andPOP » coldplay

Coldplay Dodge The Wrath of Deep Purple

Emma Renda — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Coldplay’s music is about as unconfrontational as a banana. And yet somehow, their entire career has been plagued with criticism and controversy from the music world and beyond.

Aside form vicious accusations of being “soft-rock” and the next U2 (which, I have to point out, aren’t exactly negative qualities when you are raking in millions of dollars and married to Gwenyth Paltrow), Coldplay were accused last year of ripping off said soft-rock from Deep Purple, no less.

The lawsuit was filed in December by none other than guitar god Joe Satriani, who claimed Coldplay padded their massive hit “Viva la Vida” with large parts of his song “If I Could Fly.”

This happened last December and it took until now for the band to settle up with Satriani. Although Coldplay will not have to admit any wrongdoing, according to the confirmed reports on Billboard.com, the judge has settled the case under an undisclosed stipulation. Essentially, this translates to Coldplay handing over a sum of cash in exchange for Satriani’s compliance.

It’s a highly less climatic outcome in one of the more publicized cases of musical theft, so to speak, but this move will likely be more lucrative for Satriani than actually releasing another album.

Coldplay Forced to Postpone Concert

Vanessa Baker — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:02:34 +0000

Citing “artist-related medical reasons,” British band Coldplay postponed a concert at the Ford Ampitheatre in Tampa, Florida, scheduled for Sunday, reports Perez Hilton.

“We’re sorry to report that Coldplay has been forced to postpone their show at the Ford Ampitheatre in Tampa on Sunday, August 9th,” read a statement on the band’s web site. “This is due to medical reasons. The show is currently being rescheduled – we’ll give you the new details as soon as we have them. In the meantime, the band have asked us to apologize on their behalf for the inconvenience this causes.”

Osheaga Music Festival Behind-The-Scenes

Jeremy Singer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:44:14 +0000

Having just hosted a Jazz and Comedy festival only a few weeks ago, Montreal was once again the pearl of Canada this past weekend with the undeniable success of the Osheaga Music and Arts festival- a two day event filled with performances beginning at 1:00pm all the way until 11:00pm.

As Saturday would feature notable acts such as Jason Mraz, The Roots, K’naan, The Stills, Girltalk and above all, the grandmaster Coldplay, andPOP decided to venture down to La Belle Province for day no. 1.

But something funny happened by the end of our trip. Not only did we go from being pale skinned to maple brown sunburned, but we also went from being a concert reviewer to a behind-the-scenes explorer.

With four different stages and acts scheduled at similar time slots, we had to pick and choose which musical path our day would lead towards.

This is our story.

2:30 pm- I begin my journey in Hell’s Kitchen. Beautiful sunny day in Montreal, but sweltering 30 degree Celsius heat. For some reason though, the crowd seems to want to stand through it for acoustic rock performer Donavon Frankenreiter at the Mountain Stage. The musician and also pro surfer gathers a trickling crowd with an immediate groovy set- reminiscent of longtime pal Jack Johnson.

Part of that next batch of sunshine tune-fellows like Johnson, Ben Harper, Matt Costa and G. Love, Frankenreiter ignites the festival’s spirit with his variety of catchy soothing numbers- most notably It Don’t Matter, which leads fans into a massive chant. A laid-back Frankenreiter even lets a lucky fan help him belt out the chorus, sending the crowd into rave cheers.

Truly a man of the festival.

3:15 pm- Onward to something completely different- British electro-pop duo La Roux. Though the up-and-coming part of the program, the group still manages to make a sharp impact. The whole crowd jives to their hit single Bulletproof- from their recently released 2009 debut album self titled La Roux.

4:00 pm- I decide I want to interview Coldplay. Yes, just like that. But with a concert reviewer ticket, you basically just get that- a free ticket to review the show. So, if I’m gonna get my chance for a sit-down with Chris Martin, I’m gonna need to get behind the scenes. After a macho security guard- we’ll call him “Arnold Schwarzenegger” -prohibits me from entering the VIP/Backstage area, I decide to make an upgrade.

