Coldplay takes awhile to find the energy
Comcast Center, Mansfield, Mass., August 3, 2009
Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin lamented early on during the show that the previous was "one of the shittiest concerts" the band has ever done after headlining the All Points West festival gig in Jersey City, N.J. He told the faithful that they would try to make up for it on this night.
Of course, not having been in the Jersey show, who knows what went wrong with it (however, Martin told the rain-soaked Jersey crowd, "This has to be the strangest-smelling, but best concert we've ever played"), but Coldplay, coming through on a victory lap on the Viva La Vida tour, didn't totally reverse Sunday.
Songs sounded good and well put together as most of the British quartet's material is. The band certainly was competent, but there seemed to be a spark missing. And it took a long long time before that materialized.
During one of the group's two forays into the crowd, the foursome played on a small stage together before Martin performed a solid version of The Hardest Part solo on piano with a bit of backing vocals from drummer Will Champion. He returned to his mates, who immediately lit into the powerful Viva La Vida title track, a bouncy, energetic version with Champion pounding away on kettle drums, and the sound coming together. It proved to be the highlight of the 110-minute show. Coldplay kept up the spirited performing with Lost.
Another expedition took the band to the lawn. Champion took vocal honors for the recently released free song Death Will Never Come, a short country-based country on which Champion showed he can sing. As they have elsewhere, Coldplay also turned in their version of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. It was not entirely clear what purpose that served since it wasn't as if Coldplay put their own tattoo on it or have much in common with Jackson.
Part of the problem was the presentation itself. On their hit Clocks , the group relied on four multi-colored lasers shooting out to the crowd while the band was bathed in dark, reddish tones undercutting the emphasis on the band. During Yellow, a bunch of varied sized yellow balloons were released. Doing so created a pretty effect, but it also meant that the crowd paid less attention to the band.
Martin's showmanship came off as a bit forced. He was not a big talker, but, at times, pandered a bit to the fans. He also tended to get overexcited with his own dancing, sometimes assuming the spotlight when it belonged to his band mates.
Coldplay is a really fine band - one of the best out there today - with a lot of very sturdy songs that stand up. Hopefully, it was better than what the band thought of their gig in New Jersey, but it also probably wasn't one of their best shows either.
Elbow is a Manchester, England band that has a good reputation, but not a lot of commercial success to show for it. The band seems on the upswing, deservedly show after a stellar 35-minute set.
Lead singer Guy Garvey sings very well with a bit of a soulful feel and a friendliness about him.
What stood out most about Elbow was their ability numerous times to take good, well thought out songs and make them really stand out in a concert setting. Many built to a crescendo, gathering steam as they went along. About the highest compliment that could be paid Elbow was that their set was way short.
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis had a tough opening assignment. The Durham's debut has not even been released in the U.S., and here they were opening shows for Coldplay. That didn't seem to put a damper on the band, who play rockabilly, blues and jazzy songs with a retro feel in a welcome 40-minute set.
This is a family band with the three being siblings and support by their mother, Ingrid, on bass (she was a drummer for The Raincoats) and father, Graeme, on guitar.
What the mainstays bring to the table is a love for the old style of music with a sincere energy. All three took turns on lead vocals with Kitty, at 16, the youngest of the three, taking most of them. They switched up on instruments between drums, guitars and keyboards. Lewis also played lap steel to good effect.
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are band in development. The singing was very good by all three with Lewis perhaps the most vibrant, but they could grow over time. They should loosen up more on stage, face the audience more and perhaps show that they enjoy the music they play. It would be hard to believe that they didn't because the music was awfully fun.
