CONCERT REVIEW: Coldplay

Media General News Service
Published: August 4, 2008

WASHINGTON – For music fans concerned about who will continue the arena rock tradition once the veterans have walked away from the stage for good, now would be a good time to turn your attention to Coldplay.

        Is their music and cultural impact as timeless as The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen? No. At least not yet. And can Chris Martin command a stage with the bravado and swagger of Bono or Jon Bon Jovi? Not quite.

        What Coldplay offers live are well-designed Big Rock Band trappings – video screen the width of the stage, a rainbow of lasers, neon butterfly confetti – but instead of coating them with the cool self-assurance of a thousand other rock stars, the band projects an endearing warmth.

        Much of that credit belongs to Martin, a gangly Gumby whose nonstop fidgeting is unexpectedly riveting, but who also approaches a live display with the self-deprecation it deserves. Except, maybe, for those ragtag, straight out of “Master and Commander” military jackets that the band has adopted as its “look” for the album/tour cycle of “Viva La Vida.”

        A few times during Sunday’s too-brief 90-minute set, Martin acknowledged a gaffe, smiled sheepishly and then fixed it. It happened on the final verse of the opening “Violet Hill,” when he stretched his face into a look of horror, then repeated the lyric, and, most humorously, on the last refrain of “Yellow,” when he went in low instead of high.

        “Some days I don’t know if I’m trying to be Johnny Cash or Barry Gibb,” he quipped. “Hopefully, in 10 years time, I’ll have the voice of Johnny Cash and the hair of Barry Gibb.”

        While Martin, 31, is the undeniable focal point with his ungraceful hopping on one foot, singing on his back, rocking violently on his piano stool and flailing his arms as if he’s about to lasso a pony, Coldplay is very much an equal opportunity band.

        Guitarist Jonny Buckland owes more than a polite acknowledgement to U2’s The Edge for his chiming fretwork that impressively built into its own little wall of sound, a habit especially evident on the gorgeously soaring “Fix You,” while bassist Guy Berryman quietly anchored the whisper-to-a-scream dynamics of the band’s songs.

        Meanwhile, drummer Will Champion (how could he not be destined for stardom with that name?) received more face time than most sticksmen, joining Martin at the front of the stage to hammer a floor drum and vintage bell for the title track to “Viva La Vida,” which sounded nearly as lush as it does on record and incited a U2-ish singalong with its “whoa-oh-oh” chorus.

        Released only about six weeks ago, “Viva,” the album, has quickly swelled into the turning point of Coldplay’s eight-year recording career. It’s the biggest-selling non-rap release of 2008 so far with sales of about 1.4 million, and at Sunday’s Verizon Center show, the sold-out audience of close to 20,000 sang along with every album cut as if the songs had been part of their lives for years.

        The songs that fit that definition – “Clocks,” “In My Place” – appeared early in the set and were given the polished accompaniment of flashing red lights and pulsing lasers to enhance fans’ already-frenzied state.

        But the chumminess of this band – much like with U2 – cannot be underestimated in their newfound footing, both musically and performance-wise.    When they huddled at the foot of a stage ramp for an echo-y “Chinese Sleep Chant” and a radical techno-infused version of “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face,” there was a palpable cohesiveness to their performance.

        But, it was when the foursome scampered into the crowd to perform in a tiny section at the back of the venue that Coldplay’s desire to keep a grip on their escalating popularity blazed through.

        “This is what we look like up close. Impressive, isn’t it?” Martin said with a sideways grin, before the band dove into a lovely acoustic version of “The Scientist,” with Berryman strumming a mandolin.

        Martin turned the spotlight to Champion once again, as the drummer sang the folksy pub rumination, “Death Will Never Conquer,” a song offered as a free download on the band’s Web site.

        But first, Martin shared one more self-aware gem: “This will be the last song of our main set, and then we’ll do the encore thing, so play along with us, because otherwise, you’ll leave, and we don’t want you to do that.”

        It doesn’t appear that fleeing fans are anything that Coldplay needs to fret about for awhile.

        Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or .