Off to the media tent to do my shpiel, and back with the little blue bracelet I need.

A few nods and wrist checks later, and I’m slowly making my way to a field of tents, tour buses and trailers hidden away, behind the two main River and Mountain stages, from the crowd.

Hungry, I enter a large tent filled with a delicious spread for everyone backstage. Though I quickly realize inside, I need to have an additional bracelet. Since the security guard doesn’t notice me, I decide to snag a water bottle instead.

Gotta keep hydrated, safety first.

As I exit the tent, I head toward a tent filled with a bunch of media personnel on laptops. Next tent, La Roux singer Elly Jackson.

Relaxing on a white couch in her technicolor leotards, pale complexion, and crazy ginger hairdo, the 21-year-old has definitely carved out her own niche in not only the festival, but all of Britain.

5:25 pm- I head back out to the main area to catch the last few tunes of Eagles of Death Metal on the River Stage. Promoting their latest record Heart On to a sizable crowd, the two man group finish the set with their emphatic hit single Wannabe In L.A.

5:45 pm- Heading backstage again, I stumble upon an ecstatic Eagle of Death Metal frontman Jesse “The Devil” Hughes. In total bliss, the 36-year-old rocker comes strolling down the stairs shirtless, with that thick mustache, and long shaggy hair.

Despite his scary trucker appearance, Hughes is one of the most enthusiastic and friendly performers I’ve seen during a post-show.

“God, I love my job man!” he says smiling, before heading for a bite to eat. “That’s it, It’s the best!”

6:00 pm- I trek further, listening near the media tent to alternative rock band Elbow’s crowd pleasing performance. The group has kept for the most part a low profile during their career, but that was not the case at Osheaga. They were here to make their mark, and did so with their climatic One Day Like This.

6:20 pm- Jason Mraz is due next on stage in 10 minutes. Promoting his latest album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, Mraz is one of the festival’s more notable names, primarily due to the success of his Grammy nominated breezy single I’m Yours. Heck, even his album too- which has broken into the top ten of so many international music charts.

Suddenly an ATV rolls up behind me, and off steps the acoustic bluesy genius himself.

Mraz is a simple man, but then again affects to the masses. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a white T, and his well-known fedora hat, the 32-year-old strolls with a coffee in hand toward some shade on a bench under a tree.

6:30 pm- Let it be known that despite his shy appearance, Mraz is as suave and animated as they get. Grabbing a black and white fender-strat guitar as he hits the River Stage, the artist begins dancing to his rhythm, swaying his knees in-and-out like some Elvis Presley impersonator.

As he works the crowd like a showman, Mraz switches to his more comfortable tool- an acoustic guitar -and begins an energetic The Dynamo Of Volition.

An amazing acoustic set later of The Remedy, and Mraz then releases the highly anticipated feel-good vibe hit single I’m Yours.

“This is sort of a hippie song, so I want everybody to just relax and get their summer bugaloo on,” he says in a low smooth voice. An even bigger delight was the surprise transition into Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, where Mraz had everyone’s heads and arms bopping side-to-side. It was the perfect soundtrack for that point in the day: sun shining, a breeze brushing through crowd, middle of the summer. Even Mraz felt good about it, as he tells andPOP backstage after his performance.

7:45pm- “I had a great experience,” he says, as he relaxes in a field overlooking a pond, outside his trailer. “We’re really honored to have this opportunity, it’s been a fantastic day.” Though The Roots are now blaring their jazzy hip/hop melody out in the front, back here Mraz is enjoying some peaceful quality time with his band on a picnic table. And with him, instead of an acoustic guitar, is a Nikon D60 camera- which he’s trying to capture a picture of a sedentary groundhog with.

