrateful. It tries to redeem itself by talking about the fans and how much they appreciate it, and showing scenes of the band mingling with some female fans. But after 35 minutes or so of bland recollections of tour life and bad radio station interviews, the gesture seems as fake as a press release.
Ungrateful boredom aside, the concert redeems the band completely. Its intensity and emotions run high from start to finish. The concert is utterly amazing.
As the crowd wells up, the thrashing opening of "Politik" sets the stage. Here, the emotional rollercoaster that is Coldplay begins its ascent. From the first song , the crowd is taken from a heavy pounding to a subtle, introspective piano-driven melody, to a mixture of the two by the end of the song.
One of the most heartfelt pieces Coldplay performs during the show is a rare song called "See You Soon," an acoustic ballad about losing trust and security. The metaphors could be taken several ways, which make it so well-written. The silence and respect of the crowd only deepens the impact of this gentle gem. The band also plays a new track called "Moses." The song is decent, but sounds too much like U2. The bass line, the guitar and even the vocals all resemble U2's fabled sound from The Joshua Tree. In fact, if you close your eyes, it is not hard to imagine U2 sneaking up on-stage for the song while Coldplay was off getting some beers.
In between songs, Chris Martin pulls a typical rockstar move -- mumbling things to the crowd that are virtually indistinguishable unless you rewind and hold your ear to the speaker. Most times, it is simply, "thank you very much." But before the band plays its international hit "Yellow," Martin promises that if everyone stands up, he will buy them all ice cream.
In the long run, it is hard to say if Coldplay will grow into the large pants the media and fans have given them. Hopefully this live release is not a sign that Coldplay is in the waning phase of its career. But after releasing two great studio albums ("Parachutes" and "A Rush of Blood to the Head") and following those with this outstanding live DVD/CD, Coldplay seems to be getting better and shows no intention of giving up any time soon.
Carl Sundberg
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