These guys from London Town were absolutely amazing and the star of the show was absolutely Chris Martin.  What a superb entertainer!

Before I begin my positive rant on Chris and his supporting band mates, a word about the openers.  Wolf Gang, and then Robyn, performed their sets with high intensity and I was impressed by both their efforts and results. They were each different from the other yet both provided a nice level of entertainment to the Houston stage and were a perfect warm up to one of, if not THE best live shows I’ve ever seen! This is especially remarkable when you consider that you could have offered me a hundred, even a thousand dollars to name even one Coldplay song and I wouldn’t have earned a dime.  (Unless, of course, you let me Google or CHECK THE SET LIST -see Photo Gallery!)

Chris Martin’s first connection with his audience was to assure us that he understood how much it had taken for us to be there with him.  He talked about realizing it was a work night for most, that we’d probably been challenged while looking for a place to park, and spent a good deal of our hard earned cash on a ticket for the show.  Therefore, he promised, and I’m paraphrasing somewhat, he and his band mates were committed to giving us ‘the best fucking concert we had ever seen!’  A bold statement to be sure and, as it quickly became clear, a promise they could and would deliver on over and over again.

There is no way I can go through, song by song, and write about either the quality of each or how it was presented that night. It would be an impossible task given how many other things were taking place inside the Toyota Center. Sensory Overload are the two words that come to mind; so much so that the songs seemed to become secondary.

Here is what I can tell you about the evening and my experience as a first time listener/viewer of Coldplay. Coldplay’s set list included 21 of their favorite tunes to play live and I missed sitting and listening to the first half dozen as I had my cameras in hand and I was trying to document for you what the show ‘looked like’. You’ll have to check out the images in the ‘Photo Gallery’ to see what I captured. From my perspective it was indeed the most exciting/interesting/intense/adrenaline rush producing musical photo shoot I have ever experienced. It blew me away how photogenic the band and the show was. I know a picture is usually worth a thousand words. These images are worth two thousand words each! One image I included is a shot you will not see very often. It’s a DWC Photography exclusive, first to you our HMR readers and THEN… next Rolling Stone Magazine!? Please let me know what you think assuming you can find the one I’m talking about. I’ll give you a hint, Chris was standing just above me on the runway and saw my camera facing up at him. You can likely figure out what happened next!

Confetti, balloons, lasers, extraordinary videography, lights, wonderful sound mix, and a nonstop energy that is Chris Martin – jumping, skipping, sitting, standing, smiling, laying down, bending back, kicking up his feet, and God knows what else all made the experience incredibly cool. And if that wasn’t enough they issued these electronically controlled wristbands that were given to each fan as they entered the Center. The effect was a never before seen special effect light show courtesy of the audience!
From Diffuser.fm:

Called Xylobands the wristband(s) contain multiple LED lights which can be activated by the show crew using a radio signal. These are the same products used during Coldplay’s ‘Charlie Brown’ music video. Jason Regler, co-owner of RB Concepts, admitted that he came up with the concept while at a Coldplay concert after hearing the line “lights will guide you home” from the song ‘Fix You.’ However, the aesthetic benefits of the Xylobands don’t come cheap. Coldplay are reportedly spending over $770,000 a night on the wristbands and are thinking about dropping the idea all together.

So…if I did the math correctly that would put them at around $50 each. The pure economics of continuing the practice would suggest to me that those 14K in attendance may have witnessed the last of this awesome visual.  Sure glad I was there to see it!

Another fairly fantastic effort by the band was where in Toyota Center they played their tunes. They did not feel compelled to just stand on an ordinary stage. A ramp was constructed and ran around to the back of the stage so that all of the audience felt included. This became Martin’s ‘track’ and he made several laps as he continued to give his all to the fans. He also made numerous trips up and down the confetti covered runway that stretched 50 feet or more out into the ‘floor area’. And at one point mid show the 4 guys set up shop out on the tip of the runway called the ‘X stage’ and played from there. And if that wasn’t enough at what was thought to be the end of the concert, the band took off through the hidden corridors of the venue.  They reappeared on a platform set deep in the cheap seats and played a couple songs there before heading back to the main stage for the real finale!

In closing, I have to admit that I am still reeling from the show. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to share my images.  I was blessed to have experienced that ‘moment in time’ that every music photographer dreams will happen once in their career. Thank you for letting me share it with you! Until next time I hope you keep it between the navigational beacons.