“I just got the Nikon recently, so far it’s been good,” he says after carefully trying to sneak up on the creature. “We’re all just basically enjoying ourselves.”

Adds percussionist Toca Rivera who sits on the grass taking in some rays, “It’s beautiful weather, great music, what more can you ask for.”

Hmm…maybe a sit-down with Coldplay?

8:15 pm- I venture further into the forest path, walking past the trailers and tour buses of Elbow, The Stills, The Roots and Donaven Frakenreiter. On the way, Roots drummer Questlove is being given a lift on an ATV somewhere, and Elbow’s lead singer Guy Garvey is seen heading into the band’s trailer.

Fifteen feet later and I stop at a much more secluded trailer- I venture near to see who it belongs to. Outside of the holding, a few security guards stop me before I go any further, informing me it’s for Coldplay.

Boom.

Without thinking, I tell them I’m here for the band. They give me a puzzled look, but go and ask the manager, which obviously turns out to be a no-go.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of the four-man British rock band when they come out to walk to the main stage, I’m told that they won’t be out for another hour.

8:30 pm- So I decide to see the status of our mash-up Picasso Greg Gillis, also known as Girltalk, who’s set to perform at the same time-slot.

Of all the rough luck for a guy. Not a surprise he would only draw 500 out of the 30,000 audience total for the night.

Off of his latest masterpiece Feed The Animals, Gillis is in his one-man trailer- which is side by side to rapper K’Naan. He’s hard at work preparing for tonight’s set at the MEG stage, which was reserved for the majority of the electro-based performers.

8:45 pm- A 53-footer truck makes its way down the road behind the main stages carrying all of Coldplay’s custom stage pieces- part of which would include a separate circular platform that would be placed in the middle of the audience for the band to use later on in their set.

9:10 pm- I hear music playing, and nervous, I ask one of the set-up crew if the band has started yet. He chuckles and replies that when Coldplay goes up there, “you will know it.” After briefing me that the experience will be nothing short of spectacular, he gives me a heads up that they’re going to be opening up with Life In Technicolor, and that there will also be a couple of entertaining tweaks during the performance- including dozens of giant yellow crowd balloons for Yellow and a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.

Sounds wicked.

9:15 pm- Night has fallen, easing the heat outdoors. The entire field filled to capacity is eagerly waiting for the band’s arrival. The music stops and a shadow-screen silhouettes the Grammy award winning band members who twirl sparklers- before then jamming right into Life In Technicolor.

Highlights of the first half of the set include a laser-accompanied Clocks, sing-a-long anthem Fix You, an entertaining Yellow- yes, dozens of bright yellow balloons bounce all over the audience -and above all, a turbo-charged Chris Martin who dances around the stage from left-to-right in his classic Napoleon-meets-American Apparel-style jacket.

“Merci beaucoup, mes amis,” he says to a screaming crowd.

Personally, hearing the violins begin to hum to their hit single Viva La Vida, with drummer Will Champion manning the kettles, was quite the epic experience by itself. And it’s obvious that Montreal was all smiles. Even, the energetic Martin points out how perfect the night is: fireworks on the right, an August moon on the left and a prime performance in the center.

Osheaga hit jackpot this year. No argument there.

But there was still plenty of juice left in the Coldplay tank, as the band suddenly makes its way single-filed through the crowd to the custom circular stage in the middle- only big enough to have the band standing back-to-back.

There they perform a slew of acoustic sets, including a cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, before then heading back to the main stage to round-up the show.

11:00 pm- As the fairy-tale winds down, leaving 30,000 civilians preparing for hours of congested traffic on their way home, I decide to take one last chance to possibly see a glimpse of the band backstage. Only when I arrive there, I’m greeted with two police cars and four sleek black Escalades which pull up for each band member.

Obviously you’d like to hear that Martin and his crew come prancing off stage, we become best buddies and they invite me for a brew.

