Coldplay at HP

This is my 3rd concert in 2 weeks... AND they've all been freebies, go figure. I will say that Coldplay at HP last friday night was by far one of the best concerts I've been to ever. The set design and stage show was outstanding and the music and audience connection unparalelled. The new album "Viva la Vida" has a new twist to the melodic epic sounds that Coldplay has produced in the past. As one writer puts it that "By adding Led Zeppelin-esque flourishes and Middle Eastern tinged background strings, the band now has a sleeker, shinier sound."

The concert was illuminated with a lazer and lights show with five round video screen Orbs that hung from the rafters of the HP pavilion, showing circular close-ups of the band and song related images and video. Each song felt like Chris Martin was leading the San Jose HP choir as he would allow the crowd to sing the choruses. The hit song "Yellow" seemed to emerge as the crowd favorite as people sang along and seemed to slow dance with the person closest to them. At one point in the show Chris Martin said that he was bored with the view from on stage and ran with that band through the audience and the main floor, up a few sections, and emerged at the entrance of a section tunnel where he and the band sang a few songs in an inpromto "unplugged" session. The band that thrilled us with Clocks, and Fix You, and Speed of Sound... is sure to add to their greatest hits list songs from La Vida... including Lost, Violet Hill, Death and all his friends, and more.

By far the best concert this year for me... and one of the best all time!!