Coldplay
The Journal Tyne Theatre, Newcastle
20/12/10
When my phone began to ring at 9am on a cold Sunday morning in December, my only thought was to roll over and ignore its inane beeping. But the caller seemed persistent; leading me to drag myself out of my slumber and force a grumbly, “hello?” They replied, “I’m in the queue to buy Coldplay tickets – they’re playing a secret gig tomorrow. Want one?” And fifty pounds later (all in aid of homeless charity Crisis), I was on my way to one of the most exclusive gigs of the year.
The Journal Tyne Theatre is an incredibly intimate venue, with a capacity of just 1,100 across four levels. The night began with all-homeless support act The Choir With No Name, who noticeably moved the audience with their humble versions of classics including ‘I’m Still Standing’ and ‘Fairytale in New York’.
A brief introduction from Ant and Dec followed the choir’s performance, before the stage burst into a wash of bright yellow; the band playing their first ever hit from album Parachutes before launching into ‘Lost!’ from Viva La Vida. Martin’s guitar sounded off but was soon fixed when guitarist Buckland stomped his pedalbox and the guitar tech rushed on stage. The set continued to weave through their back catalogue, with classics such as ‘God Put a Smile Upon Your Face’, ‘Trouble’ and ‘Shiver’ peppering the first half with goodness. Sadly, there was a definite lull midset. With so many great album tracks to choose from, the choice of ‘Glass of Water’ and ‘Till Kingdom Come’ from their latest release seemed unusual, ineffective and almost out of place at such a euphoric gig. Luckily, the mood soon picked up with renditions of ‘Clocks’ and ‘Fix You’, followed by an exceptional version of crowd favourite ‘Viva la Vida’, which both stole and saved the show. Echoes of “wo-oh-oh-oh-oh” continued long after the song had finished (and Martin had said his fiftieth thank you) and until the band returned for their encore, which featured the appropriately festive ‘Christmas Lights’ to close.
All in all, “the best band in the word” didn’t convince me of their title, though the rare opportunity to see stadium-fillers in such an intimate venue proved to be a little special.