For some odd reason, they reluctantly did not. Go figure. The doors close shut and they disappear into the night with their impressive police escort.

But, at the end of the 10-hr day, was the sunburn, first phase of dehydration, and mental/physical exhaustion worth it?

I think so.

Coldplay To Give Away Live Album On Tour

Eva Lam — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:49:41 +0000

Coldplay will come bearing gifts for their fans during their upcoming “Viva La Vida” summer tour.

The British band has announced they will give away a live CD, “LeftRightLeftRightLeft,” to every person attending a show, starting May 15 when they kick off their North American tour in West Palm Beach, Florida. The giveaway will continue for the rest of the band’s live shows in 2009, with the exception of festival appearances.

The free CD is described as a “recession-busting mark of gratitude” for the support the band has received. “Playing live is what we love,” Coldplay said in a statement. “This album is a thank you to our fans – the people who give us a reason to do it and make it happen.”

Even fans unable to attend a show aren’t excluded – “LeftRightLeftRightLeft” will also be made available as a free download on Coldplay’s official website for the duration of the tour, beginning May 15.

The nine-track album was recorded over the course of a year in different cities during the “Viva La Vida” tour. Some of the band’s biggest hits, such as “Clocks,” “Fix You” and “Vida La Vida,” are included.

Coldplay’s fourth studio album, “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” won two Grammys, as well as a Juno for international album of the year in March.

Coldplay Kanye West Among Headliners For Danish Festival

Eva Lam — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:00:37 +0000

The 2009 Roskilde Festival has lined up a diverse roster of performers, including Coldplay, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, Oasis and Lil Wayne.

Now in its 39th year, the event is the world’s longest-running outdoor music festival and will take place outside of Copenhagen, Denmark from July 2 to 5.

Other scheduled performers include Lily Allen, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Pet Shop Boys, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Slipknot, Fleet Foxes and the Mars Volta.

More than 75,000 festival-goers are expected to attend the seven-stage event.

According to Billboard, organizers are giving the event an environmentally-conscious touch with an initiative called “Green Footsteps.” Not only will the festival’s Odeon and Sustainable stages host CO2-friendly shows, donations will benefit environmental projects in India and Bangladesh.

For more details, check out the official Roskilde website here.

Coldplay, Beastie Boys To Headline Montreal Festival

Eva Lam — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:59:22 +0000

The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival will return to Montreal this summer with two huge headliners: Coldplay and Beastie Boys.

The fourth installment of the annual extravaganza will take place at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Aug. 1 and 2, with the Brits headlining on Saturday and the Brooklyn MCs closing the festival on Sunday.

Other confirmed performers include Arctic Monkeys, the Roots, the Decemberists, Girl Talk, Jason Mraz, Lykke Li, the Ting Tings, Josh Ritter and Elbow.

Canadians are well-represented in the lineup, from Toronto’s Crystal Castles to such locals as Rufus Wainwright, Beast and Parlovr.

Tickets go on sale Friday at noon; for more information, check out the Osheaga festival website here.

Coldplay and Beastie Boys have also been announced as headliners for this year’s All Points West festival in New Jersey. Although the event overlaps with Osheaga, scheduling conflicts have been averted by scheduling the Beastie Boys for July 31, fellow headliner Tool for Aug. 1 and Coldplay for Aug. 2.

Kylie Minogue, Coldplay Play Australian Bushfire Benefits

Eva Lam — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:11:01 +0000

Kylie Minogue, Coldplay, Kings of Leon and Taylor Swift were among the music stars who took part in two charity concerts on Saturday night for victims of Australia’s deadly wildfires.

Tens of thousands braved heavy rain and lightning to attend the Sound Relief concerts in Sydney and Melbourne, which organizers hope will raise about $5 million Australian ($4.18 million Cdn). Last month’s wildfires in southern Victoria state left at least 210 people dead and destroyed thousands of homes.

Some of the money from Saturday’s concerts will also benefit victims of recent floods in Queensland state that left hundreds homeless.

Minogue, who flew in from a Bollywood film shoot in India to participate in the event, led the 80,000-strong Melbourne crowd in a singalong of Peter Allen’s “I Still Call Australia Home.”

“I’m so thankful I can make it home tonight and share this with all of you,” said the Melbourne native. “There’s a thing we talk about a lot, which is the Australian spirit, and I believe that it’s in evidence tonight all around the country.”

The lineup also included several bands who reunited for the event, such as Split Enz and Midnight Oil. The latter featured ex-frontman Peter Garrett, who left the band in 2002 to pursue a career in politics and is currently Australia’s environment minister.

Olivia Newton-John closed the night’s entertainment in Sydney alongside Bee Gees member Barry Gibb, with the two Australian-raised singers performing a duet of “Islands in the Stream.”

Both concerts also included a minute’s silence for victims of the wildfires.

Bono Insults Coldplay’s Chris Martin

andPOP Staff — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:10:17 +0000

U2 frontman Bono appears to be getting a tad bit jealous of Coldplay’s new label as “the new U2 of our generation”. According to E! online, in a radio interview promoting U2’s new CD, No Line on the Horizon, which drops this week, Bono also “dropped a couple of verbal bombs on Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.”

The interview was held by BBC Radio 1 deejay Jo Whiley, who asked Bono if Martin was as talented as Paul McCartney. This question appeared to rub Bono the wrong way, as he replied “I think he’s a good melodist, but he’s a wanker”.

He went on to elaborate that Martin was “obviously a completely dysfunctional character and a cretin, but he happens to be a great melodist and up there with Ray Davies, Noel Gallagher and Paul McCartney.”

Whiley asked Bono for an apology, but Bono was insistent on his original opinion, E! online reports. He responded with “I’m a reformed character, I don’t any more.”

Bono must have realized the negative consequences his comment could have, as he tried to smooth over his earlier comment later in the interview. His version of an apology was, “I think [Coldplay] are a great band, and actually, it turns out [Martin’s] a great soul as well. Sorry about that. I was joking entirely.”

Coldplay Announce Tour Dates

Eva Lam — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:05:41 +0000

Coldplay are heading back across the pond this summer.

The British foursome will kick off a North American tour on July 10 in Portland, Ore., one of 14 confirmed dates leading up to early August.

One Canadian stop is on the lineup so far, July 29 in Toronto. Tickets for that show will go on sale Feb. 13.

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis will serve as the opening act for the entire tour, in addition to Amadou & Mariam for the first half of the tour and Elbow for the second half, including the Toronto date.

Check out Coldplay’s tour schedule at their official website here.

The band will perform at the Grammys this Sunday, where they are up for seven awards including album of the year for 2008’s “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.”

A feature on the group will air on CBS’s “60 Minutes” at 7 p.m. ET/PT, preceding the awards telecast at 8 p.m.

Coldplay also received a Juno nomination for international album of the year on Tuesday.

Coldplay Ban Its Frontman

Ilan Mester — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:57:39 +0000

Yes it’s true, Coldplay has banned its vocalist Chris Martin from entering the recording studio, but don’t worry, it’s not for long.

“Chris has been banned from the studio for these first two weeks. Now, before the rumour mill cranks its way excitedly into life, this does not indicate any kind of split in the camp. This is an experiment of Brian’s, “ wrote Roadie #42 in a post on the band’s website.

The post says that producer Brian Eno wanted the rest of the band to construct “their own musical underpinning with little idea of what Chris had in mind.”

“The fact that this is such a crazy way of going about things seems to encourage them to go off in deliberately strange and adventurous directions, Roadie #42 continues. “Often, they come in first thing in the morning and listen to Chris’s idea once, before going out into the live room and working up something based purely on how the song “felt” to them on first listen, paying little heed to what chords he chose or how the melody sat”.